Chapter Text
Harry Potter and The Gift of Aphrodite
Chapter 1: Cursed.
Thursday, November 17th , 1994
Harry James Potter and his best friend, Hermione Jean Granger were just on their way to the Great Hall for dinner, when they heard footsteps behind them, three pairs. Harry wasn’t sure who it was, but he really didn’t care, they’d just had a tiring lesson in double Defense, and he was hungry.
“Hey! Cheater!” Draco’s voice rang out. Harry rolled his eyes. Of course, it was Draco. Who else would it be?
“What do you want Malfoy? Can't you see my friend and I have better things to do?”
“I just wanted to let you know that everyone is supporting the TRUE Hogwarts Champion, and we have no time or tolerance for cheats.”
“Oh, THAT’S rich. Considering what the Slytherin Quidditch team does half the time they’re on the pitch.” Harry retorted. “Oh, and for your information, I DID NOT put my name in that fucking Goblet! Someone else did! Someone who actually wants me dead, so that narrows down the list of suspects to round about 25% of the student body, and maybe 10% of the staff, and a good portion of the filth that pretends to be nobility while pandering to the whims of a nutcase.”
Draco scowled, his face turning red, recognizing the slight against his family for what it was, but then he smirked. “Tell me Potter, how does it feel to be hated and reviled by the entire school for the second time in as many years? First the Heir of Slytherin, now this. At least this time people actually know for sure it was you!”
“No they don’t!” Hermione shot back, her patience rapidly vanishing. “It could have been anyone who put that piece of parchment in the Goblet! It could have been Snape, it could have been one of the Seventh Year Slytherins! Hell, it could even have been Igor Karkaroff! He was a former Death Eater after all!”
“Wait, he was?” Harry asked, turning to look at Hermione, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle seemed just as confused.
“Yeah, I read about him while reading up about the last war, apparently, he bargained for leniency by naming several other Death Eaters and turning them in, including several who were unknown to the Ministry at the time.” she replied.
Draco scowled. “Then he’s a traitor to the Dark Lord! So why would he put Potter’s name in the Goblet then Mudblood? Answer that if you’re so smart!”
“Don’t you dare call her that! Ferret.” Harry snapped, raising his wand.
Draco scowled again, his face once again turning red with rage as Crabbe and Goyle raised their own wands.
“I’ll call her whatever I want to, Scarhead! Her kind are good for only one thing: Breeding stock for their betters! At least their Half-Blood children have some worth.” then he looked at Harry with an expression of pure disdain “...Well... some less than others.”
Harry grit his teeth as he felt his rage building. Insults against himself he could handle, he’d been dealing with that since he could understand the spoken word, but such insults against Hermione? His best female friend who had stuck by him not only through his second year and the Heir of Slytherin debacle, but she had also been by his side these last two weeks, and had been his rock through pretty much everything. No, insults against her he would not let stand.
“By the way, how do you like the badges? I made them myself.” Draco said, smirking as he gestured to small badges that he and his lackeys were wearing, each was the size of a Galleon coin, was bright red and flashed the words “Potter Stinks!” in big white letters, then Draco tapped it with a finger, and the words changed to “Support Cedric Diggory! The True Hogwarts Champion!”
“ Cute.” Harry deadpanned.
“Glad you like them!” Draco said, patronizingly. “I’ve been handing them out to all the students, even the Gryffindors have been buying them!” he taunted with malicious glee.
Harry scowled ‘ So much for House Unity...Then again, Second Year should have taught me that.’ he thought.
In truth, he had seen the badges before now, worn by several students, but he’d never been able to get a good look at them, as when said students had noticed him looking their way, they had promptly hid the badges, at least in the case of the Gryffindors.
The only one who he hadn’t seen wearing a badge, and the only one who had openly said they believed him, was Hermione, which he was immensely grateful for.
For her part, Hermione scowled as she saw the badges the three Slytherins were wearing, she’d wondered about those, as she’d seen them being worn as well, by students from all four houses. She'd been livid when, just the other day, she’d been in the Library waiting for her two other friends, Susan Bones of Hufflepuff, and Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin, to join her for a study session, only to spring to her feet and glare at the two of them as they walked into the Library with the badges on full display, with the words ‘Potter Stinks!’ on Daphne’s, and ‘Support Cedric!’ on Susan’s.
She had demanded that they remove the badges immediately if they valued her friendship and wanted to keep it.
They had both done so, both apologizing, and Daphne even told her that, as a Slytherin, she was expected to wear one, and if she was seen without it, the other Slytherins, particularly Malfoy and his ilk, would start harassing her, and questioning her loyalties. Susan’s excuse was that, as a fellow Hufflepuff, she had to show support for Cedric, and if the others saw her without her badge, they would think her disloyal. And when both girls said they also believed that Harry did not enter his name, did not cheat his way in, Hermione eventually decided to believe them.
She'd gotten to know the two of them during her third year, during the brief separation from Harry and Ron that had been caused by the incident with Harry’s Firebolt, which looking back, had been entirely Ron’s fault. Her actions, though un-necessary, had been justified at the time, but Ron being Ron, had blown up in her face, and wound up Harry as well, though he’d eventually come to his senses. Despite that, she had remained friends with the two girls, and regularly spent time with them.
“I’ll prove I didn’t do it. And soon. Then I'll make you eat those damn badges Malfoy!” Harry growled, then he turned to Hermione. “Come on Hermione, let’s get to dinner. We don’t need to bother with ‘Daddy’s Boy’ here anymore.”
“You dare!” Draco snarled, raising his wand again, then he smirked cruelly. “At least I have a father! And a mother!”
“A mother and father who spent all of the last war on their knees in front of Voldemort.” Hermione spat, “So much for ‘Proud Nobility’ , I wonder, who’s dick did your mum suck more Malfoy? Your dad’s or Voldemort’s?” then Hermione stopped, her eyes widening at what she’d just said, as she realized how much worse she’d just made things. Harry was looking at her with surprise, and some degree of admiration now. ‘Damn Hermione, didn’t think you had it in you!’
Now Draco was PISSED! His face turned an unhealthy, almost Weasley shade of red, his lips curled back in a feral snarl, and his eyes filled with utter hatred.
“The only whore here, MUDBLOOD, is YOU! The ONLY thing that mouth of yours is good for and should ever be used for is sucking the dicks of your BETTERS and SWALLOWING THEIR CUM! After all, that’s the ONLY way your kind make it anywhere in OUR World! You want to be part of our Society so badly? Fine then, but you better get used to giving head Granger, because that’s EXACTLY WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING! FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!”
And with that, his wand arm came up, along with Crabbe and Goyle's wands.
-=-=-=-
Harry groaned as his eyes fluttered open, and he took in his surroundings. He was in the hospital wing. Again.
‘Damn it.’ He thought, ‘What was it this time? Oh yeah…’
Then he remembered.
Draco.
Harry briefly wondered why he hadn’t just pushed her out of the way and let the spell fly past him, he was sure Hermione was going to grill him on that point when she came to see him.
Fumbling for his glasses, he found them, along with his wand, on the bedside table, after slipping them on, he checked his watch. 8:45pm.
8:45pm?!
Draco had ambushed them on the third floor just before dinner as the two of them were making their way down to dinner, at nearly 6pm, he’d been out for three hours! He’d completely missed dinner, and there was very little chance of them getting anything now, not to mention it was almost curfew.
“Great…” he muttered.
“Harry…?” came a muttered, soft inquiry from his left, he turned to look, spotting his bushy haired, brown-eyed best friend, well, best female friend. The one who he had tried to shield from Malfoy’s curse.
“Hermione? You ok?” he asked.
“Ugh, yeah, just aching a little, little tired and a bit hungry.” She replied as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking at him worriedly.
Harry frowned as he also sat up, now that she mentioned it, he was feeling a little hazy, and a bit peckish.
“Harry?”
“Hmm?”
Harry looked at her again, seeing the frown as she looked at him, and he realized she looked angry.
‘Oh uh, Duck and Cover Potter…’ he thought, unable to keep the slight smirk off his face, unfortunately, Hermione saw it, and she scowled.
“You think this is funny? Harry James Potter! What the BLOODY HELL were you THINKING?! Why didn’t you use a Shield charm?!” Hermione scolded, her voice getting progressively louder, until the last few words were almost a yell.
“Uh, well, we haven’t covered them yet.” He replied sheepishly, wondering how she could have forgotten that he didn’t know it.
Then he remembered her habit of reading above their current year reading material.
“What about you? I’m sure you’ve learned how to do it.” He replied. She huffed and folded her arms.
“Of course I have. I was about to, until someone decided to play ‘Human Shield!’”
“A-hem.” Came the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Together, the two of them turned to look towards Pomfrey’s office as the school matron stepped out, wand in hand.
“Well, I’m glad to see you two are finally awake. You’ve both been out for a couple of hours now.” The nurse said with a soft relieved smile.
“Hours?! What time is it? How long have we been out?!” Hermione asked.
“Uh, it’s almost 9? We got hit just before dinner.” Harry said, wincing slightly as he saw panic spread across Hermione’s face.
“Three hours?! We’ve been out for nearly 3 hours! It’s almost curfew, we’ll never make it back to the dorm in time!” she moaned, not looking forward to getting caught out.
“Oh, you two aren’t going anywhere tonight; I want to keep you in for observation.” Pomfrey commented, as she moved to a side table and picked up a couple of duffel bags.
“I had two House Elves collect your things; there are fresh clothes, both for tonight and tomorrow for each of you, and your respective necessities.”
Hermione accepted one of the duffel bags and opened it, looking inside to see her night gown, some underwear and her regular day clothes, as well as her tooth brush, hair brush, shampoo and some soap.
“What about our homework?” Hermione asked. “We’ve got work for History of Magic, Charms and Potions to hand in tomorrow!”
“Do not worry Miss Granger, I’ve spoken to Professor Flitwick, and he has agreed to waive your assignment deadline until next week. That should give you enough time to finish. I tried to make the same arrangement with Professor Snape, but…well, you know what he is like.” Pomfrey snorted.
Hermione nodded, sighing.
“Besides, I’m almost done with most of mine, and I’m sure you are too.” Harry replied, flashing her a smile. Despite herself, Hermione found herself smiling back at him. They had been close over the years, it had really picked up following her petrifaction in Second Year, and her helping him rescue Sirius, and, more recently, this whole mess with the damned Triwizard Tournament, and that she had been the only one who hadn’t believed that he’d cheated his way in, at first at least, it hadn’t taken them long to get Neville to believe them.
“Who found us?” Hermione asked. Pomfrey paused.
“I believe it was Mister Longbottom and Miss Abbot who found you.”
Hermione nodded, making a mental note to thank them, and get her hands on Draco, and wring his neck. They also needed to find out what he’d hit them with, and where he’d got the spell from.
“Now, how are you two feeling? My diagnostic spells haven’t shown anything nefarious, other than slightly elevated levels of testosterone in both of you, and slightly elevated Progesterone levels in you Miss Granger and slightly elevated levels of Melatonin and Ghrelin, those are hormones that control your tiredness and appetite, Mister Potter.” Pomfrey elaborated, when she noticed Harry’s confused look.
“Wait, you said that, uh, we both have elevated testosterone levels, but…uhm, Hermione is a girl…” he said awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head as he felt his face heat up with embarrassment.
Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. “Women have testosterone too Harry, just not as much, but it’s still important for us. As to why we’re feeling hungry, well, we have missed dinner. I doubt there’s anything left, what doesn’t get eaten by the students and staff I think the Elves eat.”
“I thought about that, and planned ahead.” Pomfrey said as she turned and headed into her office, then returned, floating two table trays, on which were a couple of plates with some roast lamb and vegetables, and a pitcher of water and two glasses.
“When you were found and brought here, I asked a couple of the elves to put together some servings for the both of you, then I put warming and stasis charms on them. Eat up. I’ll check up on you when you’re done.”
At that point, the door opened, and Ron, Neville, Hannah, Parvati and Lavender, Hermione’s Dorm mates, as well as Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass, Hermione’s other two best friends, entered the hospital wing, along with Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Moody.
“This isn’t a hotel!” Pomfrey protested the number of additional bodies in her domain, giving all of the students stern looks, it was, after all, close to curfew.
“We won’t be long, just wanted to check up on them.” Neville said, giving the matron a sheepish look.
“We’re fine Nev, a little hungry, a little tired, but otherwise ok. Whatever we were hit with doesn’t seem to have done much.” Harry reassured his friend.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Alastor Moody growled as he stepped forward, his magical blue eye roaming independently in its socket, moving back and forth over first Harry, then Hermione.
Even after three months, it was still creepy to watch.
“Hmm…there’s definitely an aura around you two, whatever that curse Malfoy hit you with was, it doesn’t seem to have reached full effect yet. We haven’t covered the Protego spell yet, have we? I guess that’ll be the subject of your next lesson in class, a bit earlier than I planned though.” He muttered the last bit to himself.
“Well sir, uh, I DO know it…” Hermione said, cringing a little as both of Moody’s mismatched eyes fixed on her in sharp glare.
“Then why didn’t you use it?” he growled.
“Now Alastor.” Dumbledore protested, but Moody shot him down.
“It’s a fair question Albus.” He growled, before looking back at Hermione. “Well?”
“Uh, well, I didn’t really get the chance. Draco didn’t really give me much time, and he was too close, and before I could even raise my wand, someone—“ she sent a glare in the direction of Harry, who had the good sense to look sheepish “—decided to use a 'Human Shield ’ charm!” She emphasized the last three words, making her disapproval clear.
Moody snorted, his mouth turning up in a crooked, amused smile.
“Not heard of that one.” Ron said, Harry tried desperately not to roll his eyes or slap his face with his palm. Moody however, had no such restraint.
“That’s because there isn’t such a charm. She’s saying that Potter used himself as a shield. That was pretty stupid of you Potter, for two reasons: A, it clearly didn’t work, and B, that spell could have been anything. We’ll definitely be giving all of you a crash course in the shield charm during your next few lessons.”
“Wait, you already know it was Draco?” Harry asked. They all nodded.
“Yeah, smarmy little git was bragging at dinner, quiet loudly, about putting ‘Potter and his Mudblood in their places’, then your friends Longbottom and Abbot here came into the great hall and came straight for Minerva and Poppy here, and told us they’d found you out cold in a corridor on the Third Floor.” Moody growled.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to get anything out of him. He claims it was just a harmless prank. But I disagreed. Harmless pranks usually don’t leave their victims unconscious for several hours.” McGonagall spoke up as she too stepped forward.
“Did you hear what Mister Malfoy said when he cast the curse?” they shook their heads, Hermione spoke up.
“Uh, no, there was too much going on, too much commotion, what with his shadows Crabbe and Goyle following him.” Then she looked at Daphne, giving her a slight smile, “Good thing you weren’t there, you might have had to publicly take sides, and I know you don’t want to do that just yet.”
“I wish I had been there, I could have helped you guys.” The blonde Slytherin said, ignoring the suspicious, dirty look Ron was giving her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
“I checked his wand, but it seems he’d already cast more than 10 spells after he hit the two of you, since the check didn’t turn up anything.” Moody said.
“I…could try asking him…” Daphne offered.
“No.” Hermione said, then continued when her friend gave her a look. “If you start asking questions, he might get suspicious.” Hermione then frowned as she noticed the sour look Ron was giving Daphne. His blind mistrust of anything even remotely Slytherin was starting to annoy her. She decided she would have to have words with him.
She learned during the weeks she’d gotten to know the two girls that the Ice Queen persona that Daphne portrayed was just a front, to protect herself and her younger sister, Astoria, who had just entered her second year.
Susan on the other hand, was the quant-essential Hufflepuff; 100% loyal to her friends, and fiercely dedicated to honor and truth, and she had a very acute sense of right and wrong, and a very strong work ethic, thanks to her aunt, Amelia Bones.
“We will keep questioning Mister Malfoy, see if we can determine anything.” Dumbledore said, as he looked at each of them, his eyes sparkling. “In the meantime, it is past curfew, and we all need to get some sleep. Minerva and I will escort our guests back to their respective common rooms, Miss Granger, Mister Potter, I leave you in Poppy’s capable hands, we’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Poppy, please let us know of any developments.” And with that, he turned to leave, ushering the students out, all of them saying good night, though Ron shot Daphne another suspicious look, which she returned with a cold stare.
Once they were gone, Hermione sighed as she continued eating her meal. “I hate that he kept doing that.” She complained.
“What?” harry asked.
“He kept giving Daphne funny looks. It’s really annoying, and I know Daphne doesn’t like it either, neither does Susan. Though to be honest, considering the way he’s been around you the past couple of weeks, he probably only came because Neville made him.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll have a word with him tomorrow about it, if he either comes by, or we get out of here.”
Hermione nodded.
Nearly half an hour later they’d finished their respective meals, and decided to try and get some of their homework finished, with Hermione’s help, Harry managed to get everything finished pretty quickly.
After that, Pomfrey told them that the en-suite bathroom was available for them if they wanted to take a shower before bed, and that there were fresh towels waiting in the bathroom.
Harry let Hermione go first as he decided to sit and think, and let his late dinner settle a bit.
This day had been quite eventful, and he was a little annoyed that Ron really hadn’t said anything to him, the idiot was still blanking him over that damn Goblet, he was even still wearing one of those fucking badges. How McGonagall or Dumbledore hadn’t called him out on it, or any other student for that matter, he didn’t know, maybe he’d ask McGonagall about it.
Eventually, Hermione came out of the bathroom wrapped in a nice fluffy looking towel, her wet hair clinging to her head and back as she smiled at him, looking refreshed, though she did look a little off put.
“Shower’s all yours Harry.” She said as she stepped behind a privacy screen Pomfrey had put up between their beds before she’d left after giving them a final check, though apparently their readings hadn’t changed much, for better or worse.
“Thanks. You ok?” he asked as he stepped towards the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She replied, though there was something in her tone that he didn’t quite believe.
-=-=-=-
Hermione was concerned, she’d eaten a full meal, and yet, she still felt hungry, her stomach felt full, but she still felt hungry, and she seemed even more tired than before, though she chalked that one up to actual exhaustion, good thing they were about to get some sleep then.
When Harry emerged from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, she got her first clear look at his muscled body. He didn’t have a Schwarzenegger-type build to him, which, in her adolescent mind, she’d privately wondered about, given how active he was with Quidditch, but the sport had definitely kept him fit and in good shape. She also got a brief look at some scarring on his body, and she scowled, suspecting the Dursleys, she’d have to try and ask him about it some time.
And if she was honest with herself, despite the scarring, she’d liked what she’d seen. She let out a light, quiet gasp as she felt her breasts start to tingle, and her nipples start to harden as she thought about his half naked body. Blushing furiously, she clamped down on her thoughts and libido. This was Harry , her best male friend…who she’d had a minor crush on ever since he’d saved her that day in the bathroom from that Mountain Troll.
And, for a brief moment, she wondered what his reaction would have been if she’d walked out of that bathroom with the towel ‘round her waist, instead of her chest. Her eyes widened and she felt her face flush, and her body suddenly tingle with warmth of a different kind, as she imagined Harry ogling her breasts, even if she wasn’t as impressive as Susan or Daphne, or Parvati or Lavender.
‘What the bloody hell is wrong with me?!’ she thought.‘That’s it Granger, definitely bed time for you.’
A few minutes later, Harry stepped round the divider, and smiled at her as she rose from the bed and moved to hug him good night, smiling.
“Good night Harry.” She said quietly, wrapping her arms round him in a tight quick hug.
The moment their bodies pressed together however, she ‘felt’ something inside her ‘click’, as if something had just been triggered. Her eyes widened as a surge of arousal shot through her, starting between her legs and spreading out. She felt her breasts firm up and swell a little, her nipples hardening fully to small points that she was certain Harry could feel through the thin material of her nightie and his pajama top, since she wasn’t wearing a bra as their chests were pressed together.
She also felt a surge of heat and moisture between her legs, and she knew that, if she allowed her fingers to go questing, they’d find not only her labia wet and dripping, but her clitoris hard and throbbing. She could practically feel it pushing through her lower lips and rubbing against the fresh pair of knickers she’d put on.
She’d never been so horny in her life before.
‘Thank Merlin he can’t see my face…’ she thought, horrified. Then she felt him tense, as he hugged her, and buried his face in her neck and sucked in a sudden breath, getting a lung full of the shampoo scent she’d used.
Then she felt it. And her eyes opened a little wider, and she felt him shiver.
It was impossible to mistake it for anything other than what it was, as it was pressing into her lower belly, just above her mound. It was long, and it was hard.
‘Oh my god…he’s so hard! I…I’ve never…he’s as horny as I am! What the HELL’S going on?!’ she thought, as she pulled back and looked at him. His face was bright red with embarrassment, and he was looking anywhere but at her.
“Er…good night Hermione…I’ll see you in the morning.” He said awkwardly as he quickly turned away, shooting her an apologetic look.
“Um…yeah, good night, Harry.” She said awkwardly as she climbed into bed, then Pomfrey came in and removed the divider, letting them know that if anything happened or if there were any problems, there were monitoring charms keyed to alarm charms in her room where she’d be, or they’d just have to call for her.
As she closed her eyes and settled down and tried to sleep, several things occurred to her at once. A, she was extremely tired, B, she was more aroused than she could ever remember being, and C, she was still hungry.
Harry quickly climbed into bed, feeling mortified. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. When he’d seen Hermione in nothing but that towel, he’d felt stirrings of an erection, which thankfully he’d been able to take care of in the shower, but the second they’d hugged, the stirrings had come back, skipped ignition, and gone straight to take off.
And he knew she’d felt it. He wasn’t sure if she’d felt his nipples harden with arousal, but he’d definitely felt hers.
‘Merlin…she’s really wound up, as much as I am…what the hell’s going on?’ he thought.
Though he decided it could wait until the morning, hopefully he’d be able to sleep, and if not, he could try to take care of it, then sleep. Another thing occurred to him as he closed his eyes and tried to shut down his mind and think of something completely unsexy, like Filch. It didn’t work. And what he realized as he finally drifted off to sleep was…
He was still hungry.
-=-=-=-
Albus Dumbledore sat in his quarters just off from his office, considering the events of the day.
This curse that Draco had used was a problem, if Harry was rendered too weak to participate in the Tournament, then he ran the risk of being stripped of his magic, and that was something Dumbledore could not allow, he had a destiny to fulfil after all, and he couldn’t do that if he was a squib. Miss Granger’s perceived fate from the curse was unfortunate, but in the end, could be beneficial. The girl was far too free-spirited and free-thinking. While yes, she did have some-what of an over-zealous faith in authority figures when she first came to Hogwarts, that seemed to have been tempered over the last 2 years, and her over-reliance on books seemed to have also been tempered, but still, she was too great an influence on young Harry, he needed proper guidance.
Try as he might, Albus could not fathom what the curse Malfoy had used was, he’d never heard of it being used. He’d heard of similar curses, one such curse made the victim so tired over a number of days that they eventually fell asleep and never woke up 'The Touch of Hypnos' he believed it was called, but he was certain that wasn't it, and curses that drove a person to such a frenzied state hunger that they resorted to eating raw meat, and eventually, anything living, and became nothing more than living inferi, but neither one of those curses shared the effects of the other. It was a conundrum.
And if the curse was lifted from them both then, well, there were other options, like the Second Task...especially if she was made Mr Krum’s hostage instead of Mr Potter’s...he had to make sure that Harry’s relationship with the young Weasley boy did not suffer any irreparable damage, after all.
Notes:
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Chapter 2: The Day After
Notes:
Thank you all for the kind responses to the last chapter. 2668 hits, 32 Kudos, 36 Bookmarks and 15 comments (though 7 of those are my replies :P) in only 5 days. I honestly wasn't expecting such positive responses, it's been over 10 years since I wrote any Harry Potter fanfiction, so i'm VERY rusty, and I haven't uploaded anything to my fanfiction account in 9 years.
I took the liberty of borrowing the concept of Bonding from fellow author FurySerenity, with his permission, after he directed me to the fic where he found it, and I decided to use it as it seemed to fit perfectly with the theme of what i have planned for the overall premise of this fic, i might make one or two adjustments though, but not much.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Harry Potter and The Gift of Aphrodite
Chapter 2: The Day After
Following morning, Friday November 18th.
Hospital Wing.
When Harry awoke the next morning, he felt horrible.
He wasn’t sure how to describe how he felt, other than ‘completely drained’. His head was foggy and felt heavy, his limbs felt heavy, and moving was an effort. Like he hadn’t slept at all. But he clearly had, he even remembered the dream he’d had, it had been a nice dream, where Sirius had shown up on Buckbeak, and had taken him away from the Dursleys, to the family home of the Blacks.
At one point, he’d woken up, only briefly, to discover that he was still tired and still felt hungry, hungrier than he had earlier, he hadn’t been able to check his watch, so he had no idea what time it had been, and at first, he wasn’t sure what had woken him, until he’d heard it.
A faint, very faint, almost inaudible gasp followed by a slight whimper, followed by something that at first, he hadn’t been able to identify, coming from Hermione’s bed. He’d rolled his head to the side and tried to look, doing his best to both keep quiet and ignore the raging erection that sprung to life the instant he realized what the faint, rhythmic squelching sound was. Though he couldn’t make anything out beyond a black form lying on the bed next to his, the sudden rise in the sheets told him that Hermione had her knees bent, the gasps and whimpers told him she was wide awake, and the wet-sounding noises told him exactly what she was doing.
‘Oh my god she’s…I shouldn’t be listening to this! …this is private for her, I shouldn’t, damn it! Look away Potter!’ he raged at himself, trying desperately to shut his mind back down and not think about his best female friend desperately masturbating less than five feet away from him!
Or at least trying to, if the groans, growls and huffs that he heard were any indication. Whatever she was doing it clearly wasn’t working.
“Ugh! Come on! You god damn…! This is the third time in an hour! Just…go down already! Fucking clit! Fucking fanny! Why won’t you stay dry? ! I’m going to fucking MURDER Draco!” he heard her growl in frustration, a growl that became a whine of frustration and despair, followed by several squelches that sounded rather forceful.
His last thoughts as he’d once again drifted off, barely noticing his own erection which stood at a perfect right angle to his body, were:
‘Wish…I…could…help…’
Now, as he tried to roll over onto his side and sit himself up, ignoring the erection he still seemed to have, though he hadn’t tried to take care of it as Hermione had, he rested his head in one hand while supporting himself with the other, then looked down at his watch.
7am. They had an hour ‘til breakfast in the Great Hall, though, with the way he was feeling, he doubted he’d make it down there. A shame really, considering he was starving!
He blinked in confusion. He was hungry, almost ravenously so, but that didn’t make sense, he’d eaten a full meal the previous night, while yes, he should be hungry, he shouldn’t feel like he hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before.
The pressure in his bladder and lower intestines clearly disagreed with the amount of hunger he was feeling.
‘Is that what Malfoy wanted to do? Turn us into horny , sleep-deprived cannibals?’ he thought.
Reaching for his glasses, he slipped them on, then looked up at Hermione. He took a moment to regard her sleeping form, her arms were out to the side, and her head was turned towards him, eyes closed and mouth slightly open as she gently snored. Her covered chest rising and falling steadily, and as his eyes moved down, he saw that, under the covers, her legs were spread wide, and he could only see her right arm and hand, for a moment, he idly wondered where the other was, and quickly derailed that thought train.
‘She’s…wow…she’s actually quite beautiful… can’t believe I didn’t really notice before…’ he thought.
He could also see the dark rings under her eyes, and he wondered if he had the same, her hair was also a mess, and he raked a hand through his own. He stood and almost fell back on the bed, he was so tired.
‘I’m gonna kill Malfoy.’ He mentally swore.
A sudden inhale drew his attention to Hermione as she turned her head, yawned then started to rub her face with her hands.
-=-=-=-
Hermione felt awful. She was exhausted, she felt like she hadn’t slept all night, the 45 minutes she’d spent trying desperately to get her raging libido under some semblance of control, after waking up suddenly around 2am, had not helped. She’d woken up suddenly to find her knickers completely soaked through, it had been so bad that she had been forced to remove them, as she hadn’t had the energy or mental awareness to cast a few cleaning charms. So she’d laid there, her knickers discarded, knees bent and legs spread, her nightie bunched up around her waist, as she’d tried for nearly an hour, through three orgasms, to get her almost painfully erect clitoris and soaking fanny to calm down.
It had been so wet she’d been amazed, she couldn’t remember being this wet, the patch of hair that covered her vulva and mound so matted with moisture that she’d wondered if she’d ever be dry again. She’d sometimes considered shaving, as she knew Lavender and Parvati, did, as she’d seen them in the showers and the dorm room she shared with them.
She had tried to keep her voice down to make sure she didn’t wake Harry or Pomfrey, but she wasn’t sure if she’d succeeded. All she knew was that she’d eventually managed to finger a climax out of her, three in fact, and her body finally given out and she’d passed out at nearly 3am, now she was waking up, feeling dead tired, and starving, like the meal she’d eaten last night hadn’t mattered.
She needed the bathroom and she needed a shower. Badly.
‘I’m going to KILL Draco! I don’t care what influence his father has! Morgana! I hope we can find a cure for this soon, I don’t know how much of this I can take!’ she thought as she rolled onto her side then sat up, rubbing her face and yawning again, then she noticed Harry looking at her, and she took a moment to get a good look at him.
And if she was honest with herself? He looked awful, probably as awful as she looked, and probably felt the same.
His face was tired, with bags under his eyes, his eyes were slightly bloodshot, and his hair was an unruly mess, well, more than usual.
‘Oh god, I really hope he didn’t hear me last night…’ she thought, she wasn’t sure she could have handled it if he’d heard her.
“Hey, morning Harry.” She said, yawning again. “How’d you sleep? How are you feeling?”
“Mornin’ Hermione, I slept ok I guess, though you wouldn’t know that considering the way I likely look and feel, and I’m also hungry, I feel like I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.” 'I’m also hard as a rock.’ he added as an afterthought.
Hermione nodded and stood shakily, still rubbing her face, she made a mental note to quickly grab her wet discarded knickers, which were on the floor on the other side of the bed, she didn’t want Harry seeing them if she could avoid it.
“Hopefully we’ll feel better after some breakfast, but first, shower.” She said, as she took a step towards him to help him stand. Smiling tiredly, he accepted her offer and stood, before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug.
A little caught off-guard, Hermione hesitated for a second, before bringing her arms up and around him in a tight embrace, her head resting on his right shoulder. The second they were both embracing, they each felt it.
Desire raced through them so fast they were both taken completely by surprise. Hermione sucked a breath in through her teeth as she felt her breasts firm up again, and her nipples harden to almost diamond points, at the same time, she also felt a rush of heat and moisture between her legs, again, and she instinctively clamped her legs together, in a futile attempt to stop the juices now flowing over her labia and down her smooth thighs in twin streams of liquid arousal, she also felt a tingling that she knew was her clitoris getting hard. As hard as the length of warm male flesh now pressing against her right hip. She blinked in surprise, as she hadn’t had the opportunity to guess it’s size the night before, but if she had to guess, it was between 4.5 and 5.5 inches long, and nearly 2 inches thick, just about average size, not too small, but not too large, just right for her to comfortably—. Her train of thought ground to a halt as she buried her face in his neck and growled in frustration.
“Ugh…You have GOT to be fucking kidding me…I don’t believe this. Again?” she whispered, momentarily forgetting whose ear she was talking into.
“You too huh?” he whispered, and before she could stop herself, she nodded, then sniffed, as a tear of frustration and anger fell from her right eye down her cheek, to stop on the skin of his shoulder, as the frustration from last night, and now, along with the tiredness and hunger caught up with her.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take Harry!” she whimpered. “I don’t know if I can handle another night like last night. What if we feel even worse tomorrow?! You could even miss your first proper Hogsmeade weekend! We need the counter spell. I’m going to fucking murder that RODENT! ”
Harry nodded as he ran his hands gently up and down her back, giving her a brief back massage. “Yeah, I know what you mean. You think this is what he planned on doing? Turning us into Horny, Sleep-deprived Cannibals?”
“’Horny, Sleep-deprived Cannibals’?” she asked, barely holding in her laughter, pulling back and arching an eyebrow as she stared at him incredulously.
Harry snorted with amusement. “I have no idea where that came from, I just figured that, we’re both being sleep-deprived, we’re both seemingly constantly horny, and I don’t know about you, but if I get any hungrier, I’m liable to want to see what Slytherin meat tastes like.”
“Heh, you are evil, Harry James Potter.” She laughed, and pulled back, stifling another yawn, then wincing slightly as she felt the beads of moisture flowing out of her pussy still dripping down her legs.
“Right, shower, I really need to go first though.” She said, stepping back and turning away, trying to hide her blush as she made her way around the other side of the bed and awkwardly stooped to pick up her underwear, which she quickly pushed into the duffel-bag.
As she turned back around, she noticed Pomfrey making her way towards them, a smile on her face.
“Well, good morning you two. How are you feeling?”
‘Horny’ “Still tired, feel like we haven’t slept at all, still hungry, hungrier than last night actually, it’s like we didn’t eat anything.” Harry replied, turning to Pomfrey fully, as the Matron came forward and started casting various spells.
“Hm, your hormone levels have changed, hm, oh my…” whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the door opening, and Professor McGonagall entering.
“Good morning you two, good morning Poppy. Any changes?” she asked.
“Good morning Minerva. I was just checking, they’ve both reported that they’re feeling more tired than they were last night, they’re also hungrier, as if the food they had last night hasn’t taken, or if they didn’t eat anything at all. I’m also detecting very high levels of, uh, other hormones in their systems…” Pomfrey replied, not sure how much she should divulge. Minerva might be their Head of House, and Deputy Head, but Doctor/Patient confidentiality still applied, unless the patient's condition was life-threatening.
“Uh, do you guys mind if we take our showers? We really need to.” Hermione asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Of course, you go first dear, then Mr Potter.” Pomfrey replied before turning back to her colleague.
“Are they free to leave yet Poppy? Would it be safe for them?”
Pomfrey sighed, “I wish I could be certain, given what they’ve told me, and what my readings have been showing, I’m hesitant. I’d rather keep them here. However, I am willing to let them go to class, provided they are careful, and they come straight back here if they start to get worse in any way, I'll also give them both some Pepperup Potions, but I don't want to give them too much.They are both showing elevated levels of several hormones, related to fatigue, hunger and, most recently…very high levels of Progesterone and Testosterone, though less so for the latter in Miss Granger. Also, I doubt they’d be able to concentrate enough in class to take anything in, especially in Potions, and you know what Serverus is like.”
Minerva’s eye brows rose. “Really?” Pomfrey nodded.
“Their best hope is for me to find out exactly what Malfoy used, and find the counter spell, I’m not sure how much more of this they can take.”
Minerva nodded, a light scowl on her face. “We’ll be questioning him again today.”
Pomfrey nodded, as Minerva turned to Harry and approached him as he stood, a little awkwardly, next to his bed, cleaning his glasses. He seemed to be standing with his legs slightly bed, and his back slightly arched, and for a moment, she wondered why, then she remembered what Pomfrey had said.
‘Oh, right.’ She thought, then she cleared her throat.
“How are you feeling, Mister Potter?” she asked gently.
Harry shrugged, as he looked at his Head of House, and tried to focus on her face, and not let his lust addled, tired mind draw his gaze down to her chest, which was thankfully concealed by her robes, while also trying to pose himself in such a way that didn’t show off the erection he was still suffering from.
“Uhm, ok I guess, all things considered.” He said, somewhat uneasily. McGonagall gave him a light smile.
“You don’t have to stand on my account Mr Potter, you can sit if that makes you more comfortable.” He did so, and probably faster than any other student she’d seen sit down.
“Now Harry, do you believe you’ll be able to manage in class today? I can have Poppy give you some Pepperup Potions and see if that works. Though she doesn’t want to overdo it, too much Pepperup Potion can be dangerous.”
Harry shrugged, as he tried to wake up his brain.
“Well, we can try, I mean, no offence Madam Pomfrey but, Hermione and I would probably go stir-crazy in here with nothing to do.” Casting a slight smile at the Matron, who waved it off.
“Don’t worry about it Mr Potter, though it is against my better judgment, I’ll allow you and Miss Granger to head down to breakfast and see how you manage, but if you feel like it’s too much, I want the two of you back here, understood?” Harry nodded. The bathroom door opened and Hermione came out, wrapped in a towel, Harry did his best not to look at her as he moved past her towards the bathroom.
-=-=-=-
A short time later, just before 8 am, Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall and slowly, steadily made their way to their seats at the Gryffindor table. Ron was already there, already shoving food down his throat at such speed, Harry privately wondered if he was even tasting it. Neville came in a few minutes later and took his seat on the other side of Harry.
“Hey guys, how are you both feeling?” he asked, as he took a freshly baked baguette, cut it open, buttered it, then started adding the fresh bacon. Harry licked his lips, his hunger so bad now, he’d have eaten the food raw, quickly reaching for the bread, he started to do the same.
“We’re…hanging in there.” Hermione replied, wondering how noticeable the dark rings were under her eyes, McGonagall had kindly applied charms to both of them to hide them. She smiled to herself as she asked for a bowl of cereal, and it appeared.
“Hopefully, we won’t feel like we’re starving after this, though I don’t see why we should, we ate dinner last night in the hospital wing, but we both feel like we haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.” Harry added, as he finished his first baguette, and started on making a second, he really liked this French style bread loaf, he wondered why they didn’t have it more often.
“That’s odd.” Parvati said, after finishing a croissant. “Are you guys absorbing anything from the food you’re eating?”
Hermione froze. She blinked a couple of times before her eyes widened.
“That’s…concerning. If we’re not taking in any nutrients from the food we’re eating, we’ll eventually die from malnutrition! Basically starve to death while our bellies are full! I’m surprised we haven’t already started suffering from dehydration.”
“Well, we had water last night with the chicken dinner, maybe we’ll get lucky with liquids.” Hermione shook her head as she reached for a glass of pumpkin juice.
“I’m not going on a liquid diet! I guess we’ll see. If I’m really thirsty by lunch time, then I guess we’ll know that I didn’t get anything from this juice either.”
“Ok then.” Harry said, as he made himself a cup of coffee, deciding he needed something a bit stronger than pumpkin juice.
As the rest of the students came into the hall and took their seats, Harry and Hermione quickly singled out Draco, who was looking at them and smirking, sending both of them a nasty look. They in turn sent him what they hoped, were murderous glares, each promising a cold, painful death for the Slytherin prick. Harry even made a point to slowly draw a finger across his throat, then point at him, his message clear. You’re dead, Ferret.
He smirked as he saw a look of momentary surprise and panic flash across the ponce’s face, before he hurried to his seat. At the head table, Harry caught Snape sending him a baleful, withering glare, which Harry responded to by just staring back at him coldly. When the post arrived, Snape became distracted, and Harry sighed, knowing that the double Potions they had that afternoon was going to be especially difficult now.
-=-=-=-
During breakfast, when the Durmstrang students had come in, Viktor Krum had split off and approached their table to, rather awkwardly, ask Hermione if she would be willing to accompany him on the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year the following day.
Hermione had blinked, rather put out that he’d done such a fantastic job of utterly butchering her name. She wasn’t sure how to respond, Lavender and Parvati were both nodding vigorously, silently encouraging her to accept, the three Chasers, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were giggling silently at Hermione’s shocked expression. Fred and George looked interested, Ron was scowling, his face a twisted mask of jealousy, as the rest of the Gryffindors, they just watched to see what she would say. Harry was watching her carefully.
“Urm…I’ll think about it, Mr Krum.” She said, not really putting much thought into it. ‘Assuming I’m not dead from starvation or dehydration by then.’ She thought.
“Ja, ok, zhat iz fair.” He said in his deep voice, giving her an attempt at a friendly smile, before turning away and heading to the Slytherin table.
“Why didn’t you accept?!” Lavender hissed in a high-pitched whisper, her expression one of incomprehension. Hermione rolled her eyes.
“Simple, because, with what me and Harry are going through right now, I have no way of knowing if I’ll even be strong enough to walk come tomorrow.” Hermione growled.
“Oh, right, sorry.” Lavender said sheepishly.
“You guys still feeling tired? Haven’t you been getting any sleep? What have you been doing?” Ron asked suspiciously. Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes Ron, we’ve been sleeping, though for some reason, we both feel like we didn’t. But we assured Professor McGonagall that we’d be ok for classes today, at least, I hope we will.”
“You guys have got History of Magic first two periods, right?” Katie asked, Hermione nodded, “…well, you know what Bins is like, practically the only reason anyone even stays in that classroom is so they can catch up on their sleep.” Hermione rolled her eyes, “Honestly Kate, I’m trying to stay awake, not continue to sleep.”
“Well, if you guys end up needing to skip Charms and Potions, we’ll take notes for you, right guys?” Neville said, turning to the rest of his year-mates, Dean and Seamus, who nodded. He knew they couldn’t count on Ron for taking notes, after all, he barely did his own homework. And it was a sort of non-secret that he routinely swindled Hermione into doing his homework for him after he did the bare minimum, something that he suspected would stop pretty soon.
Harry shook his head, trying to shake the hazy feeling from his brain, and doing everything in his mortal power NOT to look at the Beauxbatons students, specifically, his fellow Champion, Fleur Delacour. If he got hard just hugging Hermione, he didn’t want to know what would happen if he looked at the beautiful part-Veela.
“Thanks Nev, but I’m not sure it’ll matter, Snape will fail us just out of spite, after the glaring contest we just had.”
“Don’t let him get to you Harry, he’s just trying to wind you up.” Hermione said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze, which he returned. He snorted, “That greasy git has been ‘winding me up’ for the last 4 years Hermione, he just seems to have a pathological hatred for me for some reason, just because my dad and his friends used to prank him a lot.”
Hermione sighed, he had a point. “I just hope we can get this curse cured before next Thursday, how are you going to compete in the first task if your half asleep on your feet?” Harry shook his head. “Honestly? I’m trying not to think about that.”
It still confused him how his name had come out of that damn Goblet, out of the entire student body, and one or two teachers, he could count the number of people who believed he didn’t do it on one hand. And have fingers to spare. The only ones who had believed he was entirely innocent were Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall and now Neville. He was still annoyed by Ron’s jealous looks and almost non-communication. Harry suspected the only reason he’d put in an appearance the day before in the Hospital Wing was because of Hermione, part of him wondered if the redhead would have turned up if it had just been Harry himself.
Harry didn’t bother reading the morning’s issue of the Daily Prophet , he frankly wasn’t in the mood to read another one of that hack Rita Skeeter’s articles, not after the piss-poor job she’d done with her interview with him. He silently wondered if she even knew how to do her research after reading the results of that interview.
-=-=-=-
Poppy Pomfrey strolled into the Hogwarts Library after breakfast, she’d kept a close eye on her two patients, who had taken their seats at the Gryffindor table. She was mulling the problem over in her mind, trying desperately to work out what curse they might have been hit with. After coming up empty handed, she’d decided to head to the library and do some digging of her own, starting in the Restricted Section. One of the perks of being a staff member, was not requiring a permission slip, not that she usually made a habit of going into that area of the Library.
Harry and Hermione seemed to have managed to eat their breakfast without any trouble, and they’d walked out of the Hall easily enough, she just hoped they’d have the energy to make it through the day. She’d asked Filius and Serverus to keep an eye on them, and if it seemed they were struggling, to send them straight to her. Filius had readily agreed, assuring her he would, Serverus had just scowled, but then nodded begrudgingly when Pomfrey returned it. Poppy gave her friend Irma a curt nod, then approached the Restricted Section, mentally rolling her eyes at Snape. His grudge against James Potter was legendary, but she, like Minerva, couldn’t understand why he would pass on that grudge to Harry.
Right now, they should be in History of Magic, and hopefully staying awake.
Thinking carefully, Poppy considered the effects of the curse as she started to look at the titles of some of the books focused on more dark magic. 'Hm, constant fatigue, hunger and apparently, sexual arousal. So probably a sex-magic based curse…hm.’ She made a couple of selections, and pulled the books from the shelf, before walking to a nearby table and sitting down, casting a few privacy charms around herself, and started reading, hoping she’d find something.
-=-=-=-
Later that day.
Albus Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, thinking carefully. He needed to know where the boy had found that curse, what it was, and how to cure it. He knew he could easily pull the information from the boy’s mind, but he was hesitant to do try, as he suspected that Lucius had probably taught his son Occlumency, or at the very least, had requested Snape do so. As such, he could not risk probing the boy’s mind and have it be discovered, otherwise it would create complications that he just didn’t want at the moment.
The other concerns, besides the curse effecting Harry’s ability to compete in the Tournament and face his destiny, that were now plaguing Albus’ mind, was the realization that he’d had, right after he’d woken up that morning, he wasn’t sure how he hadn’t realized it sooner: Harry Potter’s name coming out of the Goblet had an unintended side effect that Albus had not seen coming, but in retrospect, should have known would happen. By accepting Harry into the Tournament and forcing him to compete, the representatives of Hogwarts, mainly himself, and the representatives of the Ministry, Bagman and Crouch, along with the representative of Magic and the Tournament itself, the Goblet and the Tournament Judges, had all recognized Harry Potter as an of-age participant, and therefore, was legally Emancipated.
He mentally cringed, he hoped, prayed that Harry wouldn’t find out about that, at least, not until it was too late to matter. The worst thing to happen now would be for Harry to realize he was no longer under Albus’ direct control.
He would have to keep a very close eye on the boy from now on, and ensure his path was directed properly, and prevent Sirius from interfering should he figure out what Albus had.
Albus was also concerned about Harry possibly Bonding with Miss Granger as a result of the curse forcing them into scenarios or circumstances that he could not control, if it even did that. But he did have the foresight enough to see that whatever this curse did, it would leave a lasting impression on the two of them, and possibly draw them closer together, which he did not want. He had made sure that Harry did not know about Bonding, and wouldn’t, at least until Molly’s daughter Ginevra was in a more suitable position to start the process, and affirm a relationship between her and Harry, with Molly providing the necessary potions to help things along. The same had been true for Miss Granger, though he suspected that the resourceful and inquisitive Muggle-Born had already discovered Bonding thanks to dorm-room gossip, but on the off chance she had not, well, she could be guided towards young Ronald, and could guide him and help him become the wizard Albus suspected he would one day be.
After all, it was well known to Albus that Miss Granger had a habit of finishing Mister Weasley’s homework for him over the past few years. Sweeping it under the rug and getting his staff to ignore it had been difficult though.
Dumbledore also knew of the attraction, or rather, infatuation, that the two youngest Weasleys held towards Mister Potter and Miss Granger respectively, which if nurtured and fostered, would hopefully help to build strong ties between them, with the two Weasleys taking the appropriate steps to ensure that Mister Potter and Miss Granger were Bonded to the ones that Albus believed they should be. It was all for the Greater Good, after all, even if Harry’s ultimate destiny was to sacrifice himself willingly to Voldemort, destroying the Horcrux in his scar.
Of course, to ensure that the Potter line did not go extinct with his death, Ginevra would have to be carrying his child by then, since if Harry married Miss Weasley, it would allow the family to escape the impoverished state they had been in for nearly 25 years, not to mention, it would greatly elevate their status, something Molly had coveted for years . He smirked, yes, he needed to separate young Harry from Hermione, the first opportunity to do so had helpfully presented itself in the form of Viktor Krum, Albus had seen the young man approach Miss Granger at Breakfast, though she had turned him down, she hadn’t outright said ‘No’, and that presented an opportunity and there was the Yule Ball coming up...yes, that would work just fine.
Plant a seed of attraction, via a potion in Krum’s Pumpkin juice, into Mr Krum, and he’d approach Hermione, hopefully before Potter would, and she should accept, then, with the Second Task, Hermione could be Krum’s Hostage...and if the charms keeping the hostages alive at the bottom of the lake were to somehow fail....Although that would scuttle young Ronald’s hopes of getting Granger, but, there were plenty of fish in the sea, as the Muggle saying went, but if Krum managed to reach her before that happened, then that was fine, as long as nothing developed between her and Harry.
First thing first however, the cure from Draco, since, of course, he did not necessarily want to cure Granger, he had no choice but to do so.
The smirk vanished from his face as the door opened and Draco Malfoy walked in, accompanied by Professors Snape, McGonagall and Moody.
Albus did not like what he would probably have to do, but he had potentially tampered with destiny, and should be punished for that. He gestured to a seat opposite his desk. He sighed mentally as he could already predict the ranting and threats of Lucius. Minerva had wanted to question Draco first thing in the morning, after breakfast, but Dumbledore said that would interfere with his classes, so instead, they were doing this during the Lunch hour. Draco could afford to miss one meal, he reasoned.
Draco Malfoy sat down in front of Dumbledore’s desk, already feeling bored. He wasn’t worried, they’d never get the information out of him if he said it was a spell from the Malfoy Family Grimoire, the books owned by all the Ancient, Ancient and Noble or Noble families that contained spells, potion recipes, rituals and various other magical teachings that were only passed down through the Family line and as a consequence, were sealed with blood wards, so the books could not be opened or read by any who were not a member of the family by blood or marriage.
This was, of course, a blatant lie. He'd actually found the book in the Slytherin Private Library off of the main Common Room. Most of the books there were considered too dangerous even for the Restricted Section of the main Library, and contained some pretty dark magic, many illegal forms of magic, and even some Black magic books. Those books, Snape had ordered left alone, and Draco knew better than to touch them. One did not mess with Black Magic lightly. How they’d even gotten in to the Castle, no-one in Slytherin could say, as some had been there centuries, but by the look of them, many hadn’t been even opened in that long. The private Library also included a whole selection of books on fields of ‘lesser’ dark magic, including books on sex magic.
His father had told him about one particular book, “The Dark Arts of Sex Magic” along with a number of spells contained within that he might find...entertaining to use on his rivals, and Mudbloods.
He suddenly found himself wishing he’d used that breast enlargement curse on Granger, rather than that tooth growing jinx back on the 1st of November. It certainly would have taught the stuck-up know-it-all bitch a lesson if her boobs had been swinging around as she moved, each the size a giant pumpkin and constantly growing, reaching almost to the floor, though he figured they probably would have exploded before that happened.
‘ Maybe I'll try that temporary extra dick spell next time Pansy and I have a little fun.’ he thought, smirking to himself.
“Now then, Draco, you do not want to be here and I do not want to keep you longer than necessary, so please, if you would be so kind as to tell me the name of this curse you used, where you found it, who told you of it. If you co-operate, then I am willing to show leniency.” McGonagall snorted faintly, making her opinion of that clear. Dumbledore sent her a look, then turned back to Draco.
Draco looked every bit as bored and un-intimidated as he felt. ‘Old fool.’ he thought, making sure to raise his shields, just in case, just as his Godfather had taught him.
“It’s an old family spell from the Malfoy Grimoire. As for the counter curse, I didn’t really look that up.” he said smugly. ‘ That should make things difficult. I wonder how long it’ll take them to work out what the curse actually is, that’ll be quite the scandal. Like I told Granger, she better get used to giving head.’
“I doubt it Mr Malfoy.” McGonagall said, her tone sharp. He gave her a blank stare, which she returned with an unimpressed glare and raised eyebrow.
“What does the curse do? I have heard of a few sleeping curses and starvation curses, but never one which did both.” Dumbledore said.
‘That’s because that’s NOT what it’s supposed to do, you stupid old Goat.’ Draco thought.
“It’s called the ‘Touch of Hypnos ’, and basically, it will slowly drain their strength, making them so tired that eventually, they’ll pass out.” Draco said, which again, was a lie, he had read about the Touch of Hypnos and had considered using it, as it did make the target feel fatigue over time, though that was in a different book. The spell he’d actually picked was far more amusing. He just hoped that Potter and Granger didn’t die of starvation before they figured out what to do, after all, he’d feel cheated if he didn’t get to see the look of humiliation on their faces every day from now on. And he had read the counter-curse, and almost laughed. Maybe he WOULD give them the counter spell, if only to watch with satisfaction as the fate of the Potter bloodline was sealed.
“Where is the book now?” Dumbledore asked. Draco shrugged. “Back home at Malfoy Manner.”
“Then I have two options. Search the books here in the Library, and ask Professor Snape to also let me search the Slytherin Private Library – yes, I know about that. - to try and find the counter curse, and to also contact your father and ask him to bring the Grimoire and allow me look through it. It would reflect badly on Hogwarts, and your family, if the truth got out that one of the Champions was stripped of their magic because they were sabotaged by a class-mate.”
Draco blinked, processing what the old man had said, then he sneered. “Potter! He NEVER should have entered! He cheated his way in! ”
“That has yet to be proven!” Dumbledore said sternly. Draco scoffed. “Besides! I wasn’t even aiming at Scarhead! I was aiming at the Mudblood whore! ”
“MALFOY!” McGonagall barked, scowling.
“Not my fault that the idiot chose to use himself as a shield.” Draco replied, folding his arms.
“Why would you target Miss Granger?” Dumbledore asked. Draco gave him a dumbfounded look.
“Why not?! She’s ‘supposed’ to be the smartest witch of our generation, something I highly doubt, by the way. She’s a Mud-sorry-Muggle-Born, and she’s one of Potter’s closest friends. It’s just a bonus I got both of them!”
McGonagall growled, Dumbledore could tell she was spitting mad, and while he would have been more than happy to give Draco a light punishment, points-loss and a detention, he knew if he did just that, Minerva would never let him hear the end of it. And a headache from her was not what he wanted. He knew he would probably get a lot of grief from Lucius over this, but he had no choice.
“Then you leave me no choice Mister Malfoy.” Dumbledore said sternly.
-=-=-=-
Ten minutes later, Draco stormed down towards the Dungeons, heading to the Fourth-Year Potions lab. He was furious! The NERVE of that Senile, withered Old GOAT!
Banned from Hogsmeade Weekend Visits? For the ENTIRE School year?! On top of a 200 points loss and serving detention with Filch until the New Year. Worse, the old bastard had even implied that he would not be considered for the Fifth Year Prefect position! As if anyone else could do it! He was the Prince of Slytherin!
The old bastard would pay for this insult! He'd contact his father, and ask for advice, or put pressure on the old man, or speak to him when he would come to the school and demand that Draco tell him what was going on and why he was to bring the Malfoy Grimoire.
Draco had made a quick detour to the Common Room and then to his dorm, where he’d double-checked his trunk, and made sure it was sealed and hidden, and that the book was in there, it had been.
He was hungry and irritated, he usually enjoyed Potions, as he enjoyed watching the Gryffs make fools of themselves, and watching his Head of House lay into them, but he was in too much of a bad mood to care today.
In fact, he was in such a bad mood that he didn’t notice Potter and Granger ahead of him until he was almost upon them as they approached the Potions Lab’s door as the last of the class filed in ahead of them. From the way they were walking, supporting one another, it looked as if they were barely awake, and he doubted they’d have the strength to do anything to him, or even brew potions properly. Hopefully, they’d be so tired and they’d mess up so badly that their cauldrons would explode in their faces.
“Hey Scarhead, Mudblood, I see you haven’t—” whatever Draco meant to say was cut off as both of his targets spun round to face him, fury blazing in their exhausted green and brown eyes. Their faces twisted into furious, tired scowls. Draco wasn’t quite sure what happened next, other than his world becoming one of fast movement, and pain.
Two fists, Harry’s left and Hermione’s right, connected simultaneously with his face, sending him stumbling backwards. As his hands flew up to cover his face, and to check his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken, a second wave of pain exploded through his body as those same two fists connected, together, with his genitals, and he doubled over, letting out a strangled yelp. His hands instinctively moving away from his face, which came down, just as Hermione’s right knee came up.
“Looks like that put you in your place, Ferret! ” Hermione snarled as she and Harry turned, opened the door and entered the Potions Lab for their double lesson with Snape, leaving Draco on the floor outside, moaning, blood pouring from his broken nose, his hands cradling his bruised testicles.
Notes:
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Chapter 3: Hogsmeade
Notes:
Ok, first off, sorry if this chapter seems like filler, I just wanted to draw out Harry and Hermione's suffering a bit longer, because hey, we love to watch our heroes suffer, right? I also wanted to get the reactions of their friends, and what they were getting up to, can't neglect their friends after all. The next chapter (where the fun actually really starts) is almost written.
I also do not know off the top of my head when the Yule Ball was announced, so once Poppy let it slip, i decided to just roll with it, besides, this gives everyone more time to get appropriate outfits.
I'm also not sure about the chapter title, i actually wrote this before thinking of a title, i might change it down the line...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: Hogsmeade
Saturday November 19th
Early morning, Slytherin Fourth-Year Girl’s Dorm.
Daphne Greengrass stretched and yawned. Then sat up, rubbing her eyes in the early morning light coming in through the high windows. The Slytherin dorms might be in the Dungeons, but they still needed windows for ventilation, which she was thankful for sometimes.
She wondered how her friend Hermione was doing, yesterday’s double Potions with the Gryffindors had been…eventful. After the class had entered, finding Professor Snape already waiting for them, the class had begun, when Snape had done roll call, and had got to Draco, and received no response, his dower glare had automatically fixed on Harry and Hermione, who had been last in, and both of them looked half asleep, but determined.
When the students had been ordered to pair up, Snape had ordered Hermione paired with her, and Harry paired with Blaise Zabini, the dark-skinned, black haired boy had sat stiffly next to Harry, only talking to him as much as he needed to, though Blaise seemed a little confused, and annoyed, by his apparent tiredness.
She’d asked Hermione how she was doing, and her covert friend had quietly replied “Hanging in there, feeling half dead on my feet, got worse since this morning. Constantly hungry is not fun. I’m getting so hungry I think I’d be almost willing to start eating raw meat. And…I’m also pretty much constantly horny now, no matter what I do, and I know Harry feels the same.”
Daphne had given her friend a sympathetic look, though tried to keep it inconspicuous. Then Hermione had smirked as there was movement outside the door. “Still, the quick beating me and Harry gave Draco just before coming in was worth it.”
And at that moment, the door had opened, revealing said blond, his face bruised and bloody, at least one black eye developing, and he was limping rather heavily, wincing each time as he walked, and unsteadily took his seat. Snape had docked him 10 points for being late, and for the condition he was in.
Draco had scowled, a look of betrayal on his face as he’d glared at his godfather and Head of House, before finally scowling at Harry and Hermione, before begrudgingly taking his partner seat next to Ron Weasley, who looked at Draco like he was something a Kneazle had left in a litter box.
Unknown to Daphne or Draco, or Harry and Hermione, Snape had a pretty good idea why Draco was late, and who had given him such a beating. He had wanted to dock points from the two Gryffindors, and assign detention, but he knew he’d get hell from Minerva if he did. So, this time, he’d let it slide.
By the time the double Potions lesson was over, Hermione looked even more tired, and Daphne was getting worried, even getting up after the potions lesson had been difficult for her, and she and Harry had walked out, leaning on one another, Neville Longbottom moving up to help them, the two of them giving him grateful looks.
She’d done her best to keep an eye on the two, and at the evening dinner, she’d seen Susan Bones also eyeing them.
Now, she made her way to the showers, taking care of her morning routine, then after getting dressed in her green Slytherin robes, she made her way to the Common Room, stopping to give her little sister Astoria a quick hug and kiss good morning, then the two of them made their way up to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Daphne was excited, it was the first Hogsmeade visit of the school year, and she’d heard through the gossip grapevine already, that Draco had apparently been banned for the entire school year, by Dumbledore, for cursing Harry and Hermione, and the one time it had been mentioned to him after dinner, by one of the Seventh Years who wasn’t too fond of Draco inquiring about it, Draco had blown his top, and started ranting and yelling about “Bloody fucking Potter!” and his “Bloody fucking Mudblood whore!”
Daphne was not happy about one of her few friends being insulted in such a way, and Draco was still ranting, and watching Pansy Parkinson fawning over the Ferret, making pointless platitudes, promising to get revenge on Hermione and Harry for him, Draco shook his head, muttering angrily.
“Don’t bother, from the look of them at dinner last night, I’m guessing they still haven’t figured out how to beat the curse yet, with any luck, by the time they do, it’ll be too late. Can’t that old Goat understand that Potter cheated?!”
“What curse did you use?” Parkinson asked, Draco muttered something, Daphne not being close enough to hear him, cursing herself.
“Ooooh! That one! I can’t wait to see their faces, assuming they survive.”
Daphne silently cursed as her sister dragged her towards the entrance of the Common Room to head up to the Great Hall for breakfast. The carriages would be leaving for Hogsmeade at 9 am and would be returning until about 4 pm. Daphne wasn’t sure if Hermione could be going, and from what Hermione had told her, Harry hadn’t yet got permission from his relatives to go.
She scowled, from what she’d heard, Harry's relatives sounded horrible. How someone could treat their own nephew the way they had was unthinkable to her. If anyone treated her little sister like that, she’d kill them, without hesitation or notion of mercy.
She made a mental note search Malfoy’s room at some point, to see if he was still harboring the book.
“What’s going on Daph, you seem pretty quiet.” Astoria asked as her other friend, Tracey Davis fell into step with them. Daphne sighed.
“I’m worried Tori, Draco used a curse on a friend of mine and no-one has figured out a cure yet. Malfoy still has the book in his room, I’m gonna try and get it from him later today or tomorrow. Can’t do it during the Hogsmeade visit because he’s been restricted to the Castle, banned from Hogsmeade visits for the entire school year.” Tracey snorted.
“Oh, I bet he loved that. I can picture his reaction now.” Her voice raised a couple of octaves, and her face took on a darkish, petulant expression as she did her best to impersonate Draco, completely unaware that said Slytherin had just exited the common room and was several meters behind them, just in time to hear the last of Daphne's statement, glaring furiously at their backs, while Pansy walked beside him, her pug-ish face twisted in indignation.
“’You can’t do that! Just you wait until daddy hears about his! Blah blah blah!’” she mocked, grinning. Astoria started giggling. Daphne snorted.
“Yeah, I imagine that was pretty much how it went. He’s such a spoiled bastard!”
Behind them, Draco's face twisted in a scowl. How dare Greengrass and Davis mock him?! Didn’t they know who he was?! Well, he’d show them. Maybe he’d use that curse again, this time on Greengrass, or maybe her little sister.
But he hesitated. Snape hadn’t come down on him too hard for using the curse on Granger and Potter, as he believed it would teach them both some humility. Snape had wanted to know what curse Malfoy had used, so he told him. At first, Snape had been surprised, asking “Why that one?” and Draco had replied that, if they didn’t figure out how to mitigate the curse, or discover the cure, they’d be dead by Monday at the earliest.
Snape had paused and seemed to consider. “And what is the cure?” Draco had replied, boasting and almost sniggering. Snape had then asked why he would want Potter to get the cure, and Draco had replied that, he was counting on Granger and Potter being so desperate for a cure, that they’d use it before reading the effects.
Snape’s only response had been to raise an eyebrow, then snort to himself. Then he’d advised Draco to keep the book hidden and out of the Private Library, and to keep his Occlumency shields up, then left.
Draco stopped and sneered at the retreating forms in front of him. Then he turned and decided to take a different route. He’d deal with them later.
-=-=-=-
Bartemius Crouch Jr, Death Eater, and Polyjuiced Defense Professor, stalked through the halls of Hogwarts, mulling the latest problem over in his head. While part of him wanted to congratulate Draco on finding such an inventive curse to use on the filthy Mudblood Granger, the little upstart was too smart for her own good! In his opinion, the fact that Potter had also been affected, and was at this moment, bed-ridden in the Hospital Wing concerned him. It was less than a week until the First Task now, and Hagrid, that great lumbering Oaf, hadn’t yet shown Potter the dragons that had been brought in. He suspected that Maxime and Karkaroff…-Barty snarled at the thought of that…traitor-…would show their champions the dragons soon, Barty wasn’t bothered if Diggory found out or not, he wasn’t important, really, none of them were, except Potter. HE was the one who needed to reach the Cup, which Barty would rig with a Portkey once it was in position.
The problem…was if Potter missed the First Task, the Goblet would interpret that as a Forfeit, which would instantly strip Potter of his magic, leaving him a Squib. And a Squib Potter was useless to his Master. Not to mention, if the brat was rendered a Squib, he’d be unable to participate in the rest of the Tournament anyway, and wouldn’t be able to reach the Cup, that’s if the Goblet declaring a Forfeit didn’t outright kill him, since it was a binding magical Contract.
He'd used Moody’s magical eye to scan both Potter and Granger the day they had been cursed, and he’d clearly seen it, as a red aura around them, though he couldn’t tell what curse it was. Now he was considering his next move. The most prudent course was obvious. Go and inform his master of the developments, get his opinion, and if he was familiar with the curse, where to find the counter spell.
Yes, that would do. Go down into Hogsmeade with the students, use a Floo connection or Apparate to his Masters’ location and inform him. It would be too risky to summon Pettigrew to Hogsmeade.
He paused, cast a quick tempus to check the time, then took another swig of Polyjuice from his flask, grimacing at the taste. He hated this stuff, but he had to keep drinking it, at least until his Master’s plan had worked, then he’d kill the old Auror, and be done with this place. He then turned and headed to the Great Hall for Breakfast.
-=-=-=-=-
Poppy walked into the Hospital Wing, carrying a small tray of food for her two patients, she smiled as she saw them sitting up, they seemed awake, but even from a distance, she could tell they were not doing as well as they had the day before.
Harry Potter and Hermione Granger looked, in her professional opinion, exhausted. They both looked even more tired than they had the day before. She tried to hide the disappointment she felt at not being able to find the cures in the books she’d searched through the day before, though, she considered, there were books there she hadn’t searched yet, so it was probably worth another look. She really didn’t want to put in a call to St Mungo’s, as she ran the risk of the information getting out. While the healers respected patient privacy, not all of the staff did. And the last thing these two needed was getting hounded by the press, well, any more than they had been.
“Morning you two, how are you feeling? I brought you some breakfast.”
“We’re…ok.” Harry said, rubbing his face, trying to clear his head. “What time is it?”
“About 8:30 in the morning Mister Potter, breakfast is still going, so I thought I’d bring you something.
“Any luck with…finding a…cure?” Hermione asked between attempts to stifle a yawn as she rubbed her tired face. Poppy frowned.
“I’m afraid not dear, not yet at least, but we’ll keep looking.”
“Has the Ferret said anything?” Harry growled. Pomfrey shook her head.
“Nothing concrete from what I heard from Professor McGonagall, apparently he claimed it was an old family spell from the Malfoy Grimoire, so we’re searching the Library and the Slytherin Private Library to find any clues as to the curse and a cure. Professor Dumbledore may even have to contact Lucius and…ask him to bring the Grimoire.” Hermione winced.
“Lucius isn’t going to like that.” She huffed in annoyance, though she had no sympathy for him or Draco. “At least tell us that Malfoy didn’t get off free for what he did to us.”
Pomfrey snorted. “Hardly. If what I’ve heard is right, he’s not only banned from Hogsmeade visits for the rest of the school year, as Mister Longbottom was last year, he may also have lost his candidacy for the Fifth Year Prefect post, something I’m certain he’s furious about, if the glares he was sending Dumbledore during breakfast were any indication. McGonagall was livid. She was complaining to Albus at breakfast, demanding that Draco be handed over to Director Bones, but Albus refused, said something about not wanting Draco to be ‘prevented from being brought back to the right path’ or some such drivel. I suspect he may also be excluded from attending the Yule Ball.”
Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise, then at her. Pomfrey winced. ‘Damn it Poppy! You weren’t supposed to mention that!’ she thought.
“A Ball? You mean, like a dance, with suits and dresses and stuff? That’s new.” Harry said. Pomfrey nodded. “It’s a Triwizard tradition, Mr Potter. The hosting school always has a ball on the evening of December 25th of the year the Tournament is held. Students from the ages of 14 and up, so Fourth years and up, will be able to attend. Third Years may attend, but only if they’re accompanied by an older student. And the Champions will be required to have a date of course, since they will be opening the Ball and leading the first dance.” She looked at him sympathetically as his tired face fell, a look of utter misery and hopelessness crossed his face, which he promptly buried in his hands.
“Well…that’s just greaaat…who am I going to ask to the Ball? Who’d want to go with me?” he said sarcastically, and since he wasn’t looking at her, he completely missed the slightly hopeful look that had come across Hermione's face, but then vanished at his response, to be replaced by a slightly hurt expression, but Pomfrey did not miss it, and she sent the younger witch a sympathetic smile.
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find someone Mister Potter. There are plenty of young Witches in the castle who would love to be your date.” Harry snorted.
“Not lately I bet. I can’t even dance! I’m probably more liable to trip over my own feet, or trip my partner, rather than actually dance!” he protested, finally looking up at her. Pomfrey rolled her eyes.
“You are being dramatic Mr Potter, now eat your breakfast!”
Hermione also rolled her eyes at him, and tucked into her own food, silently wondering if he would ask her, or if she’d have to ask him.
-=-=-=-=-
An hour later, in her office, Minerva McGonagall paced, mulling the problem over in her mind. She was furious with Albus’ refusal to call Amelia Bones, for what Draco had done, he should at least be expelled. Minerva had argued the point, both the day before after Draco had been dismissed from Dumbledore’s office, again and breakfast, then again in the old man’s office after that. But no, Albus was resolute. He believed expelling Draco would not help him find redemption for his actions and would steer him down a path that would only bring him pain later in life.
Minerva had countered that if anyone else had done this, if one of the Slytherins had been the victim, Snape would have ranted and raved and demanded the one responsible be expelled at the very least. And if Susan Bones had been the victim, then Amelia, as her only living family, would have to have been informed. And Dumbledore’s response, infuriatingly enough, had been the same.
“We must endeavor to make sure they do not stray down the Dark Path Minerva, we must guide them towards redemption and the Light. No, expelling or imprisoning young Draco will serve no benefit to anyone, and will only serve to drive him down the same path his father took.”
“I beg to differ!” she growled, she’d stormed out after that, saying that she would be keeping a very close eye on Draco from now on, and if he stepped out of line like that again, she would do everything she could to go over his head. She’d turned and left, before he could respond as he’d gotten to his feet to respond to the indirect challenge to his authority. As-of-yet, their search for answers had turned up nothing.
She was getting worried, she’d been in to see them after her meeting with Albus, and the two of them had been sleeping, and according to Poppy’s estimate, another day, and they’d barely be able to stay awake. Poppy had also informed her, regrettably, that she’d told them about the Yule Ball before Minerva had a chance to. Minerva had been a tad disappointed, as she’d been wanting to tell them, but she’d reassured her friend, saying “Well, if we can get this mess sorted, it’ll give them something to look forward to.”
Poppy had agreed, hoping that Mister Potter wouldn’t wait too long before asking Hermione to the Ball. Minerva had nodded, she’d been watching them the previous 3 years, and Hermione had been at his side through almost everything, and clearly cared about him, and she was sure Harry cared about Hermione, Minerva just wondered if it was platonic, or if it could be nurtured into something more.
She sighed, looking down at her desk at the unfinished letter she’d been trying to pen, the one that would be sent to Miss Granger’s parents, informing them of what had befallen their daughter. She just wasn’t sure how to finish it, and didn’t want to even try until they had more answers, but then, HOW do you write such a letter? She was at a loss for what to do. After a few more minutes, she decided she could do no more in her office, heading out the door, she decided to head to the Library and do some more searching.
-=-=-=-
In his office, Albus sighed, his meeting with Draco yesterday and Minerva that morning had been a little taxing. He could not allow the DMLE to get involved, they would soon have other concerns, such as preparing the Ministry to face Voldemort. In his mind, he felt Draco had been punished enough, of course, this would mean that Serverus would have to find a replacement Prefect next year, since he had been forced to revoke that guarantee from Draco, thanks to Minerva’s presence in his office the day before. He would have been satisfied giving the boy detention until the new year, and the yearlong Hogsmeade ban, since he was sure to hear from Lucius soon demanding an explanation, but having him expelled or arrested? No, that would not do. Because once Voldemort returned, an embittered Draco would flock to Riddle’s cause and take his Mark.
Which, for the Greater Good, could not be allowed.
His plans to engender attraction between Hermione and Viktor Krum were on hold for the moment, until this curse business was dealt with, then things could proceed as planned. He just hoped that what ever the curse’s lingering effects were, if any, they could be managed.
-=-=-=-=-
Riddle Manor, Little Hangleton
By mid-day, Bartemius Crouch Jr entered the dilapidated ruins of the building that had once been the home of the muggle Riddle family, though he did not know that, he did not need to, after all. As he walked through the overgrown and moldy corridors and rooms, he idly wondered why his Master chose this place to hide conceal himself in. it had taken a little longer to get away from the students than he’d thought, as he’d decided to grab himself some lunch first at the Hog’s Head Inn, owned by Albus’ brother Aberforth.
His time in the Inn had been thankfully brief, there hadn’t been many patrons, as the students mostly stuck to The Three Broomsticks and Fortescue’s. though his lunch had been nice, a nice chicken pie and peas, to help get rid of the taste of the Polyjuice. He’d also taken a quick trip to Nocturn Alley to acquire more, as he didn’t fancy brewing any now, besides, he had plenty in his trunk back at Hogwarts. He was just lucky no-one had tried to wake him at night while he slept, while he wasn’t under the effects of the potion.
He paused as he came to the door of the room where he knew his Master resided. He knocked twice.
“Enter!” came the rasping voice.
Barty opened the door and stepped inside, averting his gaze from the malformed bundle in the room, he approached to within a respectable distance, and knelt. To his right, he could see the form of Peter Pettigrew watching him carefully.
“Ah…Barty…my most loyal…What have you to report?” Voldemort hissed, his familiar, Nagini, coiled protectively around him, eyed him carefully, her tongue flicking every few minutes.
“Master…there has been a…development with the boy.” He said carefully, making sure to keep his gaze down unless ordered otherwise.
“A ‘Development’? Explain.”
“The Potter boy and one of his friends, a Mudblood girl, got into an altercation with the son of Lucius Malfoy, on Thursday after their last Defense class of the day. Words were exchanged, followed by spells. It seems the Malfoy boy lost his temper and attempted to curse the Mudblood, but Potter stepped between them and took the hit, though she was still affected.”
There was no response from the bundle, and Barty began to get nervous.
“How is it affecting Potter?” Voldemort asked after a minute or so.
“According to what I’ve overheard; ever increasing hunger and, exhaustion and fatigue. No matter how much they eat and sleep, they feel as if they have done neither. They’re both currently in the Hospital Wing. The staff are attempting to find a cure, but as-of-yet, have had no luck.”
“Have they interrogated the Malfoy brat?” Voldemort hissed.
“Aye, my Lord. He claims the curse is a spell from the Malfoy Family Grimoirum, but I have my doubts.”
“What are the odds of Potter being able to compete in the First Task?”
“At the moment? Slim. Unless a cure is found, or a way to mitigate the curse’s effects, he’ll be lucky to even be able to stand come the First Task, if he doesn’t die or is driven mad with starvation before then.”
Voldemort paused again.
“This…will not do…” Voldemort hissed, his anger clear. Barty waited.
“Barty, you will return to Hogwarts, you will find a cure for Potter, or a means of mitigating the curse’s effects enough so that he can compete and is not stripped of his magic. A Squib, or dead Potter is of no use to me!” Voldemort paused, before continuing. “Normally, I would commend Draco for such…creativity…But NOT when it jeopardizes my plans!”
Barty nodded. “And…what of Potter’s friend? The Mudblood?”
“She is irrelevant.” Was the reply.
“And what of Draco?”
“The outcome of the next few days will decide his fate. If Potter dies or is rendered a Squib, then Draco shall take his place. And if not, then he will live to learn from his lesson.”
Barty nodded, knowing he had been dismissed, he stood and turned, walking quickly from the room.
-=-=-=-=-
Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade.
Neville Longbottom sighed as he enjoyed the nice quiet drink he was having with Hannah Abbot, her friend Susan, her friend Daphne, Tracey Davis, Ginny Weasley, Ron (who was alternating between ignoring the Slytherins and glaring at them), the Twins, and the Gryffindor Chasers. Several of the Beauxbatons students, including their Champion, Fleur Delacour were also in the pub, as was Viktor Krum, and his small entourage of fangirls, and several other Durmstrang and Slytherin students were all clustered into the Three Broomsticks.
Neville noticed that Krum didn’t look so happy about the followers he had, if anything, he looked frustrated and annoyed. He remembered Krum asking Hermione, pronouncing her name rather brokenly, if she would accompany him. He’d been surprised, and Ron had been jealous, which Neville had rolled his eyes at, honestly, Ron didn’t stand a chance with Hermione, not after the way he’d treated her over the years. Susan Bones had apparently complained to Hannah about him once, after Hermione had ranted about Ron’s treatment of Harry following the Halloween Feast.
If Neville was honest with himself, he still felt a little guilty about not believing Harry when he’d first proclaimed his innocence, but he’d come ‘round after thinking carefully. Ron however, refused to accept it, and as far as Neville knew, was still blanking Harry.
“You guys had any look searching?” he asked. Daphne shook her head.
“Not yet, I can try go get hold of the book Draco found it in, though I have no idea when I’ll be able to, since he’s stuck in the castle.”
“Haven’t you been looking?” Susan asked, raising an eyebrow. Neville shook his head, feeling guilty. “Searching for curses isn’t exactly my thing, besides, I’d have to get into the Restricted Section, and I doubt McGonagall would give me a pass. I’ll be going back to check on them when we get back, maybe I’ll nip into Honeydukes and pick something up for them.”
“We really should go see them, brother of mine.” Fred said, or was it George?
The other twin responded, smiling. “We should! Oh brother of mine.”
Neville rolled his eyes as the girls giggled. “Just don’t prank them, ok? They’ve been through enough!” he scolded.
“You wound us friend Neville!” the twins said in unison, putting their hands over their hearts. Neville snorted and rolled his eyes.
“I overheard Draco talking to Parkinson, he told her what curse he used, but I wasn’t close enough to hear.” Daphne said. “I hope we can figure something out soon. If I can just get that damn book.”
“Well, when you get it, send me a note via House-Elf or Owl or something, and I’ll meet you in the entrance hall, then we’ll figure out where to go from there.” Susan said quietly, Daphne nodded, giving her friend a smile.
“I haven’t seen Malfoy out here.” Angelina Johnson said, giving Ron a look as he took a drink from his glass of Butterbeer, shooting Daphne and Tracey another look. Tracey snorted with amusement.
“And you won’t. Not for the rest of the school year. He got banned for cursing Harry and Hermione. Also apparently invalidated as potential prefect next year. He’s pissed. He’s also apparently banned from the Yule Ball. Pansy was NOT happy when she heard that news.”
“You looking forward to that? Got a date yet?” Neville asked. Tracey nodded. “I don’t have a date lined up yet, but I’m sure I’ll find one.”
“You know you’ll probably need a date right?” Ron asked Neville. Neville looked at him. “Yeeaaah…” he said, drawing out the word. Ron shrugged.
“Well, hope you can find one.”
Neville cast a look at Hannah, who smiled at him a little flirtatiously. “Oh, don’t worry about me Ron, I think I’ll be fine. You’ll have to find a date too ya know.”
Ron shrugged. “I’m sure Hermione’ll go with me.”
Neville raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?” Dean asked. Ron rolled his eyes as he turned to his dorm-mate.
“Who else is she gonna go with?”
“Krum?” Alicia asked, smirking at the jealous scowl that crossed Ron’s face.
“Harry?” Katie said, Ron’s ears started to flush red.
“Hell, I bet she’d even go with Neville if he asked. Or me!” Seamus said, missing the look Hannah gave him and the embarrassed look Neville gave him. Ron snorted.
“Yeah…right…” then he finished off his butterbeer and set the glass down. “Hermione and I have been flirtin’ with each other for ages! We’re great for each other!”
“’Flirting’? Is that what you call yelling at each other, blanking her during Third Year after that mess with Harry's broom, and upsetting her during First Year so badly that she ended up in a situation where she was nearly killed by a Troll?” Susan asked, incredulously. Ron’s face flushed. “How’d you know about—”
“Well, when you drove her away last year over Harry's Firebolt, she ended up in the library with me and Daphne, and we got talking.” Susan said, giving him a hard look.
“Seriously Weasley, yelling and arguing is your idea of ‘Flirting’? Who in Morgana’s name told you that equaled flirting? Harry has a better chance of landing Hermione as a date than you ever will.” She then turned and stared at the twins. “You two really need to educate your younger brother on how to properly interact with and treat women.”
The twins gave each other a look, then nodded.
“Don’t you worry…” said one.
“…We’ll take care of ikkle Ronnikins.” Said the other, both grinning evilly. Ron gulped, wondering what the Puff had landed him in, as the others broke out in laughter.
-=-=-=-=-
Later that day, at around 5pm, Neville, Fred and George entered the Hospital Wing to find Harry and Hermione sitting up, going over their homework again.
“Hey guys.” Neville said, as he approached Harry's bed and dropped a small bag on the nightstand. “Picked up a little something for you from Honeydukes.”
“Thanks Nev.” Harry said, giving his friend a tired smile.
“How are you two feeling?” Fred asked.
“Enjoying your time together?” George asked, giving Harry and smile and winking.
“Oh yes George, or is it Fred? We’ve had a great time sitting here with almost nothing to do except get hungrier and hungrier, and more and more tired.” Hermione growled, as Neville passed her a small bag.
“We nipped into Tomes and Scrolls to try and find something that could help you guys, but none of what they had seemed to describe what you guys are going through, sure, there were curses and such that caused hunger or tiredness, but not both.” Fred said. Hermione gave him a thankful smile.
“I didn’t think you would, there are…other side effects that this curse is having, but…don’t really want to go into that right now.” She said, her cheeks reddening slightly. Harry's face also reddened, and he refused to look at her.
The twins and Neville exchanged a look.
“Want us to deal with Draco?” Fred asked.
“If it involves beating him to a bloody unidentifiable pulp, then yes please!” Harry said. “I don’t think that quick beating we gave him outside of Potions on Friday got the message across.”
“So that WAS you!” Neville said, grinning.
“Oh? Do tell!” the twins said in unison.
“Basically, he came up behind us as we were about to enter Potions, started flapping his gob, so we punched him in the face, at the same time…” Harry said.
“Then punched him in the balls…at the same time…” Hermione said with a grin.
“Then Hermione kneed him in the face when he doubled over from the crotch-punch, and we left him on the corridor floor.”
The twins and Neville looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
“Oh Merlin! I can’t believe we missed that!” Fred said.
George nodded. “Yeah, I would have paid good galleons to see that.”
The twins and Neville stayed a short while, before leaving. Parvati and Lavender stopped by just after dinner, which the House-Elves had delivered. While Hermione had her issues concerning the way House-Elves were treated by most families, she was too tired, and too hungry to care at that point.
When it was almost bedtime, Pomfrey had had to help them to the showers, but had been able to provide shower stools for them so they didn’t have to struggle. With professional detachment borne of years of experience as a healer, Pomfrey had noted the two’s now constant state of sexual arousal on top of their other frustrations, and mentally ran through the possible potions she could give them for that, unfortunately she didn’t really have any of the more powerful ones that would last the whole night, and the side effects for the ones she did have were…not pleasant.
Pomfrey sighed as she watched the two of them settle down for the night, wishing she could help them.
-=-=-=-=-
The following morning.
Daphne Greengrass looked around the Fourth-Year boy’s dorm room, Crabbe and Goyle were still asleep, snoring loudly, as was Nott, but Draco was up and out of the room already, probably showering, which was just fine by her, as she approached the trunk that she knew was Draco's. she had to be quick; get in, grab the book, if it was there, then get the hell out. She didn’t want to know what Malfoy would do if he caught her with the book, then again, she could probably convince him to let her borrow it…but he’d want something in exchange.
She shuddered.
She had a pretty good idea what he’d want, too.
Despite her close friendship with Hermione and Susan, there were things about life in Slytherin that she had not told them. And wasn’t sure she could.
Putting those thoughts and memories out of her mind, she quickly knelt by his trunk and muttered the unlocking spell, she also cast a silencing charm on it in case the hinges squeaked. Once it was open, she started to rifle through it. Ignoring a half-written letter to his father, no doubt whining about his punishment, it didn’t take her long to find a book that she knew did not belong.
It was black, bound in hard leather, decorated on the cover with various pictographs she couldn’t identify. Across the top, in stylized hand, was the title: 'The Dark Arts of Sex Magic’ with the author’s name below it being faded and illegible.
Standing, she quickly closed and relocked the trunk, after transfiguring the cover of one of his other books to match the one she now held, then canceled the silencing charm on it, turned and quickly headed out of the room. Quickly, she returned to her own dorm room, slipped the book into her bag, then headed for the shower. Hopefully by the time Draco figured out the book was gone, she and Susan would have found something.
Notes:
Next chapter....LUNA!
:P
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Chapter 4: Finding a Cure...of a sort pt 1
Notes:
Well, here it is, the chapter many of you have been waiting for. The first (of many) lemons. They won't ALL be as detailed as this in future chapters, depending on how i feel when i write them.
I also borrowed a few things from "Harry Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor" by Cloneserpents, the first HP fanfiction I ever read. I read it before i watched the movies, or read the books. Its actually what got me into the HP fandom (and of course, made me a Harry/Hermione shipper from chapter 1).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: Finding a Cure...of a sort part 1
Sunday, November 20th 1994
Hogwarts Great Hall.
“I have it.” Daphne whispered to Susan as the two of them exited the Great Hall after breakfast, Susan nodded and then looked around.
“Where do we go? The library, or McGonagall’s office? Or take it to Pomfrey?” she asked. Daphne looked thoughtful.
“Let’s go to the Library, if Draco follows us and causes a scene, we’ll have witnesses, and Pince will throw him out.”
Daphne nodded, and followed her friend. Once, they made it to the Hogwarts Library, and once they were in, the two girls found ‘their’ table, the one they usually used for studying with their Gryffindor friend, and took a seat, there were a few other students in the Library, including a few Durmstrang students, but the girls ignored them. A small contingent of girls were still following
Daphne pulled the dark leather book that had a non-descript cover out of her book bag. Susan looked at the title on the cover and scowled.
‘The Dark Arts of Sex Magic’
“Lovely title…” Susan snorted, as she and her blonde friend started leafing through the book, taking a moment to read the Forward at the beginning. “Hey, listen to this Sues…”Not to be confused with ‘The Magic of Making Love’ which is a book that focuses on the positive aspects of Sex-Magic, of which there are many. This book focuses on the more negative and therefore, more well-known side, specifically on Sex-Magic that is focused on the darker side of sex; such as non-consensual sex, which is one of the main reasons Sex-Magic as a whole is considered Dark by many. Whereas the Magic of Making Love focuses on spells, potions and rituals centered around and focused toward Consensual Sex, Love, Fertility and Pleasure. Since sex is the act of creating new life, and Magic is the essence of life, it can be theorized, and in some small circles, is believed, that Sex-Magic is essential for life.” Huh, I’ll bet they’ll never teach this in any of the classes here.” Daphne said, Susan nodded.
They spent a few minutes leafing through the book, looking for the curse Draco had used, a few caught their eye, such as the ‘Uncontrolled Breast Enlargement Curse’ which if used, would cause a Witch’s breasts to inflate, until they literally exploded, which would, naturally, be fatal to the witch in question.
Another spell they found would give a wizard a temporary second penis. Yet another spell they found, turned the wizard’s tongue into a penis. The two girls’ eyes had almost popped out of their sockets as they’d read the possible uses for that spell. There was another spell that turned a witch’s lips 90 degrees, and effectively turned her mouth, at least her lips, into a perfect replica of her vulva, with a fully functional clitoris, or at least, the shaft and glans of one, where her nose would have once been.
“Who the hell would want a fanny on her face?!” Daphne blurted, staring at the animated magical illustration that demonstrated the effect, in case the verbal description wasn’t clear enough.
“Pansy?” Susan asked with a smirk.
Daphne snorted, “Ok, you might be right there.”
They continued to read, skipping to the back end of the book, towards the heavier spells, thinking what they were looking for could be found there.
“No, I don’t think he used this one, and I’m glad he didn’t…” Daphne said, shuddering in revulsion as she read the description of a particularly nasty curse, and its effects on its victims and its usage history. Susan leaned over to look.
“The ‘Rapist Curse’?” she asked, eyes widening as she read the effects.
“Yeah, Draco didn’t use this, if he had, Harry and Hermione would be all over each other by now, fucking each other, and everyone else they come across raw. And they’d also be suffering from these other effects too, so no, definitely not this. Thank Merlin!”
“Hello.” came a serene, calm voice.
Both girls looked up, eyes wide, as they laid eyes on a waif of a girl with long dirty-blonde hair, and large silvery eyes, that both seemed to have a faraway gaze in them, but at the same time, were also focused. Daphne saw keen intelligence in those eyes, though her outward demeaner was one of aloofness. Daphne of course, recognized her immediately, as she suspected, so did Susan. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of Butterbeer bottle caps.
Even if the third-year hadn’t been wearing Ravenclaw colors, it would be nearly impossible not to recognize Luna ‘Looney’ Lovegood, the daughter of Xenophilius Lovegood, the owner and editor-in-chief of the Quibbler, a magical Magazine that usually contained articles on strange and exotic creature, many of whom hadn’t yet been seen, but Luna claimed to be able to, something that made her the subject of a lot of ridicule, both in her own house and the others. The snakes in particular were especially harsh, though Daphne did her best not to be, she’d heard through the rumor mill that Luna had watched her mother die at a young age, and in Daphne’s opinion, she’d be honestly surprised if Luna wasn’t a little fucked up in the head after that.
Neither of the two older witches tried to hide the book, they figured she’d already seen what they were reading anyway.
“Uh, hi, Luna is it?” Susan asked. The girl smiled dreamily.
"Some people call me 'Loony' Lovegood, actually."
“Well, we won’t. We don’t like bullies.” Daphne said, smiling.
Luna blinked slowly. “A lot of my bullies are Slytherins. Some of the worst are in my own house though, such as Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe and Margot Smythe. I don’t like them.”
“We’re not all the same.” Daphne said a little defensively.
“May I join you?” Luna asked. Daphne and Susan exchanged looks, wondering if they should let her. The two of them held a silent conversation, before finally Daphne gave an almost invisible nod. Then they turned to Luna.
“Sure, maybe you could help us, we’re trying to find details on a curse a friend of ours has been hit with.”
“Ok. Thank you.” Luna said, as she took a seat next to Susan and leaned over to read the book.
After another 15 minutes of searching back through the book, Susan spotted something that made her stop.
“Wait! Hold up! What’s this? Huh…How did Hermione say she was feeling? Increasing tiredness and hunger, even though they’ve been eating for the last two days and sleeping in the Hospital Wing?” Susan asked, skimming the text. Daphne nodded.
“Yeah, and Harry has been the same. Why? What have you…Oh.” She asked, as she saw what Susan had, and Luna also leaned forward.
Susan started reading it aloud.
“’The Gift of Aphrodite’ also sometimes called ‘The Kiss of The Succubus’ curse. Oh boy…that doesn’t sound good.” then she swallowed and continued, her eyes widening.
“Listen to this: "Those affected by this spell are forced to subsist almost entirely on sexual emissions of other humans, and in some cases, animals when humans cannot be found or are unwilling, in order to survive. Requiring consumption of seminal or vaginal fluids at least once every 12 hours, but the more often, the better.
To facilitate this, Wizards and Witches affected by this spell have their mental perceptions of taste altered, so when they ingest seminal or vagina fluid, they perceive its flavor as something they enjoy eating most. They are also induced into a near constant state of arousal until the spell’s initial requirements are met. There is also speculation that the sense of smell of the affected individuals is also affected, though this has not been verified.
Those affected can eat food but gain no nutrients from it. They will also experience constant hunger even after eating, with the feeling increasing exponentially. The only food they can eat and get any benefits from seems to be water. Nutrients digested from consumed food are kept from being absorbed by the body, thanks to the spell, until its magic detects the presence of seminal fluid or vaginal fluid in the stomach of the affected Wizard or Witch, at which point the ‘stored’ nutrients are released and absorbed by the body."
“Who the fuck created this?!” Daphne hissed, furious.
A sharp “SHHH!” from the front desk told them that Madam Irma Pince had heard her, and was reminding them to be quiet. If there was one thing Pince hated more than an over-due book return, it was noise in her domain.
“Hey wait, what’s this bit?” Susan asked, pointing to a block of text below the listed effects. “WARNING: Delaying consumption of fluids beyond the minimum required instances will result in increasingly severe states of malnutrition and fatigue and arousal, until the subject succumbs first to coma, then to death by starvation, accelerated by the magic of the spell, leading to the effected individuals succumbing to starvation far sooner than they normally would, within 3 days to succumb to coma, 5 to succumb to death, at most.” She blinked, not sure she read it right, then reread the description of the worst of the effects, and the warning. “What the actual FUCK?!” Susan spat, incredulous.
“That can’t be right…” Daphne said, staring at the text, wide eyed. “If that’s accurate, that means…that means…” she stammered, unable to finish her thought aloud.
“It means…that Harry and Hermione are going to be giving, and probably getting a lot of head in the foreseeable future. In fact, I’d say they’re gonna become experts at it. Because it will literally KILL them if they don’t.” Susan growled, also not believing what she was reading.
Luna, for her part, seemed completely unaffected, as if what she’d just heard was perfectly normal.
“That does seem like a rather odd effect for a curse to have. Usually the effects are more debilitating and over a shorter period, and I’ve never read any curse descriptions that have actual warnings of their effects. This almost seems like a spell meant for foreplay that went wrong, and wasn’t intended to be a curse, but eventually became classed as one. Which would explain why there is a warning in its description of its effects, and why it’s called the Gift of Aphrodite.” Susan and Daphne stared at her. “What do you know about foreplay? You’re thirteen!” Daphne asked, eyes wide.
“Almost fourteen. In three months.” Luna replied.
“Still...” Susan replied, not sure how to respond, she didn’t want to upset the girl.
“There is no set starting age for a teenager’s ability to experiment with sexual activity or explore their sexuality.” Luna commented offhandedly. “I have been rubbing my fanny, or masturbating, or if you prefer, ‘stirring my Cauldron’ for over a year now. And my parents had a very active sex life. I could certainly hear them well enough. Besides, my parents were, what is the muggle term? Oh yes, Naturists.”
Susan blinked at her, thanks to Hermione, she knew some muggle terms, so she knew what Luna meant.
“Wait...Your parents were nudists?! Are...are you?” Susan asked, shocked, Daphne was equally surprised. Nudists were not common in the Magical world, and almost unheard of in England, given the traditionalist views of most Pure-Blood families. They were more common in main-land Europe and the US, in warmer climates, though again, it was usually Muggle-borns that practiced it.
Luna looked downcast, “Not anymore. Not since my mum died, and I'm not allowed to here at Hogwarts.” she said sadly.
“I...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you Luna.” Susan said sympathetically, reaching over to take one of the girl’s hands in her own.
“It’s ok. I’ve had time to heal. Though not many friends.”
“Well, now you have us, and once Hermione and Harry meet you, I'm sure they’d love to be your friend.” Susan replied smiling.
“Yep.” Daphne added, then she turned her attention back to the book, once again going over what they’d read. “So, you think this spell might have started out as a form of foreplay?” She asked. Luna nodded.
“Yes, look here at its effects: "Wizards and Witches affected by this spell have their mental perceptions of taste altered, so when they ingest seminal or vaginal fluid, they perceive its flavor as something they enjoy eating most." That definitely sounds like something that would be used in foreplay, to encourage couples to engage in oral sex.”
“Fuck me…” Daphne breathed.
“Not here, it’s too dusty, there are other students present, and the table would not exactly be comfortable enough for you to get into a position that would allow us to rub our vaginas together even though I have not done that before, and I do not possess a dildo or a penis, sorry. However, I would be more than willing to try and perform cunnilingus and lick your vagina for you if you prefer, although I have not done that before either.” Luna said, completely missing the fact that Daphne’s comment wasn’t aimed at her, and had not been an actual request.
Daphne stared at her, eyes so wide they nearly popped out of her skull as her jaw went slack in complete shock and disbelief. Susan wasn’t doing much better. “I…I…I…WHAT?!” Daphne said, completely taken aback, embarrassed and utterly mortified by what her new friend had just said, her face turning two different colors; white and red. She could not believe what the young Ravenclaw had just said! Susan was likewise shocked, not quite believing what the girl next to her had just so casually said, and implied about herself. She had not known Luna for even an hour, but she was already starting to realize how she may have got her nickname, and the fact that she seemed to speak her mind. And took EVERYTHING she heard literally.
“So…” Susan said, trying desperately to come up with a change of subject for her friend’s sake. “This spell started out as an attempt at foreplay you think?”
“That makes the most sense. Why else would a curse force people to do what normally, they would love to do? Perform oral sex on each other. There is also this part here, about the spell altering a person’s perception of taste, and maybe even smell, so any semen or vaginal juices they get in their mouth tastes like their favorite food. Clearly, this spell was created with married couples who were in a loving stable relationship in mind and was likely intended to be used on both. That is not what a true curse-creator would intend. I think this spell was originally intended as a form of foreplay, but only became considered a curse, and known as one, when it was discovered that there was no way to reverse it, and the debilitating, potentially fatal side-effects were first discovered.”
Daphne mulled it over, thinking, she took in everything that was said, and what they’d read, and with a sinking feeling, realize the full depth of the implications for her other friend, and her friend, Harry Potter. “That means they’re gonna have to, literally, feed from each other, eat each other, at least twice daily, to keep their strength up and avoid dying of starvation in about a week...Merlin...I sincerely hope, that for Harry’s sake, that Hermione is a squirter.”
“Tell me about it…although, that’s urethral, not vaginal. Hermione will just have to get VERY wet. “Affected witches and wizards will experience feelings of fatigue that increase with time without meeting requirements to alleviate symptoms.
Self-stimulation has no long-term effect at relieving symptoms of arousal. Any relief from self-stimulation, if it is achieved, is only temporary.
Strength, stamina and alertness are restored upon ingesting sexual fluids of partner, whether they have the curse also or not.” Huh, so they might not have to feed exclusively on each other. They could be able to get what they need from anyone.” Susan said. Daphne snorted.
“Yeah right. Can you imagine Hermione dragging random boys into broom closets one or more times a day to blow them? I’m sure there are plenty of girls who would lift their skirts for Harry though. And can you imagine the rumors that would start flying about them?”
“You’re right.” Susan said, as she thought for a moment. “They’re not gonna be happy when they hear all this. To say nothing of what McGonagall will say.”
“Do you think that they would let their friends help them?” Luna asked.
“Uh, what do you mean?” Susan asked, almost afraid to ask.
“Well, it’s my understanding that friends help each other, and the two of you are their friends, and hopefully soon, I will be too. And it would be unreasonable to assume that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would be able to get what they need from each other all the time they may need to. So their friends should be willing to help them.” she said nonchalantly.
Daphne and Susan stared at her. Their brains not quite willing to process what she was implying.
“Are you…Are you suggesting that we let them, both of them, lick our pussies?!” Daphne asked, eyes widening. Susan nodded. “I’m not sure Hermione would be ok with that, I’m pretty sure she’s straight, I know I am. And besides, I don’t really know Harry all that well, haven’t really talked to him, most of what I know about him I know through Hermione.” Susan protested. “I can’t just walk up to him, drag him to a closet, get him down on his knees and shove his face in my fanny!”
“You could make the offer at least, just so he knows you’re willing to help him if he needs it.” Luna said, then continued after a moment, “And there’s nothing stopping you getting to know him.”
“Uh…” Susan said, not quite sure how to respond to that.
Daphne nodded, then she spotted something. “Here’s a bit on its history: “The exact origin of the curse is unknown. Believed to have been developed in Ancient Greece as a method to help couples' sex lives, or as a method of foreplay by what is believed to be a Priestess of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek Sorceress that ancient Muggles believed to be a Goddess, who is believed to have pioneered the study, creation and practice of rituals, potions and spells commonly referred to as Sex Magic. It should be noted however, that the spell was originally intended to be used on fully Bonded, married adults. If cast on people who are not bonded to each other, or other witches or wizards, then there is a very strong, almost guaranteed possibility of the Bonding process forming, and leading to rapid completion, far sooner than what would be considered normal. (See other reference material for details on Bonding) It is for this reason, that some have speculated the true intentions of the spell’s creator was to create a spell that assisted in the creation of the Bond between a witch and a wizard, who did not want to wait for the Bonding to develop over time. Hence the name ‘The Gift of Aphrodite’. The reason it was added here was because of the potentially lethal side-effects leading to its classification as a Curse.” Huh, looks like you were right Luna, this spell was meant as a spell for foreplay. Or as a spell to help accelerate a Bonding for those who were impatient.” Daphne said, before continuing to read.
However, evidence would suggest the spell went wrong, or was not properly crafted, leading to the side effects listed above that were not accounted for and could not be reversed. The spell soon became regarded as a curse once the fatal side-effects were known, and later found prominent use in countries to the far East whose rulers routinely kept Harems, this curse was believed to be instrumental in forming some of the earliest ones. Morgana’s sagging tits!” she growled.
Susan nodded, pointing further down the page. “Look here, it says there’s a counter curse: A counter curse was later developed, however, it should only be used as a last resort, as it causes a complete state of sexual dysfunction and leaves the subject unable to become physically, emotionally or mentally aroused, leaving wizards completely impotent and unable to father children. Lust potions have been shown to have no effect at countering this. It also shuts down a witch’s menstrual cycle, inducing Menopause.…Well…fuck…” then she looked at her friend, who’s eyes were wide as they read the text over, just to be sure she hadn’t misread it.
“You think that’s what Draco is hoping will happen? That they’ll find out about the counter curse and use it before reading the effects?” she asked, Daphne shrugged. “That’s a possibility, but any use of this counter curse, especially on the last surviving member of an Ancient and Most Noble bloodline and house like the Potters, would effectively be Line Assassination, if it’s done before Harry has any kids. And besides, I can’t imagine either of them would be willing to face a lifetime without sex when they’re still so young.”
Susan paused, then she stood. “I’ll just go and see if I can find that other book, what was it? ‘The Magic of Making Love’ huh, interesting title…” Daphne and Luna watched as she disappeared into the Restricted Section, Daphne casting a quick notice-me-not so no one would see her go in, or come out. After a few minutes, she came out with a thick red leather-bound book in her hands. “Got it, ok, hopefully this will have some more information.” She said as she slipped it into her own bookbag.
“Hopefully you’re right, com on…we need to show this to Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, they’re not going to like this…and poor Hermione is going to have a fit!” she said, marking the page with a leather bookmark, she then closed the book and slipped it into her back as she stood, Susan following her, as they turned and headed for the door, their new friend Luna following close behind, a serene smile on her face.
It was good to have friends.
-=-=-=-=-
Hospital Wing, sometime earlier.
Hermione opened her eyes and groaned. Her stomach hurt, her limbs felt like lead and her head felt so fuzzy and clouded that she could barely think clearly. She blinked a few times, then, with effort, lifted her hands and weakly rubbed at her eyes.
Grimacing, she rolled onto her side, though it took a lot of effort, then she slowly pushed herself up, until she was in a sitting position. She looked over at Harry, who was laying on his bed, sleeping, though there was a noticeable tent in the bedsheet about where his hips were. Hermione would have blushed, but she didn’t have the strength, but she was dimly aware of her own arousal, her nipples were hard still, her breasts particularly sensitive, and she’d given up wearing knickers since yesterday. Her thighs were wet, as was the bed, it would definitely need cleaning. Hell, her nightie was wet in places, and she sighed in frustrated anger as she slowly, laboriously worked the cotton garment up past her waist then over her breasts, then over her head, and threw it to the floor, leaving her sat naked on her bed.
If Harry woke up now and saw her, if he’d be lucid enough to even perceive her, she honestly wouldn’t care that he’d be seeing her naked, hell, she’d lean back, spread her legs and let him ogle her. She was so horny she’d let him do anything he wanted. Anything.
She considered getting one of the House-Elves to bring them some breakfast, because on top of feeling hornier than she’d ever felt in her life, and almost half dead from exhaustion, she was so hungry! She didn’t care at this point that she thought their treatment amounted to slavery, she just wanted to eat something!
For some reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off the tent of Harry’s bedsheet, and she found herself licking her lips, her mouth suddenly filling with saliva, which she used to wet her throat. She stood on unsteady legs, and took a step towards him, then another, and her knees gave out, and she collapsed with a grunt, resorting to crawling the final few feet to the bed, then pulling herself up. It wasn’t comfortable on her knees on the floor, so, with more effort, she pulled herself up onto the bed. Panting with the exertion, Hermione could already feel sweat beginning to form on her forehead. She got up into a kneeling position, straddling Harry’s legs. Reaching forward, she gripped the sheet and pulled.
Slowly, Harry’s bare torso came into view, then the boxer shorts he was wearing, and the tent formed by the erection within. With almost shaking hands, she slid her fingers into the waistband, then pulled. After a few firm tugs, his erection sprang free, and Hermione Granger got her first up-close and personal look at a living, flesh and blood penis.
For a few moments, she just stared at it, slowly licking her lips, her stomach growling, her hunger and arousal seemed to spike as she looked at it, she could tell, just by looking, that her initial estimate of his size was close: five inches long, nearly two inches thick, and very little tapering along the length. At its base there was a thick patch of dark hair. The swollen head, the outline of which she could just make out, was hidden beneath a cowl of skin. And for a moment, some small, barely lucid part of her mind silently sent a prayer, thanking Lily and James for not letting a surgeon take a scalpel to it. She also noted that it had been pulled taught by the glans beneath it, and the very tip, was just barely visible.
Her heart now pounding in her ears, breath coming in short and heavy, Hermione reached out and gently took Harry’s shaft in hand, while holding herself up with her left. She gently ran her fingers over it, exploring, feeling the soft skin that was warm to the touch, almost hot, and moved under her fingers, and the hard flesh beneath it. She didn’t even realize she’d started to lower her head until her nose became filled with the warm musky scent of male. A smell that was both generally male and uniquely Harry. The smell sent a shiver of lust through her, and she felt her clit throb impatiently, and her vagina spasm with desire, her muscles acting on their own, clenching as if desperately trying to milk the penis her hand was holding. A fresh wave of heat rolled over her from between her legs, followed by even more wetness, but she didn’t care anymore.
All she could think about was the organ she held in her hand, less than an inch from her face. And as she pulled the skin back, gently rolling the foreskin back, exposing the swollen glans, her nose made contact, and she closed her eyes, and breathed in.
“Mmmm……” the purring moan that reverberated in her throat, and even down into her chest, sent a thrill through her. By Merlin! He smelled good! Good enough to eat! She opened her eyes, or at least, half opened them. And took another look at the shaft, taking note of the blood vessels that ran along its length, she hadn’t quite pulled the foreskin all the way back from the glans, but she felt that didn’t matter, as something brushed her barely conscious mind, an instinct, an urge. A desire to do something she’d never done before, and never dreamed she do with Harry. And that something, that desire, that urge was to…
Suck.
Swallow.
Drink.
‘Wait…what?’ she thought, barely registering it though as her right hand gently moved up then down, stroking the shaft with a gentleness she didn’t know she had, all the while, the thick, musky scent of him filled her lungs and brain, filling her mind with lustful thoughts and ideas. Then she lowered her head and pressed her nose into the base of his shaft, then slowly brought it up, keeping the tip of her nose in contact the entire time as she took deep, slow breaths.
When she reached the glans, she continued down, breathing in his unique masculine scent as she felt herself getting more and more overtaken by lust the more she sniffed, until she reached his balls, taking a moment to run her fingers over them and gently stroke them, she leaned down and took another deep breath, then opened her mouth, and pressed her lips to first one firm orb, then the other, in a gentle, open-mouthed kiss.
She mewled, letting sort, high-pitched whimpers of lust escape her as she planted open-mouthed kisses over his testicles, then up the length of his shaft, kissing from every angle, her tongue occasionally darting out to give soft licks. The taste danced on her tongue, stoking the fires of her lust even more. When she reached the crown once more, she started to lick and kiss it, even wrapping her tongue around it, as much as she could, then letting his foreskin slide over her tongue, then pulled it back down again. She pulled his foreskin down and licked around the corona, then she started to run her fingers over Harry’s scrotum, just as her lips parted, and her head dropped that final distance, and her wet lips slid over the head of Harry’s shaft, until they closed behind the corona, meeting his foreskin, his glans rested on her warm, wet tongue, and she sucked. Tasting him.
‘Oh my god…’ she thought, the last part of her barely lucid mind coming through again. ‘I’ve got Harry’s penis, the actual head of his penis in my mouth…and god…it tastes…Good!’
Hermione let her head descend lower, taking the first couple of inches into her mouth, getting what she comfortably could take nice and coated with her saliva, she closed her eyes, and moaned.
After nearly a minute of just holding half of Harry’s shaft in her mouth, on her tongue, she lowered her head further, until it filled her mouth, her lips sealed around the base, her nose buried in the mat of pubic hair, the head reached all the way to the back of her throat, and she had to swallow to stop herself from choking.
It was an…odd feeling, having the glans of his penis being squeezed by her tongue and the muscles at the back of her mouth as she swallowed, feeling it in the back of her throat. After a few deep breaths through her nose, she tried pushing a little further, but her gag reflex kicked in and she pulled back some, then after a moment, she tightened her grip with her tongue and lips, and sucked.
“Mmmmm……” Hermione purred, savoring the taste and feel. Part of her wondered and worried how he would react if he were to wake up while she was doing this, but the thought of him catching her doing this sent a thrill through her. And if he didn’t wake up…well, that wouldn’t be a good sign.
She then began to slowly raise her head, sucking all the while, stroking the hard shaft with slow, swirling plies of her tongue. When she had about half of the length in her mouth, she used her tongue to lick his frenulum, pressing his glans against the ridged roof of her mouth. She moaned again, then pulled back, letting the organ out of her mouth with a wet ‘pop’. She opened her lust filled, tired eyes and looked at it hungrily.
It was…sexy…hot…delicious…beautiful…gorgeous even. Hermione tried to sort through her tired mind to think up all the erotic endearments she could think of to describe the piece of male flesh that stood proudly before her, glistening wetly with her saliva from base to tip.
She saw a bead of clear liquid emerge from the slit at the tip, and she curiously licked at it, collecting it on her tongue. She’d expected it to be salty, as she knew from reading her parents’ medical books, that was what ‘precum’ and semen usually tasted like, depending on the boy’s or man’s diet…but she wasn’t expecting the slightly sweet taste. Tilting her head curiously, she took the shaft back into her mouth, focusing on just the head, while her right hand moved up and wrapped around it gently, and she started to gently stroke.
She resumed licking the shaft she had in her mouth, she could feel her arousal spiking. She wanted to masturbate. Desperately needed to, but her frustration over the last few failed attempts, both at night and in the shower the night before had failed to alleviate anything, so she did her best to ignore it and focus on what she was doing, while she had the energy to do so.
“Mmph…Mmmph…Mmmph…” she moaned, letting short, whimpering grunts vibrate in her mouth as she started to bob her head faster and deeper, until she was drawing him all the way out to the tip, before taking him right down to the base, all the way into her throat. She knew she wasn’t an expert, and probably wasn’t doing that good a job by the standards of most of the more experienced girls in the school, not that she really had any comparisons to draw from. Every so often she’d catch some more precum on her tongue and wonder at the strangely sweet taste, it was familiar, yet her tired mind couldn’t place it.
The only sound in the room now was Harry's slow steady breathing, and the slow hungry moans, wet slurping sucking sounds coming from Hermione's mouth as she, while being exhausted, did her best to give her first ever blowjob.
Hermione quickly lost track of time, alternating between taking him all the way in and leaving him there, sucking and swallowing to cope with her gag reflex, and drawing back until just the head was on her tongue, sucking and enthusiastically licking. She even worked her tongue under his foreskin as she rolled it back over his tip, doing her best to wrap her tongue around the glans, giving it firm sucks. It was while she was doing this that she felt it swell a little, before it seemed to pulse, and her mouth was suddenly filled with a thick, warm, viscus liquid.
Hermione stopped dead as she felt Harry climax in her mouth, sealing her lips around the tip to prevent any leaking. She licked and swirled her tongue around him, giving him a few more sucks to get as much out of it as she could, as the semen settled in her mouth and the taste finally registered in her fatigue clouded mind. And her tired eyes bulged with surprise.
“Mmmph! Mmmph…Hm?” she squeaked in shock as the taste finally hit her, and she tried to logically associate the flavor her taste-buds were telling her, and what she knew she had in her mouth, and how it should taste, but didn’t.
‘Why…Why the hell does his…his semen taste like…Cauldron Cake?!’ she asked herself mentally. Pulling back, she looked down at the slick shaft as she let it fall back against his pubic mound. She swirled the semen in her mouth, mixing it with her saliva, then she swallowed, gasping for breath as soon as she could.
The instant she felt the warm liquid settle in her stomach, she felt a wave of energy surge through her. Within seconds, she felt stronger and more awake than she had since Thursday, before she and Harry had been cursed. Her mind was suddenly clear, her brain no longer fogged by fatigue, her body no longer feeling weighed down. She sat up and looked down at herself. At her naked body, and she ran her hands down over herself, letting them settle over her stomach. Then she rubbed her face. Grabbing her wand, she conjured a small mirror and looked at her face. The darkness under her eyes was gone, she looked like she’d just had a good night’s sleep. She felt awake, alert. She felt…great.
“What the hell?!” she said, her eyes going wide as she looked down at the erection resting on Harry's lower stomach, still covered in her saliva, and she felt her own fanny pulse.
“Her…mione?” Harry's groggy voice startled her and she turned to face him, eyes wide as she felt her face heat up with a deep blush. Had he seen her? Did he know what she’d done?
Harry was looking at her with half-lidded eyes, his expression one of utter exhaustion. “You’re…ok…how?” he asked brokenly. She blushed harder and averted her eyes, not sure how to tell him, or even if she could.
She then heard footsteps approaching the door to the Hospital Wing, and she panicked, standing up, she bent to grab her nightie and throw it on, then quickly covered Harry with the bed sheet, before she sat down on her own bed, running her hands through her hair as the door opened.
-=-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 5: Finding a Cure...of a sort pt 2
Notes:
And here's the second part of the first smut scene. As i said last chapter, i won't be writing a scene as detailed as these every time one of them is intimate with someone, just every now and then, or if there is more than one for the first time, or something.
Thanks for all the Kudos and feedback.
Hope you guys enjoy.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 5: Finding a Cure…of a sort pt 2
Hermione barely got herself straightened out and sat on her bed before the door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Daphne, Susan, a blonde girl wearing Ravenclaw robes she didn’t recognize, Madam Pomfrey and her Head of House walked into the room. The concerned expressions on Daphne's and Susan’s faces disappeared and were replaced by shock as the came to an abrupt halt upon seeing her.
“Hermione! You’re…are you…?” Daphne said, her eyes wide as she looked her friend up and down. Pomfrey stepped past her and drew her wand and started to run it over Hermione.
“I’m…uh…I’m ok Daph.” Hermione said, her cheeks coloring slightly as her expression became one of nervousness. Daphne and Susan exchanged a wide-eyed look, the as-yet unidentified Ravenclaw standing with them was eyeing Hermione with a calm, dreamy, but also knowing smile, which made Hermione blush a little more.
“Hm, odd, I’m not detecting any trace of fatigue in you Miss Granger, most of your hormones have also returned to normal levels, though you still seem a fair bit…uh…” Pomfrey paused, not sure what to say with such and audience.
“Horny?” Susan asked with a smirk, giving her friend a knowing look.
“That’s not the professional term I would use Miss Bones.” Pomfrey admonished. McGonagall stepped forward, eyeing her student carefully. She certainly looked better, she didn’t look half dead, and was sitting up and talking properly. She looked at Harry, who was watching them as best he could, but he looked awful, he looked like he was about ready to pass out.
“Miss Granger, I feel it best that you explain what has happened here. In Pomfrey’s office, if you would.” She then turned and headed for the room in question. Hermione paused and gave Harry a worried look, he gave her a weak smile and a faint nod. ‘Go ahead.’
Once they were all seated, Daphne spoke up first. “Ok, Hermione, Professor, we’ve…found something.” She eyed Susan and Luna, wondering how Hermione was going to take the news of what they’d found, she had a pretty good idea it would not be taken well.
“You found a cure?!” Hermione said, excited, her face brightening with hope and joy.
“Of a sort…but first, introductions. Hermione Granger, this is Luna Lovegood, Third-Year Ravenclaw, she helped us go over the details of the curse we found.” Susan said, gesturing to the dreamy looking blonde who was looking at her with large, slightly unfocused eyes, and if Hermione was honest with herself, it was a bit un-nerving.
“Hello.” The girl said in a dreamy voice.
“Uh, hi.” Hermione replied, a little awkwardly, not quite sure what to make of the girl.
“How are you ok Miss Granger? Last time I saw you, you were barely able to sit up, let alone stand, move around and talk so freely.” McGonagall asked. Hermione blushed, not sure how she could tell her head of house what she’d done.
“She sucked his willy and swallowed his sperm.” Luna said casually, as if she were describing something as common rain shower. Everyone stared at her in shock, Hermione's face changing several different colors, which was rather impressive, given that she was also doing a fairly good imitation of a fish out of water.
“Miss Lovegood!” McGonagall said, scandalized that such an accusation would be made about one of her best lions. “Uh…I…” Hermione said, not quite sure how to respond. She had no idea how this strange girl had figured that out, but the looks on her friends’ faces seemed to indicate they’d also come to that conclusion.
“You say you’ve found something?” McGonagall asked, trying to change the subject, at least for the moment, just as Pomfrey came in from performing her check on Harry.
“Uh…yeah…I managed to swipe the book Draco got the curse from, and me, Susan and Luna read through it. We also got hold of the book the curse references, to see if there’s any more information in that, though we haven’t had a chance to look yet.” Daphne said, as she reached into her bag and pulled out the black leather tome and set it on the table.
“’The Dark Arts of Sex Magic’? Where did Mr Malfoy get this?” McGonagall asked, eyeing the book wearily as Susan opened it to the marked page, then turned it so Hermione, Pomfrey and McGonagall could read it.
“From the Slytherin Library, not the Malfoy Grimoire.” Daphne replied, watching Hermione's face carefully as she read the text, her mouth moving as she read the text, before she stopped, and her eyes went wide.
“Wait a minute! This can’t be right! It…” she said, emotions waring for position on her rapidly paling face. “’At least once every 12 hours’?! there’s no way I can…” she stopped, her face going white.
McGonagall was scowling, her face a mask of fury as she read over the effects of the curse, and what the requirements were for alleviating it.
“Wait! It says here there’s a counter curse!” Hermione said, her voice full of desperation, the look of hope on her face quickly changing to one of horror. “WHAT?! A Sterilization curse?! That CAN’T be the only way to stop this!” she said, her voice rising with panic, as she started to breathe more rapidly, and tears started to pool in her wide eyes.
McGonagall was seething as she formed her mouth into a tight line as she read over the curse, and noticed Hermione's increasingly erratic response. Obviously, they couldn’t use that counter curse. Doing so now would amount to Line Assassination, which, she suspected, was what Draco Malfoy had been hoping for. The little bastard. This…This was something she could take to Amelia. Conspiracy to commit Line Theft or Line Assassination would be enough to see Draco expelled, if not serving, at the bare minimum, 2 years in Azkaban. Attempted Line Assassination could earn up to at least 5 years, 10 to 15 at most.
She looked again at Hermione, and mentally sighed as she realized that Luna was correct with her assessment, regardless of how blunt it had been. Her gaze then moved back into the Hospital Wing proper and she looked at Harry, and her eyes narrowed at what he would have to do…what they were both going to have to do…several times a day…to avoid ending up back here. And from the look of him, it was clear to her that he had not done that yet. She wasn’t sure how Hermione had figured it out, or even if she had before she started reading the book.
Another realization occurred to Minerva McGonagall, and she wanted to growl. She would have to arrange alternate accommodation for them both within Gryffindor Tower. She wasn’t even sure if either of them were dating anyone, and she certainly doubted they were dating each other, but because of this damned curse…they would now be forced into living close-quarters, and forced to do things together that, under normal circumstances, she would have to discourage, especially considering they were both still underage, both legally and in terms of the age of consent, which she knew was 16 in the muggle world, though in the magical world, it was 15, so only Harry was a potential issue there, at least until the following summer. She would have to have a talk with both of them.
Her gaze returned to Hermione, and she noticed the girl had put her elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands.
“’You’d better get used to giving head Granger, because that’s what you’ll be doing for the rest of your life.’ He knew.” Hermione moaned. Everyone looked at her.
“What? What do you mean?” Susan asked, reach out a hand to place it on her friend’s arm.
“Draco. That’s what he said, well, yelled, just before he fired the curse at me. He was aiming at me specifically. He knew what this curse would do to me…what it would…force me to do…to survive…” her words became a choked sob as she finally looked up at them, her eyes red as tears started to fall down her cheeks, though they could also see the arousal burning in them. Her next words were said as she barely managed to hold back from crying.
“I…I…I don’t know if…if I can do this…!”
Susan and Daphne were on either side of her as she began to curl into herself and both of them enveloped their friend in a tight hug as several whimpers escaped her.
“We’ll make that limp-dicked bastard pay for this Hermione. I don’t care what influence his father has over the Board, or the Ministry. He’ll pay.” Daphne growled as she hugged her crying friend, her gaze going out the window to the bed where Harry still lay, and she realized that it wasn’t just Hermione who would be forced to do this, and the full weight of what she and Susan had discussed in the library with Luna finally started to sink in, and she thought hard.
‘Could I do that? Could I really offer to help them with…that? I don’t even know Harry that well, could I honestly…let him, let them both…lick me? Merlin! How would I be able to face them in class?!’
“We’ll figure something out Hermione.” Susan said, rubbing her friend’s back.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?! I mean, what do we tell our housemates when they start to notice something? Because they will! You guys KNOW nothing stays secret in this castle! As soon as the rumors start flying, people will start talking. I can already picture what they’ll be saying about us. How the hell are we supposed to…uh…manage this?! Are we supposed to keep a schedule or something?!” Hermione said in a rant, her emotions swinging from anger to fear and frustration.
“Do not worry Miss Granger, I’ll arrange alternate accommodation for the two of you, which should allow you both the…ahem, ‘privacy’ you will need for managing this…condition…the two of you have.” McGonagall said, not feeling particularly comfortable. “As for your housemates, I will talk with them, and impress upon them that they are not to spread any malicious rumors, or there will be consequences.”
“What will we do if one of us is…uh…unavailable or…um…unable…” Hermione paused as she started to blush while wiping her eyes, then drew in a breath and continued. “…to…help the other?”
“What do you mean?” Susan asked. Hermione gave her a look.
“Well, there are factors to consider, low arousal for one, simple tiredness, any number of emotional or mental distractions, my ‘time of the month’, hell, even time itself is a factor! What if we can’t find the time during the day, after meals? I highly doubt we’d have time between lessons, unless we’ve got free periods.”
Daphne snorted, “Well, I don’t think you’ll have an issue with ‘low arousal’, Hermione. Harry is a teenaged boy, boys our age pretty much have sex on the brain. As for your ‘time of the month’ well, the curse’s description does say that you can get what you need from…well…anyone, not just someone else who was cursed. The fact that both of you were cursed just means you both have a convenient means of dealing with it. So if the time isn’t ‘right’ for you, then he could ask someone else to uh…help him.” Hermione snorted.
“Yeah, right. Could you imagine the gossip once witches realize Harry is diving under their skirts? To say nothing of what will be spread about ME once word gets around; That I’m dragging random boys into broom closets to suck them off several times a day! How could I look any of the boys in our house in the face again after doing something like that?! This is EXACTLY what Malfoy WANTED! For me to become a cock-sucking SLUT! And you’re assuming Harry would even be willing to dive under a random Witch’s skirt. Not to mention, how many girls here would seriously be willing to drop their knickers so he can go muff diving?” Hermione asked, either forgetting or not caring that her Head of House was right next to her.
“I would.” Luna said casually, adjusting her wand behind her ear. The other five witches stared at her.
“What?!” Hermione said, eyes wide. Luna nodded.
“If you’re not available to give Harry what he needs when he needs it, due to conflicting schedules or other potential obstacles, then I will happily let Harry lick my vagina until he gets what he needs. Though you really should let him feed from your vagina first Hermione.”
The others stared at her. Hermione's face flushed red at Luna’s words, even McGonagall was blushing a little, not used to such open discussions of sex with teenagers.
“And as for him not being ‘willing’ to, well, he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter.” Susan said, trying to ignore Luna’s offer to ‘help’ Harry, remembering her misinterpretation of Daphne's statement. “If neither of you feed from each other or anyone else, then you’ll soon find yourselves back here. And I don’t think you want that. Besides, Luna is right, the only way you could be up and about as you are, is if you’ve already…fed from him, and he’s going to have to feed from you, or one of us, before he can get off that bed and walk out of here, because he won’t be leaving under his own power any other way.”
Hermione sighed, blushing as she buried her face in her hands again. “Oh god! I really have to, don’t I.” she mumbled, sounding defeated. “And I doubt he’ll be strong enough to get into any sort of position, so I’m probably going to have to, literally…sit on his face!”
Daphne nodded sympathetically, gently petting her friend’s hand.
“And how am I going to explain this all to him before I do it? I can’t just walk in there and mount him! And that’s assuming he’ll even be conscious enough to understand what I’m telling him! Or even…do what he needs to do!” Hermione huffed, desperately trying to clamp down on her arousal, which was still raging, and had only seemed to have gotten worse with the topic of discussion. Then another thought occurred to her.
“And on the subject of him being ‘willing’, you’re wrong Daph, Harry is NOT like most boys our age. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have sex on the brain 24/7.”
“Why?” Luna asked. Hermione looked at her, her gaze suddenly hardening, and for a moment, Luna thought the girl was angry at her. But she wasn’t.
“His…Relatives…And I use that term very loosely. I would be highly surprised, downright shocked in fact, if they taught him anything about sex. Hell, if they told him anything, they probably told him that sex outside of marriage is wrong, and that any form of sex that is not solely for the man’s benefit or for the act of getting a child is ‘abnormal’, and if what Harry has told me about them is any indication, they probably haven’t even given him ‘the talk’ yet, if they ever would. That’s if they haven’t literally beaten any and all concepts of sex and sexuality out of him already. Though to be perfectly honest, from what I’ve been told of him, Harry's uncle isn’t the most attractive of men, I’d be surprised if his aunt has touched her husband since their son was born.”
“What do you mean?” Susan asked, eyes widening, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach. Hermione turned her glare on McGonagall.
“You should know Professor, you write the acceptance letters, don’t you?”
“I only sign them Miss Granger. If you remember, I had-delivered yours.” Hermione nodded. “I remember. Tell me, do you also write the addresses on them? Or check them before they’re sent out?” McGonagall shook her head.
“They’re addressed by the Headmaster and a complex tracking and location charm. Why?”
“Do you know how many he got?” Hermione replied, her eyes narrowing to slits at her Professor’s response, and what it implied. ‘He knew.’ She realized, steeling herself, she got ready to drop a bombshell.
“A few…I know Albus said there were trouble with the first few.”
“One-Hundred and Eighty-One. In total. Including the one Hagrid hand-delivered to him on his 11th birthday.” Hermione said, her anger starting to rise.
“WHAT?!” everyone cried.
“How…why so many?!” Susan asked, aghast. Hermione looked at her.
“The first forty or so were intercepted and destroyed before he could read them. When his family tried fleeing to a hotel, they arrived in time to find 100 letters waiting for him at the reception desk. But that’s not the reason I asked you if you personally address them Professor. The reason I asked that specifically, is because of what was written on the first envelope!” they could clearly tell she was getting angry now, the blush of embarrassment on her face was rapidly being replaced by a flush of rage.
“’Harry James Potter, the cupboard under the stairs, No 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging.’” Hermione air quoted.
Silence.
“WHAT?” Susan practically shrieked.
“How…WHY?” Luna asked, her large eyes completely round, a look of incomprehension on her face as she tried to fathom what Hermione was saying.
Susan and Daphne exchanged horrified looks, their eyes wide, both unable to grasp the notion of someone treating a child, especially a relative, so cruelly.
“Simply put. His relatives HATE magic in all it’s forms. They consider magic ‘un-natural’ or ‘freakish’. I’m not sure of all the details, but I know they treated him very badly, and for the first 9 years he spent there, since November the first ’81 until the day he got his first letter, he lived in a god damn cupboard!”
“I warned him…I WARNED him…I WARNED HIM!” McGonagall’s snarling outburst startled all of them and they turned to look at her. Her face was red with fury, she looked as if she would start hissing and spitting like a cat at any moment, but what surprised them were the tears in her eyes.
“Minnie?” Poppy asked, momentarily forgetting decorum.
McGonagall sighed and closed her eyes, pulling in her snarling maternal instincts.
“I spent the whole of the First of November watching that house…that…family.” She spat the last word as if it was something vile. “I TOLD Albus they were the WORST sort of people, COMPLETELY unsuitable to care for Harry, but Dumbledore insisted. He insisted that Harry had to stay there, as he had no other living family.”
“He had Sirius!” Hermione growled, drawing gasps from the other three girls and Pomfrey.
“But…wasn’t Sirius Black the one who…” Susan started.
“NO!” Hermione snapped, looking at Susan fiercely, causing the girl to flinch. “THAT was Pettigrew! Though we didn’t find that out until the end of last year. Sirius is Harry's Godfather. He would never have handed the Potters over to Voldemort.” She snapped, ignoring the flinches from the others.
“He wasn’t even given a trial! He was just thrown in Azkaban on purely circumstantial evidence, but that’s not the point here. The point is, Harry had to have had other magical family, even if they weren’t related to him. I’m sure there were many families who would have taken him in.”
“You are right Miss Granger, there were, such as the Longbottoms, but they were attacked shortly after the Potters. I will not say more on that, as it is not my place. I argued this very point with Albus that night, he assured me his muggle relatives were the best, and only option. And regarding Sirius Black, he was already in custody by then. But I WILL be bringing this up with Professor Dumbledore later today.”
“Getting back on topic…no, I’m not sure how Harry will react to all this…but I have a feeling he’s going to try and fight it, and probably try to avoid uh…’feeding’ as much as he can…get away with, in fact, I’m actually afraid he might deliberately refuse to do it. It’s all part of his psyche, his ‘upbringing’ if it can even be called that.”
The girls exchanged looks.
“Want us to help you?” Susan asked. Hermione shook her head.
“No, no, I can do it.” Then she paused and reread a portion of the text. “What’s this other book mentioned here? ‘The Magic of Making Love’?”
“Another book on Sex Magic?” McGonagall asked, raising an eyebrow as Susan pulled a red leather book from her bag and set it on the table.
“According to the first book, this one focuses on the positive aspects of Sex Magic, of which there are apparently many.” She said, as they all crowded round.
Pomfrey snorted, “That is debatable Miss Greengrass.”
As Hermione opened the book and looked at the first animated drawing, she had to do a doubletake. “Is that her foot by her ear or his?” no-one was able to tell either way, so they kept leafing through the book.
“Huh…this looks interesting…”The hidden benefits of being a Parselmouth: Cunnilingus and You!” Harry’s a Parselmouth right?” Susan asked. Hermione nodded as she looked through the chapter and how it described the use of Parseltongue to orally stimulate a Witch to a powerful orgasm, and in the process, perform a temporary power boosting ritual on themselves. Daphne waggled her eyebrows at Hermione, giving her a knowing look.
“Bet you can’t wait to tell Harry about that little trick…Just imagine if you were a Parselmouth Hermione, you’d be able to make him cross-eyed.” Hermione's face flushed red as she bit her bottom lip, as she tried, desperately, not to imagine what that would feel like, knowing Harry would want to try it as soon as he learned of it.
“I would not mind if he tried it.” Luna said. McGonagall cleared her throat, causing all of them to flush with embarrassment. “Focus please ladies.”
“Shouldn’t Hermione be…uh…taking care of Harry?” Susan asked.
Hermione shook her head “I want as much information first before I do.”
“So you’re definitely gonna do it then?” Daphne asked. Hermione huffed.
“I don’t really have a choice! He has to lick someone if he’s ever going to get off that bed, so it might as well be me. Although this is NOT how I envisioned my first sexual experience going…” She tried to focus as they continued to leaf through the book. Eventually, they found something.
“Here it is! ‘The Gift of Aphrodite’ hmm, 'The instructions on how to perform this spell are no longer listed in this book, following the discovery of the fatal side-effects the spell has. However, information on it’s history and possible methods of treatment are listed here.' Well, that’s encouraging.” Luna said.
“Treatments are good.” Hermione agreed, as she leaned over to read the text. “Hm…'While it is not possible to completely reverse the curse without causing permanent physical or psychological damage…' oh bugger…'…it may be possible that, over time, the affected Wizard’s and Witch’s bodies and magic might adapt, reducing the number of necessary feedings from daily, to several times a week. However, this may not always be the case.' Well…that’s…less encouraging.”
“What about using potions to bypass the effects?” Susan asked.
Pomfrey sighed “There’s no telling which potions would be effective. And taking too many stamina potions can be detrimental. As their effects are accumulative, and with excessive exposure, a person could quickly become dependent on them, and become addicted. Same with lust potions. And the last thing you want is to be a potion addict. Since the withdrawal symptoms are not pleasant.” She paused, collecting her thoughts, then continued. “It would also not solve the nutrition problem. Yes, I could try mixing the various nutrients, vitamins and various other extracts into water, but that takes time, and there’s no guarantee that the curse’s magic would not interfere.”
“What is Bonding?” Hermione asked, looking up. The others were silent as the three girls looked at each other, and Minerva and Poppy exchanged a look. “The first book and this one both mention it, and it says here that…'This spell, if cast on an unbonded couple, has a strong possibility of greatly accelerating the process…' I’ve never heard of this.”
“Seriously? You’ve never heard of Bonding? Surely one of your dorm-mates has mentioned it by now.” Susan asked, before looking at Professor McGonagall and Pomfrey, the latter of whom sighed again and rubbed at her eyes, she looked like she was starting to get a headache.
“Muggle-borns and Muggle-raised are typically not told of the Bonding until their fifth year, or until they turn 15, which ever happens first.” Pomfrey said. She then looked at Hermione “I’m sorry Miss Granger, I should have told you when you first returned to Hogwarts, but it slipped my mind.” She watched as Hermione marked the page with the curse written on it, before she started flicking through the book again.
“Children raised in pure-blood families on the other hand, are usually told sooner, though they are strongly encouraged not to start the process with anyone until they turn 15 OR unless they are absolutely sure they’ve found someone they want to bond with.” Daphne said, Susan, Luna and the women nodded in unison.
“That is true, Daddy told me a few years ago, just before I started Hogwarts, although he was careful to use age appropriate terms.” Luna said.
“Hm, shouldn’t it be best if Harry is awake for a discussion on Bonding? Seems to me that this is also the sort of thing he needs to know. Plus it would save you from having to go through it twice.” Susan said.
Hermione rubbed her eyes and sighed, her face reddening. “You’re right…I need to get this over with, can’t keep stalling.” She then stood, placed her palms on the table and took a deep breath, muttering to herself.
“You can do this Granger…it’s for Harry…he’s your best friend…you’ll do anything for him…anything…Gryffindor Courage…Gryffindor Courage…Gryffindor Courage…” she then turned and looked at Pomfrey. “Um…Madam Pomfrey, could I…uh, talk to you in private for a moment?” she said, her face so red now the girls were starting to feel concerned.
Pomfrey nodded and stood, following her out of the office. McGonagall also stood, picking up the black book as she did so. “I will be holding on to this for now, and I will keep looking through it to see if I can find anything. Although I should probably take the other one, I believe Miss Granger will want to study it more. You three are free to remain here if you wish, unless there are other things you need to be doing, in which case I’m sure Hermione and Harry will find you once they’re both…back on their feet. DO NOT discuss what has happened here with anyone unless or until Hermione and Harry say it is ok for you to do so.” She said firmly, giving each girl a look. They all nodded. “Very well. Poppy?” she said, stepping out of the office, noticing her friend once again tending to Harry as she heard the shower start to run in the bathroom. Poppy looked over at Minerva.
“I’m going to sort out alternate accommodations for Mister Potter and Miss Granger, then have a ‘chat’ with Albus. Let me know when they’re both back on their feet.” And with that she turned and headed out of the room, wondering how much she should tell Albus, and a thought occurred to her ‘What about the summer months? There is no WAY Harry would survive at the Dursleys.’ She stopped as that thought occurred to her, she needed to come up with a plan.
-=-=-=-=-
Nervous was not something Hermione would call herself in the situation she now found herself in. Oh no, she wasn’t nervous, she was terrified. And embarrassed in the worst possible way. While she wasn’t going to be losing her virginity today, at least that wasn’t the plan, she was still struggling with the notion of doing something so sexual with someone she wasn’t in a relationship with. While Harry was her best friend, and she did love him, and was willing to do anything for him, she wasn’t actually in love with him, she didn’t love him romantically.
But…could she?
She knew that basing a relationship solely on sex was a terrible idea, and would be doomed to failure, but as she’d just admitted, she did love him, as a friend, and she trusted him with her life, and she knew he trusted her with his, they’d have to, after the last three years, and true relationships were built on mutual trust and respect, and they were about to become lovers, in a sense, even if they did not have actual intercourse for a long while, she was sure their friendship would grow, given time.
‘Well, we’re certainly going to get a lot of that…’ she thought.
She stepped out of the bathroom, after some last-minute quick preparations, namely a very quick shower, followed by the very quick breakfast that Pomfrey had brought up earlier, but she hadn’t spotted until she’d left the office.
As she approached Harry's bed, she noticed the privacy curtains had been drawn around it, and Pomfrey stepped out of the curtain, and gave her a once over.
“Normally, I do not approve of such activity within my Hospital, however…it seems neither of us has a choice in the matter. I’ve given him his breakfast, cleaned him up as best I could, as well as a Pepper-up potion, so he’ll be a bit more…lucid. I did not tell him that we’ve found a…solution…I thought it best if I left that to you to explain.”
Hermione nodded gratefully, her stomach suddenly turning in knots as the enormity of what she was about to do, and what it meant, finally hit home fully.
“Hermione…We’ll find another way to help you two…get through this. I promise. I just wish this was not necessary.” Poppy said, gently taking the girl’s arm in-hand, her eyes softening. “Did you have any trouble with…” she trailed off, noting Hermione's face blushing again as she shook her head.
“Uh…no…I…I took care of it, thanks. I’ll have to remember that charm, and maybe teach it to Harry.” She gave an awkward smile.
“Ok, I’ll be in my office with the others if you need me.” Pomfrey said as she left Hermione to her plan.
Hermione steeled herself one last time, grabbed as much Gryffindor Courage as she could, then took the final step and opened the curtain and stepped inside.
Harry was laying on his bed, his eyes open, though he looked just as he did when he’d been asleep earlier when she’d…well. He turned to look at her, his eyes widening as she reached down and placed a hand on his shoulder, then she leaned over to give him a better look at her.
“Her…Hermione?” Harry asked, his tired eyes widening slightly as he tried to take her in. “You’re…ok…How?”
“Yes, I’m ok now. Listen Harry, Daphne, Susan and a Ravenclaw called Luna found the book Draco used for the curse. It’s called ‘The Gift of Aphrodite’, with me so far?” he nodded. She licked her lips and continued. “Well, apparently, the magic of the curse keeps us from absorbing nutrients from any food and drinks we eat or drink, except maybe water, which is why we’ve been having water the past couple of days.” He nodded slowly.
“O-Okay…” he said, not sure what to make of that.
“It also forces us to feel increasing fatigue no matter how much sleep we get, along with…uh…increasing amounts of other ‘urges’, and if we don’t mitigate the effects at least once every 12 hours, we’ll start to feel like we have these past few days. Though the more we…er…mitigate it, the better off we’ll be. Though there is a possibility that our bodies and magic may adapt, and cut down the amount of…er…feedings, we have to do, though that’s not a certainty.” Harry blinked at her, trying to process everything.
“Cure…?” he groaned out. Hermione sucked in a breath.
“There IS a cure…of a sort. But unfortunately, it’s not really viable. This is sort of a ‘The Cure is worse than the disease.’ kind of scenario.”
“Don’t…care…I’ll…manage…”
“Harry! The ‘cure’ is a Sterilization curse! Using it on you now would be considered in any magical court as Line Assassination! Even if Pomfrey did it to save your life, someone could turn around and accuse her, and if convicted, she’d face life in Azkaban! It would also leave you permanently impotent, with no way to reverse or counter it, so it would leave you unable have children, hence the ‘Line Assassination’ bit. It also shuts down your libido and leaves you mentally and emotionally incapable of feeling anything even remotely sexual. And at our age, that would be horrible.” Hermione said, suddenly horrified at the idea of Harry willingly subjecting himself to that.
Harry shrugged as much as he could. “Well…better than starving to death.”
“Well, what we have now could basically be described as a magical medical condition, so we have to use a regime of uh…treatments to manage it. That’s how I managed to get better. I sort of…uh…already started.”
“How…?” Harry asked, feeling there was a ‘but’ coming.
“It’s…The curse basically holds the nutrients from our food and drink ‘hostage’, until we…swallow the sexual fluids of someone. Basically semen or vaginal fluids…” Hermione said, her face going red. Harry stared at her, not quite comprehending, then what she’d said sank in, and his eyes widened slightly as he looked her over.
“You…?” he asked, his expression unreadable. Hermione bit her lip and nodded, blushing.
“Yes…I’ve already started…I…earlier after I woke up…” Hermione didn’t finish, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. ‘Gyffindor Courage Granger! Look him in the eye and admit you sucked him off!’ her inner voice snapped.
Harry's eyes widened a little more as what she said registered, then he looked down the length of his body to his hips, which were starting to tent again. Damn teenage refractory period!
“So…how many times…” he said, looking up at her, she met his eyes, and he saw the determination and resolve in them. He also saw something else. Desire. Longing. Lust. She was horny, he could tell just by the look in her eyes, the way they dilated as she looked at him.
“Once every 12 hours at the very least, but the more the better so…I guess we could try to work out a schedule or something…” she said, finally meeting his gaze, and channeling all of her resolve, silently begging him with her eyes to agree, since this was the only way that could be worked at.
“So…I have to…” He said, Hermione nodded.
“Yes. You have to drink the fluids produced from a witch’s vagina during sexual arousal and climax. And I have to drink a wizard’s sperm. And well…since I’ve already done that…it’s only fair that you get to drink from me.” She said, she felt her arousal spike again, she’d lost count of how many times that had happened today. Before he could respond, she reached down and gripped her nightie, and pulled it up.
Harry blinked, his eyes going wide in wonder and surprise as his best female friend stripped naked next to his bed. He let his eyes roam over her front, taking in the view of her smooth pale legs, her flat stomach, her small B-cup breasts as they came into view, flushed dark pink, each capped by a brown areola and nipple. As she dropped the garment and stood there, he let his eyes roam up to her face, which was also flushed with color. His gaze moved back down to her crotch, and he blinked in surprise.
“Completely…shaved?” he asked, she bit her lip and nodded.
“I did it for two reasons. One, it’s more hygienic, and two, I didn’t think you’d want a mouth full of hair.” She said, as she reached down and started to pull the blanket down his body, towards his waist. Harry took a moment to properly get a look at her slit; completely smooth, just like the mound above it, her lips were slightly parted with arousal, letting him see some of what they hid. He could also see them glistening wetly with moisture, swollen and darkened with arousal. He felt a surge of his own shoot through him at the sight of it, and his hardon returned full force. When he breathed in next, he caught something that made him stop for a second as he realized. He could even smell her, and she smelt…good, and he felt his mouth start to water. He couldn’t really see much of her inner lips, but he was at least thankful that he knew she had them, as he’d been forced to listen to his dorm-mates bragging about the girls they had been with, while they ignored him, of course.
He could also see a small nub of flesh, dark pink and swollen, at the very top of the slit, he wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he figured she’d tell him. Not for the first time, he found himself cursing the Dursleys for neglecting his education, though he did remember some of the things they’d told him, like what they were doing now was wrong on every level. But honestly? He didn’t give a rat’s, especially Wormtail’s, arse about what his ‘dear aunt and uncle’ would think. Hell, he was sure he’d never get this help at Privet Drive. He didn’t know how bad it could have gotten, but he figured it was bad.
Hermione straightened up, then smiled down at him shyly, and then slowly turned ‘round, letting him see her back. Harry found himself smiling as he got his first close-up look at Hermione's firm, tight ass.
‘Jesus Christ…she’s Gorgeous!’ he thought, he wasn't sure where that expletive had come from, but he'd heard it said around the Privet Drive neighborhood.
“Wow…” he said. Hermione felt a shiver run through her at the sheer awe in his voice, and as she turned back around, she could see the naked wonder, admiration and desire burning in his tired green eyes. She smiled down at him.
“Why thank you very much Harry. It’s nice to know you find me attractive.” She said.
“How could I not?” he said, “Hermione, you’re beautiful, gorgeous even.”
“Thank you.” She said shyly. “May I…?” she asked, gesturing at the bed.
“Uh, sure, just let me…” he began, trying to shuffle over, but she put a hand on his shoulder.
“You don’t need to move Harry, I’ll take care of all the moving, you just need to lick.”
He nodded faintly, then she brought up her left leg and put it on the bed, next to his shoulder, then, leaning on the headboard for balance, she lifted her other leg and swung herself over him, until she was bent over him in a crouch, her feet on either side of his shoulders, then with a little repositioning, she was on her knees, legs spread wide. She looked down her front at him, into his wide, lust filled, and hungry eyes. She felt her face flush even more and a shiver of arousal ran through her again. “Let me know if…it’s too much, and I’ll pull back. See my clit there? Don’t go for it right away, focus on the area around it first…but when I start to get close, either suck on it gently or use your tongue in my vagina, ok, here goes…” and with that, she lowered herself down until she felt his warm breath wash over her wet lips and she shuddered, before she lowered herself that final inch until she felt him kiss her lips, then shuddered as she felt his tongue brush experimentally against her wet slit and she gasped.
“Oh! Oooohh! That’s nice…”
Harry couldn’t believe what was happening. He’d woken up to find Hermione on her feet and perfectly fine, as if nothing had ever happened, well, first, she’d been kneeling on his bed over his legs, he’d thought that she’d been completely naked, and that he was almost naked and that his dick was wet, but his half asleep mind hadn’t been able to connect the dots, then Pomfrey had come in and given him some breakfast, and a quick sponge bath, which if he was honest, had been a little humiliating, since he didn’t have the strength to get out of bed.
Then Hermione had come back after a while, told him they’d found a solution, that he’d have to lick her pussy, and she’d already sucked him off, then stripped naked and climbed on his bed, over his face, and was now perched there, his mouth pressed against said smooth lips. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, but that didn’t matter, with her perched naked on his face, he could see all of her that he needed to just fine. And he was doubly sure about his earlier opinion. She looked gorgeous. She smelled wonderful. And she tasted sweet.
‘Wait…huh?’ he thought, as he slowly dragged his tongue over her smooth lips, feeling them spread around his tongue, along with her inner lips, and he felt her juices coat his tongue, and the taste registered in his brain. ‘Huh? Why does her fanny taste like Treacle Tart? I’m pretty sure that’s not how it’s supposed to taste…mmm…it’s good though, and she smells nice too.’ He took a few deep breaths through his nose, her feminine scent filling his sinuses and lungs, and he tried to place it; musky, heady, slightly earthy, but sweet with a unique fragrance to it that just seemed to read as Hermione Granger in his head. Oddly enough, it reminded him of parchment, leather and old wood.
If he were honest with himself, he would be happy smelling that unique scent all day. He moaned and hummed, the vibrations traveling up into her body making her shudder and gasp. He smiled to himself and sucked her lips into his mouth and he started to lick them again, collecting more of her juices on his tongue.
“Ugh!...Oh…Harry! Oh yesss! That’s it…you’re doing—oh!” Hermione gasped as she arched her back as she braced herself against the wall, her eyes rolling back and closing as she moaned in pleasure, feeling his tongue brush through her lips up to her clit, and following her instructions, he started to lick around it. Panting, she opened her eyes and looked back over her shoulder, spying the erection standing proud from his crotch, she grinned then looked down at him just in time to hear him swallow, and she saw his eyes widen, and she knew his strength had started to return.
“Looks like you’ve…got a bit of a problem Harry…want me to…take care of it for you?” she felt his lips turn into a smile and felt him nod slightly. “Ok…hang on.” She then raised herself up, then slowly stood, before turning round, then lowered herself back down into a crouching position, this time facing his feet. She then settled back down on her knees and leaned forwards, until she was on all fours, taking a moment to examine him, then quickly sat up and reached for her wand, which she’d placed on his side table next to his, then she leaned over again, pointed her wand at his crotch and gave it a gentle swish as she muttered the same Depilatory charm she’d used on herself, she then gave another flick of her wand and smiled at her handiwork, then leaned down to kiss the now smooth flesh round the base of his shaft as she felt a pair of hands gently take hold of her butt and pull her hips back until Harry's mouth met her slit again. Looking back over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of his arms next to her hips, and she grinned, pushing back against his face, then she returned her attention to the now smooth male crotch before her, and leaned in.
Harry moaned again as he felt something hot and wet close over his shaft, the strange tingling sensation he’d just felt quickly forgotten with the realization that he was in Hermione's mouth. He redoubled his efforts to lick his best friend’s fanny, as he found himself eye-level with her firm butt, and he took his time admiring the firm globes of flesh now in his hands as he started to gently stroke and massage them, getting a clear view of the tight ring of her anus as he started to lick and suck at her labia again, he even started working his tongue between her inner and outer lips, and judging from the muted squeak she gave, and the vibrations on his cock, he guessed she liked that maneuver.
He'd been very surprised when he’d swallowed that mouthful of juice and saliva that for some reason, tasted like his favorite food, Treacle Tart. He’d been even more surprised when, right after he’d swallowed her juices, he felt strength wash through him, and he was suddenly able to lift his arms, which he wrapped around her in a tight hug, then gripped her butt with his hands and spread her cheeks, and moaned into her body at what he saw. He never figured he’d be an butt man, but he’d be damned if she didn’t have a nice one.
Remembering what she’d said, he moved his tongue up to the entrance to her vagina, and gently circled it, feeling her twitch and shake, before he slid his tongue as far into her as he could, and again, his taste-buds were bathed in the delicious flavor of Treacle Tart. After a moment of deliberation, he mentally shrugged, then redoubled his efforts, watching in fascination as the puckered ring of muscle between her cheeks started to twitch in time with her vagina as he felt her try to squeeze his tongue, and in turn, he squeezed her cheeks. He’d also noticed that some of the fatigue had also left him, but not much. ‘Huh…weird…’ he thought, then lost all capacity to think as he felt Hermione's mouth leave his shaft, before he felt his balls being lifted by a hand, then felt her mouth engulf one of them, and gently begin to lick and suckle on it.
‘Oh Merlin! She’s…she’s sucking my balls…? I didn’t know she’d…do…that…oh wow…that feels…Good!’ he thought, before he pulled on her hips, pulling her pussy back onto his mouth, trying to get deeper.
Hermione moaned as she gently lavished attention on the delicate organs, licking, kissing and gently sucking on each in turn, while using her other hand that wasn’t supporting them to stroke his shaft. After a couple of minutes, she switched back to his penis, planting open-mouthed kisses all over its length, before moving up to the head and licking every part she could, catching several beads of precum on her tongue and swallowing them.
She knew it wouldn’t take long, since she was so turned on, even though he’d been at it for a few minutes, she was surprised she hadn’t come already, though she wasn’t sure how long it would take him, since he’d already come, not too long ago, she silently hoped that the urban legends around teenage virility were true, she didn’t want them to be here too long, after all. Deciding to move things along, she took him in her mouth and started sucking while stroking him. She wiggled her hips and pushed back a little, trying to coax him, he seemed to get the message, and she moaned as she felt him start to lick around her clit again, pressing firmer this time, he even gently started to explore with a finger.
He curiously probed further, until, round about the second knuckle, his finger met a barrier and he felt her stiffen, and his eyes widened, before gently backing off, pulling back so he could get a good look at her, panting as he felt her relax and start to suck him in earnest while he used his fingers to gently open her lips, and get his first good look at her. Her labia were flushed and swollen, her vagina was wide open and pulsing, juices trickling out of it like honey, down over her lips and swollen erect clitoris, though he had no idea yet that that was what it was called, thanks to his relatives teaching him practically nothing.
“Don’t stop! Please Harry! I’m so close!” Hermione's desperate plea came as a gasp as she lifted her head and started stroking his shaft, aiming it at her face. She pushed her hips back towards him and wiggled them a little. “Lick me!” so that’s exactly what he did, he started licking her slit from top to bottom, feeling her body twitch each time he licked the small nub of flesh. He started to hungrily suck her juices into his mouth, eagerly swallowing, feeling a little stronger and less tired each time. He then wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked it into his mouth, out from under it’s protective hood, at the same time, he felt Hermione take his entire length into her mouth and the back of her throat, her muffled cry of pleasure vibrating along his shaft.
When he felt her tense, he opened his mouth again and sealed his lips to her vulva, pressing on her clit with his bottom lip, then she squealed, and his mouth was flooded with more of that sweet-tasting fluid that still tasted like Treacle Tart as Hermione's body shuddered and she let out several muffled moans as she shivered on top of him, pressing her body down against his, pressing her still climaxing pussy into his mouth. As he swallowed it, he felt all of his fatigue finally leave him, along with all of his hunger, and a surge of strength ran through him.
He blinked in surprise, pulling away from her wet, soaking fanny and gasped, running his hands up and down her warm back as he suddenly registered his own climax that was almost on him. He’d been so focused on Hermione and giving her pleasure, and apparently getting his strength back, that he’d completely missed the climax he’d been building to. Had he really been so out of it that he’d missed most of it? Sure he’d felt her sucking on him, but his climax had seemed to come out of no-where, pun intended.
“Her—Hermione! I…” he tried to gasp a warning, but she either didn’t hear it, or didn’t care. He felt her press her mouth into the flesh around the base of his shaft, his glans pushing into the back of her throat as she clamped her lips tightly around him and sucked. Harry grunted, he felt his shaft pulse as his climax hit, and he also felt the beautiful naked girl on top of him hungrily swallow every single drop, not even bothering to collect any on her tongue.
‘Wow…’ was all Harry could think, as Hermione moaned, then slowly drew up, sucking all the while, drawing out as much of his nourishing, life-giving seed as she could, before she released him from her mouth with a wet ‘pop’, then lay on him, panting. “Thank you, Harry…that was…phew! That was wonderful! I so needed that!” Hermione said as she lifted herself off him then swung herself to the side and sat on the bed next to him, sitting up, not even trying to cover herself as she turned and smiled at him. The change in her was very telling, and if anything, she looked even more invigorated than before she started, if that were possible.
“How was that for you? How are you feeling?” she asked, taking note of how alert and awake he looked.
Harry blinked as he reached for his glasses and slipped them on. “Fine, great actually. Better than I felt in days…you said this was the cure? That all I had to do was…uhm…” he blushed as he looked away, embarrassed.
“Well, it’s more of a ‘treatment’ than a cure, since what we have now would be considered a condition that has to be managed.” Hermione said. “How’d you like the blowjob? At least you were awake for this one.”
Harry's face turned red, he still wasn’t looking at her. “Uh…well…I was so focused on you that I barely noticed it until I was about to…uh…”
“Cum?” she asked with a smile, he nodded. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy it.” She said giving him an impish smile.
“Uh…are you sure we’ll have to do this again?” Harry asked.
“Yes.” She said with a sigh, the smile fading.
“How often?” He asked, finally looking at her, though he didn’t let his gaze fall lower than her shoulders.
“At least once every 12 hours…but…the more often…the better.” She said, as she stood then bent over, giving him a perfect view as she picked up her clothes that had been cleaned and folded for her, just as his had been. “Come on, lets get dressed and meet with the others, and we can talk more about this.”
-=-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 6: Explanations, Reactions, Revelations.
Notes:
Hey people! Happy late Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it, hope you all had a good one.
Things are starting to move along, the First Task is coming up shortly. I'll do my best to get the Yule Ball chapter out in time for xmas :) though I can't promise anything concrete. I had planned to have the Dragon revelation scene at the end of this chapter, but since Rowling apparently didn't know how to read a calendar properly, i'm forced to use real-world dates for ease of writing (as much as it can be, i'm also using the HP lexicon to keep track of events as best i can, and changing the dates when necessary. So the Dragons will be appearing next chapter, i'm not saying the first task will be next, i don't know, i'll see how it all flows as i write it. I did consider changing the Horntail to something else, something a bit more exotic, but decided that in the end, what i have planned should be unique enough, i think (and hope) you'll all enjoy it when it comes.
I have noticed however, that there are sometimes notes also added at the end of the chapter, even though i didn't set any, which is weird.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 6: Explanations, Reactions, Revelations.
A few moments later, Harry was sat in Pomfrey’s office trying not to feel too awkward with Hermione's friends in the room, two of them wearing knowing smirks, the third, a Third Year Ravenclaw had a serene smile on her face, she looked almost as if she were daydreaming.
Pomfrey pulled them both to one side and ran her wand over both of them, muttering diagnostic spells. “Hm, all of your vitals seem to have normalized Mister Potter, just as Miss Granger’s did earlier…that is, rather interesting. For now, you seem to be just fine.”
“Sooo…” Harry said, eyeing the red book on the desk. Then looking up awkwardly at the three other girls.
“Sooooo…Harry! How was your first time Muff Diving?” Daphne said, giving him a cheeky grin. Hermione gasped as she stared at her friend in open-mouthed shock. “Daphne Greengrass! Don’t make me wash your mouth out with soap!” Hermione said, giving her friend a fierce glare, even though she was blushing just as badly as Harry was.
“Er…It was…er…” Harry wasn’t sure how to respond to that, especially when Hermione turned her fierce glare on him.
“’Invigorating’, I’d say.” Susan quipped, sitting back with a knowing smile on her face, Harry's blush deepened.
“Can we talk about something else please?!” Hermione said, fixing the two of them with a look.
“Ok Hermione.” Luna said, as she moved to open the book at a certain page. “I believe you wanted to discuss this?” Hermione nodded, seeing what the chapter was.
‘Bonding. What it is, how it works, what to expect.’
“Er…what were you girls talking about while Hermione was…” Harry asked, leaning forward.
“Sitting on your face?” Susan asked, toying with a few strands of her hair as she grinned at him.
“Susan…” Hermione growled through her teeth. Susan gave her an innocent look. “What? You said that’s what you would have to do.”
“Let’s just see what this book says about Bonding, shall we? Since Harry and I don’t know about it.” Hermione huffed as she pulled the book to her so she and Harry could read it.
“Ok, it says here…”Bonding, typically the only form of Sex Magic considered legal in most Magical communities around the world, is usually performed between a Witch and a Wizard who are at least 15 years of age or older, and requires a pre-requisite that said Witch and Wizard have to have some level of affection between them. Note, artificial affection, such as those that result from potions, can also trigger it.” WHAT? That means that anyone could trigger this Bonding with anyone else just by using a Love or Lust Potion!” Hermione spat, outraged.
“That’s true, though in those cases, if the Potioneer doesn’t keep up with the doses, there’s a strong chance the Bond will fail.” Daphne said. Hermione then continued.
“The Bonding has several benefits, among them being synchronizing the couple’s Magics and strengthening emotional connections. There are also some theories that it may also impart a soul-bond that links the souls of the two together, and also may impart an empathic bond, allowing the two to sense each other’s emotions, though this is rarely documented.” Huh…interesting.”
“There is more.” Luna said, “Keep reading.”
“…”The Bonding process is initiated first by the Witch, who must perform Oral Sex on her chosen Wizard and swallow the resultant discharge at least three times a week for a full year, during this time her magic synchronizes with the Wizard’s, and her side of the Bonding fully forms and stabilizes. Nine months after the process is started, the Witch will begin to lactate—WHAT?!”
Her outburst startled Harry, who had been trying to follow along as best he could but had got a little distracted at about the part concerning the number of times the witch would have to give head.
Hermione's face turned several interesting colors as she started to read, a little louder than before, incredulity clear in her voice. “…the Witch will begin to start lactating, and the Wizard will be required to drink the produced milk to solidify his part of the Bond and finalize it, in preparation for the final act of properly forming and permanently establishing the Bond. The final act being the first act of Sexual Intercourse the couple participate in. The Witch will be able to tell when the Bond is strong enough that it can be made permanent in this way. Note: Other forms of sexual intercourse do not affect the final stabilizing of the Bond, and Oral Sex merely strengthens it.
A fully Established Bond does not guarantee the two will stay together for life however, nor does it ensure that if they were to marry, that the marriage would last, it just makes that outcome more likely.
It should also be noted that although the Bonding requires at least 3 instances of oral sex performed on the wizard per week to start the process and maintain it, the more often it is performed, the faster the Bonding will happen.
WARNING: Performing the Gift of Aphrodite spell on an unbonded couple will dramatically accelerate the speed at which the Bonding occurs, once it begins, the Bonding can fully establish and stabilize to the point of being ready for finalization (consummation) within a range of time between three months down to THREE WEEKS?!”
Hermione looked up, eyes wide as she stared at her friends and at Harry, blushing slightly then looking at Pomfrey, who was looking at her sympathetically.
“Uh, care to run that by me again Hermione?” Harry asked. Hermione sighed at turned to him.
“It means Harry, that once we start Bonding, if we do, then what would normally take about a year, could take anywhere between 1 to 3 months. So if we started the process now, I could end up producing breastmilk as early as the 8th of DECEMBER! Instead of August next year, as I would otherwise, without this damn curse playing a part!” she snarled.
“Uh…how often would you produce?” he asked, feeling very uncomfortable. Hermione paused, wracking her brain. “Well, if I were nursing a baby, I’d be constantly producing, which would naturally allow me to feed the baby several times a day, and night, but since this is a magically induced state of lactation, with the curse affecting me on top of that, it’s impossible to say. Though, to be on the safe side, let’s just say I might have to have them drained daily.” She turned and gave Harry a meaningful look, his eyes widened, face flushing. “A—Are…Are you…Sure about that?” he asked. She rolled her eyes.
“We’re already going to have to depend on each other, as well as anyone else we’re willing to ask to help us, to merely survive Harry, this will just be a little extra. Besides, there may be a possibility, slim mind you, that the Nutrient blocking aspects of the curse might not affect breastmilk, though I’m just guessing here, but if my theory is right, you’d at least be able to get something out of my milk, maybe not everything you’d need for a balanced diet, but still…” Hermione said, still trying to wrap her mind around the notion that, if they started the Bonding soon, she’d probably start producing breastmilk within weeks, and she started to picture herself with swollen, sore breasts, in near constant pain, needing someone she trusted, most likely Harry, to relieve her.
Harry blushed some more, trying desperately not to think about what she’d just said and implied. He couldn’t remember being breastfed by his mother, and he honestly wasn’t sure how to feel about the idea of regularly feeding from Hermione. An involuntary shudder went through him, and he started to think. ‘Could he really do that? Could he really suck on her breasts and actually…drink her milk? And the other thing…could I really do that again?’ he tried not to think about what he and Hermione had just done on the bed, but he couldn’t help it, and he felt himself start to stiffen again. ‘Oh bloody ‘ell!’ he thought, trying to ignore the memory of what Hermione felt like laying on top of him, skin to skin, what she smelled like, and what she tasted like, and he felt his hardon get so hard it almost hurt.
“Are you ok Harry?” Susan asked. Harry looked at her and tried to answer, but it came out as little more than a faint squeak. He started to take notice of just how good-looking Susan was, she had a nice round face, shining brown eyes that were a shade darker than Hermione's, filled with curiosity and worry. Her dark red hair in a plait draped over her right shoulder. But her face wasn’t all he noticed; his eyes traveled traitorously down her front, no matter how hard he tried to stop them, to her chest, which, even under her robes and uniform, was clearly quite ample, clearly larger than Hermione’s, even for a Fourth Year. Susan smiled a little flirtatiously as she realized where his eyes were and she sat back, pulling back her shoulders and thrusting out her bosom. “See something you like Harry?”
“What?” Hermione blinked, looking up from the book at her friend.
‘No! Nope! NIEN!’ Harry mentally yelled at himself, feeling his face flush with embarrassment and horror as an image entered his mind of him cupping those covered mounds, gently caressing them and suckling on them, wondering what her milk would taste like, what her breasts would feel like wrapped around his…’STOP! IT!’ he mentally screamed at himself, visibly cringing as he tore his gaze away from Susan, only to land on Luna, who sat between the redhead and the second blonde, Daphne.
Luna was also looking at him, with a curious intensity, the daydream expression on her face gone, her grey eyes focused. Her dirty blonde hair ran down her back as she looked at him, and again, his eyes started roaming of there own accord. He tried to shut his eyes, but he found he couldn’t, to make matters worse, Luna sat back then pushed out her chest towards him, her words only half registering in his suddenly arousal swamped brain.
“How do my breasts compare to Susan’s? Or Hermione's since you’ve already seen hers?”
“WHAT?!” Hermione yelped, staring at them, her gaze going back and forth between Luna, Susan and himself.
“He was staring at Susan's breasts, and I was wondering what he thought of mine. I know I’m not as well-endowed as her, or you for that matter, not many in my or your years are.” Luna said off-handedly. Harry wanted to hide. He wanted to go back to Privet Drive, crawl back into that cupboard, lock the door, and stay there.
He tore his gaze away from Luna and it landed briefly on a smirking Daphne, who had also sat back and was puffing out her chest, he quickly looked away, but his gaze then landed on Hermione, and he froze. Even with the look of incredulity she was giving him, that was slowly turning to one of disbelief, and with what he thought were faint flickers of betrayal in her eyes, he tried to reign in his raging libido, but he couldn’t. Looking at Hermione, his eyes started to roam up and down her body, taking in all the details, and he again remembered what they’d done, and his gaze involuntarily dropped to her chest, then further down. As he tore his gaze back up to Hermione's face, he saw that her expression was unreadable, and for a moment, he was truly afraid he’d hurt her feelings.
“I…I need some air!” he stood, hoping none of them would notice the tent in his trousers. Backing away from the table, he turned towards the office door.
Hermione blinked, feeling confused and worried for her friend as she saw the look of utter panic, guilt and fear cross his face as he’d looked at her, and the faint surge of jealously she’d felt at the thought of him ogling her friends was forgotten when he stood, his clearly showing distress, and she saw the very visible distortion in his trousers, which he quickly tried to hide as he turned towards the door. At the sight of it, and the memory of how it smelled, felt and tasted in her mouth still fresh in her mind, and the very stark realization that she would have to have it in her mouth again soon, if not one of the other boys from Gryffindor, sent a surge of arousal through her body, and she felt herself getting wet again.
‘Oh for goodness sake!’ she mentally chastised herself, trying desperately to clamp down on her suddenly resurfaced lust. ‘Are you kidding me?! It’s not even been half an hour! What the hell are you Granger, a Merlin damned Nymphomaniac?!’ she mentally raged. ‘Well, that IS what Draco was trying to make me.’ Another part of her mind said, as she stood to follow her friend. “Wait here guys.” She said as she walked towards the office door, only passively noting Pomfrey’s conflicted look. ‘What was it he said? “You better get used to giving head, Granger.” Well, looks like I don’t have a choice, and neither does Harry.’
“Harry?” she asked, closing the office door behind her. He was pacing, agitated, looking confused and distraught, and guilty. She felt her heart tighten at the look on his face as he turned to her.
“Hermione…I…” he said, gesticulating with his hands, shaking his head, looking like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “I’m sorry!” she blinked, head tilting in confusion.
“What? What for? You haven’t done anything.”
“For earlier! For…for ogling your friends! For hurting your feelings! They deserve more respect than that! YOU deserve more!” he began to pace again, muttering to himself. “Not right…Not right…First the bloody Tournament, now this…”
Hermione blind again, still confused as she tilted her head, then her eyes widened as it struck her. ‘Oh. I see. Well, looks like I was right…unfortunately.’ “Harry, it’s ok, it’s ok. It’s perfectly natural to admire a beautiful girl. Actually, we appreciate it. It’s when you start leering and openly gawking, mentally undressing us that we don’t like it.”
Harry shook his head, his back to her. “Not it’s NOT!” he snapped, turning to face her, his eyes wide and almost wild. She could see the mental and emotional war he was having with himself, saw the guilt, the self-loathing, the frustration, the anger. But she could also see desire, lust, and that is what he seemed to be struggling with most. She could also see the affection in his gaze when he looked at her, and the confusion.
Had he been ogling Susan's breasts? Maybe just a little, but she figured he honestly couldn’t help it, she was a beautiful girl, and her natural…assets, were rather impressive, and when the girl had noticed him looking, she hadn’t exactly tried to hide them, Luna certainly hadn’t. if anything, the flattered look she’d briefly seen on Susan's face seemed to tell Hermione that her friend had been pleased that Harry was looking. And while yes, she had felt some jealously over that brief ogling, as for a moment, she’d wished he’d look at her that way, she knew that helping her friend work though his troubles was more important right now.
“What do you mean?” she asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach starting to build.
“What we did earlier…what I just did in there…it’s…not Normal! It’s not what Normal people do!” he said, going back to pacing. Hermione stiffened; she didn’t like the emphasis he’d put on the word ‘Normal’. Her eyes narrowed as she started to put things together.
“So only married people can do what we did earlier? And what happened in there?” she asked carefully, gauging his response. He nodded, still pacing.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. She’d been right. And it was at times like this, that she hated being right. ‘God damn you Petunia, Vernon…What the fuck did you DO to him?’
“Yes!” he exclaimed.
“What about people who are dating?” she asked, not mentioning that they weren’t. He shook his head. “Anything outside of marriage is wrong! We shouldn’t have even done…what we did earlier! As for girls who do that sort of thing…well, Aunt Petunia usually uses words that…aren’t very nice…in that regard.”
“What about if we were dating Harry? How would you feel then, if it was us doing those things? Not counting the fact that if we hadn’t done what we did earlier, we’d still be on those beds almost comatose.” Hermione said, part of her not believing what she’d just said. She also didn’t add that, regardless if they were dating or not, they’d now have to do those things to survive, as she’d said before, even if not with each other. Harry paused in his pacing, looking at her, his eyes conflicted, like he didn’t know what to say.
“I…I…I don’t…” he shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know!” he cried, throwing his hands up and turning away.
“Well I do.” She said determinedly. “If we were dating, I would very much like to do more of what we did earlier, ignore for the moment the fact that we now have to, if you were my boyfriend, you would have my permission to look at me as much as you’d want, to kiss, hold, caress and cuddle me as much as you want. Forget the Dursleys. Forget everything they ever taught you! Because their views are incredibly skewed and outdated, and I’d bet a lot of money that one of them is having an affair with someone else on the side, if not both of them!”
Harry shook his head, going back to pacing, continuing to rant. “I heard you Hermione! Friday morning! I woke up really early during the night, and I heard you…ya know…and…I’m sorry!” he cried out, turning to face her and she felt her heart tighten again at the look of complete shame on his face, the tears in his eyes. “I know I shouldn’t have listened! But I couldn’t help it!”
“You…heard me?” Hermione asked, blushing, despite the fact that a small part of her found the idea of him listening to her masturbate hot as hell. “How much did you hear?” she asked curiously. Harry looked at her with wide eyes, searchingly, looking for any trace of the anger he’d seen earlier, but found nothing. “Uh…you were complaining about it…not working, and that was the third time…” he said awkwardly, looking away.
Hermione's face felt hot, and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as she cast her mind back to that night, and the failed attempts at getting her raging body to calm down. The several following attempts in the shower hadn’t worked either. Then a thought occurred to her and she looked at him.
“What about you Harry? Did you try to…ya know?” his face flushed and he shook his head. “I did in the shower Thursday night, but later in bed, when it got hard again…no, I didn’t, and the rest of the time I was too tired and hungry.” He paused, looking up at her and sighing again. “Besides, it isn’t Normal for me to—” Hermione cut him off with a raised hand.
“You said ‘Me’ that time, instead of ‘boys our age’. Would I be right in assuming that everything the Dursleys told you was wrong about sex was specifically in reference to you?” she asked, an unpleasant feeling in her gut. He closed his eyes and nodded. “I know it’s not normal touch it and stuff, or for it to get hard, but I can’t—” Hermione cut him off again, stepping closer.
“What if I told you it is perfectly Normal for boys and girls our age to masturbate? What if I told you it is perfectly Normal for boys our age, younger and older, to get erections when they think about or see girls that they think are beautiful. What if I told you it was perfectly Normal for girls to get hard nipples, slightly swollen boobs and wet pussies whenever we see an attractive, handsome boy we like or think about? When we think about dragging said boys into Broom Cupboards?” she paused, taking a step towards him, her anger fading, her tone becoming sultrier. “What if I told you it would be perfectly Normal for us to do what we did earlier? For me to get down on my knees, pull your pants down and take your hard dick in my mouth? I’ve already done it twice today, and I’m going to do it again later today. And tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Yes because I have to, but also because…” she paused, catching her breath and collecting her thoughts.
“…Because I want to. Even IF you hadn’t also been affected by the curse, and it had been just me, my options would be limited, there are probably two or three boys in our year who I’m sure I could count on to help me and not take advantage of me, maybe more, I’m not sure, and two among the Sixth Years, and boys who I trust implicitly, close enough to trust them not to brag to their dorm-mates, that is at least two. And you are at the top of both lists.” She paused again, then continued, trying to ignore her own surging arousal that had started to burn while she’d been reading the book, but had spiked during the conversation.
“The others would be Neville and the Twins, though Neville I think has started to court Hannah, and the Twins…well, I’d trust them to help me, but it would get awkward around the Burrow, and while I don’t think they’d brag…” she trailed off, not wanting to think ill of two of the only six other students in the school, including herself, who believed him innocent of cheating. “Your options are a little more varied. I’d imagine three quarters of the student population of Third Years and up would be more than willing to drop their knickers and spread their legs if they knew the reason you were asking them, if you ever did. And if not that many, then there’s at least four who would be willing to, three at least. I’m one of them, the others are all in there.” She finished, gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb.
Harry stared at her, not quite sure what to make of what she’d just unloaded on him.
“Uh…what about Ron?” he asked, she shook her head. “No. Not after everything he’s done. Yes he helped you save me from that Troll in our First Year, and helped you reach the Stone, but he was responsible for me being in that bathroom. Second Year, he laughed at me after my Polyjuice mishap. Last year he raged at me over your Firebolt, even though what I did was the sensible thing to do, and he relentlessly persecuted Crookshanks, thinking he'd eaten his Death Eater rat. Then there’s this year, and him turning his back on you almost immediately after your name came out of that damn Goblet. I’m sorry Harry, I know he was your first friend in this society, but, if he doesn’t change his attitude, I think we’ll have to seriously reconsider him as friend material. Like I said, for me to get what I need, I’d feel most comfortable coming to you first and foremost, even if it were only me going through this.” Then she smiled somewhat “And I hope that you’ll come to me first and foremost, but I’ll understand if you don’t always.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Is this your way of asking me to be your boyfriend?” he asked. She shook her head. “Not really, basing a relationship on sex is NEVER a good idea, and what we’re dealing with now would also count as that, technically. I guess the best way to describe us for now, would be ‘Friends with Benefits’, and if not by the end of the day, then I strongly suspect that by the end of the week, we’ll be sharing private quarters, while we deal with this. And I DO care for you Harry, a lot, but is it romantic? For me, not right now. Would I like it to be in the future? Of course, but it won’t happen overnight, though I suspect that our close living conditions for the foreseeable future, will help us get to know each other on a more personal level.” She said, and Harry nodded.
“I see what you mean…I mean, I do care about you…but everything the Dursleys told me, what little they did, and the views they instilled in me…”
“Are totally unhealthy and completely detrimental to you. Your views on sex and sexuality are a clear example, and I hope that I, and maybe a few others, can help change your outlook.” Hermione replied. “I just want you to know Harry that, however our friendship changes in the future, however fast or slow that change is, I want you to know that you can always come to me when you need to…uh…feed.” She said, blushing. Harry blushed too.
“Uh…thanks…you too.” He said awkwardly. Hermione stepped forward and hugged him, pressing her face into his neck as his arms went round her torso. She took a deep relaxing breath, filling her lungs with a strong musky scent that thanks to her earlier experiences, she recognized. For his part, Harry buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath, and catching a scent of cinnamon and parchment, and a tangy, sweet musky scent that he recognized, his eyes widening as his body stiffened, and one part stiffened more. Hermione felt it against her hip and smiled, pulling back, she reached up to cup Harry's cheek, looking into his eyes, she could see the desire there, the sexual tension he was fighting.
“Looks like I’m not the only one fired up.” She said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. “Want me to help you take care of it?” she asked. Harry shuddered, shaking his head as he stepped back.
“No, no, I can…deal with it. You don’t have to.”
“Actually Harry, I kinda do. That’s the whole point, like I said. We literally HAVE to drink the sexual fluids of others. I must suck a penis until I get a mouth full of semen which I then must swallow. Several times a day, possibly for the rest of my life. And for the record, like I just said, I would prefer yours be my first choice, because I trust you. Yes this isn’t ideal for either of us, but we’re adaptable if nothing else. I’m sure we’ll manage. You will also have to do the same. Though it may be possible that we might be able to get what we need from anyone, not necessarily someone of the opposite sex, I highly doubt that will happen though, since I don’t really fancy the idea of sticking my head between a girl’s legs, and I’m sure you’d never feel comfortable with the idea of sucking another boy’s—” Harry raised his hands and turned away, barely suppressing a shudder. “NO! No…I won’t be doing that! EVER!” Hermione smiled playfully “Better not tell Colin then, he’d be heartbroken.” She teased.
“Hermione!” Harry cried, gripping his head.
“Sorry.” She smiled. “Seriously though, I can take care of it right now, if you want.” Harry shook his head again.
“No…no, I’m good…lets go back in and try and read more about that Bonding thing.”
“Ok.”
Hermione gave him a calculating look. “Harry, did your Aunt or Uncle ever give you ‘The Talk’?” she asked. Her looked at her flatly.
“Which one? The ‘You’re an unnatural freak’ talk? All the time. Or maybe the ‘Don’t do any of your freakish things inside the house’ talk? That one too. Or how about the good old ‘Don’t use your freakish ways to cheat and get better grades than Dudley! Can’t have you robbing him of his grades.’, though that one stopped once I started Hogwarts.”
Hermione blinked, finally getting a hint of just how bad it really was at that house, and she felt a righteous surge of fury start to burn within her. “No Harry, I mean ‘The Talk’ the sex talk.” He shook his head ‘no’.
Hermione sighed. ‘Ok, better let Pomfrey know.’ She thought.
A few moments later, they were back in Pomfrey’s office, the occupants all watching them closely.
“You guys ok?” Susan asked as they sat down.
“Yeah, we just needed to sort some things out, I think we got it mostly sorted, for now.” Then she mouthed to Susan ‘I was right’. Susan paused and gave Harry a sympathetic look. He met her gaze awkwardly. “Uh, hey, sorry about, ya know…” she waved him off. “Don’t worry about it Harry, you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last I assure you.”
“Ok, so where were we?” Hermione asked, drawing her attention back to the book.
“You were reading about the final stages of the Bonding and how the curse you’re under affects the whole thing.” Luna said, idly playing with her wand. “I believe you’d just got to the part about when you’re going to start producing breastmilk, and I believe Harry was wrestling with the question, and idea, of whether or not he’d be able, or willing, to drink it.” She added. “That about right?” she asked.
“Uh, yeah…that’s it.”
“Don’t worry Harry, it’s not a concern right now, since we’re not Bonding.” ‘Yet.’ “For now, let’s focus on other matters, like what the First Task might be, and what those asinine morons from the Ministry might force you to do.”
“Oh yeah…forgot about that.”
“Hm, it says here that, a highly established Bond has the potential to form a psychic link between the Bonded couple, along with the Soul and Empathic bonds, though this is rare, and is not always guaranteed.”
Just then, Professor McGonagall re-entered the Hospital wing then re-entered the office.
“Nice to see you up and about Mister Potter, how are you feeling?”
“Uh, fine thanks Professor…uh, the uh…’treatment’ worked.” He said, feeling very awkward. A slight smile tugged at Minerva’s lips. “Well, I’m glad to hear that Mister Potter. Poppy? If there is no need to keep them here, I’d like to take them back to the Tower. And you three, I’m sure you have other things to take care of.”
“I see no reason to keep them anymore Minerva, though I will be checking up on the two of you.” She said to the two lions, who nodded. “Alright, if there are any complications, come back and see me and I’ll do what I can.”
“Wait…uh, Madam Pomfrey…” Hermione said, blushing and casting Harry an apologetic and sympathetic look. ‘I’m SO sorry about this…’
“Yes, Miss Granger?”
“Before we leave, I think you should have a private talk with Harry.” She said, blushing as she shot him another look.
“A talk?” Poppy asked, confused. Hermione nodded. “Yes. A Talk.” She said, air-quoting the word ‘Talk’ and putting emphasis on it. Pomfrey scrutinized her a little, before her eyes widened then her face became purely professional.
“I see. Very well then. I’m assuming you have already had one?” she asked. Hermione nodded. “My mum sat me down and gave it to me over the summer.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Harry asked. Susan snickered, “You’ll find out Harry, don’t worry.” Then she looked at Hermione, giving her a wink. “Looks like you’re gonna owe him one after this Granger.”
“Well, I don’t think we need to be here for this next bit.” Daphne said, standing, as did Luna.
“Agreed. Daddy told me where babies come from last year, though he was very embarrassed about the whole thing.” Harry choked. “Wait…What?”
McGonagall chuckled. “Miss Granger and I will be outside Poppy. Try not to traumatize him too much.”
And with that, the group of students left the Hospital Wing, Susan and Daphne giving Hermione hugs, along with promises to catch up later, while Harry suffered the most embarrassing conversation of his young life. He emerged from Pomfrey’s office almost an hour later, red-faced. While he was getting psychologically scarred, Neville, Parvati and Lavender came in to check on them, her friends were ecstatic to find her on her feet and seemingly healthy. When they inquired, she said she’d explain later, when they asked about Harry, Hermione had just nodded towards Pomfrey’s office and said he was having a private conversation with the mediwitch.
“I’m so sorry Harry, but it had to be done.” Hermione said.
“S’ok.” Harry mumbled, not looking at her.
After another 10 minutes or so, they were back at the Gryffindor Tower. Minerva turned to them. “Ok you two, I’ve set up some private quarters for you in the Head Boy’s Gryffindor Quarters, just off from the Common Room. They currently aren’t in use, so I figured they would suit you for the time being. The Password for the Portrait is ‘The Circle of Life Moves Us All’. The Private Quarters have their own Common Room, a small Kitchen area, two bedrooms with on-suite bathrooms, a small Library, a fireplace, though just like the Common Room fireplace, it can accept and make Floo calls, but not travel. There is a balcony connected to the Common Room. I advise you to choose who you wish allow entrance to the Private Quarters and share the password with them. I strongly advise you not to abuse this privilege however, and by that, I mean, I expect you to still socialize and mingle with your housemates. Understood?”
They both nodded.
“Good, I’ve already had the Elves move your things, it will be up to you to decide which rooms you each want. While I did consider activating the same charm on one of the rooms that is on the Girls Dorm staircase, in which case, the door would slam shut and lock, I have not done so yet. You will need to tell me which room is yours Miss Granger, and I will see to it.”
And with that, she stepped through the Portrait hole, into the Common Room. It was deserted. Minerva walked to the right and turned down a small hallway, more of an alcove really, about 6 foot deep, at the end of it, they saw a magical painting, arranged Landscape, showing what looked to them like a sunlight African savannah, the center of the picture was dominated by a large rock formation; a towering conical rock that looked like it had been broken off a mountain then split in two, the second piece pushed into the first, with a third under that, supporting it, giving the allusion of a giant backwards stylized ‘K’ made of stone. A single male lion was standing on the very end of the K’s ‘arm’, his gaze looking out over the grassland.
“Mufasa, these are the two new residents that you’ll be looking after, Harry and Hermione.” Minerva said after tapping the painting with her wand. The lion turned its gaze to them, then nodded, and the painting swung sideways, revealing a smaller version of the Gryffindor Common Room, a fire already burning in the hearth.
“Right then, I’ll let the two of you get settled. I will make the announcement regarding your change of accommodation after Dinner tonight along with a brief reason of why, I’ll let you tell the others the specifics. Is there anything else you two need?” they shook their heads.
“Very well then.” And with that, she turned and left. The two of them looked around. “Nice. Right, let’s get unpacked.” Harry said, moving to his trunk, Hedwig’s empty cage sat on top of it.
“We should also write a letter to Sirius, let him know what’s going on.” Hermione said. Harry nodded, moving to unpack his trunk, a fluttering sound caught his ears and he turned to see Hedwig settling down on a perch over the fire.
“Hey girl, sorry we’ve been absent for a few days, we haven’t been well.” Harry said, moving to the perch and offering a gentle breaststroke. A quiet beak-click and slight finger nibble was his answer, the owl assuring him she wasn’t upset.
A jingle from the little hallway leading to the bedrooms drew his attention, and he turned just in time to see a large ball of orange fur enter the Common Room and come to a stop at Hermione's feet, where he proceeded to rub against her legs, purring loudly.
“Crookshanks!” Hermione gasped, as she paused in looking through her trunk to pick up her cat, and briefly cuddle him. Harry paused as he pulled out a few sheets of parchment and his ink bottle. “Want to write the letter first then pick a room and get unpacked?” he asked.
“Sure.” She replied, setting the part-Kneazle down on the plush couch.
Ten minutes later, Hedwig flew out of the Balcony doorway and off, heading south in the cool late morning air.
“Ok, now that’s settled, lets pick and sort out our rooms.” Harry said, grabbing his trunk. Hermione paused as she ran her gaze over him, noticing his still slightly flushed face, and as her gaze moved down, she noticed how he held his body, it was clear to her that he was still trying to hide his arousal, hiding her own had been slightly easier, though it had been distracting. ‘I really hope this won’t be a problem in class…Morgana, that’d be awkward.’ She thought.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to…uhm, take care of that? And you don’t need to…?” she asked, face flushing. Harry blushed and shook his head. “No…no, I’m good, thanks, you ok?” he asked. Hermione bit her lip, honestly, she did feel a little uncomfortable, not as bad as she’d felt early Friday morning, but that had also been a combination of hunger and exhaustion as well, now, it was more manageable. Plus, she reasoned, keeping busy was a useful distraction. And while part of her did want to sit down on the sofa or one of the arm chairs, lift her skirt, pull of her knickers, lean back and spread her legs as wide as she could, the mean thought just doing that…it made her a little uncomfortable.
As she thought, she began to process the full overarching consequences of the curse Draco had used, and her earlier words now came back to her with full force. While they could put it off for now, soon, within another 8 to 10 hours, they would have to do it again. Harry would have to lick her vagina again, and she’d have to suck him again, for the third time that day, so they could both take in the nutrients they’d get from lunch and Dinner, which they hadn’t even had yet.
‘Should we even bother wearing knickers and boxer shorts anymore?’ she wondered. Then she realized she’d have to, at least during her cycle, but the rest of the time…A rush of heat came to her face as she pictured herself over the next three or four years, walking around Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and even her parents’ house while going commando. ‘I’ll keep them on for now.’ She thought.
“Yeah…Yeah I’m fine. Let’s go pick our rooms and unpack.” She said, grabbing her own trunk and following him. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t keep her eyes from roaming over his back.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Albus sat in his office, pondering. He’d visited the Hospital wing early that morning, but apparently there had been no change. He was getting worried. The Dragons would be arriving the tomorrow evening from the preserve where Charlie Weasley worked. A Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball, a Swedish Short-Snout, and the most dangerous of all, a Hungarian Horntail. All nesting females with recently laid clutches of eggs. Adding the Horntail last minute had been difficult, she’d just laid her clutch, and was fiercely protective of them, making collecting them for transport difficult.
Replicating a fourth golden egg had been relatively easy however.
Now all he had to do was make sure Harry faced the Horntail, and that he found out about the Dragons ahead of the task. He knew Maxime and Karkaroff would help their champions, he didn’t particularly care about Cedric, or either of the other two Champions, it was all about Harry.
The best way to ensure he faced the Horntail would be to apply compulsion charms to the models of the other three, keyed to each of the other champions, to make sure none of them took the Horntail’s model. He would also ‘suggest’ to Moody that he give Harry some telling hints as to how he could beat the Task.
He hadn’t yet contacted Malfoy Senior about the supposed Grimoire, as he suspected that Draco had lied, though he had yet to hear from the Malfoy Patriarch about his son’s punishments, which was surprising. He also hadn’t yet visited the Hospital Wing to check on the two affected students, namely because he’d noticed some of the monitoring charms on his shelves that were keyed to Harry stabilize a while ago, indicating that his vitals had normalized, for now at least. ‘Very curious…Poppy or Miss Granger’s friends must have found something.’
Hopefully it was a permanent solution.
He reached for a lemon drop just as the door to his office opened and Minerva walked in.
“Ah, Minerva my dear. Any news on Mister Potter and Miss Granger?”
Minerva nodded, “I’m pleased to report that Miss Granger’s friends came through for them and found a solution, it’s not a permanent cure, but it will have to do for now. They are both up and about and Pomfrey has cleared them to attend Classes.”
Dumbledore nodded. This was good, it meant that Harry could be prepared to face the Dragon, and following the Task, he would move forward with his plans for Miss Granger and Mister Krum. If Krum could be ‘persuaded’ to ask Granger to the Yule Ball before Harry or Ronald had a chance to, he could then suggest to Karkaroff that the girl would make an excellent Hostage for the second task.
“Oh? Only a temporary solution? There is no cure?” he asked, genuine concern entering his voice. Minerva winced.
“There is a cure, of a sort, but using it now would be tantamount to Line Assassination, in regard to Mister Potter, as using it on either of them would sterilize them.” Dumbledore’s eyes widened, his mouth falling slack.
“What?” ‘Line Assassination?! A Sterilization spell? What did that impudent little brat hit them with? Obviously this will not do.’ He thought.
“Yes, and I believe that was Mister Malfoy’s endgame; get them so desperate for a cure, that when it is found, we’d use it before looking into it.” Minerva growled. “He has to be dealt with.”
Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his temples. While part of him agreed with Minerva, he also wanted Draco to avoid heading down the same path his father took, to restore some honor to the Malfoy line. Obviously, they couldn’t use the ‘cure’ if it was something that would render Harry unable to sire an heir for the Potter line before he faced his destiny.
“What exactly was the curse Mister Malfoy used?” Dumbledore asked, almost afraid to. Minerva sighed.
“Well, apparently, according to it’s description, the spell was developed as a means of a marital aid, though it seems to have had some un-intended side effects it’s creator was not able to account for or correct. There is also evidence that it may accelerate the Bonding Process once it begins, if the affected couple are not already Bonded.” Dumbledore winced.
That…was a potential problem. If Harry Bonded with Miss Granger, the odds of him wanting to Bond with Miss Weasley, and Miss Granger with Mister Weasley respectively, as he and Molly had planned, dropped significantly. Then again…
“I see. What exactly does the curse affecting them do? I assume they’re still under its effect?” he asked, keeping his voice calm. Minerva nodded.
“For now, what they have would best be described as a Magical Condition, but thankfully, the effects can be easily mitigated, if somewhat…awkwardly. The curse basically forces them to ingest the bodily fluids of someone else so that they can absorb the nutrients their systems extract from the food they eat, which the magic of the curse ‘holds for ransom’ you could say. That is why they deteriorated over the last couple of days. They were eating food, but not getting anything from it. The curse also accelerates that process.”
Dumbledore blinked, not quite sure his hearing was working right.
“Pardon? Bodily fluids? What do you—”
“Sexual bodily fluids, Albus.” Minerva said, her tone clipped. Her mouth in a thin line as she regarded him. “They have to perform oral sex on each other, or anyone willing to allow them to, at regular intervals, or they will deteriorate as before, to the point where then end up in a coma, and following that, death.” She growled.
“Oh…” well, of all the things it could have been, he never saw that coming.
“Yes. Oh. I’ve already taken the liberty of placing them in private quarters, for convenience sake and to minimize any embarrassment. I will be informing the rest of Gryffindor about this change later tonight after Dinner, though I will not be telling the students specifically why. I will leave that up to Miss Granger and Mister Potter.”
Dumbledore silently cursed. While it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared, it still wasn’t ideal. Still, it wasn’t a complete loss, and if anything, if worked the right way, could even work out in his favor. All it would take is for certain nudges to get the two to focus on getting what they need from others rather than each other…
It was the fact that they would now be living together under such close quarters that was the potential issue. Harry had to have a relationship with, and at the very least impregnate young Ginerva Weasley, not only to secure the next generation of Potters, but to also bring stability to the Magical World, and to restore the Potter family’s standing among the Sacred 28, and finally, to bring the Weasley family out of the near impoverished state they had been in for years, and once again elevate their standing. If Harry settled down with Miss Granger, or at the very least impregnated her, then she would be able to influence the next generation of Potters more directly, along with the next generation of other magical families. Having her married to young Ronald Weasley would limit that of course.
While few would argue that Muggle-borns did not bring fresh blood into the Magical world, at least the few Pure-bloods who would be prepared to admit that, it was widely believed by many that the Muggle ideas and concepts that they brought with them upset the status quo, and the natural order of things.
Which was why Dumbledore had made little to no effort to improve Muggle-born standing within the magical world, both since World War 2 and after Voldemort’s first fall. It was also why he hadn’t pressured to have the Imperius Defense many Death Eaters had used over-turned. Having so many prominent members of the Wizengamot in Azkaban would have been a disaster for the Dark Block, giving the Light and Neutral Blocks too much power, affecting the plans of the remaining Block, and elevating the prominence of Muggle-borns.
Fortunately….Albus had control of the Potter Proxy, and all of the votes it held, so he held all the sway, with most of the former Alliance of Light Houses supporting him, but if Harry ever took control…no, that wouldn’t happen, he’d convince the boy to give him Proxy properly, then Albus would take things from there.
It was also why he had not said or done anything to help Sirius. He knew the man hadn’t received a trial and made sure no-one questioned his guilt. Regardless of how Albus felt, he knew that Sirius would one day pass the Black Legacy down to Harry, as was his right as the current Head of the family, which would work out fine for Dumbledore, if he could somehow get control of the Black Fortune, he could keep it away from Voldemort, and redistribute it, along with the Potter Fortune, at least, the amount that the Weasleys didn’t spend.
He was brought out of his internal musings by the sound of Minerva clearing her throat, loudly.
“Albus! Are you listening?” she snapped.
“Yes Minerva, I hear you.” Dumbledore said, now focusing on her again.
“Then what did I say?”
“You explained the mechanics of the curse affecting young Mister Potter and Miss Granger, and you’ve moved them into private quarters, but I am given pause to wonder, is that wise? They are teenagers after all.”
Minerva rolled her eyes. Was he SERIOUS? “Albus, it was either that, or make things unnecessarily awkward for them. Besides, they already have to do things together, or with others, that normally I would only ever expect them to do if they were in a relationship with either each other or another individual.”
“Point.” Albus said, he just hoped the teens would be careful. He didn’t want Harry impregnating the wrong witch, after all. Then a thought occurred to him. “How often do they have to…ah…mitigate their…condition?”
“According to the information we looked through in Pomfrey’s office, at least once every twelve hours, but the more times the better. Which brings me to my next point. The Dursleys.” She growled, almost snarled. Albus sighed, this wasn’t the first time she’d brought it up, and it would not be the last, he was sure.
“What about them?”
“Do you have ANY idea what they’ve done to him?!” she almost shouted, her temper now fraying. “They’ve abused him in almost every way short of raping him! To say nothing of the emotional and psychological state they left him in! Why the damage hasn’t come to light sooner I’ll never know! They taught him practically NOTHING about certain aspects of life that are pretty much essential for all teenagers to know. I’m not entirely sure of everything they have done to him, but I can promise you this Albus! If he goes back to that family at the end of term, he’ll be dead within the first WEEK!”
“Surely you’re exaggerating. I highly doubt Petunia would let Harry perish.” Dumbledore said, starting to panic. He NEEDED Harry to be at Privet Drive, not only for his own protection, especially now and after this year, but he also wanted the boy to be reliant on him, and him alone. He needed the boy malleable so he could be properly guided to face his destiny. Minerva scoffed.
“I doubt that. Highly. If not Petunia, then her husband I’m sure, would jump at the chance to see Harry gone from their home. They consider him and everything he represents to be ‘un-natural’. And consider what I told you. Harry will have to consume the sexual bodily fluids of a woman or girl several times a day, at least once every twelve hours, or he’ll quickly deteriorate as he did here over the past two days, slipping into a coma then he’ll die. Same for Miss Granger. I HIGHLY doubt Petunia or her sister in-law would be willing to help him. As for Miss Granger, I can only hope she’d be able to find a local boy willing to help her, though I doubt she’d feel comfortable with that idea.”
Dumbledore winced. Yes, that was…a complication, he doubted Arabella would help him, unfortunately, he needed the boy to stay there, at least long enough to supply the Wards.
“I’m afraid there is no alternative Minerva, Harry MUST stay at his relative’s home, at least for a short while. Perhaps he could be moved to the Burrow, after a short while. I’m sure Molly and Arthur would be happy to take him in.”
Minerva folded her arms. “And just WHAT do you intend to tell them? HOW do you intend to tell them? I hardly think that Molly of all people, would be happy with either of them doing that sort of thing with each other under her roof several times a day. In fact, I suspect she would go as far as trying to keep them so busy they’d never find the time.”
Dumbledore thought, carefully. If he played this right, it could work to his advantage, it would give him the opportunity to solidify a relationship and Bond between young Ginevra and Harry, and Ronald and Hermione respectively, the problem would be getting Molly to agree to the slight change in plan. While he fully intended to have Harry moved to the Burrow, or even Grimmauld Place, assuming Sirius agreed to let the Order use it, once it was re-established, upon his 15th birthday, this change would simply mean that Harry would be moving to live with the Weasleys sooner than anticipated.
“I will take care of it Minerva.”
“Good, because I would hate to have to come up with a Plan B.” and with that, he turned and left.
-=-=-=-=-
12 Grimmauld Place, early evening.
The door to the Black Family’s Private Library flew open with a bang. And Sirius Black stormed in, scowling. He ignored the hollering of his beloved mother’s Portrait as he waved his wand at various bookshelves, and several books flew over to the reading table and he sat down. In his right hand he held the two letters he’d received half an hour earlier from Harry and Hermione, letting him know of the weekend’s events.
To say that he was angry would be an understatement.
Hermione's letter was more detailed than Harry's, but they mostly said the same thing: That they’d both been cursed, though neither went into detail on exactly what the curse was. Only that they would tell him in person given the chance. The cure constituted Line Assassination, so now they were having to treat it like a medical condition, with regular ‘Treatments’ that they would explain later in person if they could, and that they’d been moved into their own quarters to help with that. Hermione had also gone into detail on her theory as to why Draco had chosen that spell, specifically, regarding its counter spell.
Sirius growled. That snot-nosed, stuck-up little prick would PAY for this! He suddenly wished his status as the Head of House Black was legally recognized, so he could cast the little shite out of the line of succession right at that moment and burn his face from the tapestry. But he couldn’t, only the next Head of House Black could do that.
He paused, then grinned.
“Looks like a trip to Gringotts is in order. Need to update my Will…” he muttered, then started to read the books, looking for a cure that wouldn’t hurt his Godson or his friend. If Dumbledore forced Harry to go back to the Dursleys, something Sirius had always been against from the very moment he’d found out about it, then the old Goat could kiss any chance of using his ancestral home as the new base of operations for the Order goodbye.
He needed to catch up with Remus at some point, and go check on Potter Manor, and see how the place as doing, he hadn’t been there since just before Lily and James went into hiding…he paused, thinking. Why had Lily and James abandoned the Manor and gone to Godric’s Hollow? The wards around the manor were some of the best in the country, beaten only by Gringotts’ and Hogwarts’ wards. Something about their sudden snap decision did not sit well with him, and he decided he’d have to investigate it.
He looked at the wall clock, it was early evening, Dinner was probably just about starting, he idly wondered what everyone was doing up at the castle, wishing he could Apparate up there and investigate as Padfoot, but it was too risky, there were not many, if any dogs around Hogsmeade, so if he were spotted, it would likely raise suspicion.
After nearly 40 minutes of fruitless searching, he sat back and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. He needed to write and send replies to their letters, he knew if he sent them now, Hedwig wouldn’t make it back to the castle until sometime during the night, meaning they’d get the replies first thing.
He contemplated what he’d do for the rest of the night, he didn’t really fancy spending the night here, he couldn’t really drop in on Remus this late, so…looked like a night out on the town in Muggle London for good ol’ Padfoot.
Maybe he could find a couple of stray bitches to spend several hours with. He wasn’t completely sure of the legalities, but, he reasoned, it surely couldn’t be classed as bestiality if he was in his animagus form as Padfoot, right? It wasn’t like he had many other options anyway.
Leaning forward, he conjured couple of sheets of parchment and summoned a quill and got to work. Once he tracked down Hedwig and sent the letters, he made himself a sandwich then left the house, magically locking the door behind him. He then morphed into Padfoot and trotted off down the street, sniffing the ground. It didn’t take him long to catch the scent of a bitch in heat and, tail wagging, he doubled his pace, tracking down the rather cute German Sheppard relatively quickly.
-=-=-=-=-
Hogwarts, evening after Dinner.
Minerva led her students back to their common room, pondering how best to tell them about Harry and Hermione's new living arrangements, and the reason behind it. She’d also dropped a rather subtle hint, ok, not so subtle hint to Pomona about arranging Private Quarters for Cedric, but Pomona hadn’t really seen the point.
After they’d entered the common room, she ordered everyone to take a seat and to stay quiet while she talked, as she had a rather important announcement to make.
‘Here goes Minnie…’ she thought. She cleared her throat.
“Alright, I would like you all to pay close attention, because I’m only going to discuss this once, and I will not repeat myself.” She said sternly.
“You may have noticed Mister Potter’s and Miss Granger’s absence yesterday, as well as their absence from the Dorms Thursday and Friday night.” There were various nods. She caught the eye of the two Gryffindors in question and noticed that they looked a little more tired that she’d expect, Harry seemed to be absentmindedly rubbing his stomach, and she idly wondered if either of them had…fed…since that morning in the Hospital wing.
“Well, I feel it necessary to inform you all that Thursday afternoon, after their last class of the day, Mister Potter and Miss Granger were confronted by a fellow student and were hit with a particularly nasty curse. I will not go into detail about what the curse does, or how the two of them are dealing with it’s affects. I will leave that up to their discretion. Please do NOT hassle them about it. If they feel comfortable enough to tell you about it, then they will in their own time. If I get reports of anyone pestering them for details they are not willing to give, it will mean a week’s detention with Filch.”
She looked around, fixing all of them with a stern look, her gaze lingered on the two Gossip Queens, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown. Once she’d given everyone a stern look, she continued.
“To that end, and to avoid any awkwardness for them in dealing with the effects of the curse, I have taken the liberty of moving them into the Head Boy’s Gryffindor Quarters.”
She paused, wondering how long she’d have to wait for the protests to start, she didn’t have to wait long.
“What?” Cormac McLaggen spoke up. There were several murmurs from the other students of various years. She noted that Ron looked particularly unhappy, his face creased in an angry scowl of jealously as he looked at the two Gryffindors in question. Young Ginny wasn’t much better, shooting the two of them an unhappy look. The two older Weasleys, Fred and George, were smirking and giving Harry the thumbs-up, Minerva wanted to roll her eyes at the two of them.
The reactions from the rest of the students was more varied, the First and Second Years looked confused, clearly not understanding what all the fuss was about, the Third Years had started to talk among themselves, shooting the two skeptical looks. It was the Fourth Years and Fifth Years that got the most reaction, the most negative of which were the youngest Weasleys, Neville was trying to give Harry and Hermione a supportive look, though he was clearly uncomfortable.
“So they’re going to be sleeping together?” Seamus asked. McGonagall mentally sighed as the whispered conversations got louder, particularly among the girls. “No, Mister Finnigan. They will each have separate rooms. The room that will be Miss Granger's will have similar charms on it to the Staircase.” She stated firmly.
Fay Dunbar snorted, “Maybe, but I’ll bet nothing’ll stop Hermione from jumping under Harry's blankets.” Giving the two blushing Gryffs a knowing smirk. Ron growled. Dean noticed, and chuckled. “What’s the matter Weasley? Jealous?”
“No!” Ron said, his ears turning red, though everyone in the room could see he was lying out of his arse.
“Ah-hem!” Minerva made a show of clearing her throat again to get their attention. “I expect Miss Granger and Mister Potter to show maturity and respect for the rules, the arrangement is hopefully temporary, and will only last until a proper cure is found.” ‘Though it may never be.’ She thought.
“Now I suggest you all get settled for the night. And I don’t want to hear of any fighting! If I hear anything, those responsible will be serving detention!” and with that, she turned, gave Harry and Hermione a re-assuring nod, then left.
“’Cursed’ Huh? Is that the best you could come up with Potter?” McLaggen snorted, folding his arms.
“They were actually, we saw them in the Hospital Wing.” Neville said, Parvati, Lavender and even Ron nodded, though Ron was still scowling.
“So, what’s so special about this curse that you need to have private rooms?” he asked. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, each silently asking the other what to say. Finally, Hermione spoke. “It’s not something we’d want to discuss in front of the First, Second or possibly even Third Years, sorry guys.” she said, offering an apology to the younger students, some of whom made noises of objection.
“Does it matter?” Neville asked, turning to the Fifth-Year boy, who turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. “They’ll tell us when they’re ready, and right now, I doubt they are ready to tell us just yet, and if or when they do, that’s their choice.” This got smiles of gratitude from the two, who both silently promised that Neville would be among the first they told.
“Whatever, I’m heading up.” Ron growled, shooting Harry one last glare before he turned and stalked off towards the stairs. Ginny gave the two of them a silent look, her expression unreadable, before she turned and headed towards the Girl’s staircase.
The reactions from the rest of the Gryffindors was mixed, though mostly lukewarm, except from Neville, the Twins, Parvati and Lavender, who were all very supportive. “We’ll fill you guys in tomorrow, how’s about that?” Harry asked, they nodded, then left the two alone in the common room.
“Come on Harry.” Hermione said tiredly, thankful for the narrowly avoided confrontation as she made her way towards the Portrait of the wild Lion.
Once they were both inside, Harry sighed as he looked around the small common room, spying Crookshanks sleeping in front of the fire.
“Well…That could have gone better.” Harry said, as he tried to ignore his aching stomach, his tiredness and the erection in his pants that he’d been doing his best to hide for the last few hours. Hermione brushed her fingers through her bushy hair as she turned to him, noticing his tired look, pretty sure she looked just as tired, and felt just as horny. Mentally she prepared herself. They hadn’t ‘fed’ since the hospital wing that morning, and they were quickly approaching the twelve-hour mark. She quickly realized that Harry wasn’t going to start things, not until he was more self-confident, so for now, it would be up to her.
“Yeah, but it could have gone much worse Harry, it could have broken down into an all-out fight. Did you see the look Ron gave you? Gave us?” she said, as she moved towards the small hallway that led to their two bedrooms, which were opposite one another. Harry nodded, following her, he figured he’d get ready for bed now, so he wouldn’t have to later.
“Yeah, it’s like the Goblet thing all over again, but hey, at least they talked to me a little!” he joked, trying to lighten the mood as he entered his room but didn’t close the door, and started getting changed, he heard Hermione's reply from her room.
“We’ll tell Neville, Par, Lavender and the Twins some time tomorrow, as for the rest, well, I’m not sure.”
“Sounds good.” Harry called back.
A few minutes later, he was in his pajamas, and he turned as he heard Hermione enter the room, dressed only in her white nightie. He gave her a questioning look, he had intended to go back out to the common room and just sit with her.
“I’m pretty sure neither of us have fed since this morning, and we’re coming up on twelve hours.” She said quietly, giving him a look. He swallowed, trying desperately to think of something, anything, to change the subject.
“What do you mean? We had lunch and Dinner.” He said, inwardly cringing at how pathetic that was. Hermione rolled her eyes.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it. I told you this morning Harry, we’re going to have to do that again. Several times at day at least, realistically, it’s too dangerous to us to keep it at just two instances a day, anything could come up that would leave one of us unable to feed when we have to, then we’ll start to deteriorate, and end up back in the Hospital Wing. And I don’t want to go through that ever again, and I don’t think you do either.” She paused, looking him up and down, then gave him a sheepish smile.
“Besides, I do sort of owe you one for making you endure Pomfrey’s ‘Talk’ today. So, we can either do it here, or in the Common Room, which would you prefer?”
Harry shuddered. As much as he wanted to Obliviate that entire hour from his mind, he knew everything Pomfrey had told him, in mind-scarring detail, was for his benefit.
“Uhm…here’s good…I think, you don’t have—” he was cut off as Hermione walked forward until they were both standing on the plush and thick sheep skin rug, and she sank to her knees, her hands moving to the waistband of his pajama bottoms.
“YES Harry, I DO! We BOTH do! We went over this this morning, now, I’ll do you first, then you do me, that sound good to you?” she looked up at him, and saw the conflicted look on his face, obviously thinking about what he’d revealed to her about his upbringing, she sighed. “We’ll work through it Harry, I’ll help you, I promise, but right now, we need to take care of each other’s needs.” And with that, she gave his bottoms a firm tug, and they piled around his ankles.
Harry opened his mouth to protest again, his hands moving to intercept her head, but any protest he might have been about to make died on his tongue, replaced by a surprised moan as he felt his hard shaft being enveloped by a wonderful wet heat. His hands, which had been about to pull her head away, instead gently gripped and cradled it, his fingers even started to move, gently stroking and caressing her as she hummed, then got to work.
-=-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 7: Adjusting
Notes:
We're getting closer to the First Task now...:P I think (and hope) you guys will like what I've got planned.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 7: Adjusting.
Monday, November 21st, 1994
Harry woke up slowly, feeling great. Well, as great as he could feel with the artificial sense of fatigue he felt. The hunger and the arousal making itself known between his legs were real, however. Despite that, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so good. He was on his back, alone in a large double bed, the mattress was softer and springier than his old bed from the Boy’s Dorm. Then he realized why he’d slept so well. It was so quiet. There was no sound except the faint tick-tock of a clock on the far wall. Rolling onto his side, he reached for his glasses and slipped them on, then cast a quick Tempus, seeing that it was almost 7 in the morning.
‘Gotta get up and get ready.’ He thought. As he stood, his mind wandered back to the night before, as he took full notice of how he was really feeling. He mentally sighed, remembering what Hermione had said. They’d fed each other at about 8pm the night before, so they were again coming up on the twelve-hour mark. Which would mean they’d have to feed each other again before breakfast, or push themselves a little and wait until after, but that wouldn’t leave them much time before classes started for the day, and they couldn’t skip half a day.
‘We really need to work out some sort of schedule, at least for the mornings. But Hermione is right, we’ll have to do this several times a day…every day…Merlin…I’m gonna be like a damn parasite. There has to be another way…’
As he turned to head towards his on-suite bathroom, he heard a light knock at the door. “It’s open Hermione.” He called, turning to face the door as it opened, and Hermione walked in, and Harry took in her full visage. She looked…well, she looked rested, like she’d just got a good night’s sleep, her hair was mussed up, her nightie disheveled, but looking in her eyes, he also saw the hunger there, as well as the faint arousal he knew she no doubt felt.
Closing the distance, he drew her into a tight hug.
“Morning Hermione, how’d you sleep?” he smiled into her neck as she returned the hug, pressing herself against him.
“Morning Harry. I slept fine.” She yawned. “Oops, sorry.”
He chuckled and pulled back, getting a good look at her. “That’s ok, how are you feeling?”
She gave him a once over. “Good, all things considered, a bit hungry though, and still a bit tired, and…well…” she made a vague gesture with her head, pointing down, he nodded.
“You too huh?”
She nodded, blushing a little, though not much, clearly, she was getting used to it, far faster than he was. “How about you?” he shrugged.
“I slept ok, feeling ok, apart from the obvious, though the hunger I think is genuine.” She nodded.
“It’s the curse, hopefully our bodies and magic will eventually adapt, and we’ll be able to go longer between feedings.”
Harry nodded and sighed. “Well, knowing my luck, mine won’t, but yours will. We really need to come up with some sort of schedule, at least for the mornings. I was about to take a shower, but we’re coming up on the twelve-hour mark, and breakfast starts at 8, classes start at 9, so depending on how long we spend eating breakfast, we’ll not have much time for…well…that. Plus I don’t know how quick we can…uh…finish. But I’m sure there will be moments where we’re really pressed for time, ya know?”
She nodded “Yes, you’re right, we do, that’s one of the reasons I came in here, I mean, we could do it now, but neither of us have had a shower yet, and there’s no telling how long we’ll have once we’re done before breakfast…” she paused, thinking, though her wet labia and hard clitoris tried to convince her to just shove him on the bed and climb on top of him like she had in the Hospital Wing, but she resisted. “Tell you what, we’ll each take a quick shower, freshen up as much as we can, then if there’s enough time before breakfast, we’ll do it in the common room, and if not, we’ll find somewhere secluded and try to be as quick as we can.”
Thinking it over, he nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He said, giving her another hug, then they parted ways. When he entered the bathroom, he took it in. it was impressive. A toilet, a sink with soap and his toothbrush and toothpaste, a towel rack with several small and large towels neatly folded hanging on it. And a large bath that also seemed to double as a shower, with what looked like a detachable shower head.
“Hm, not bad.” He mused, as he started going through his routine.
-=-=-=-=-
They had managed to get cleaned up relatively quickly, though they hadn’t really had time to see to their more pressing needs before they’d had to go to breakfast, which Harry reasoned, worked out in their favor, since it meant that they would be able to get the benefit of what they ate, but Hermione reminded him that it took several hours for their systems to fully digest food, and they probably wouldn’t be able to benefit from it until round about lunch, or mid-afternoon. Still, to avoid succumbing to the effects of the curse, they did promise each other that they’d to try and get a chance either at period breaks or lunch, if they couldn’t right after or before breakfast.
Harry raked his hand through his hair as they made their way down to the Greenhouses for Herbology, they still hadn’t had time to pull Neville or any of the others they’d planned to tell to one side during breakfast. Though there had been one positive. Sirius had replied, saying he’d call them via Floo later that night at 9pm so they could talk, and since they’d be alone, they’d be un-interrupted.
The persecutions from the other houses, on both of them, was still on-going, much to their chagrin.
Herbology went well, Susan even managed to get close and ask them, discreetly how they were doing. They replied that they were still figuring out how to cope with it daily, given their schedules.
Smiling, Susan leaned in and whispered, “Well, if either of you ever need a ‘boost’, send me a note or something and I’ll come meet you somewhere, maybe one of the unused classrooms. Daphne made the same offer, and I’m pretty sure Luna would too.” Hermione's face had turned beat red.
“Susan!”
“What?” the redhead replied.
Hermione gave her a look. “I’m not into girls!”
Susan snorted. “Me neither, but then, I’m not asking you to date me, I’m just offering something that you might need, when you need it. The fact that it’ll involve you licking my snatch is irrelevant. You get what you need to stay on your feet another twelve hours, a free snack, and I get a, hopefully damn good, orgasm out of it.”
Hermione spluttered, trying to keep her voice down as she worked on their class assignment. Harry's face was almost as red as a tomato. “And just what makes you think I’m any good at that? I’ve never done it before!” she said quietly. Harry nodded and added his own little bit to the conversation.
“Same here! I mean, I’ve only done it twice, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t that good.”
Hermione blushed, giving him a sheepish smile. “It was…okay.”
“’Okay’? Just ‘Okay’? You haven’t told him about that spell yet?” Susan asked, incredulous.
“What spell?” Harry asked. Hermione flushed again.
“It’s more of a technique than a spell, per se. Basically, if you tried using your Parseltongue ability while…uh…’Dining at the Y’, you’ll be able to bring her off faster, and also boost your own power levels.” Susan said, smirking. “I can’t believe you haven’t looked through it yet, didn’t you take the book with you?”
“Er, yeah, left it back in my new room.” Hermione said.
Susan rolled her eyes, then looked at Harry. “You really should read it Harry.”
She then paused, thinking, the nodded to herself. “Besides, there is one other option you could try, if timing is an issue.” The other two looked at each other, then back at her while they worked.
“Oh?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
Susan nodded, smirking. “Food.”
“Food?” Harry asked. She nodded again.
“Each of you takes an item of food the other wants, rub one out, then mix the results in, and give it to them. Simple.”
Hermione gasped, her eyes going wide, as she stared scandalized at her friend. Harry’s mouth had fallen open, his eyes wide as he also stared at her in disbelief. He vaguely noticed Hannah and Neville, along with Justin Finch-Fletchly starting to take notice. He wasn’t sure he could trust Justin with this kind of knowledge, but Neville they still needed to tell, he just hoped Hannah would be discreet.
“‘Rub one out’?! Just what kind of girl do you take me for Susan Bones!” Hermione hissed, making sure to keep her voice down, as she too had noticed they were starting to attract attention. Susan rolled her eyes.
“Fine. Masturbate. My idea is simple, at lunch and Dinner, take something that Harry wants to eat, masturbate to orgasm, then rub your pussy juice covered fingers onto and into his food, then give it to him. Harry, you can rub one off, holding some of her desert, and cum on it.” Susan explained, as casually as if she were discussing the weather.
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, blushing hard as they each pictured what would have to happen, before Hermione turned to Susan, whispering fiercely to avoid drawing attention. “Susan! I can’t just climb up onto the Gyffindor table, pull my knickers off, lift my skirt and squat over Harry’s Shepherd’s Pie!”
Susan rolled her eyes, then smirked, “I’m not suggesting you do it that way. I’m suggesting you go down to the Kitchens, ask the Elves to give you something you know Harry likes to eat, like a small cake or something, go somewhere private, then rub your fanny until you get yourself nice and wet, and after you cum, use your fingers to add it as a glaze. Simple. And hey, you never know, Harry could even take a small piece of apple pie for you and turn it into a creampie!”
“SUSAN BONES!” Hermione hissed, her face flushing again with embarrassment and frustration. Where was this coming from? Her friend had never been this forward before. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Susan shrugged. “Ok, I admit it, I’m a little jealous of you. I mean, you’re getting your fanny licked several times a day, or should be, at any rate. I can’t think of any other girl in the school who whouldn’t want to be that lucky. At least tell me how he is, what it feels like.”
“I’m right here you know.” Harry deadpanned.
“And I wouldn’t call us ‘lucky.’ Susan, we’re being FORCED to do this or we face a slow horrible death! Besides, we’re both still…learning things.” She paused, then remembered what had started this line of the discussion.
“How would we even get to the Kitchens?” Hermione asked.
“Wait, what? You’re actually considering this?” He asked.
Hermione looked at him and shrugged. “We still haven’t fed since last night Harry, I’m starting to get tired, and hungry, and I know you are too. This would at least give us an option for lunch and Dinner, or at least for after that. But realistically, we need to do this sort of thing more than 3 times a day, I’m not sure how many times would be ideal yet.”
“What’s going on you guys?” Neville asked, as he, Justin and Hannah moved closer. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks again, then both nodded.
“Remember what McGonagall said yesterday in the Common Room?” Harry asked, Neville nodded. “Well, Susan was just discussing with us possible ways we could manage the affects of the curse Draco used on us. Though we don’t want it getting out, it’s kinda personal.”
“It’s very personal.” Hermione huffed.
“Ok, it’s very personal, which is why McGonagall put us in Private Quarters. We don’t want it getting out, so…we want to limit who we tell. And those we tell will have swear never to tell anyone else until we say it’s ok.” Harry said. Neville nodded.
“Well, I won’t spread it around.” Hannah also shook her head, “Me neither.” Justin also agreed.
“Ok.” Hermione said, then quickly, as tactfully as she could, she outlined the curse’s affects, what it had done, how it worked, and what they now had to do daily, at least for the foreseeable future.
By the time she was finished, the hour long lesson was almost up, and Neville, Hannah and Justin were all blushing and trying not to look at the pair too awkwardly.
“Well…I can see why she’d put you in Private Quarters.” Hannah said. Neville nodded.
“Yeah…uh…so this curse, basically means you have to ‘feed’ from others in order to avoid starving, even though you eat food? And it says you can basically get it from anyone?” they both nodded, Hannah gave him an odd look, and he started to backtrack.
“Well, uh, I’m not saying I’m offering, I don’t think you’d accept anyway…uh…” Hermione smiled appreciatively, then patted Neville’s arm.
“I appreciate the thought Neville, but for convenience sake, and simply because it’s more comfortable for me, I’d rather it just be Harry.”
“What are you going to do about your…ya know…” Hannah asked, making a vague gesture towards Hermione's lower abdomen. “Time?” she finished, her blush increasing.
Hermione sighed. “I don’t know yet, I’m due next week. I’ll try to think of something.”
“Anyway, back to what we were discussing before Susan.” Hermione said after a pause “Where is the entrance?”
“Go to the entrance hall and take the stairway down leading to the Hufflepuff Basement. On the way there you’ll find a brightly lit basement hallway full of food themed paintings, one of which is a painting of a fruit bowl full of fruit. Just tickle the pear and it will giggle, then turn into a door handle, and you use that to open the door to the kitchens.” Susan said.
Harry blinked “So the kitchens are right below the Great Hall?” Susan and Hannah nodded.
“It’s worth a try.” Hermione said.
After the bell rang for the end of the lesson a short while later, the two Gryffindors started to make their way back into the castle, heading for their Care of Magical Creatures lesson, talking quietly, trying to discuss various ways of meeting their respective ‘Needs’.
Hermione quickly checked her watch, then looked around the corridor they were in to make sure they were alone, as the rest of the Gryffindors had moved on ahead, since they were still blanking Harry, though thankfully they hadn’t yet given them too much grief over the private quarters, though Ron still seemed angry.
“Why’d you stop Hermione? We’re gonna be late.” Harry asked. She didn’t respond, not with words. She just pulled him towards a shadowed alcove, since there weren’t any broom closets nearby, and promptly dropped to one knee, her hands moving quickly to the zipper at the front of his trousers.
“Whoa Hermione! What are you…? Here? Now?” he protested, the last two words coming out as strained whispers.
“Yes. Here. Now.” She growled as she got his fly open and worked her fingers into his boxers, finding his semi-hard shaft. As soon as she had him exposed to the air, she gripped him more firmly and slid back his foreskin, and leaned forward, wetting her lips as she pressed them to crown of his shaft in a kiss, which turned into a gentle embrace as they opened and she took in as much as she could. She didn’t take him all the way in, she’d learned the night before that while she could deep-throat him, she didn’t like doing it too much, as it stoped her from breathing, so instead, she just focused on sucking his shaft, using the hand holding it to stroke it, while her other hand went down under her skirt and into her knickers to find her smooth wet slit ready.
She figured it probably wouldn’t be the same for him getting it this way, but it would hopefully keep him going for a awhile. They also had the issue of time to consider.
They really didn’t want to be late for their next class and have to explain to Hagrid why.
So this would have to be quick. Quicker than she would have preferred, as she’d discovered she rather liked having Harry’s penis in her mouth. She liked sucking it, she liked the feel, the texture, the taste. She still wasn’t sure if it was just the curse, or whether she seemed to have a natural talent and affinity for oral sex, but she was quickly coming to the conclusion that she was ok with this. She was his best female friend, and she was willing to do anything for him. Even this. Even if the curse hadn’t been a factor, if he had wanted it badly enough and had plucked up the courage to ask her, she found herself admitting to herself that she honestly still would have done this. For him. Because she cared.
She thought back to yesterday and remembered her panic and worry that she wouldn’t be able to do this, and she mentally snorted. ‘You CAN do this Granger. You MUST do this. So you WILL do this. For as long as you need to. And you’re going to make damn sure you both enjoy it.’
Malfoy wanted her to be a cocksucker? Fine then, she’d be the best damn cocksucker that had ever gone to Hogwarts. But only ONE boy would EVER know just how good she intended to become.
And so, Hermione started to use the tricks she’d learned so far worked best. She hummed. Hummed and alternated between long firm sucks along his shaft, to gentle licks and sucks of his tip. Paying special attention to his frenulum and the small slit at the very tip.
All the while, her other hand was busy between her legs, fingering her passage, trying to get her fingers as coated as she could while also stroking her hard clitoris and swollen lips.
For his part, Harry was staring down at her in surprise, then quickly looked up and around to make sure they were truly alone. He tensed as he felt the warm heat of her mouth envelop him, and she began to lick and suck with determination, then she looked up at him, her brown eyes full of concern, compassion, and hunger.
“Her-Hermione…” he gasped as he started to shiver with ecstasy as he felt his shaft rapidly harden in the delicious confines of her mouth. When their eyes met, he saw her smile as she started to quickly bob her head.
She pulled back and kissed the exposed tip, her tongue flicking out to catch some of his pre-cum. “Mmm…that’s it Harry, come on…give me what I need, and I’ll be able to give you what you need.” She then started to rub his glans over her face. On her cheeks, her chin, even her eyes and forehead as she planted kisses up and down his shaft. She even pulled back his foreskin all the way, then licked the exposed skin and defined blood vessels, in long strokes of her flat tongue, even pressing it against his coronal ridge, before she once again closed her lips around it, leaving just his glans in her mouth, then she sucked hard.
Harry’s body jerked, his hips thrusting forward as he gasped, Hermione moaned as she used her tongue to press his glans against the roof of her mouth as she sucked. Her body alight with fire as she also continued to finger herself, her wet sounds of her fingers working between her legs barely audible over the sounds coming from her mouth. She was close, her clit was so hard and throbbing it almost hurt, she wished Harry could suck it, use his fingers, anything to help her reach her own peak.
As she gently massaged her clit, she felt his shaft harden and twitch, and suddenly, her mouth was filled with the thick warm liquid that she wanted. She moaned and closed her eyes as the taste of chocolate Cauldron Cake filled her mouth, and she swallowed, her own body shaking with climax as she did, and she felt the hand between her legs become coated in her juices.
Then the bell for next class rang.
‘Perfect.’ She thought, as she continued to suck the last few drops from Harry’s body. She then stood on shaky legs as Harry slumped back against the wall, Hermione reached out to steady him, then brought her slick fingers up to his face. Their eyes locked, hers full of renewed vigor, and his looking slightly tired.
“Go on Harry.” She whispered.
“Are you su—mmmMMPH!” what ever he’d been about to say was cut off as her fingers were pushed into his mouth, and he started to suck and lick them clean of the heady, thick, sweet-tasting juice that covered them.
“Better?” she asked after he’d swallowed and made himself presentable. He nodded. “Ok, lets get to Care, hopefully we won’t be too late.”
-=-=-=-
Draco Malfoy was not a happy Slytherin.
Not only had Potter and his Mudblood not been punished for nearly breaking his nose, then punching him in the balls—seriously, what were they? Savages?—then Granger kneed him in the face, which had broken his nose, and he’d needed Professor Snape’s help to fix it. Not only that, he’d also been denied access to the Hospital Wing. He’d gone there after finding out that yes, he really had been banned from Hogsmeade visits. The Old Goat had been serious after all, and that revelation had infuriated him so much, he’d gone to the Hospital Wing with the express intention of making Potter suffer some more, though Pomfrey had likely anticipated this, and set up a ward at the door way of the Hospital Wing that kept him out “As long as they’re here.” She’d said. Meddling old crone, once the rumored new Ministry Official was placed on the staff the following year, she’d be the first to go, right after the Old Fool.
He’d heard about this from his father in a short missive, it hadn’t revealed much, just that Fudge was looking for a reason to put one of his people on the Hogwarts staff next year, as he was not comfortable with the way the school was being run, and felt the Ministry needed a foot in the door. Apparently, there had been too many unusual instances in the last few years that the Minister did not like: First the Basilisk, then Black breaking in, and the Dementors somehow being driven off, then the escape of that feral Hippogriff, Buckbeak, and now Potter was in the Tournament.
Draco scowled.
Potter!
Draco had had to school himself to mask his surprise when they turned up for Care of Magical Creatures, once again being taught by the Lumbering Half-breed Oaf. He’d had to bite his tongue to suppress the snarl of rage when he saw they were perfectly fine, not tired at all. And they seemed to have a certain look about that, one they wouldn’t have had if they’d used the counter curse that he’d hoped they would.
Sure, if they had, he technically would have committed Line Assassination, which if he’d ever be convicted of, he’d get life in Azkaban, but he was sure his father would be able to get him out if that ever happened. But then, it was the Potter line, it wasn’t like it actually mattered! The Potters were removed from the list of Sacred 28 for a reason! Who gave a shit if the line got snuffed out?
Though apparently, according to his father, the Dark Lord would be returning soon, so that was good at least.
So it was pretty clear to him how and why they were back on their feet.
Still, there was some consolation out of all this. Granger would by now have to be giving head on a regular basis, so he reasoned, he could get her to put that mouth of hers to better use than quoting books. Sure, he could do a lot better than some mudblood, but…a blowjob was a blowjob.
Though he wasn’t about to proposition her in front of the Gryffindors and the Oaf, he decided he’d wait until later.
He turned his attention back to the Skrewt he was trying to work with. The thing was still small, about the size of a cat, it was long, with what looked like the body of a scorpion but without the tail, and it looked nasty. He couldn’t remember why Hagrid, sorry, the Lumbering Oaf thought it was a good idea to crossbreed a manticore and a giant fire crab. Draco shuddered. He did NOT want to think about how that could have possibly worked.
Surely these things violated the ban on experimental breeding, maybe he’d tell his father or the Minister about it and get the Oaf finally fired. The Skrewt was small, only recently hatched, and while he noticed it did not have a noticeable head, it was easy to tell which end was which, that’s the sparks that gave it it’s name. it was also easier to tell the difference between males and females, as the males had two scorpion tales, one at each end, but according Hagrid, the females were covered in suckers, meant for drawing blood.
And the one he was trying to deal with was one of the latter.
He looked over at Potter and Granger as they were able to successfully deal with the Skrewts they were trying to wrangle.
What were they supposed to be doing with these things again? He couldn’t remember. He considered asking Granger and Potter how it felt to be each other’s personal whore, but decided against it, for the time being at least. While he was pretty sure most of the Gryffs were still blanking him, as they should, he knew that if he said anything to Hermione, there was a chance they’d turn their wands on him, and he was surrounded by these little abominations, that, if he was guessing right, were all the females, and he did NOT want his blood sucked out by them. And he certainly didn’t want to earn a Detention from the Oaf. So he would bide his time.
He scowled as he saw Daphne Greengrass shooting Potter and Granger looks every now and then. He’d had is suspicions about her before, her family had remained Neutral during the last war, and part of him wondered if that would be the case this time around, but Greengrass was showing far too much interest in Potter…could she have…? No…the book was safe back in his trunk, he’d checked. He knew the counter curse was listed in other books, as it was just a general Sterilization curse, though even if they hadn’t found it and figured to use it, Potter would have died anyway, so it would have been a win either way in his mind. The Potter line would have been wiped out either way.
He’d have to confront her at some point.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Care went well for Harry and Hermione, well, it went as well as it could when they were dealing with small, creepy looking creatures that looked like the unholy lovechild of a lobster and a scorpion. Though according to Hagrid, they were the unholy lovechildren of a Manticore and a Fire Crab, though he didn’t call them that. Neither Harry nor Hermione wanted to know how he achieved that union.
Harry wasn’t sure why he’d bred the things, but he was sure it was for the Tournament.
“Alright there ‘Arry?” Hagrid asked as he came over.
“Yeah…uh…are you sure these things are safe? Or a good idea?”
“Sure they're safe! At least when they’re little like this, just need ta ‘andle ‘em with care is all.” Hagrid replied jovially.
“Right…sure.” Hermione said, trying to wrangle a couple of the little things and stop them from getting too close.
“Anyway, wha’ you two been up to? Haven’t see ya’ all weekend, no one would tell me anythin’.”
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, then nodded. “We’ll tell you later Hagrid.” Hermione said with a smile. The big half-giant smiled in return.
“Oh, befor’ I forget. ‘Arry, I’ll be by Gryffindor Tower to pick ya up tonight at abou’ 1 in th’ morning. Got somethin’ to show ya. It’s pretty hush-hush though. I’m not suppose’ to tell ya anythin’, but…uh…Dumbledore asked me ta.”
The two of them looked at each other, then nodded. “We’ll be waiting.”
Hagrid gave him a look. “Uh, only supposed to be showin’ you ‘arry.” He seemed a little uncomfortable as he gave Hermione an apologetic look.
“It’s ok Hagrid, I’d be telling Hermione anyway, so you might as well show us both. Besides, we’re in Private Quarters now.” Harry replied.
“Ya are? Why’s that then?”
“Tell you later tonight.” Harry said.
-=-=-=-=-
Care went ok for the most part, the only really amusing thing that happened was Draco panicking when one of the small female Skrewts started to crawl up his left trouser leg, he’d bent over to try and grab it and pull it out, only for two more of them to leap onto his face. Screaming and flailing, he’d fallen to the floor, while Crabbe and Goyle tried, in vain, to get the creatures off him. Hagrid had been forced to intervene, and then Draco had been carried off to the Hospital Wing, his face, neck and left leg covered in sucker marks and trails of blood.
The class let out at lunch time, and Harry and Hermione made their way into the castle, heading for the Entrance Hall. “We’re not going to the Great Hall?” Harry asked as Hermione led him, she shook her head.
“I want to see what the Kitchens are like, have a talk with the Elves. Yes I’m still not happy with them working here, but…honestly, we have slightly more important things to worry about than SPEW.” She replied, not looking back at him as they entered the entrance hall, ignoring the students who walked past them, they headed to the door Susan had mentioned, then descended to the basement hallway. After a few turns, they found themselves in the hallway with the food-themed paintings.
“That one.” Hermione said, pointing at a rather odd painting of a fruit bowl. Harry looked at it and shrugged, before reaching out to tickle the pear. It giggled, wiggled, then turned into a doorknob. Taking hold, Harry pushed open the door and the two of them entered the large kitchen.
It was a room almost as big as the Great Hall, with rows of counter tops full of pots, pans, bowls and plates lining all the walls. A huge fire burned at the opposite end of the room to the main doors. The room also had many counter tops where various food items were being prepared, some already were.
It was also full of House Elves, who all turned to look in their direction when they entered, but most quickly went back to work, but one particularly heavy-set Elf stepped forward, wearing a dirty vest that bore a badge with a stylized ‘H’, denoting him as a Hogwarts Elf.
“Whats can Pitts be doing for yous? Shouldn’t yous be up in the Great Hall?”
“Erm…” Harry began, scratching his head, not sure how to begin. This was going to be a very awkward conversation. He looked at Hermione for help, but she seemed to be just as flustered. ‘This probably would have been easier with Dobby.’ He thought…maybe.
“Well…you see…my friend and I have recently become afflicted a magical condition that…now requires us to meet certain dietary needs…” Hermione said blushing. The Elf raised an eyebrow, even though he seemed to be completely hairless.
“Yous be wanting certain foods then? What foods you bes needing?” he asked.
“No, it’s not that.” Hermione said, fiddling with her hands, wondering how much she could say without explaining everything. She didn’t know this Elf like she did Dobby. “We were wondering if we could take something with us out of the Hall or the Kitchens, well, anything that wouldn’t be considered a snack, like a small pastry or something.” Hermione mentally cringed, remembering Susan’s ‘Creampie’ comment.
Pitts nodded slowly, obviously a little confused. “Yes. Yous can bes doing that.”
“Well, meeting our unique needs would require somewhere…a bit private, somewhere where we won’t be disturbed.” She added. Pitts looked thoughtful.
“Yous could bes using the Come and Go Room.”
“Uh…the what Room?” Harry asked.
“The Come and Go Room.” Another Elf replied, stepping forward. This Elf, a female, looked young, like Winky, dressed in a pink and worn pillowcase. “Also being called the Room of Requirement.”
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, then looked at her. “We’ve never heard of it. Where is it? What does it do?”
“We uses it to store things.” Pitts said. “It responds to the wishes of the one who opens it. It can create anything the one openings it wishes. If yous be needing a place to sleep and yous can’t bes getting into yous Dorms, it will becomes a bedroom.”
“Amazing…Where is it?” Hermione asked, already thinking of the possibilities.
“Seventh Floor, opposite the Tapestry with the mad Wizard tryings to teach Trolls to dance.”
“Wait a minute, the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy? How many times have we walked past that? There’s nothing opposite that, just a blank wall.” Harry said.
“Yous needs to be walkings back and forth three times in front of the tapestry, and be thinking about whats yous really be wanting or needing. Tipsy will show yous.” The female Elf said. Hermione smiled at her.
“Thank you. Erm, we’ll take some sandwiches, and a pot of tea please, oh and some fudge cake please.”
The Elves nodded. “Pitts will sees to your order, Tipsy will bes showing yous where to find and how to open the Room.” Pitts said, nodding to Tipsy before turning away.
They followed the little Elf out of the kitchens and back up to the entrance hall, and in ten minutes or so made their way up to the Gryffindor corridor, stopping in front of the tapestry.
“So we just walk back and forth in front of this three times?” Harry asked. Tipsy nodded.
“While yous be thinking of what yous really need.”
The two exchanged a look, then Hermione started pacing back and forth, a look of concentration on her face. On the third pass, a large wooden door appeared in the wall. Hermione stepped forward and opened the door, revealing a small grass covered area, sunny blue sky, and a moderate temperature, it felt almost like spring as they entered. Looking around, they saw it was a park. A picnic blanket was already laid out on the ground.
“This is nice…” Harry said, surprised at the temperature. Hermione smiled as she looked around, then bent to feel the grass.
“It feels real, I’d love to see the magic that went into creating this room. This is some seriously complex conjuration and transfiguration.” Hermione muttered to herself as Harry sat on the blanket as Pitts appeared, levitating three trays with their orders and a pot of tea on the third, along with some milk and sugar.
“Thank you.” Hermione said, offering to take the trays, but Pitts just set them down, gave her a curt nod, then vanished. Tipsy looked at them.
“Is there anythings else yous bes needing?” she asked.
“No thanks, we’re good I think.” Harry said, she nodded and vanished.
“How’d you come up with this?” Harry asked as he tucked into his lunch and she did the same.
“It’s a small public park near where I live.”
“It’s nice. We’re really gonna have to see what this room can do.” Harry said, “It’s not on the map, guess that means the Marauders never found it.”
“Or they did, but didn’t know what it was, so never recorded it.” Hermione shrugged.
Harry nodded as they ate.
“I wonder what else this room can do?”
“Well, I’m assuming that this room uses advanced conjuration and intent reading wards, or charms. Well, I’m guessing that there are limits to what it can create, for instance, nothing that is naturally alive can be created here, so this grass might feel real, but it isn’t. It probably also might not be able to create food, though water, probably. If it doesn’t violate the laws of either physics or magic to do it, I’m sure the room will be able to make it.” Hermione concluded.
“It’ll have to be tested more later. After lunch though, I’ve got Arithmacy and you’ve got Divination.”
“Joy.” Harry muttered as he finished his sandwich, pouring some tea for himself. “More predictions of my impending demise. Fun.” He finished sarcastically.
Hermione smiled. “You really should have switched you know. Maybe you can take Ancient Runes next year with me.”
Harry thought for a moment…yeah, that would be nice.
Once they were done with their main meals, Harry looked down at the two deserts they’d brought, and he swallowed, remembering the conversation they’d had with Susan, and then Pitts, as he assumed, that was why they’d come here, and not just to have a quiet meal alone.
‘We’re not even dating yet, if there will even be a yet, and we’re already doing things that I’d never thought I’d do.’ He thought.
“Well…I might, depending on how the rest of this year goes.” Harry said, before he eyed her up and down. “So…why exactly are we in here? Not that I’m complaining having a nice quiet lunch with you, but I thought we could get the opportunity to tell the others, at least those we were going to tell, about our…situation.”
Hermione hummed. “Weeell…I had originally intended to test out what Susan suggested we try…” she said, her face reddening. Harry's did too.
“Uh, ok…and now? I’m honestly not sure how I feel yet about doing that in front of you. Sure, we’ve had to do other stuff, but that sorta thing is…ya know…private. And besides…well…you know I feel about—” a raised hand cut him off, and Hermione glared at him.
“That’s the Dursleys talking Harry! And they were talking about you specifically, not teenagers in general. They just didn’t want you to have any self-worth or sexual desire or knowledge. So we need to fix that, and the sooner the better. This issue wasn’t on my mind when we came in here, but, now you’ve brought it up, we can work on that.”
“And how do you intend to do that?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
“How ever it takes. For as long as it takes. If telling you that it’s perfectly normal and healthy for you to have sexual desires, thoughts and urges about girls doesn’t work, then I’ll have to resort to showing you.”
“There’s uh…no need for that.” Harry said, awkwardly, avoiding her gaze. Hermione pursed her lips and thought for a moment.
“I know that you’ve probably noticed the pretty girls in the school, particularly around our year and maybe a couple a year or two above us.”
Harry nodded and looked away, feeling uncomfortable. He had noticed the girls around the school. Hell, he’d even ogled Susan, right there in front of Hermione and two of her friends. He wasn’t blind for Merlin’s sake! He’d even started to notice Cho Chang, the rather attractive Ravenclaw he’d seen every now and then.
He suddenly winced as an unfamiliar and unpleasant feeling spread through his gut as he thought of the other girls, that feeling increased as he looked up at Hermione and saw the flash of unhappiness in her brown eyes.
“You’re beautiful too Hermione.” He said quietly, hoping to take that slightly hurt expression off her face, he wanted to reach out and comfort her and screw Trelawney and her weekly predictions of his death. Hermione looked at him, smiling faintly.
“Thank you, Harry.” She said quietly. She then closed her eyes to think, then opened them and looked at him. “Well, the other reason I brought up the subject of the other girls is, you may not always be able to feed from me. I start my cycle next week, around Sunday maybe, though it varies from month to month. And as much as I do enjoy you licking me, and I like to think you’re starting to like it too, I doubt you want to be doing that while I’m bleeding.”
Harry shook his head, remembering that detail from The Hour of Mental Torture, thank you Pomfrey. He certainly did NOT want to accidently swallow any of that. If he were a Vampire, maybe, but he wasn’t.
“Well, in that case, you need to feed from someone during that week, and I know Susan, Luna and Daphne have already offered, but I’m sure there are plenty of girls who have a crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived, and would happily drop their knickers for you if they knew the reason why.”
“I doubt all of them would, and besides, you know I hate that name, and what it means.”
Hermione nodded “Fair point, I can’t imagine all of the Slytherins being willing to do what I and apparently my friends are willing to do.”
Harry shrugged “Well, recently, I think most wouldn’t be willing to help me.”
“We’ll prove you didn’t do it Harry, somehow. They’ll have to believe you eventually.”
“I don’t know Hermione, I just feel like I’m using you, in some way. Like we’re only doing this because we have to.” Harry said, his face conflicted.
Hermione sign as she moved closer and drew him into a hug.
“It’s ok Harry. At first, yes, we were only doing this because we had to, but now that I’ve done it a few times…well, to be honest, I’m starting to like it, really like it actually.” She pulled back from the hug, blushing as she continued “In fact, I’m ok with this. I’m perfectly at ease with what we’ve been doing, because you’re my best friend, I’ll do anything for you and I trust you. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I really like having you in my mouth. If Draco wants me to be a cocksucker, then that’s ok with me, I’ll be the best Merlin-damned cocksucker in the entire school, but I’ll never be sucking his, not willingly at any rate.”
Harry swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “You’re…ok with this?” He asked. She nodded.
“I realized earlier today that, even if this curse wasn’t a factor, I’d still be willing to do it for you, if you’d ever plucked up the courage to ask me.”
Harry snorted, “I wouldn’t have counted on it. You know what my upbringing was like, what they told me. Sure, I’ve…taken care of things myself, but it’s never felt right, you know?”
She nodded sadly. “I know, what they’ve done to you has been horrible, and I want to help you get through that, and I’ll be damned if you’re ever going back there, even for a day. I don’t care what wards are around that place, they clearly don’t protect you from the Dursleys, I’m going to send a message to my parents and ask them if it’ll be ok for you to join us at the end of term.”
“Wait, what? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, have you told them about…” he vaguely gestured to the both of them. She shook her head, an embarrassed expression on her face.
“No, I haven’t told them anything yet, I honestly don’t know how. Could you imagine them reading that letter? “Dear Mum and Dad, sorry I haven’t sent you a letter lately, but I’ve had a lot to deal with. My best friend is being forced to compete in a tournament that has killed past participants. I was recently cursed by a blond-haired little prick and I’m now forced to suck a dick and swallow the boys cum several times a day just to survive. My best friend who decided to use himself as a human shield was also hit, and now must lick pussy just as many times a day. What’s new with you guys?” oh yes, I can just imagine their reaction.” She deadpanned.
“Well, if I’m gonna be staying with you, you’d have to tell them, there’s no way they’d let us sleep together, we’d never be able to go anywhere private for long, at least long enough for us to do what we need to do, and we certainly won’t be able to try and do what Susan suggested, which we still haven’t done.” He said. “Besides, do we really need to do that now? I mean, we did it earlier before Care.”
“True, but you didn’t get much, and well…” her cheeks flushed as she uncrossed her legs and sat back, spreading them a little, letting him see the white material of her knickers between her smooth thighs. “I still want to prove to you that it’s completely normal for teenagers our age to masturbate, and healthy, physically, emotionally and mentally to boot. Besides, we do need to try what Susan suggested at some point, why not now?”
“Uh…we might not have the time? It’s nearly end of lunch, and I’ve got my Weekly Prediction Of Doom to get to, and you’ve got Arithmancy.” He said, doing his best to try and ignore the erection that was starting to form.
She sighed, “Ok, point, BUT, we are going to try this at some point. I also want you to get to know Susan, Daphne and Luna better as well. I know I’ve only just met Luna, but I’m going to try and get to know her too, but it’s important you get to know them also. As I said, I’m on my cycle next week, so you may not be able to feed from me as often as you otherwise could, and Daphne, Susan and Luna have volunteered to help you, so, if they come to you and make an offer, you WILL accept it! I will be checking with them, as well as any other girls who offer to help you, and if I find that you’ve been neglecting yourself, putting your own health, even your life at risk, I will be very upset with you! Is that clear Harry?”
He nodded, reaching for the chocolate cake she’d ordered for them. While they hadn’t gotten around to doing what Hermione had originally intended, this private little lunch had been nice.
Hermione nodded in approval, reaching for her own desert, a piece of apple pie and sitting up. “I meant what I said Harry; you’re my best friend, I’ll do anything for you, and I trust you with my life.” ‘And while I love you as a friend, I’m starting to hope we can one day be more, if you’ll say yes.’ She added silently.
Harry smiled at her, feeling a surge of warmth within him. “And you know I’d do anything for you Hermione, you’re my best friend, one of my first friends ever, and you know I’ll trust you with anything. I mean hell, you’re one of the few people who stood beside me through everything here.” ‘And I do love you Hermione, at least, I think I do, I just don’t know what love is, I’ve got no frame of reference…’ he thought.
Hermione smiled and leaned forward, drawing him into a tight hug. “I meant what I said Harry. I’ll do anything for you. If you need to feed, and we’re alone, just tell me, and I’ll happily let you. Ok?”
“Uh, sure thing. Did you…really mean what you said? About ya know…”
“How much I like having your willy in my mouth? Yes. I did. And yes, I really do.” She whispered huskily into his ear.
Harry sucked in a breath as a chill shot down his spine and he felt himself harden fully. “Gee, thanks Hermione. How am I going to concentrate on Trelawney telling me I’m going to die horribly with this?” he asked, pulling back, looking down, then back up at her. A knowing smirk and a glint in her eye told him that was the reaction she’d been hoping for. ‘When did she get so…Amorous?’
He moved to pull away, but one of his hands came down and brushed against a robe covered breast, and before he realized what was going on, his fingers had closed around it, and given it a gentle squeeze, making her moan and close her eyes.
He jumped back as if he’d been scolded, his eyes wide, face flushing with embarrassment and horror. “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean—” he was cut off by a light giggle from his friend, who smiled at him, her face showing no trace of alarm or anger, only amusement, with undercurrents of lust burning in her eyes.
“Harry James Potter, after everything we’ve done over the past 18 or so hours, you freak out at accidently squeezing my right boob? Those god damned Dursleys…” her smile faded, her face and tone becoming serious. “Ok, I’ll make this simple for you: You have my full permission to touch, stroke, caress, rub, squeeze, lick, kiss, suck and even finger any part of my body you want, whenever you want or need to. Within reason. Is that good enough for you?” she asked, tilting her head as she finished off her apple pie.
Before Harry could say anything, the bell rang, signaling the end of Lunch hour, and the start of afternoon classes. The two quickly finished up and stood, hugged then left the Room of Requirement, watching as the large wooden door faded into nothing as soon as it closed behind them.
“We’re definitely using this room again.” Hermione said, Harry nodded as they both made their way to their classes. They split up, after another hug, agreeing to meet up at Dinner in the Great Hall, though the proposal of telling the Twins and the Gossip Queens was tabled, as Hermione said she wanted to think on it. Still, if anyone asked, they’d explain at their discretion.
-=-=-=-
Divination went about as well as Harry expected it to. With Trelawney predicting his death yet again, this time it involved fire and a lot of teeth, or drowning under a lot of water, or getting lost in some hedges and getting pounces on by something big and nasty. He’d just tuned her out. While she had made an accurate prediction with Wormtail the year before, she didn’t seem to be able to remember making it. He was honestly thinking of dropping the subject, as it just seemed to be a waste of time.
He figured Lavender would probably be pissed, maybe, since she seemed to take the whole Divination thing rather seriously, though Harry just figured she was buying into the whole con.
After nearly falling asleep, and being assigned homework he really didn’t want to do, he left the class and headed towards the Great Hall along with the rest of his classmates. Ron was still ignoring him, in fact, most of them were, but Ron seemed especially determined, even going as far as to glare at Harry every time their eyes did meet. And if Harry was honest, it was starting to annoy him.
-=-=-=-
Albus Dumbledore sat at the Staff Table in the Great Hall, surreptitiously watching Harry and Hermione as he ate. Something was wrong. He hadn’t seen them at lunch, and a quick enquiry with the portraits and various armor suits in the castle had confirmed that they’d gone down the Kitchen below, and had spoken to Pitts, the Elf in charge. What he had told them, the Elf did not divulge, but the Elves had told him that the request he’d made of them had been fulfilled: Harry and Hermione's food had been laced with mild lust potions, starting that morning at breakfast, and again with their lunch. A slightly stronger dose was to be added to their evening meal. He’d also placed a silent compulsion charm on Viktor Krum, compelling the young man to seek out Hermione and attempt to befriend her, but the lad had not been able to get the opportunity to do so at lunch, and was now sat with his peers, so would not be able to now either.
Where had they gone? His mind cast back to the meeting he’d had with Minerva the day before, after the details of the curse had been revealed, and Minerva had left his office, he’d raged, cursing the Malfoy brat for his stupidity! The meddling little shit was putting the Greater Good at risk! While Dumbledore did not know if the curse would affect the Bonding, he had to assume it would, and being forced into such close quarters, having to do such things so regularly…the odds of the two Bonding, even without knowing it, increased greatly. The fact that starting the process required a conscious effort on the part of the Witch involved was potentially irrelevant, and if it was…
Still, he reasoned, it wasn’t a total loss, the Bond, if it had started to form, could be broken or shifted to another Wizard, such as Krum, or Weasley, which was partially what he’d hoped to start happening at lunch. Still, he reasoned, the future of the Magical World was safe, Hermione could not become the next Lady Potter, that spot was reserved for young Ginevra, as per the contract he and Molly had penned shortly after her birth. With Harry marrying Ginny, and the Potters being once again counted among the Sacred 28, the Magical World would once again stabilize. The Greater Good demanded it. It was just a shame young Harry would never live to see it, but his child, borne from Ginevra’s womb, would.
The First Task was just days away, the dragons were arriving that night, Harry and the two foreign Champions would learn of them, and get their eggs, which would set up the next Task. He could possibly try compelling Hermione into showing favoritism to Krum, rather than Harry during the First Task, and if that failed, there was the Yule Ball, following which, he could suggest to Igor that Hermione be Krum’s Hostage, that would be sure to get the papers talking, and to start building relations between the two. This of course would no doubt infuriate young Ronald Weasley, who clearly had his eye on the girl, if the furiously jealous looks he was giving the two now were any indication. Clearly, he had not taken the news of their new living arrangements well.
‘Hmm…this is a problem. Young Mister Weasley’s jealously is driving a wedge between him and the other two, and driving Harry closer to Hermione, though their new living arrangements and the curse are not helping there either. I will have to speak with him soon.’ Dumbledore thought.
-=-=-=-=-
Hogwarts Head Boy’s Quarters, Gryffindor Tower.
Harry looked at the clock above the fireplace as he sat on one of the sofas in their Private Common Room, it was getting close to 9pm, and Harry was starting to get ‘hungry’ again, he could tell Hermione was too, though neither of them could do anything, as Sirius was due to call any minute.
Suddenly, the fire flared into a roaring flame and turned green, then Sirius’s head appeared.
“Sirius!” Harry said, getting up off the couch and getting down to sit on the rug in front of the fire, joined by Hermine a moment later.
“Hey pup, Hermione, how are you guys doing?” Sirius asked.
“We’re doing ok, thank you.” Hermione replied, smiling.
“We can’t talk long though Sirius, Hagrid is coming by at about 1am to pick me up, says he wants to show me something.”
“Us Harry, he’s coming to pick us up. Whatever he’s showing you, he can show me.” Hermione said, determined. Sirius smiled, this was really bringing back memories for him.
“Well, I won’t be here that long. So, what exactly has been going on with you two and Malfoy? You said he’d cursed you, and that you were managing it with ‘treatments’, what treatments? You also said you’d explain more later. Now it’s later. So spill!” Sirius said.
So they told him everything. Including their new living arrangements and what they had to do for each other, and Hermione’s theory as to why.
Harry snorted “If Draco wanted to kill off the Potter bloodline, there are easier ways for him to do it.”
Sirius scowled, letting out a small growl. “That little shite will pay Harry, I promise, he’s going to get a nasty shock when he comes of age, hopefully sooner.”
“How? There can’t be much you can do.” Hermione said, Sirius nodded.
“True, I can’t legally expel him from the Black Family and disinherit him, only my successor can do that, or unless I’m cleared, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. But there are things I can do, such as visit Gringotts and update my Will, and make it official, along with what I’m about to do in relation to you pup.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked. Sirius grinned.
“I’m naming you my heir. That means if anything happens to me, everything in my name, as the current Lord Black, will pass to you.”
Harry was speechless, as was Hermione.
“I…Sirius…I don’t know what to say.”
Sirius grinned “Well, ‘Thank you’ would be a good place to start, followed by ‘Don’t be in a hurry to die.’”
“Thank you, Sirius.” Harry said, smiling, his eyes pricking with tears as he felt Hermione wrap her arms round him in a hug. Sirius watched them, smiling at them with pride. They were so much like Lily and James it was almost frightening, it filled him with warmth and sadness. He really missed his friends.
“Ok, I’m gonna leave you guys to your evening, if you find out what the Task is let me know before hand ok?” They nodded. And with a last smile, he was gone, the fire calming and returning to normal.
-=-=-=-=-
Hagrid came to collect them outside of the Fat Lady’s portrait at exactly 1 am, just as he said he would.
Though Hermione was hidden with Harry under his cloak, Hagrid was initially hesitant to bring her along, but Harry said he would have just told her anyway, so the half-giant relented.
It took a while, but they eventually made their way out of the castle and into the Forest, huddling closer to Harry as they entered the trees, and noises that did not belong to the forest became audible.
As they came to the edge of a clearing, Harry paused as he felt Hermione stiffen next to him, even pressing closer to him. Harry saw off to the side Igor Karkaroff with Krum, and on the other side, Maxime with Fleur, but there was no sign of Cedric. Harry scowled.
“I don’t see Cedric.” He whispered, “Look, there’s Karkaroff and Krum, and over there, there’s Maxime and Fleur. But no Cedric…”
Hermione didn’t respond, her gaze was focused forward on the clearing, and the four large cages, with numerous people buzzing around them. It was what was inside the cages that had caught her attention.
Dragons.
Four of them. All looking incredibly agitated, and angry, all snapping at the humans running around, occasionally breathing jets of flame and roaring.
“‘Ello Charlie!” Hagrid called, drawing the attention of one of the wizards who came over. He looked like a younger Arthur, or and older Percy. His red hair giving him away as a Weasley even from a distance.
“Evening Hagrid, nice bunch aren’t they? Swedish Short-snout, Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball and Hungarian Horntail. Each with a freshly laid clutch. Though it’s odd that they requested four, not three. It was a close thing, getting the Horntail, we almost had to get one of the Nadders or Nightmares.”
“Oh? Didn’t think there were any of those Northern species left.” Hagrid said, raising a bushy eyebrow.
“Very few. That’s why we’re glad we were able to get the Horntail, the other dragon species are so critically endangered, that the wardens on the preserves that have them would probably have refused to lend them if we’d asked.” Charlie said.
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, they’d never heard of Nadders or Nightmares, they had no idea what kind of dragons they could be.
“So, how come there’s a fourth Dragon in the rositor?” Charlie asked.
“A fourth name came outta the Goblet.” Hagrid said.
“What?! Who? HOW?” Charlie asked in shock.
Hagrid looked at the two concealed Gryffindors, a slightly apologetic look on his face.
“Well, that’s the thing ya see. It was Harry’s name that came outta the Goblet.”
“What? How the bloody hell did he manage that?” Charlie asked. Harry growled, scowling, clenching his fists. Hermione took one of his hands in hers, silently offering her support. Hagrid cleared his throat.
“Well…’e claims he didn’ put ‘is name in, that someone else musta done it.” Hagrid said. Charlie thought for a moment, then sighed.
“Well, I’m guessing Ron isn’t too happy about this. I sent him a letter couple of days ago letting him know I was coming in, and that I was bringing some Dragons with me for the First Task. I’m guessing he hasn’t told Harry about them.”
“No. He did not.” Harry growled quietly. His words drowned out by the dragons, but Hermione heard him. She let go of his hand and instead wrapped an arm around him in a hug, which he returned.
“Don’t think he has yet.” Hagrid said, shaking his head. Charlie sighed.
“Guess I’ll have a word with him.”
“Well, I need ta be gettin’ back. It was nice seein’ ya again Charlie. Good night.”
“Same to you Hagrid.” Charlie said.
-=-=-=-=-
“Dragons…Dragons. We’re supposed to be facing Dragons! How the hell are we supposed to do that?!” Harry said as soon as they were in their Common Room, and Hagrid had left. The intention to tell him about the curse forgotten.
“Nesting females at that! Are they completely insane?” Harry ranted, huffing as he started to pace. Hermione looked at the clock, it was nearly 2 in the morning.
“We’ll figure this out Harry, you and me, together. And we’ll warn Cedric tomorrow, that’ll give you and him two days to prepare.” Hermione said, before she drew him into a comforting hug.
“For now though, we need to get to bed, I’ll even join you tonight, I doubt you want to be alone right now.” Hermione said, drawing back to look at him. He did look tired, though that was probably due more to the actual time than anything else.
Harry paused then nodded tiredly, suppressing a yawn, then pulling back. “I think I’d like that.” And with that, the two of them headed for his room.
-=-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 8: The First Task
Notes:
Merry Christmas folks! (for those that celebrate it) Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!
I know I said that I'd hoped to get the Yule Ball chapter out in time for Christmas, but my schedule got thrown off a bit, so you'll be getting that some time in January.
Instead, you get my rendition of the first task, with a special little twist at the end, I think, and hope, you guys will like it. Please let me know what you thought.
Now, enjoy the chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 8: The First Task.
Tuesday, November 22nd, 1994.
Head Boy’s Quarters, early morning.
Harry was warm. That was the first thing he noticed as his mind started to wake up. The second thing he noticed was that he was laying on his back, and he had a rather prominent morning erection. The third thing he noticed, was that it was wet. Very wet. And somewhere hot. And tight.
As he blinked, one hand came up to rub his face, while the other went down under the quilt to investigate, and quickly found a soft head of bushy hair over his erection. He quickly reached for his glasses and put them on, then lifted the blanket and looked down his naked torso into the smiling brown eyes of his equally very naked bushy-haired bedmate and best friend, who smiled around the hard penis she was gently suckling when her eyes met his, and she winked.
“Mmm…Hermione?” he asked groggily.
Hermione slowly dragged her mouth up his shaft, until just the crown was left between her pink full lips, until it came free of its wonderful prison with a wet ‘pop’ and she sighed and started to lick and kiss the shaft.
“Morning Harry.” She purred, “Hope you don’t mind, I woke up a short while ago and found this rather impressive wand of yours poking me rather insistently between my legs, so I thought I’d have a little bit of a pre-breakfast breakfast, if you know what I mean.” She ended her statement by taking his shaft back into her mouth and slowly, gently sucking it as she went down, taking nearly all of it.
“Uhh…oh Merlin…I…No…I don’t mind…at all…oh man that feels nice…” he replied, smiling as he started to gently caress her head. She smiled up at him again and started to suck a little harder.
She also started to hum while she gently bobbed her head, keeping eye contact with him as much as she could. Each time she drew back enough so that only his tip was in her mouth, she lavished it with her tongue. She was still learning what he liked, and what worked best, but she was nothing if not a fast learner, and she was getting lots of practice.
Then she tried something new. She started humming again, but this time, it wasn’t a drawn-out purr, it was a melody, something that reminded her of a John Williams tune.
Harry gasped, tensing, his hips moved of their own accord as he thrust upwards a little, Hermione backed off, but didn’t take him out of her mouth. He looked down, an apology on his lips, but it never left them as he met her eyes, dark with lust and hunger, as she descended, taking his entire length into her mouth, even pushing down the flesh of his pubic mound, giving herself an extra inch to enjoy.
“H—Her—Hermione!" he choked, not sure how long he could hold on with the exposed head of his dick being squeezed and massaged by the top of her throat. Her eyes started to water as she felt her gag reflex start to fight back against the object she was taking into her throat, she silently hoped that with enough time, and practice, she’d learn to ignore it. she closed her eyes and continued to suck, pausing every few moments to take a deep breath through her nose, her lungs filling with his intoxicating musk.
She shivered as another surge of arousal shot through her, she felt her nipples tingle and harden even more than they already were, if that were possible. Her erect clitoris, which was protruding from it’s protective hood and through her labia throbbed almost painfully, and she moaned, almost whimpered with desire. She wanted him. Badly. And she didn’t want to just suck his balls dry, she wanted to mount him. To straddle his waist and impale herself on this delicious piece of meat she was currently devouring as best she could.
She thought back to what she’d said on Sunday in the Hospital wing before she’d straddled his face then 69’d him, remembering the panic she’d felt, and she mentally snorted and rolled her eyes. She’d been an idiot to be so worried. The damage to their reputations that she’d feared hadn’t happened. Sure, she and Harry had been forced into living close quarters, and forced to do things that normally, they’d only be doing if they were dating, though not as often, but if she was honest with herself, she was learning to cope rather well, and quickly. Far quicker than she’d first thought, and she’d told the truth the day before, when she’d told Harry, rather bluntly, that she would not only have been willing to do this if he’d ask, and the curse wasn’t in play, she also admitted, to him and to herself, that she enjoyed this.
As she worked, she also started to think more about her feelings for him, and she found herself pondering one question in particular: How long would it be before they were officially dating? They were already as intimate, if not more so, that most couples who had been dating a few weeks or months, and it had only been two days! Two days, and despite the few times they’d ‘fed’ each other, they’d only seen each other naked once; that first time in the Hospital Wing, though Harry at first had been too exhausted to really take much notice, though his minor emotional crisis after the fact had shed light on why he hadn’t really looked at her once he was strong enough.
‘That’s something I really need to work on. And sooner, the better. If it will take me being his girlfriend to convince him that everything he’s been told his wrong, then that is what I will be.’ She paused her internal dialogue, lifting her head to leisurely suck on his glans, licking his frenulum with long gentle strokes, which she’d learned, he really liked. ‘Besides, considering how much we care about each other, and what we’re doing, I’m surprised we haven’t declared our true feelings to each other yet…and then there was last night…’ she paused as she felt his shaft twitch then swell a little, accompanied by Harry’s grunted cry.
“Her…Hermione! I’m—“ his words turned into a choked gasp as she felt his shaft pulse in her hand, and her mouth was filled with the warm, thick, sweet liquid she found herself starting to crave.
She moaned around his shaft as she hungry yet leisurely swallowed every trace, her fatigue leaving her as soon as she felt that warm, life-giving, and in her case, life-saving, seed settle in her belly. She then slowly sat up, then raised herself up onto her knees, then shuffled forward until she was straddling his hips. The wet, saliva-coated glans of her lover’s penis just scant centimeters from her own dripping slit. It would be so easy. Just lower herself an inch, and he’d be inside her. Another two or three, and she’d no longer be a virgin.
She stopped herself, even as part of her, the part that was ruled by her snarling, screaming, howling libido demanded that she mount him and ride him until she screamed in ecstasy, until that same life-giving seed filled her womb, met and fertilized one of her eggs and created new life within her…
‘Whoa whoa whoa! Where the hell did THAT come from?! Hold your horses there Granger! You are TOO YOUNG to be thinking about babies!’
She shook her head, shaking that fantasy out of her mind, well, as much as she could, and looked down at him, smiling. “Look at me Harry.”
He did, his eyes trailing over her flushed face, neck and chest. Her breasts heaving as she breathed, her nipples hard points that capped each soft, firm mound. Her lips were swollen and red from sucking him, and between her legs, her other lips, still smooth, were wet. So wet in fact, that he could clearly see it, clinging to her labia and her clit, a few drops and even fallen out of her and onto his wet cock.
If he had to be honest, she was a vision of Devine beauty, and he would be perfectly ok waking up like this from now on.
“You’re…beautiful…Hermione.”
“Thank you. So are you, and sexy as hell.” She said, smiling at him, her eyes, still shining with carnal lust and desire, but he could also see another emotion he couldn’t quite put a name to. He took hold of her hips and tried to roll her onto her back so he could return the favor, but her next words stopped him cold.
“Shower with me.” Her words were a sultry purr as she smiled down at him.
“Are…are you sure?” he asked. She nodded.
“You. Me. Shower. Now.”
She then swung to the side and stood from the bed, holding out her hand. Harry took it and she pulled him up, then to his feet as she drew him into a hug, her chin resting on his shoulder, her naked front pressed against his. He pressed his face against her neck as he felt her arms go round him, hugging him tightly. He slowly, hesitantly brought his arms up around her, feeling her warm skin and body under and against his. He shivered, his semi-hard shaft bumped against her left thigh.
“See? This isn’t so bad is it? It’s perfectly normal and natural.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, even though she couldn’t see it. “It’s perfectly normal for two teenaged kids who aren’t dating to hug each other while naked?” He asked, not bothering to try and stop the cheeky grin that spread across his face.
“Prat!” She huffed, then grinned as she reached down and delivered a single smack to his right cheek.
“Ow! Hey!” He protested, pulling back, seeing the mischievous smirk on her face.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make it all better for you in the shower. Now come on, we’ve got about an hour and a half before breakfast.” She said as she turned and walked towards his bathroom, his eyes drawn to the firm cheeks as they swayed, despite his attempts to look else where.
-=-=-=-=-
A few minutes later, after they had each seen to their necessities, Hermione stepped into the large bath and reached to turn on the taps, redirecting the water to flow from the shower head as Harry stepped in beside her. Grabbing a flannel and some soap, they both started to lather up, before Hermione turned to him, her eyes once again dark with lust.
“You do me, and I’ll do you.” She said.
“You sure? I mean…” he paused, caught off guard. Her eyes narrowed.
“Remember what I said last night. If I this is what it takes to prove to you what we’re doing is completely normal, then so be it. Now, Harry…Touch me.” She said, her last words coming out as a purr, as she stepped out of the spray, facing away from him, arching her back, and pushing her bum towards him.
Harry gulped as he stepped forward, and he started to massage her shoulders with the flannel and a sponge. She moaned, bracing herself against the wall. Harry soon got into it, rubbing and massaging her back, slowly working his way down, occasionally going round her sides, then down her stomach.
“Mmmmm…yeeessss…” she moaned, pushing her hips back until her right cheek collided with his erection, and she giggled. Giggled. Harry blinked, he’d never known Hermione of all people to giggle. Then she did something he wasn’t expecting. She wiggled her hips. Feeling the warm smooth flesh of her butt rub against his hard shaft sent tingling sensation through it, making it harden and twitch against her just as she moved her hips to the right, pressing it between her cheeks. She sucked in a breath and pushed back against him as his hands moved down her back.
“Lower…” she panted, as she started to rock her hips, grinding against him.
“Are you trying to make me cum again?” he asked with a strained voice as he did his best not to look down at her bum as it ground against him.
“Maybe…” she grinned over her shoulder, her pupils dilated, “Now, put your damn hands on my arse Potter!” she growled, grinding her rump into his groin insistently.
Not really knowing what else to do, he did just that. His hands, still covered with soap, moved down to cup the smooth, soft and warm globes of muscle, he gave them an experimental squeeze, and Hermione moaned in approval.
His mind was a mass of confusion however, he couldn’t understand why or how she was acting this way, as he remembered, she’d been that way the night before as well. ‘It’s almost like she’s been dosed with something…’ he thought.
He forgot all about the water spraying over his back as he did as she instructed. ‘Wow…This is really…nice…and hot…she’s got a really nice bum.’
For her part, Hermione's mind was fogged, clouded with desire. ‘Hmm…this feels nice…I could definitely get used to this…but what’s up with me? I mean sure, I really like this, but I at least thought I’d ask Harry to be my boyfriend officially before I dragged him into a bloody shower! We haven’t even properly kissed yet!’ Hermione paused her musings as she gently rocked her hips against Harry's crotch, delighting in the new and erotic sensation of his hard shaft rubbing back and forth against the cheeks of her rump, and for a second, she debated whether or not to reach down and adjust his angle, press him against her dripping slit, then clamp her legs around him…but no, they didn’t have time for that, they had to get to breakfast and talk to Cedric. But first…
She turned around, breathing heavily as she panted with lust, her eyes dark and burning as she stared at him, her pupils dilated, her face, neck and breasts flushed. She reached down and grabbed his hands, she relinquished him of the flannel and discarded it, then shoved another bar of soap in his hand, before bringing both up to her breasts, and pressing them almost roughly to the soft mounds.
“Now my front…then I’ll do you…” she panted, ‘And I don’t care if we’re late to breakfast, I’m gonna DO you, Potter!’
‘Huh, ok, this is getting a little strange…a few minutes ago I was thinking how great it would be to have his kids…and now I’m thinking about just fucking him here in the shower…Something’s wrong Granger, you’ve either been dosed with a Lust Potion, or the Curse is affecting you another way…Either way, you are NOT ready to be a mum!’ she thought, but she found it hard to focus on her internal ruminations as Harry's hands moved down her flat stomach, covering her in a generous layer of soap.
Then he was kneeling in front of her, a cushioning charm built into the bath easing any discomfort, as his hands moved down over her stomach, her mons, then between her legs, covering her in soap, then started to glide over her thighs, she spread them and looked down at him. ‘Mmm…though his hands do feel nice…’
She giggled as he gently coaxed her to raise each foot which he did his best to wash, then he stood and grabbed a shampoo bottle she’d put on the side of the bath, squeezed some into his hands, then prompted her to turn round. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back and sighed as he started to work the shampoo into her water-soaked hair and scalp.
“Ya know…a girl could get used to this sort of treatment…” she hummed.
Harry raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Is this your way of asking me out Hermione?”
“Ask me again in a day or two…” she sighed as she reached back with a hand and took hold of his shaft, which had softened somewhat with the lack of stimulation. ‘Hmm…can’t have that.’ She thought, and began to gently stroke him.
“In two days I might be dead.” He said.
“Then I’ll make you a deal. Survive the Task, then you’ll get your answer.”
Harry thought about it, then nodded, as he reached for the shower head then started to rinse her hair, then the rest of her.
The following few minutes were filled with giggles and groans from his best friend as she writhed under the constant flow of warm water against her back and butt, then her legs, then she turned around again, and Harry started to wash her front. He paid careful attention to her breasts. Taking note of how her nipples had hardened under the gentle touch of his fingers, and the warm hard spray of the water. Once they were clean of soap, he moved the shower head down to her stomach, then leaned forward, taking a nipple into his mouth.
Hermione gasped and brought her arms up around him to cradle his head as he gently bit her nipple, then started to suck on it while he reached around her with his free hand and started to gently stroke her back.
Harry spent a few minutes gently nursing on the breast, before moving to the other one, he started to kiss and lick the smooth warm mound as it rose and fell with her breathing.
He then felt Hermione's hands disappear from his head, only to come back again against his back, and she started to move them up and down his back, over his shoulders, and even down over his butt. He let the shower head move a little further down her front and heard her sigh in bliss as he moved his free had down her back, then started to caress her cheeks.
“Harry……lower……please!” she whimpered, her voice thick with need.
Harry reluctantly broke away from her breast, then knelt again, kissing and licking his way down her stomach, paying attention to her belly button, as he’d found out she liked, before his lips ghosted over the smooth mons above her slit, before he finally reached it, angling the spray of water up to hit her upper thighs as he diligently rinsed her.
Putting down the shower head, he gently took her by the hips, then coaxed her to turn around again, until he was staring at the firm cheeks of her butt. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he leaned in and pressed his lips to the right cheek.
He felt her shiver. He smiled.
He pressed his lips to the warm, soft flesh again, holding the contact for a full ten seconds this time, then he pulled away, and looked up at her as she let out a little moan.
“That’s not…what I meant…” she said breathlessly, looking over her shoulder at him. He smiled.
“What can I say? This is the first time I’ve seen it properly this close since Sunday, I never really got the chance the other times, and I felt it deserved some attention too. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh no…I don’t mind…though I’m not quite sure about…” she trailed off. He nodded, then leaned in and kissed her left cheek several times, before gently running his fingers between them to get all the soap off her, then he used his thumbs to spread the globes of muscle as much as he could, and got his first proper look since Sunday morning, he unconsciously licked his lips as he stared, and he felt his hard shaft throb.
He heard Hermione suck in a breath and he looked up, just in time to see her turn her head away, her face tomato red.
“I know, I know, it doesn’t look that great.” she asked, her voice thick with embarrassment. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“It’s beautiful Hermione. Just like the rest of you.” He said, releasing his grip, he then coaxed her to turn around again and sit down on the edge of the bath. She sat, spreading her legs and letting him get a good look at her swollen labia.
“It’s just my arse Harry.” She shrugged, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, and I think it’s beautiful, I’d happily lavish as much attention on to that as I would the rest of you, if we had the time right now, but we don’t. But, I will be giving it plenty of attention in the future.” He started to lean forward towards her pussy, he could feel the effects of the curse getting a little stronger, then he paused and looked up to see her smirking down at him, a smug expression on her face.
“What?”
“Still think it’s un-natural for you to be doing this? Still think it’s not normal for teenagers our age to be fooling around like this?” she asked, a knowing gleam in her eye. Harry blinked, confused. Had she…? Was all this…?
“This was all meant to just get me over my hang-ups, wasn’t it?” he asked, looking up at her with a frown.
Hermione bit her lower lip, trying not to grin. “Maybe. Is it working?”
Harry paused a moment and thought. He thought over what he’d said to Hermione in a near hysterical panic two days earlier, and it finally hit him, what they’d been doing since, what they were doing now, sure, it wasn’t quite normal in the current context, but overall, it was normal for teens their age and older to fool around, and Hermione had been right. His Aunt and Uncle HAD been referring specifically to him.
Well…he’d show them…he’d show them just how ‘freakish’ and ‘abnormal’ he could really be…but first…he’d show Hermione.
Lifting her legs until her knees were resting on his shoulders, he started to kiss and lick his way up her thighs. He felt her shiver again, and her breathing started to increase in tempo. When he reached the junction of her thighs he stared at her swollen vulva, the outer lips parted and flushed with blood, her inner lips swollen and dark pink, and right at the top, her erect clitoris protruded from under it’s protective hood.
He was still learning what Hermione liked best, which spots were best to lick, which to suck and which to avoid, but as with DADA, and Transfiguration, he considered himself a fast learner in the academic field of eating pussy. He rolled his eyes and almost started laughing. If there ever was an OWL or NEWT exam for devouring Hermione's fanny like it was his last meal, he’d expect nothing less than an Outstanding with Honours from her afterwards.
He leaned in that final inch, until his nose brushed her labia and clit, and took a deep breath. The musky scent of a nights sleep was gone, replaced by the sweet smell of the soap, but also, he could detect the earthy, tangy female musk that was uniquely her, and her arousal. He shivered in arousal, he felt his shaft start to tingle at the scent of her need.
“Uh…Harry…? Why are you sniffing my fanny?” Hermione asked, her voice thing with desire.
§"Because you smell as beautiful as you look. And taste.”§ he hissed.
“Um…why are you hissIIINNAAAIIIEEAAAHHH!” Hermione's question dissolved into a high-pitched cry as what she could only describe, if she still had the mental ability to do so, an explosion of pure bliss erupted from her crotch as soon as Harry's tongue touched her clitoris, her body seized up as pleasure unlike any she’d felt before washed over her and she started to convulse. Reaching down, she roughly grabbed his head and gave it a firm, almost violent shove, pressing his face as tight against her vagina as she could, which only increased the contact, and her euphoria.
Harry would have grinned at his little performance, amazed he could bring her off that quickly, if he’d been able to. He grunted in mild discomfort as she grabbed his head and hair roughly, before forcing his face tighter against her, his tongue going deeper, which only made her more insistent.
Her body stiffened the jerked, her thighs closing tightly around his head, his nose was pressed against his upper lip making it very difficult to breathe. He idling wondered what it would be like to be suffocated by Hermione's fanny, or her rather nice boobs, or maybe even her nice bum, and he found himself deciding, as a rush of sweet, hot liquid Treacle Tart flooded his mouth, that any one of those three options, would be positively the best way ever to die.
Hermione screamed.
-=-=-=-
As they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry found a new sense of self-confidence flow through him. Hermione's little trick to get him over the self-doubt issues his relatives had instilled in him had worked remarkably well, and quickly. Far more quickly than she thought it would, he reasoned.
As for Hermione, she was still smiling, though it was now just a slight smile, as opposed to the almost Joker-like grin she’d had once she’d regained consciousness. Though her face as still flushed with a blush, it wasn’t as noticeable as it had been. And while she could now stand, and walk, as Harry had to literally carry her out of the bathroom when she could talk enough to tell him they had to get ready, as her legs refused to work, she was still walking a little unsteadily, almost with a constant limp, for that reason, she was now hanging on to his arm as he approached the Hufflepuff table, giving a slight nod to Susan, who nodded back, then cast a questioning look at Hermione, who just grinned at her, and gave her a shaky thumbs up.
“You need something Potter?” Cho Chang, a Fifth Year Ravenclaw asked, who was sat next to Cedric. Harry gave her a cursory look. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but there was just something…off about her that seemed to put him on edge for some reason, something that warned him to stay away. He mentally shrugged, then looked at Cedric.
“Dragons.” He said.
“What?” Cedric asked. Harry fixed him with a look.
“The First Task is Dragons, nesting females to be precise.” Harry said. Cedric blinked, his eyes widening as he realized Harry wasn’t joking.
“Fuck…” he muttered.
“Tell me ‘bout it.” Harry muttered. “They had a…er…” Harry trailed off, trying to remember.
“Swedish Short-Snout, Chinese Fireball, Common Welsh Green, and Hungarian Horntail.” Hermione said.
Cedric whistled. “Damn…well…at least now I know what I’m up against. Well…Thanks…Harry, Hermione.” Cedric said, offering Harry a smile and a nod of thanks. Harry returned it, then guided Hermione to the Gryffindor table. They sat down, and quickly started to eat. To Hermione's left sat Lavender, who was giving her an odd look, to Harry's right sat Neville, who was looking a little embarrassed, avoiding their questioning gazes.
Ron sat opposite Harry, scowling, his face a mask of jealously and barely concealed fury. Harry ignored him. Ginny looked equally as jealous, for some reason. The twins were smirking, as were some of the other boys, and even a couple of the girls, though the younger years just looked confused.
“You alright there Harry?” Lavender asked, grinning.
“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” he replied as he loaded up his plate.
“Well, you got here from the Hospital Wing pretty fast.”
Harry raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lavender, who wiggled her eyebrows and winked at him. “Lavender, I wasn’t in the Hospital Wing, I was in Gryffindor before coming down here.”
“Oh, I know that Harry, what I meant was, you must have had to go to the Hospital Wing to get your hearing fixed after Hermione's little Opera performance!” she said with a salacious grin.
Hermione froze, her eyes going wide as the blush that lightly dusted her cheeks came back full force, and she had to resist the urge to either spit out the food she was currently chewing or swallow it and risk choking.
‘Oh sweet Morgana! They heard me?!’
“What are you talking about?” Harry asked, he knew of course, but for Hermione's privacy, he was doing his best as her best friend to protect her.
“Don’t play dumb Potter.” Parvati said, rolling her eyes “We both know, hell, we all know what that was. Is he really that good Hermione?” she asked. Hermione felt her face set itself on fire.
“I didn’t do anything!” Harry deflected, his own face blushing.
“That red face of yours says otherwise Potter.” Seamus said, smirking. Dean was snickering, as was Fay and her friend.
“You’re many things Harry, but a good liar is not one of them. I highly doubt Hermione would be able to do a passible impression of a Banshee while in bed on her own. I should know, I’ve spent the last three years sharing a dorm with her.” Lavender said, chuckling, noting the almost hostile looks from the two youngest Weasleys, she mentally rolled her eyes. ‘Those two need to get over themselves. Especially Ron.’
“I wasn’t in bed! I was in the shower!” Hermione ground out, fighting her embarrassment. “You…heard that?” she asked, her voice coming out as a high-pitched squeak.
Fay whistled “Really? That must have been one damn good shower head then.”
“Hermione, we ALL heard that! I’d be surprised if the folks down in Hogsmeade, or everyone in the Slytherin dorms didn’t hear you screaming your lungs and voice out. The question is, whose shower?” Lavender asked, waggling her eyebrows again.
Ron huffed, glared balefully at Harry, then returned to his food. If there was one thing that would always take priority over almost everything in Ron’s mindset, it was food.
‘How is he not as big as Dudley or Uncle Vernon already? Where does he put it all?’ he thought.
“Sooo…” Parvati said, looking at them, but before she could continue, Ron opened his mouth.
“I thought McGonagall said you couldn’t sleep together. So much for you respecting the rules Hermione.” He said, glaring at them. Hermione rolled her eyes.
“Well, excuse me for not wanting to let Harry sleep alone after finding out he’ll be facing a nesting female dragon on Thursday!”
“What?” Seamus asked. Harry nodded.
“Yeah, we’re facing dragons, nesting females. I’m guessing there’s going to be something hidden in the eggs that we’re going to have to get, which means we have to get past the dragons.” Harry said in a funk.
Ron actually managed to look sheepish as he swallowed, then cleared his throat. “Oh…uh…knew there was something I forgot to mention.” He said, not looking at either of them.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, eyes narrowing.
“Uh, Charlie sent me a letter you see…he—”
“You knew.” Harry said, it wasn’t a question, he gave Ron a hard look.
“Uh…yeah…sorry mate.”
“How long have you known?” Hermione asked, her face darkening.
“Er…since Saturday?” Ron said.
“SATURDAY?!” Hermione cried, her face twisting into a scowl as a look of fury crossed her face. “You mean to tell us that you’ve known about the first task for the past three days, and it never crossed your mind to come to the Hospital Wing and, oh, I don’t know, tell us?!”
“Uh…well…” Ron said, avoiding eye contact.
“Unbelievable! And just when were you planning to tell him Ron?” Hermione growled.
“Uh…” Ron said, not sure what to say. Harry put a hand on her shoulder.
“Easy Hermione, what’s done is done, let’s just focus on classes.” Hermione sighed, then went back to her food.
“Fine.”
Viktor Krum had stopped at the Gryffindor table and asked Hermione, rather brokenly, if she would be willing to meet him in the library later to help him practice his English, though Hermione had been a little confused, commenting that his grasp of English seemed fine, it was just her name he seemed to be struggling with. But she did agree, as she reasoned there was no harm in meeting someone just to talk, though she silently promised herself that was all they would do. She told him she would be able to meet him after dinner that evening, and she’d meet him then.
While she ate, Hermione started to feel heat spread through her, a heat she recognized, and before she knew what was going on, one of her hands had slipped under the table and into Harry's lap, and one of his soon landed in hers, fortunately, they were both eating something that didn’t really require two hands.
‘What the…What’s wrong with us?’ Hermione though, trying to pull her hand away, as the breakfast table was not the place for such things, but found she couldn’t, or rather, didn’t really want to, and she gave his thigh a squeeze, before moving her hand higher. She looked to her left and met his eyes, she could see the lust burning in them that she knew he was seeing in her own. She bit her lip to try and fight the blush she knew was forming, fortunately, no-one seemed to notice, she hoped, as she felt herself suddenly overcome with the desire to slip her hand into Harry's boxers and stroke him raw.
At the Head Table, Dumbledore watched them, carefully, noticing the looks on their faces as they ate, and he smiled to himself, the potion was working. That smile faded when he saw Hermione, then Harry, drop a hand under the table, and they both blushed as they shared a look.
He silently cursed. That had not been what he’d intended! Though, in hindsight, he should have expected it. He’d have to be more careful, though he did see Krum’s interaction with her, and if they were still under the effects of the Potion later, then Miss Granger might actually make a move.
-=-=-=-
History of Magic was as boring as it ever was, with Harry struggling to focus on Binns, so he decided to focus on his other course work instead.
During his free period afterwards, Harry told Hermione that he was going up to the Room to try and practice the summoning charm, it took a while, with the room creating a table and several objects of varying size and weight, along with a blackboard with clear instructions on wand movements and pronunciation, eventually, he managed to get it right, summoning every object to him.
Except…he did not get quite the result he expected. He aimed his wand at a large bust statue he’d asked the room to make, someone random, he hadn’t been too specific, intending to summon only that, and not the various other objects on the table, from a glass bottle to a heavy book.
Everything came flying at him too fast for him to react, including the table.
“Holy Shi—!" Harry yelped, as he moved, trying to doge, but didn’t get very far before he was buried.
-=-=-=-
Hermione meanwhile, had sat herself down in the library at her usual table with Viktor, and the two had started talking.
“You are looking vell.” He said, offering her an awkward smile. Hermione gave him a courteous smile in return, ignoring the faint giggles of the group of girls who followed Krum around like sheep. ‘Is this what it was like for Harry at first?’ she thought.
“Thank you Viktor. I’m feeling a lot better now I’m out of the Hospital Wing.” Hermione replied.
“So Vhat happened? You seemed very tired during ve veekend, and I did not zee you in ve village.”
Hermione nodded, then paused, wondering how well she could trust this man, he seemed sincere, but she had to be sure.
“If you want me to tell you, you must first promise not to spread it around. I don’t want the entire school knowing. I shudder to think what kind of reputation I could get if it got out.”
He nodded. “I promise.” He said, reaching out and placing his hand on one of hers. She frowned.
“Well…” she lowered her voice and leaned forward a little “…It’s called the ‘Gift of Aphrodite’ or the ‘Kiss of The Succubus’ depending on who you ask, apparently.”
Viktor’s eyes went wide, and he sucked in a breath, leaning back in his seat. He regarded her carefully, his eyes, which she had noticed carried a certain determination, seemed to dim slightly, as she saw resignation flash in his eyes.
“So…You und Harry Potter?” he asked, she nodded.
“I am sorry.”
“For what?”
“For asking you to accompany me to vhe Village during vhe weekend, und for asking you here. I had hoped to ask you to accompany me to vhe Yule Ball, I had intended to approach him and ask his permission to approach you, but now, I think it best if I not.”
“What? Wait…you know about this curse? What it…does?” she asked. He nodded, a look of sympathy, and a small amount of envy in his eyes.
“Ja. Zere are books at Durmstrang. It is not taught, but it is discussed.”
Hermione felt a spark of hope ignite within her, if Krum knew about the curse, then maybe…
“Do you know of a cure? One that won’t leave me and Harry sterile and sexually…stunted?” she asked, struggling for the right word to describe what would happen to them, mentally and emotionally. Krum shook his head sadly.
“I am afraid not.” He said, his tone and expression apologetic.
Hermione sighed and rested her head in her hands. “Well, that’s just great.”
-=-=-=-
Potions was its usual headache, with Snape once again stepping up his harassment of the Gryffindors as usual. Malfoy sent Harry and Hermione menacing scowls, while Daphne did her best to send them her support, though she couldn’t do much. She was still expecting Draco to make a move against her for taking the book, as the forgery she’d created would have expired by now.
But still, he had yet to make his move.
As they made their way through the corridors towards the Great Hall for dinner, they spotted Moody ambling towards them.
“Potter!” he called.
“Yes sir?” Harry asked, drawing to a stop, Hermione and Daphne stopping with him.
“So, you know about the First Task I assume? Saw you talking to Diggory at breakfast, good lad, though you didn’t hear that from me.”
Harry nodded “It was only fair, as he was the only one who wasn’t told.”
“Wait, you all know? Isn’t that against the rules?” Daphne asked. Harry shrugged.
“Maxime and Karkaroff were also there with their Champions so…I figured it wouldn’t be right if Cedric was the only one who didn’t know. I like fair play.”
Moody grinned. “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but…might I suggest you play to your strengths? Do what you’re best at.” And with that, he turned and headed off.
“What did he mean by that?” Daphne asked. They shrugged.
“By the way, how are you guys coping with…you know.” Daphne said, looking slightly embarrassed. Hermione blushed, remembering that morning in the shower, and what Harry had done to her.
“Rather well, actually, we’re still trying to work out a schedule, and how many times we need to do it, but on average, we’ve got it to three or four times a day.” Hermione said, as they started walking again.
“Sooo…what’s it like?”
“Daphne!”
“What? Can’t a girl be curious? I’ve never had my fanny licked before! I’m curious to know what it feels like!”
Harry did his best to pretend he was invisible, wishing for a moment, that he had his cloak with him, he could feel the heat coming from his face.
“Well, if Luna was serious about that offer on Sunday, my period is coming up next week, so Harry may need some…help.”
“I’ll be fine! And I’m right here you know.” He protested.
“Really?” Daphne asked, her eyes lighting up as she then glanced from one blushing Gryffindor to the other.
Truth be told, she’d thought Luna had only been half joking when she’d made the offer, but she suspected the girl hadn’t been joking at any level. Though she had told Susan she’d be willing, if Harry asked.
Hermione nodded.
“Well, I know Susan offered to help, Luna did on Sunday, and I guess yes, I’d be willing too…I guess.” Daphne said.
“Look, I’ll be fine! Don’t worry!” Harry protested. Hermione narrowed her eyes.
“Harry James Potter, if I find that you’ve been neglecting your…diet…after my period is over, I will be very unhappy with you!” he gulped, paling a little, Daphne smirked.
“And an unhappy girlfriend means a boyfriend sleeping on the sofa.” She quipped. Both of them blushed again as the approached the entrance to the Hall.
“We’re not dating!” Harry said.
“Why?” Daphne asked, genuinely curious.
“Well, we’re still working through some of his hang-ups, plus like I told him, a relationship based purely on sex is a very bad idea.”
Daphne rolled her eyes. “Obviously! But you’ve already got everything else covered.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked.
‘Seriously?’ she thought, sighing. “Well, you trust each other, you respect each other, you care for each other, you care what happens to each other. What more do you need? You’ve already got all the groundwork covered.”
“She wants me to ask her after the First Task.” Harry said.
“Well then, I’ll be keeping my ears open.” Daphne said with a smile as the two Gryffindors took their seats, and she headed for the Slytherin table and sat by her sister.
-=-=-=-
During dinner, Ron continued to glare at them, though Ginny seemed more sullen, choosing to ignore them, which was fine with Harry, he didn’t want to deal with Ron right now, especially since he’d ‘accidently’ forgot to mention the Dragons before now.
“So…” Lavender said as she tucked into her meal, Hermione and Harry sat opposite her.
“’So…’ what?” Hermione asked.
“Why did McGonagall feel the need to stick you two in private quarters? She hasn’t told us anything, Parv and I even asked, and she said that it wasn’t her place to tell, that we’d have to ask you, and not to pester you if you decided not to tell us.”
Harry and Hermione looked at one another, then at Lavender, then around the table.
“Well, we were cursed, and the resultant effects of the curse and the means by which we have to deal with it are of a personal nature, and Professor McGonagall felt it necessary. We will give you the details, when we’re ready.”
“But…” Lavender began, but was cut off by Parvati. “She’s right Lav, some things just don’t deserve to make the gossip rounds.” Her statement earned her a thankful look from the two in question, and a confused, slightly betrayed look from her fellow gossip queen.
“Fine…” she huffed, continuing with her meal.
-=-=-=-
Later, after dinner, as they left the Great Hall, Hermione came up next to him, leaning in. “Come on, lets go to the Room and try the shield charm. Did you have any luck with the summoning charm?”
“Uh…yeah…sorta.”
“Sorta?” she asked.
“Yeah…I asked the room to make a few things for me to practice on, but when I got it, I got buried under all of it.” he said sheepishly, her eyes widened.
“Show me.”
-=-=-=-
Wednesday, November 23rd
The next day, the only lesson on Harry's timetable was for the day was Charms, the rest of the day Hermione had Harry sequestered in the Room of Requirement, practicing summoning and shield charms, as well as conjuring, and trying to come up with a strategy for dealing with the Dragon, which ever one he ended up facing.
They also asked the room to provide them with books on the four different dragon species, and they spent several hours going over each one, occasionally stopping for ‘breaks’ and asking the Elves to bring them food.
Though as to why Harry's summoning charm seemed to be over-powered, along with his shield charm, which had formed a hexagonal dome around both of them that resembled crystals, Hermione theorized that when Harry had used his Parselmouth on her, he’d performed the power-boosting ritual that the book they had mentioned. Hermione made a point to resume reading it, thoroughly.
-=-=-=-
Thursday, November 24th,
Harry entered the Champion’s tent, which was just outside of the specially built arena that would house the dragons for the first task. Followed by Hermione, meeting the eyes of Cedric, Fleur and Viktor. Bagman, Crouch and Dumbledore entered a few moments later, Bagman carrying a small bag in his hands.
“Champions! I hope you’re ready! In this bag you will find a scale model of what you’ll be facing, each one with a tag baring a number, that number will indicate in what order you will go in. Your objective is to take the Golden Egg from the nest that the creature you’ll have to use all your skill, cunning and wit to get past, will be guarding.” He then opened the bag and offered it. “Ladies first.” He said, offering Fleur his attempt at a friendly smile, but she just scowled at him and reached in, pulling out a ten-inch-long model of a dragon, with a tag baring the number “2”.
“Common Welsh Green.” Bagman said.
Cedric went next, pulling out a model with the tag “1”, and he rolled his eyes. “Figures.” he muttered.
“Swedish Short-Snout.” Bagman said.
Viktor was next, pulling out a model with the tag “3”.
“Chinese Fireball.” Bagman said, before offering the bag to Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes, knowing which Dragon he’d face. ‘Why am I not surprised?’ he thought, reaching into the bag and pulling out the model of the Horntail with the tag “4”.
“Ah, the Hungarian Horntail, the biggest, most aggressive of them.”
“And whose bright idea was it to get one of those?” Hermione snarked, glaring at Bagman.
The Ministry Drone had the sense of mind to look a bit flustered.
“Well…I…urm…” he took his hat off and scratched his head.
Crouch Snr scowled at her. “This tent is for Tournament Champions only Miss Granger, I’m afraid you will have to leave, and you cannot stay here while the other Champions wait their turn.”
“It’s ok, she’s with me.” Harry said, Crouch gave him a look.
“The Rules are the Rules Potter.” His eyes narrowed “But then, that never really applied to you, did it.”
Harry scowled, Hermione bristled, grinding her teeth as her fists clenched, and as the man left the tent, Hermione growled under her breath, glaring two holes into his back.
“Arsehole…” she growled through her teeth.
Harry snorted, as did Cedric, Fleur looked amused, and Krum smirked. Ludo looked embarrassed, Maxime chuckled, as did Karkaroff. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
“Despite your assessment of him Miss Granger, Mister Crouch was quite correct, you will have to wait with the rest of the spectators in the stands I’m afraid. Come along now.” And with that, he turned to leave. “Good luck to you all.” He said as he left, followed by Maxime and Karkaroff.
“Go on Hermione, we’ll be fine.” Cedric said, smiling at her. She smiled back, before giving Harry a quick hug.
“You’d better live through this Potter; you still owe me an answer.”
One she was gone, Bagman cleared his throat.
“Ok, here’s how it goes. In 10 minutes, there will be a cannon blast, that will be your cue Mr Diggory, once you have the Egg and you reach the edge of the arena, a second cannon shot will sound, signaling the end of your task. 10 minutes after you’re done, another cannon will sound and then it’s Miss Delacour’s turn, and so on.”
The Champions exchanged looks, Ludo puffed himself up.
“Right then, good luck!” and with that, he ducked out.
“Sooo…plans?” Cedric asked, feeling nervous, he was going first, after all.
“Survive?” Harry deadpanned. Cedric snorted.
“You faced a 60ft Basilisk in your second year Potter, a little lizard will hardly be any trouble for you.” Harry looked at him surprised, as did Fleur and Krum.
“Wait, how do you know about the Basilisk? I never told anyone besides Dumbledore, Hermione and…Ron, about that.” Cedric looked thoughtful.
“Weeell…there was the fact that all of the petrification victims were found near a reflective surface, except Justin, who saw it through a ghost. And to my knowledge, very little can affect a ghost. And the fact that Salazar was a known Parselmouth, so his creature would have to be some kind of snake. And the Basilisk is the only species of snake, magical or otherwise, that could live that long down in the chamber.”
“Huh…I wonder how many others have figured it out.” Harry mused. Cedric shrugged.
A few moments later, there was a low bang outside the tent, followed by a roar and a cheer from the crowd outside.
“Well…show time…” Cedric said nervously. Harry put a hand on his shoulder.
“You got this.”
“Thanks.” He said, taking a breath, he stepped out into the arena.
-=-=-=-
As Cedric walked out into the arena, the crowd applauded, cheering, Bagman’s voice echoing over the arena, but Cedric only had eyes for the Dragon, and what was behind it. There, in the clutch of blue eggs, about 10 of them, was a metal Gold Egg.
‘Ok, that’s my target…now, how to deal with her…Swedish Short-Snout…Swedish Short-Snout…’ he thought, trying to remember what he knew of the species from the books he’d read, thankful that Harry and Hermione had warned him ahead of time.
"The Swedish Short-Snout is an attractive silvery-blue dragon whose skin is sought after for the manufacture of protective gloves and shields. The flame that issues from its nostrils is a brilliant blue and can reduce timber and bone to ash in a matter of seconds. The Short-Snout has fewer human killings to its name than most dragons, though as it prefers to live in wild and uninhabited mountainous areas, this is not much to its credit."
Cedric rolled his eyes at the passage he’d read the day before from a copy of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’ While it told him what the dragon was, and how to identify it, it didn’t tell him how to deal with it.
The female was about 22ft long, tethered to the ground by a long chain which was attached to a collar. The chain was long enough to give the female plenty of space to move, but it did make sure she couldn’t escape.
Though Cedric had to admit, she was kind of beautiful, in a way.
She was also agitated. The noise from the crowd, Ludo’s insipid voice no doubt adding to the creature’s annoyance, along with the unfamiliar environment, and the fact that her eggs were there, the poor thing’s maternal and aggressive instincts were probably on overdrive.
As he approached, she spotted him, hissing and roaring, she snapped her head forward and unleashed a jet of blue flame at him, but he easily dodged it, given the distance between them.
If there was one thing Cedric excelled at, it was Transfiguration. Taking out his wand, he conjured several large rocks, then transfigured them into various animals; goats, sheep, and dogs, which started yapping. As the transfigured animals started running in all directions around the arena, the dragon went crazy, snapping, snarling and roaring at anything that moved. A jet of blue flame caught several of the sheep, setting them alight, and they bleated wildly as they ran in all directions, like small fiery comets. He would have chuckled at the sight, if his life wasn’t in mortal danger.
Another flick of his wand conjured some more, cows this time, and the female moved away from her nest. Perfect. Raising his wand, Cedric focused on the Golden Egg and muttered “Accio!”
Nothing happened.
He rolled his eyes. “Figures.” He muttered. “You had to know it wouldn’t be that easy Diggory.” He said, chastising himself, he slowly crept forward, the dragon still attacking the conjured animals, her back to him. He had to be quick. If she turned around now, before he had the egg in his hands, he was dead. No amount of transfiguring or conjuring would help him, she’d ignore everything and come right at him.
“He’s almost at the nest!” came Ludo’s voice over the loudspeakers.
‘Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!’ Cedric's mind screamed as he grit his teeth in fury and concentration. Seriously?! Was that brainless dolt TRYING to get him killed?!
If that dragon was smart enough to understand the English word for ‘nest’, he was a dead man.
He hadn’t been wrong though. Cedric was now just a few feet from the nest, another couple of steps, and he was standing next to it. Each egg was nearly a foot long, dark blue in color, with a slightly rough texture to it. The metal one stood out like a sore thumb. Bracing himself, Cedric leaned forward, and grabbed the gold egg with his hands. The metal was cold to the touch, unlike the warm eggs around it. He stood and turned and started to walk quickly away from the nest. The crowd started to cheer.
“He’s got it! He’s got the Egg!” Ludo said. As he approached the hospital tent, the dragon finally got tired of attacking the animals which had suddenly appeared around it’s nest, and had turned back to her eggs, she saw the human walking away, that was good, he was leaving.
As Cedric approached the tent, Madam Pomfrey and Pomona Sprout came out to greet him, the crowd going wild as a cannon blast sounded, indicating he’d succeeded.
He looked back over his shoulder to see a group of Handlers moving to corral the dragon. He sighed.
-=-=-=-
Harry, Fleur and Krum exchanged looks at the second cannon blast. They hadn’t heard any of the commentary of course, but they hadn’t really said much to one another, all thinking on how best to deal with their own dragon.
Ten minutes later, at the third blast, Fleur knew it was her turn.
“Good luck.” Harry said.
“Merci.” She smiled.
As she stepped out into the arena, she got her first look at the female dragon she had to get past, she mentally ran through what she knew of the species: Usually very subdued, prefers to avoid human contact almost entirely. Prefers to live in mountainous regions. Melodious, almost musical roar. Adults average length of 18 feet.
It was then that Fleur spied the eggs. Earthy brown with green spots, and in the middle of the clutch, the Golden Egg, her target.
Fleur doubted whether her Allure would work on the dragon, since it was female, and was only trying to protect her young, which Fleur could relate to.
As she got closer, the dragon spotted her and hissed a warning, before sending a narrow jet of flame across her path. A warning shot. Fleur hesitated, while she, like all Veela and part-Veela were naturally immune to fire, her clothes were not, and that last thing she wanted was to be standing here in front of all these people stark naked. She smiled as she got an idea. Pointing her wand at her own throat, she muttered a spell that was known only to Veela, she then conjured a lyre, stowed her wand, then started to play.
When the crowd had quieted down, curiously listening to the music, and she knew she had the Dragon’s full attention, she put the next part of her plan into action.
She started to sing.
The song she started to sing was an old French song, sung to her by her grandmother when she was little, it was meant to sooth all aggression in the one being sung to, the spell she’d cast on herself was a spell that allowed her to channel her Allure more directly through her voice, negating the need for her to turn her Allure up to maximum force, which would affect everyone watching her. Still, even with this spell, and her words basically acting like a wandless sleeping spell, she was still using her Allure, so there was a strong possibility that several of the spectators would try to climb into the ring to get to her.
After a few minutes, she noticed that her tactic seemed to be working. The dragon had actually sat down, and was no longer hissing or growling, and in short order, was actually laying down. Fleur watched it intently as she sang, its eyes were starting to drop.
It was working.
She started to approach, the only sounds were her music and her voice, the crowd was completely silent, even Bagman wasn’t saying anything, no doubt the weak-minded fool was drooling in his seat.
By the time she was ten feet from the nest, the Dragon’s head flopped down onto the ground, it could barely keep its eyes open, but it was trying. And Fleur’s throat was starting to get sore, she hadn’t sang this long before, and she’d already got through two extra songs, she couldn’t keep this up much longer. If she stopped singing before the dragon passed out, it would shake off her spell and attack her.
Finally, as its eyes closed, Fleur moved forward to the nest, still singing, she bent down and picked up the gold egg, then turned away, and she stopped singing.
Fleur quickly walked away from the nest, as quietly as she could, occasionally looking back at the dragon, to check if it had woken up. It hadn’t. she walked past the Handlers who were now moving to corral it, looking up at the stands, she noticed most, if not all of the male students in the audience, and even a few female students, at least those from Hogwarts, were staring at her gormlessly, some closer to the barrier were actively trying to clamber over, but were being held back.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
-=-=-=-
As the next cannon blast went off, Harry looked at his watch, he and Krum had been sat waiting for their turns for almost 40 minutes now, and from the sounds of it, Fleur and just finished her task. He was feeling mostly ok, just nervous as hell. He ran through what he’d learned the previous day on Dragons, knowing he had at least another 30 minutes or so before it was his turn.
“Do not vorry, she will do fine. So will you.” Came the deep accented voice of Viktor.
Harry smiled at him, nodding. While Cedric had been tackling his Dragon, Fleur and Krum had grilled him on the whole Basilisk thing, the two of them seeming very impressed at his achievement of killing a 20 meter long giant snake at the age of 12.
Krum looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated, seeming a little uncomfortable, then decided to change his mind, and say something anyway.
“I hear you play Seeker for team.” He said, Harry nodded, smiling. Krum grinned.
“Ve have to have game some time, show me vhat you know.”
Harry smiled and nodded, feeling more at ease.
“Sure.”
After 10 minutes, the cannon sounded again, and Krum sighed and stood.
“Good luck” he said. Krum smiled and nodded in acknowledgement and stepped out.
It was impossible for him to miss the large red dragon that crouched protectively over her nest, her clutch of bright crimson eggs also impossible to miss, as was the gold egg in the middle of them.
The dragon snorted as she saw him, then roared, sending two plumes of flame at him, but he was able to side-step them. Quickly, Krum ran over what he knew of this particular dragon species. Very aggressive, though not as fiercely territorial as other species. Prefers a diet of mammals, specifically sheep and humans.
Krum thought fast, then waved his wand, conjuring several large rocks which he tried to transfigure into sheep, hoping some food would keep it distracted.
“Ah! More conjuring and transfiguration! Lets see if that works as well for Mister Krum!” Ludo’s voice echoed over the arena.
As the dragon snapped and lunged at the various animals, Krum moved closer. Unfortunately, he was not as lucky as Cedric, as the dragon turned around, drawn by the noise from the crowd, and saw him.
She snarled, roared, then charged.
“Fuck!” Krum yelped in Bulgarian, jumping back to avoid the sharp teeth of the dragon as her jaws snapped shut right where he’d been standing, and she positioned herself between him and her eggs.
‘Ok…now what?’ he thought.
“Oooh…that’s not good! Now Krum’s job just got harder!” Ludo’s voice echoed.
“Ja, just like your skull…” Krum muttered.
Krum thought for a moment, then he made his move. He made a feint to the left, then ducked right as the dragon lunged, firing off a blasting hex underneath her that struck the ground to her right, drawing her attention away from him, or at least, that’s what he’d hoped it would do. Unfortunately, it only seemed to make her angrier, and her attention remained on him.
‘I did not want to do this…’ he thought, as he turned, less than 10 feet from her now, though she’d moved away from her nest, she was still close enough to reach him with her jaws if he got close enough to grab it. At least that’s what he thought, but he’d apparently misjudged the distance, and before he knew it, she was almost on him.
Reacting quickly, he raised his wand and fired a Conjunctivitis curse at her face, temporarily blinding her.
The dragon shrieked in alarm as her eyes became irritated and swollen shut, and she started to panic. Thrashing around, she moved towards Krum, who rolled to the side then moved towards the nest, unfortunately for him, while the dragon couldn’t see him anymore, she could still hear him.
She lunged again, he rolled, her jaws barely missing him, as he got to his feet, right next to the eggs, he reach down and grabbed the gold egg, then broke into a run as the Fireball came up behind him, still charging.
“He’s got the Egg! He’s got the—Ooooh dear…THAT’s gonna cost him some points.” Ludo said, Krum looked over his shoulder as he ran, turning in the direction of the Hospital Tent, just as the Handlers came out to subdue her, she fired a burst of flame, which caught his arm.
Krum yelped, he couldn’t put down his egg while the Dragon was still mobile, and he couldn’t use his wand to put out the flames now burning his arm, so he just had to grit his teeth and bare the pain.
He did notice however, when he looked back at the nest, through eyes which were rapidly filling with tears of pain, that the dragon, in her haste to kill him and protect her young, she’d accidently smashed about half of her clutch. Yellow yoke and the partially developed embryos spilling out onto the ground. He winced.
Ludo was right. That would cost him some points.
As he reached the Hospital Tent, the school’s resident Healer came out, brandishing her wand, as the Cannon fired.
-=-=-=-
Harry sat waiting, and thinking, going over his plan for the Horntail, remembering what he’d read from the book in the Library the day before.
He was not looking forward to this.
He also thought about Hermione, really thought. How would she cope if he did screw up and got himself killed? How would she deal with, well…everything. He silently promised himself that she’d never have to find out.
He also thought about the proposal she’d sort of hinted at him.
Did he love Hermione? Sure, as a friend. He was willing to do anything for her if it meant her wellbeing. He thought back to how he’d visited her while she’d been petrified in Second Year, how he’d escorted her alone to the Hospital Wing after her Polyjuice mishap, and Ron had laughed at her.
She hadn’t shown it there in the bathroom, but that had deeply hurt her. He’d seen the tears in her eyes as they’d walked under his invisibility cloak which he’d asked Dobby to get for him.
Then there was Third Year, and how she’d helped him not only rescue Buckbeak but Sirius also.
And then there was this year. She’d believed him from the very moment his name had come out of the Goblet and he’d said he didn’t put his name in. True, Neville and the Weasley Twins believed him now, but no-one else did. Hopefully this would convince them that someone was trying to do him in.
‘Though it’s not a very effective way to do it.’ he thought.
And how had he repaid her loyalty? By holding her as he was hit with a curse that turned him into a human parasite.
‘Though she insists I’m not. I just can’t help feel like I’m using her, taking advantage of her…’ he thought.
Then the cannon fired again.
‘Show time.’
As he stepped out into the arena, the crowd cheered, all of them. Apparently, the Hogwarts contingent had forgotten they believed him a cheat, at least for the moment.
‘Or maybe they’re just eager to watch me get roasted.’ He deadpanned.
He looked through the stands, his eyes quickly finding Hermione, who was sat with the rest of the Gryffindors, her eyes wide with fear, but also excitement.
When their eyes met, she gave him a shaky thumbs-up, and smiled, and mouthed ‘Good luck!’. He also saw Neville cheering and waving, as was Hagrid, McGonagall smiled at him, her expression one of worry. He also saw the Twins talking to various students. Harry raised an eyebrow.
Were Fred and George placing bets on him?
He then turned and looked at the Horntail, who was at the other end of the arena, hunched low over her clutch of black eggs, her spiked tail swishing back and forth agitatedly, her yellow eyes focused only on him. The Gold one sat in the middle of them.
‘Ok, lets get this show on the road…’ he thought.
Walking forward, he ducked behind a rock as the dragon roared and fired a jet of flame at him, just missing him.
“Accio Firebolt!” he called, his wand pointed up in the air.
After about 10 seconds, he looked up and saw his broom sailing towards him, he crouched, getting ready to jump and catch it, when a jet of flame came in from the side and passed between him and it.
Harry briefly averted his eyes from the bright light, and when it cleared, he looked up, yelping and jumping to the left just in time to doge the mass of burning wood that was, ironically, and much to his dismay, his Firebolt.
A small part of his mind found this height of cruel irony amusing. His beloved Firebolt and become a fireball.
He righted himself just as the burning mass of wood slammed into the rock he’d been sitting against and shattered with a small crack and puff of flame, smoke and sparks.
His primary strategy had literally just gone up in flames. The dragon had destroyed his broom.
‘Well, that’s just great. NOW what do I do?!’ he thought.
How about run? An unknown voice spoke in the back of his head, that sounded oddly like his own.
Deciding not to question it, Harry leapt out from behind the rock and ran, barely avoiding another jet of flame from the black Dragon.
He raised and flicked his wand, attempting to transfigure the next stone he was passing into a pile of stones large enough for him to hide behind.
What he actually got, was a neatly arranged wall segment made of white marble blocks, almost 20 feet high, 9 feet thick, and nearly 50 feet long. Each block one meter high, one meter thick, and two meters long.
‘Whoa…Where’d THAT come from? I didn’t ask for that! Now I can’t see where she is!’
“Wow! A VERY impressive Conjuration by Mister Potter! Only problem is, that wall is so long, that it almost completely cuts him off from getting to the dragon!” Ludo’s voice echoed through the air.
Harry cursed, he was right. While there was space between the conjured wall and the wall of the arena, there wasn’t much.
‘I could try putting a gate in it.’ he thought, then decided not to, and instead worked his way around the wall.
When the female spotted him again, she once again reared back, getting ready to strike with another jet.
‘Have to show her I’m not a threat. Need to distract her, maybe some food?’
From behind the edge of the wall, Harry raised his wand and conjured some rocks and transfigured them into a pile of fish, though he wasn’t sure what species he’d been going for.
A mountain of fish appeared in front of the female, and she paused, then approached the mound, sniffing. Then she started to eat.
“Amazing! Potter really seems to be on form today! I’m not sure why his conjurations are coming in so large though.” Ludo commented.
‘Looks like the book was right…I performed a power boosting ritual the other day in the shower with Hermione, then again, I should have guessed that from practicing in the Room of Requirement…’ he thought.
Harry wasn’t exactly sure what happened to transfigured objects if they were eaten after being turned into food items, he idly hoped that the dragon didn’t end up with a stomach full of rocks, that would not be pleasant.
“Looks like Potter’s plan is working! She has no idea he’s there!” Ludo said.
Harry wanted to facepalm, or better yet, punch Ludo Bagman in the balls.
Unfortunately, Horntails were not only the most vicious of all Dragon species, they were also apparently the smartest.
Because no sooner had Ludo said those words, the Horntail stopped eating and turned, looking right at him.
Harry rolled his eyes and growled, a growl that was echoed by the dragon.
He turned and stared at the announcer booth, where he could just see Bagman, who was looking down at him. Glaring, Harry raised his right hand in a clenched fist, turned upward, then extended his middle finger.
“Fuck you Ludo! Fuck you very much!” Harry yelled.
The crowd, which had started murmuring when Harry had transfigured the fish went silent as an audible gasp of shock went through them.
Harry smirked as he saw the look on Hermione's face, her hands were over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and fear, but also laughter. The Twins were sniggering, giving him thumbs up. McGonagall looked shocked, but even from where he stood, Harry could see the slight up-turn of her lips.
Crouch Snr did not look impressed, Moody was grinning, apparently chuckling. Dumbledore was frowning heavily, he clearly did not approve of such language directed against a Ministry Official.
“I say! Now see here young man!” Ludo’s scandalized voice echoed across the arena.
“No thank you! Got something more important to do than waste time with a Brainless Ministry Drone!” Harry called, before turning back to the Horntail.
She’d started walking forwards, crouching low, her yellow eyes following his every move.
‘Ok, gotta show her I’m not a threat…but how? Wait!’
Harry stopped, about 20 feet from the dragon now. He raised the hand holding his wand out to the side, watching the dragon’s face closely. Her eyes fixed on his wand, tracking its movement.
‘Every human she’s seen has carried a wand. And every one she has seen has fired spells at her, some have probably hurt her…’
Then, Harry did something that, in the back of his mind, he was sure Moody, McGonagall, hell, everyone would yell at him for doing, and Hermione would probably kill him for it, assuming the Dragon didn’t kill him first. What he did next was so reckless, so…Gryffindor, that later, Harry would wonder how the Sorting Hat could ever think he’d do well in the Snake Pit.
He dropped his wand.
Another gasp went through the silent audience.
“He’s dropped his wand! Potter dropped his wand!” Ludo’s voice proclaimed.
‘Thank you Captain Obvious. They’re not blind you idiot!’ he thought.
The dragon had stopped when it saw his wand fall, and was now looking at him cautiously. There was still aggression in her eyes, but also curiosity as well.
Harry suddenly got the impression that disarming himself wasn’t enough, he not only needed to show he wasn’t armed, he needed to show submission. Trust…he needed to show her that he trusted her not to kill him.
Turning until he was sideways on to the Horntail, in such a way that if he looked straight up, he’d look right into Hermione's wide, terror filled eyes, Harry closed his eyes, and bowed slightly, raising his hand, palm outward, and waited.
“Wha—What in Merlin’s name is he DOING?!” Ludo’s voice rang out.
Harry felt the vibrations through the ground as the Dragon approached, it wasn’t long before he could feel the warm air of her breath blowing over his exposed hand, arm and the side of his face. She was close. If he tried to turn and reach for his wand now, or tried to summon it, she’d likely kill him before it reached his hand.
He also heard the shouts and running feet of people, most likely Charlie and the other Handlers rushing to save him from a gruesome death.
He heard her snort, then sniff, she let out a slight growl, then a faint warble.
“Haaarrrry!” he heard Hermione terrified scream, but he didn’t look up, he daren’t, all he could think was:
‘I’m sorry Hermione. I…I love you.’
Then he felt something. Something he never would have expected. Or believed.
A warm snout, skin thick with scales and a leathery texture, pressed into his palm, as warm air once again washed over him, ruffling his hair, and sending a shiver down his spine.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 9: After the Task
Notes:
AN: EDIT I've made some edits to this chapter, removing most of a scene between Draco and Daphne. Something that, had I had a beta when i originally wrote this chapter, likely wouldn't have made it in.
-=-=-
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 9: Awards, consequences, and explanations.
First Task Arena, Forbidden Forest.
Harry didn’t move. He didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t breathe.
He could feel the warm breath of the dragon as she breathed on his arm, his hair ruffling. His body was tense, it was only then he noticed his back was drenched in sweat, his pulse was racing. His eyes snapped open and he released the breath he’d been holding as a sigh.
Somehow, it had worked, whatever he’d done.
He looked up, into the wide silent eyes of the crowd watching him.
Silence.
The only sound he could hear was the sound of his own breathing, the dragon’s heavy breathes and occasional snorts.
And his heartbeat. Which was pounding in his ears.
Then he looked to his left where his hand pressed against the warm snout of the female Horntail, who took deep steady breaths, her eyes closed.
‘I’m touching a Dragon…I’m TOUCHING a freaking DRAGON!’ he thought, he sucked in a gasp as he straightened up, and pulled his hand away from her nose. She opened her eyes and looked at him, snorting again.
“Uhh…hi…” he said awkwardly, licking his dry lips and swallowing nervously, his mind racing.
‘Ok…ok…think Potter…gotta convince her to let me get at the eggs…somehow…’
“Ok…well, I don’t know how well you can understand me…but…I need to get to that gold egg…” he said awkwardly.
Her eyes narrowed, a low growl emanating from her throat.
‘Ok…clearly she understands something , maybe the word ‘egg’. Ok…different tactic.’
“Ok…listen lady, I know you don’t want to be here, neither do I. I know you’re probably freaking out about your eggs being here too, being in an unfamiliar environment, and I don’t blame you. I was forced to compete in this damn tournament against my will, and I give my word that I mean no harm to you or your clutch, I just need to retrieve the golden egg, ya know, the shiny fake one.” He said pointing awkwardly at the gold egg in the center of the clutch of black eggs. How she hadn’t immediately identified and discarded it he did not know, maybe her maternal instincts prevented it he reasoned.
He pointed at the gold egg and made a move to step around her and approach the nest, but she growled again, snapping her jaws a little and he froze, raising his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture.
“Ok! Ok…Not moving!” He said, holding still.
The dragon snorted then turned around and approached her nest, turning her back to him.
Harry stared at her, then looked to the crowd, they were still silent, he looked over to the hospital tent where he saw the others poking their heads out of the tent flap, staring at him slack-jawed. He looked over at the dragon handlers, including Charlie, who were also staring at him as if he were crazy.
‘Heh, I just might be. Guess you guys never figured this was a way of dealing with Dragons…then again, neither did I.’ he thought.
He turned back to the dragon as she turned back to face him and started walking towards him, the golden egg clutched in her jaws.
Harry swallowed nervously as she dropped it at his feet then nudged it with her nose.
“Uh…thanks.” He said as he stooped to pick it up, then moved to pick up his wand as the dragon snorted again, then turned away, heading back to her nest. He gave her one last look, before he turned and headed towards the hospital tent.
There was still no-one cheering, or even talking, by the time he reached the tent, and he was pulled in by Cedric. Fleur and Krum were also watching him with confused looks, Madam Pomfrey was treating a rather nasty looking burn on Krum’s arm.
“What the bloody hell Potter?!”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Well, I was expecting someone to cheer when I got the egg, or at least say something.”
Cedric snorted. “They’re probably still in shock! What the hell were you thinking?! That dragon could have taken your arm off!”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to watch.”
“When we heard Bagman say you dropped your wand, we all decided to come take a look.” Cedric replied, Fleur and Krum nodded in agreement.
Harry shrugged, “Well, it’ll be interesting to see the scores though. Though I figure I’m gonna get a lot of grief from Hermione.” Cedric snorted.
Just then, a tall, lanky woman with wire framed glasses and blonde hair that looked like it was dyed, entered the tent.
“Mister Potter! There you are, I was wondering if you would like to spare a few words for the Prophet tomorrow? As the youngest Champion in history…” Rita Skeeter began, pulling out parchment and a green quick-quotes quill.
Harry glared at her and folded his arms.
“No comment.” He said flatly.
Rita blinked, before turning to Cedric, who raised an eyebrow.
“How about you, Mister Buggery?”
Harry had to bite his lip to stop the grin, and the laughter, that were struggling to cross his face as Cedric glared at her with an expression that clearly telegraphed that he would like nothing more than to murder the woman.
“It’s ‘Diggory’, you talentless hack.” Cedric snarled through gritted teeth, fists clenched and shaking.
Rita tried to look nonplussed as she turned to Fleur, her quill scribbling on the parchment.
“And you dear?”
Fleur glared at her and folded her arms, eyes narrowing. “Va te faire foutre.”
Krum snorted, smirking and chuckling, as did Cedric, though Harry had no idea what she’d just said, he guessed it wasn’t polite. Clearly Rita understood French about as well as he did, because she just grinned and scribbled on the parchment.
“Wonderful!” she then turned to Krum, who was glaring at her, a look of utter loathing on his face. Clearly he’d dealt with reporters like Rita before, and hated them.
“How about you? Mister Kram?”
“It is Krum, you foolish woman. And no, no comment.”
Just then, the flap of the tent was thrown open and Hermione stalked in, her expression a mixture of fury, incredulousness, and shock.
‘And speak of the devil…or would that be banshee?’ Harry thought, a slight smile crossing his face as he remembered what he’d done to her in the shower the other day.
“Harry James Potter! What the FUCK were you THINKING?!” Hermione snapped, her voice raising into an almost-scream. Her eyes were wide, a multitude of emotions swirling within them as she glared at him, she looked like she wanted to slap him, hug him, and throttle him, and not entirely in that order.
He opened his mouth to say something as Pomfrey came forward to start checking him, since she’d finished healing Krum, Hermione continued regardless. Then she turned and glared at Rita, who was looking between Hermione and Harry like she was on the verge of the scoop of the century. Harry could already see the woman’s mind coming to conclusions that would make life for him and Hermione very difficult.
“You. Out.” Pomfrey snapped, pointing at the tent flap. Rita huffed.
“Freedom of the Press, I have a right to interview the Champions.”
“We already told you we’re not saying anything.” Cedric snapped, folding his arms.
“Fine then, at least I got a statement from one of you.” Rita said, before ducking out.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, “Who said what?” Fleur chuckled.
“I believe I said, 'ow you say…Fuck off.”
Hermione snorted, as did Pomfrey. “I don’t think she understood what Fleur was saying, it’ll be interesting to see what she does with that.” Harry said. Hermione turned and gave him a look.
“Anyway… Back to my original point. I mean really Harry? Dropping your wand in front of a god damn nesting Dragon?! Are you insane? Why would you do something so merlin damned RECKLESS!” she snapped, voice raising again.
“Well, he is a Gryffindor, that’s kind of in the job description with you guys.” Cedric said, grinning. That grin faltered when Hermione's icy glare fixed on him instead.
“Zip. It.” she growled.
“Well, good news Mister Potter, you’re perfectly fine.” Pomfrey said, as the tent opened again and Dumbledore and McGonagall came in.
“Are you sure?” Hermione asked, her stern gaze slipping back to Harry. “Because I’m pretty sure he lost his mind out there.”
“Do not worry, I am sure eet will turn up, non?” Fleur said, smiling at them.
“Har har.” Harry said, before his shoulders slumped. “Lost my broom though.” Cedric winced, as did Krum, and Hermione’s stern expression softened considerably, as she stepped forward and hugged him.
“I’m sorry Harry.” She said quietly, as Pomfrey paused as she checked Harry again, frowned, then started to scan Hermione. Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck as he realised how much he’d worried her.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine, once you knock some sense into him. Though I am detecting something odd though…I’m picking up traces of a Lust potion in your system Mister Potter. You as well Miss Granger, I hope you haven’t been trying to experiment with potion brewing again.”
“Wait… what?!” Hermione yelped.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Well done, all of you, your scores will be calculated shortly by myself and the other judges, I just wanted to pop in and see how you were all doing.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling.
Hermione frowned as she pulled away from Harry, confusion marring her face. Why would Dumbledore be checking on them now? Surely that violated some sort of procedure, but she could barely focus on him at the moment, her mind stalling as she tried to process what the Mediwitch had just told her.
“We’re fine, sir.” Cedric said, giving Hermione and Harry an odd look. Dumbledore nodded, then raised his hand, and silently wandlessly cast several charms on everyone in the tent, freezing them in place, placing all of them under a trance, so none of them would see or remember what he was about to do. He had to understand why his attempts to engender attraction between Mister Krum and Miss Granger had failed, and to hopefully reinforce it. He was aware that the probability of stopping the Bonding process from starting between Harry and Hermione was likely impossible at this point, even if it hadn’t started already. They were living in such close proximity that it was a given certainty now.
Which was unfortunate, but not something that could be handled later. A full Bonding did not always guarantee the two in question would end up being married, after all, and a Wizard could bond with multiple Witches, and a Witch could bond with more than one Wizard, if the two in question chose to.
So…it would seem a little ‘prodding’ was needed.
Meeting first Harry's, then Hermione's eyes, he silently used a Legilimency probe, and entered their minds.
First, he removed the knowledge of what Pomfrey had just revealed to them, then he entered Pomfrey’s mind and did the same. He then reviewed the confrontation with Draco the week before, then how they’d coped with the immediate aftereffects, and then how they’d come to realize how to ‘manage’ their new condition.
When he came to Hermione questioning if they had been dosed with potions, he paused. ‘How had she figured it out?’ he thought. This girl was clearly too smart and too observant for her own good. Hopefully, if she could be paired off with either young Ronald or Mister Krum, it might help curb that in some way. Maybe Mister Weasley, instead of Mister Krum, as he was well aware of the young redhead’s budding attraction for the girl. He couldn’t tell if she’d just guessed, or genuinely been observant enough to spot it…well, that would not do.
Working quickly, he modified her memories, removing all traces of her suspicion of being dosed, which he hoped would lead her to assume the elevated levels of arousal she would experience were solely due to the curse, and not with the potions on top of that.
Then he came to her encounter with Krum in the library, and he had to bite his tongue to stop the growl of frustration from coming out. Here she was, in a relatively isolated environment with Mister Krum, and a perfect opportunity for her to start ‘forming a deeper connection’ with him, as it were, and yet, all they’d done was talk! Did Hermione really have that much self-control?
Or maybe it was the ‘activities’ she’d engaged in with Harry that had ‘quelled the fires’ enough, so to speak, so that she’d be able to control herself so much…well…that also would not do. Clearly, he would need to supply the House Elves with something stronger. So far, he’d been using potions he’d gotten from an Apothecary in Knockturn Alley, but they clearly weren’t cutting it. he’d have to talk to Severus.
He then started to alter Hermione's memory of her meeting with Krum, not removing it entirely, just altering it slightly, and adding to it. Once he was finished, he quickly moved to Krum, and repeated the process.
He also added a stronger compulsion charm on the youth, noting that he already harboured feelings of attraction for Miss Granger, so he amplified them, with a little mental work. While Krum had clearly undergone Occlumency training at Durmstrang, he was no master at it, and hopefully, wouldn’t spot the modifications to his mind before it was too late to matter.
He also placed a subtle ‘hint’ in the youth’s mind that he should also pursue Hermione for the upcoming Yule Ball.
When he was satisfied, he pulled out of Krum’s mind then double-checked his alterations to Hermione’s and Harry’s memories. He then delved into Cedric’s, Fleur’s and Krum’s minds to double check everything was fine, then finally, he turned to Pomfrey, and delved into her mind and started tinkering. He hated having to do it, but it was necessary. After all, it wasn’t the first time he’d done this. Last time it had been after Harry’s first physical in his First Year, and she’d come to him complaining about the numerous injuries and scars she’d found. He’d assured her he’d take care of it, then he had. Now he was doing the same. He topped it off with a compulsion that would stop her noticing any more lust potions in either of their systems.
When he was sure he was done, he unfroze everyone, and smiled at them.
“Well, congratulations to you all. Now, I need to get to the Judges table for the scoring.” And with that, he ducked out.
“I’ll go wait for you by the stands Harry.” Hermione said, giving him another hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, before glancing at Krum, Cedric, then Fleur, and offering them each a smile, though her gaze lingered on Krum a little longer.
For his part, Harry sighed, as he hefted the metal egg. There was quite a bit of weight to it, and the narrower half seemed to be segmented, as if it opened somehow, though he had no idea how right now, as he couldn’t even get his fingernails between the plates.
Krum meanwhile, watched Hermione leave, and smiled as his mind drifted back to their meeting in the library, and he felt himself blush with embarrassment as he remembered their meeting, the brief conversation they’d had, though he couldn’t really remember what it was about, before she’d said she needed his help with something in the Restricted Section, where she’d promptly dragged him by his tie, and once they were out of the view of prying eyes, she’d rather determinedly dropped to her knees in front of him, and proceeded to give him a very enthusiastic blowjob, and once she was done, she’d promised a repeat performance at a later date right there in the library, all he’d have to do would be to meet her there in the future, which he’d readily agreed to.
“Ok, let’s go see how we all did, shall we?” Harry asked, the others nodded and left the tent, soon finding themselves standing before the judges table.
The judges were all conferring among themselves, before they took note of the four champions standing before them. Dumbledore placed his wand to his throat and then his voice echoed over the arena.
“The scoring will now begin, in order the Champions participated in. First, Cedric Diggory.”
He then raised his wand, and a glowing 10, Bagman also raised a 10, Maxime raised a 9, Karkaroff, after a moment, raised an 8, which earned him some boos from the assembled Hufflepuffs. Crouch, after a bit longer of a pause, raised his wand and a glowing 8 appeared.
“Cedric Diggory is awarded 45 points.” Dumbledore said, the crowd cheered.
“Next, Fleur Delacour.” Dumbledore raised a 10, as did Maxime, Karkaroff raised a 5, which earned him a slew of French profanity and sneers from the Beauxbatons students, along with some very inappropriate gestures from some of them.
‘ Arsehole.’ Harry thought, bristling. Fleur also scowled, and Cedric and Viktor didn’t look too impressed either. Neither did Olympe, who looked positively furious as she glared daggers at Karkaroff.
Bagman gave her a 10, shooting Fleur a look and a smile which Harry thought was a little creepy but honestly, just made him look ridiculous. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fleur rolled her eyes and mutter something in French.
Finally, there was Crouch, who, after a hefty sigh, almost as if he was bored with the whole affair, awarded her an 8. This got him some jeering, but not as much as Igor had got.
“Fleur Delacour is awarded…43 points.”
The crowd cheered again.
“Next, Viktor Krum.” Dumbledore, with a slightly regretful look raised a 6, Olympe gave him a 5, Ludo raised a 7, shooting Krum an apologetic look. Karkaroff, who was glaring at his fellow judges now, raised a 10, which earned him another backlash from the students. Even Krum snorted, not looking impressed by his Headmaster’s blatant favoritism.
‘ Well… that’s not biased at all…’ Cedric thought, rolling his eyes. “Why so low with the others?” he whispered to Krum, the youth had the sense to look embarrassed.
“I…uhm…may have…how you say…’goofed’.”
“What did you do?” Harry asked, keeping his voice down as low as he could.
“I blinded my dragon with Conjunctivitis Curse. She panicked, destroy half her own eggs. And set my arm on fire.”
Harry and the others winced .
Finally, it was Crouch’s turn, who, after giving Igor a look, raised an 8.
The reaction from the crowd was mixed, the Durmstrang contingent cheered, as did the Slytherins, the other three Hogwarts houses were a bit less enthused, and the Beauxbatons students were silent, making their opinions clear.
“Viktor Krum is awarded…36 points.”
This earned boos from the Durmstrang and Slytherin students, some of whom tried to cry foul, but their attempts failed.
‘ Ok…time to see what that stunt cost you Potter.’ Harry thought.
“And finally, Harry Potter.” Dumbledore raised a 10, Maxime also raised a 10, Bagman raised a 9, Karkaroff scowled and raised a 10, though the look on his face as he glared at Harry gave the boy the impression the foreign Headmaster wanted to do nothing more than knock a digit off that number, though which digit, Harry wasn’t sure. Crouch, after some time, and with a look of reluctance, raised his wand and awarded him a 9.
“Harry Potter is awarded…48 points.”
The crowd cheered and applauded, or rather, most of them did. Some of the Hufflepuffs didn’t, most of the Slytherins didn’t, none of the Durmstrang students did, and only two or three Gryffindors didn’t.
Harry easily made out Hermione and Professor McGonagall among the Gryffindors, both of whom looked very proud of him, Susan, Luna and even Daphne were also clapping, though the latter was not cheering, as she was surrounded by Slytherins where definitely not doing either, some were even glaring at her, particularly Malfoy and his ilk. Snape was clapping, though the look on his greasy face indicated he wanted to do anything but.
He briefly locked eyes with Charlie Weasley, and the Dragon Tamer gave him a thumbs up and mouthed the words ‘We talk later, yes?’ Harry smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up in return. He could already guess what Charlie wanted to talk about; he’d want to know what exactly he did with the dragon, and how he avoided losing an arm.
Once the cheering had calmed down, Dumbledore canceled the charm on his voice as he spoke.
“Now, to discuss the Golden Eggs each of you have. They each contain a clue to discovering the objective of the Second Task, which will be held on the 24th of February next year, so that should give you plenty of time to figure it out. Well done, all of you.”
The crowd cheered again.
-=-=-=-
As classes were canceled for the rest of the day, the students were free to either return to their common rooms or just wander around the school.
The moment Harry entered the Gryffindor Common room, Gold Egg safely tucked under one arm, he was bombarded with cheers and shouts from the rest of his house, though he noted a few, like Ron and McLagan weren’t, though they weren’t glaring at him.
‘ Well…this is different.’ Harry thought, as he cradled the Golden Egg under his right arm, not quite sure how to react to the spectacle of his entire house cheering him, when 24 hours earlier, they still believed he cheated.
“How’d you do it Harry?” Neville asked, as he stepped forward to give his friend a hug.
“I think the more pressing question is, ‘How did you survive?’” Lavender asked.
“No.” came Hermione's stern voice behind Harry, and he felt a slight shiver of foreboding creep down his spine at her tone. He didn’t need to turn round to see the twin brown orbs drilling holes in the back of his head.
‘ Oh boy, she’s pissed.’ He thought.
“The pressing question is: What the BLOODY HELL were you THINKING Harry James Potter?!”
Hermione's voice echoed through the common room as what started as a growl turned into an ear aching yell by the end of it, causing many of the students to flinch and shy away from them.
“Merlin…I think, dear brother, she’s channeling Mum!” George whimpered in fear. Fred grinned.
“Ooooh! Someone’s sleeping on the sofa tonight!” Fred sang, several of the other boys snickered. The girls just rolled their eyes.
“Looks like someone isn’t getting any tonight!” Seamus cackled. Harry rolled his eyes as he turned to face Hermione.
‘ If I didn’t have to, Finnigan, you’d probably be right.’ He thought, as he took in his lover’s expression, her eyes were stern, but he could see the fear in there as well, the unshed tears, and like a blunger to the head, he suddenly realized that if his little gamble in the Forest with the Horntail had failed, it would have also affected Hermione greatly, if not immediately, the certainly in the long run.
“No change there then, huh Seamus?” Ginny spoke up, snickering at her own joke.
“Screw you Weasley.” Seamus said.
“No thanks, you’re not my type.” Ginny replied. The common room dissolved into fits of laughter, though Harry and Hermione were the only ones who weren’t.
“Well, I’m waiting Harry.” Hermione said sternly over the laughter, her arms crossed. He gulped.
“Uh…ok…uhm…look, I’m really sorry Hermione. I had planned to use my Firebolt to jump into the air, dive past her and grab the egg, but…that wasn’t an option, apparently.”
Hermione's eyes softened slightly as a look Harry couldn’t place spread across her face, and she uncrossed her arms.
“I’m sorry Harry, I know that broom meant a lot to you.”
Harry nodded, sighing, “Yeah, better the broom than me though, right?” he asked, laughing a little nervously, despite herself and her tempering anger, Hermione smiled.
“Yes, better the broom gets roasted than you.”
“So……as to what I was thinking, well, I just figured I’d try and prove to her I wasn’t a threat to her or her eggs, and I figured she’d seen a lot of humans, holding wands that shoot light at her, and sometimes that light would hurt, so, I thought to myself; ‘What if I’m not holding a wand, and don’t have one in easy reach? That should prove I’m not a threat.’ So…yeah.”
“And if it hadn’t worked? If she’d decided that you were just not worth the risk, or she got close enough to touch you but then decided she wanted a snack?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Then…it wouldn’t have worked, I guess there’s no arguing around that point.” Harry said with a shrug.
The rest of the common room had gone silent, as everyone watched, though Ron was still scowling.
“Just kiss and make up already!” Alicia Spinet said from the crowd. Harry shot a quick glare over his shoulder, before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hermione, who let out a sigh as she returned the hug.
“Weren’t you going to tell us why you guys got your own quarters? I’m betting the other Champions don’t.” Katie Bell asked.
“Er…well, we do want to tell you guys, it’s just a very…awkward situation, and we don’t really want it getting around.” Hermione said.
“You can trust us.” Lavender said.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “The two biggest gossip mongers in the school?”
Parvati rolled her eyes. “Give us some credit Granger, we do know when to put a lid on things, you know.”
“Just not very often, it would seem.” Neville said.
The two girls glared at him.
“We’ll tell you tonight, after Dinner.” Hermione said. “After I’ve had a chance to calm my nerves.”
“So what, you dropped your wand, held out your hand, closed your eyes and hoped she wouldn’t take your arm off?” Cormac said.
“Pretty much.”
“That’s pretty damn reckless.” Ginny said, folding her arms.
Harry shrugged, a cheeky smile appearing on his face. “We’re Gryffindors, it’s an occupational hazard. And according to Cedric, it’s in the Job Description.”
That earned him a few snickers. That smile faded when he looked back at Hermione and saw the look in her eyes, and how really scared she must have felt for him.
‘ Nice going Potter, now you upset her.’ He thought. He then turned back to the others.
“Hey guys? You mind if Hermione and I take this somewhere else?” and before he got a response, he took her hand and pulled her towards the entrance to their private quarters. Though he couldn’t miss the few whisles and catcalls being sent their way. Muttering the password, he stepped through, pulling Hermione with him. Once they were in their common room, he turned to face her.
“Hermione, look, I’m really sor—” his apology was cut off as she stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, burying her face in his neck. Startled, he stood there for a few seconds, before his arms came up around her.
“Stupid…stupid…stupid…” she said, her words muffled by his neck as a few silent sobs wracked her body. “Don’t you…dare do anything…like that again…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” he said, burying his face in her neck, taking a deep breath of her hair. ‘I’ll try not to.’ He thought.
“We…we need to talk.” She said, pulling her face away and stepping back, looking him in the eye, and he felt his heart tighten at the emotion he could clearly see there.
Harry gulped.
When a girl said that, it was never good.
-=-=-=-
When Daphne Greengrass entered the Slytherin Common room, she instantly noticed something was wrong.
She instantly went on alert as she noticed the common room was empty, save for Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Bulstrode and Parkinson. All of them were sneering or scowling at her, glaring openly.
Daphne felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, as a shiver went through her, and she slowly started to move her hand towards her wand.
“Don’t try it, Greengrass.” Malfoy growled, as he drew his own wand, and with a gesture, Pansy and Millicent moved to either side of her and took an arm.
“What’s this about Draco?” Daphne growled.
“You were cheering Potter after he cheated his way out of getting eaten.” Draco snapped, his eyes alight with fury.
“I have no idea how he did it, and to be honest, I don’t really care, as there’s nothing I can do about it. As a Triwizard Champion, he can’t be touched, legally. So whatever dark magic he used on the Dragon, can’t be looked into yet.”
Daphne snorted, rolling her eyes and she tried to suppress the panic starting to build.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, Malfoy, he dropped his wand , so there was no way he could have be-spelled the Dragon.”
“What about the fish he conjured? He could have done something to that.” Parkinson said to her right. “A calming spell or something.”
Daphne hated to admit it, but the blonde had a point, but that wasn’t important at the moment.
“So you want to have a go at me just for clapping after he grabbed the egg? I wasn’t the only one in Slytherin doing that, you know.” She retorted.
“Yes.” Draco drawled, huffing. “We know, but most of them were the First Years, they’ll be set straight soon enough. You , on the other hand, should know better! We know you’ve been spending time with the Mudblood Granger and the Huffleslut Bones. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, until yesterday, when something occurred to me and I went looking through my trunk. Guess what I didn’t find.”
Daphne did her best to remain calm, despite the panic that was rapidly overtaking her.
“Where. Is. The. Book.” Draco growled, his gaze as cold as ice.
“What book?”
“ THE Book!” Draco snarled, stepping closer, putting the tip of his wand to her chin. “The one that I got that spell from, the one I used on Granger and Potter, although Granger was my only intended target, Potter did me a favor by using himself as a shield, which worked out great in my view, after a day or two, they’d both be dead. But nnnooooo … Someone helped them figure out what the curse was and how to deal with it, and now they’re back on their feet!” he glared at her, then he nodded to Crabbe and Goyle, who used their wands to conjure large table, and the two other girls started to drag her backwards towards it, and she started to struggle.
“And the ONLY one who could be that someone, is you. Parkinson and Bulstrode have already searched your Trunk and come up empty, and I doubt you’d give something like that to your sister, so that just leaves you.” Draco growled again.
“I don’t have it.” Daphne said.
“Then where is it?” he growled again, coming to a stop by her head as he leaned over her now prone form, the two other girls holding her arms, and the two lumbering boys holding her legs. She felt terrified, powerless, but was doing her best to hide it, but they could all see the fear and panic in her eyes.
“I don’t know!” she lied, as she continued to struggle.
“Well then, looks like you’re going to have to make up for your transgression against your House.” He sneered, as he reached down and roughly fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, before pulling it open, exposing the black bra she wore, before reaching down and roughly pulling it away from her breasts…
-=-=-=-
“Uhm…ok.” Harry said nervously. Hermione moved to one of the sofas then patted it, gesturing for him to sit down, which he did, after placing the egg on the small table at the centre of the room.
“Harry…You and I have been friends for years, you saved my life back in First Year, I’m pretty sure I might owe you a Life Debt over that, actually, I’m not sure though. In Second year you separated Bulstrode and me when we got into that fight in the Dueling Club, and then when I drank that Polyjuice, you were the only one who didn’t laugh, and you came to see me more than Ron did. Then when I was petrified, you came to see me regularly, you even read to me.” She paused, smiling, her brown eyes full of genuine affection at the memory.
“Wait, how do you know…” he started to ask.
“Pomfrey.”
“Oh.”
Harry thought back to that year, those had been some of the most difficult six months of his life, and he’d made sure to visit Hermione every chance he got.
‘ Hang on a sec, why did we have to spend all that time growing Mandrakes here when Professor Sprout, Pomfrey or Dumbledore could have just gone to St. Mungo’s got some of the potion from there? They’re bound to have some.’ He thought.
“That raises a point actually, why didn’t Dumbledore or Pomfrey go to St. Mungo’s to get some potion? Why did we have to make it here?” he asked.
“The potion has a short shelf-life, and Petrification like the ones we had here is rare, as most of the time, if something can petrify you, it can also kill you, and usually does, at which point, the potion would be useless.” Hermione replied.
“Oh, uh, ok then.” That made sense, he thought.
“Then there was last year…” Hermione said, a little awkwardly. Harry scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed and guilty at the memory.
“Yeah, sorry about that, you did have a point, we didn’t know at the time that Firebolt came from Sirius, you were right to have it checked out.” Harry said, feeling a sense of loss from destruction of the present his only remaining family had got him. He didn’t count the Dursleys as family, despite what Dumbledore said. Padfoot was going to be heartbroken. Hermione nodded.
“It’s ok, it gave me time to let my hair down a bit, get some breathing room away from Ron, and I have got to make some new friends too, so that’s a plus, friends, who I might add, are willing to now also help you deal with your… condition , when I can’t.” she said, smiling sheepishly.
Harry raised an eyebrow, he’d forgotten about that, in all the mayhem of the day.
“Uhm…not sure how I feel about that, I mean, ok, you helped me get over some of the hang-ups they left me, but still, I can’t just go up to these girls and ask them to lift their skirts, can I?”
“Well, ideally, no, probably the best way for that to work is for them to make the offer first, I’ll have to mention it, that should avoid any awkwardness, and the less people who know about this condition we have, the easier it will be for us to deal with it.” Hermione said. Harry nodded.
“You also helped me rescue Sirius, I’d have lost him if it weren’t for you.” Harry said, taking her hand in his. She smiled and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“And now we’re helping each other with this…situation. Granted, it’s not how I’d pictured starting a relationship, of any kind, with someone, but, I think we can manage, the most important thing for us to remember is, a relationship built on purely sex and dependency is NOT how it should be done. I know we trust each other; I know we care about each other, and I know that we can get along well together, and not have quiet moments between us seem really awkward.” She paused, and Harry took the time to process what she was saying, and his mind went back to their conversation the other day.
“And…what you did for me on Tuesday, well, like I said, a girl could really get used to that kind of treatment every now and then.” Hermione said, smiling and blushing.
Harry smiled, also blushing, as he felt his blood-flow shift south.
“Is this your way of asking me to be your boyfriend Hermione?”
“Yes. Yes it is. That stunt you pulled with the Horntail really scared me, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” Before he could respond, she leaned forward and gently kissed him.
Harry stiffened as her lips met his, not sure how to react, which he found odd. He’d been more intimate with Hermione in the last five days than he’d been with anyone else, ever, and this was the first time they’d properly kissed, and he was seizing up?
‘ Get a grip Potter! You’ve done a hell of a lot more than kiss her over the past week, and you freak out at this? Kiss her back already!’ his inner voice yelled.
He reached up, cradling her face in his hand as he kissed her again, tilting his head slightly so they didn’t bump noses as they stared into each other’s eyes. The raw emotion he saw there made his heart flutter, then they broke the kiss, but didn’t draw very far apart, then he leaned in and kissed her again, closing his own eyes as he parted his lips slightly, and let his tongue tease hers. He felt her moan as she parted them, and his tongue slowly entered her mouth and met hers.
He leaned back into the sofa, pulling her with him as his arms went around her, and they deepened the kiss, enjoying the moment. When they finally broke for air, and looked into each other’s eyes, Harry tried to give voice to what he had thought in the Arena.
“Hermione…” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.
“Yes?” she replied, just as hoarsely.
“I’m really sorry for scaring you, I know I should have told you what I was planning, but my plan went up in flames, literally.”
“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Hermione said with a smile.
“Who said that?”
“Nineteenth Century Prussian General, well, it’s not exactly what he said, but that’s the basic gist of it.”
He nodded, swallowed nervously then continued.
“Well, what I’m trying to say is, you’re important to me, and I don’t want anything to ever happen to you. You stuck by me through everything the past 3 years, especially this year, when everyone, including Ron, who is supposed to be my best friend, shut me out. That’s why I stepped between you and Malfoy a week ago, and if given the chance or choice, I’d do it again, in a heartbeat.”
He saw the emotion in her eyes, the slight glistening of unshed tears.
“Harry…”
“I love you Hermione. I have for years, I just didn’t know how to tell you, I finally admitted it to myself today just before that Dragon pressed her nose against my hand.” He admitted, finally. He watched Hermione's face carefully, saw the raw emotion filling her eyes; love, happiness, lust, fear, uncertainty and pride. She blinked a couple of times, and the tears started to fall. He reached up and stroked one away with a thumb. She closed her eyes and let out a whimper as she tilted her head, pressing her face into his hand, closing her eyes, then she opened them again and looked at him.
“I love you too Harry, I have, I think, since the Dementors last year, I was just too young to understand or act on it, but now…I’m not…” she said, her voice getting deeper and huskier as she finished speaking.
“I think, Mister Potter, you deserve a reward for coming in first place…lay back.”
He did so, as she scooted a bit further along the sofa, giving him more room, she then reached forward and gently ran her fingers along the semi-hard bulge in the front of his pants, their eyes met, and she gave him a sultry smile.
“Well, these have to come off.” And with that, she made a show of unzipping and unbuttoning him, then she started to pull.
“W-wait! What if some-one comes in?” he asked as she pulled his trousers down to his knees, along with his shorts.
“The only ones who know the password are Neville, McGonagall, and I’m assuming Pomfrey, and I set a doorbell charm.” Hermione replied as she gently took hold of her new boyfriend’s shaft and started to gently caress it. After nearly a week of doing this, she’d already learned quite quickly what he liked best. ‘Time for a little something new I think.’ She thought, quickly leaning over, she planted a chaste kiss to the exposed tip of his shaft, making it twitch in her hand, then she sat up, and fixed her eyes on him as she loosened her tie, then started to unbutton her blouse, flashing him what she hoped was a sexy, sultry smile as she pulled her blouse open, exposing her bra as she let the garment slip down her arms, then with a flick of her want, she removed her bra, leaving her firm breasts exposed.
She then locked her gaze with his, licking her lips slowly as she began to pant, and she began to gently knead them.
Harry moaned, staring at her as she started to massage her breasts. Was he exhausted from his time dealing with the dragon? Yes. Was watching his best friend, and just-acquired girlfriend stroke and knead her own breasts while she stared at him and licked her lips as if she were starving hot as hell? Yes, it was.
“H-Hermione…” he grunted, as she took him in hand again, rolling back his foreskin, she leaned forward and licked his glans, all the while keeping eye contact, then raised herself up a little, before she pressed it against her right nipple. After a few moments of massaging the mound with his shaft, she moved to the left breast, all the while maintaining eye contact.
“Wow…” he breathed.
“Hmm…like that?” she purred. As she made a show of gently squeezing his glans, opening the little slit at the end with her left hand, while she used her right to press her now hardened left nipple into it.
He stiffened and tried the claw at the sofa cushion under him at the unexpected sensation. He nodded, not trusting his suddenly dry throat.
She then leaned forward and cupped both mounds, lifting them.
“Well…how about…this?”
She arched her back until his shaft lay against the warm, smooth skin, then she brought them together, embracing his shaft in warm soft flesh.
Then she lowered her head, and Harry let out another moan as he felt her tongue caress his crown. Then she looked back up at him, her eyes dark with lust, as she began to raise then lower her breasts.
“Mmm…how’s this feeling Harry? My boobs feel nice?” she asked huskily.
“Y—Yes…” he breathed, staring at her, not even daring to blink.
“Good.”
Hermione hummed as she quickly set into a rhythm, occasionally lowering her head to eagerly lick his crown when it was close enough. She was pleased that she was managing to do this for him, she knew she wasn’t as impressive as Susan or the other girls in her dorm, but she was determined to do this for him.
As she worked, taking his crown into her mouth to gently suck on it, she started to think about what the book had said about Bonding, that there was a conscious decision made by the Witch when exactly to start it, and what would follow, given what the Curse apparently did to the Bonding. If they started it now, her breasts would be full within a few weeks.
‘ Would Harry really want to drink my milk? Would that solve the issue of him needing to feed from my vagina? There HAS to be a cure, we just haven’t looked in the right place yet.’
A grunt drew her attention, and she looked up as she worked her breasts around him. Harry had his head leaning back, eyes closed, lightly panting as he started to lightly thrust his hips. He then opened his eyes and looked down as he felt Hermione take his hands in hers then raise them to her warm mounds.
“Touch them Harry, play with my breasts…show me how much you like them, show me what feels good to you.” She purred.
“They’re really nice…” he said, half dazed, as he gently cupped the warm flesh, gently squeezing them around his shaft, he then noticed Hermione reaching back with a hand, though he couldn’t see exactly what she was doing with it, her slight moan of pleasure, followed by her eyes closing and a faint wet squelching sound told him enough.
“You know, I’d be more than happy to help out with that.” He said, a little breathlessly.
“Mmm…later perhaps, right now, let me focus on you. Boyfriend.” She said, grinning and opening one eye to wink at him, before moaning again as he gently pinched her nipples.
And with that, she gave his shaft one last squeeze with her breasts before she moved back a little, then lowered her head.
Harry closed his eyes and let his head fall back with a moan as he felt his climax building, he felt his balls tighten, his shaft swell…
“Excuse me.” A deep baritone voice came from somewhere off to the side.
‘ What the?!’
Harry's eyes shot open as he sat bolt upright, or as much as he could with Hermione leaning over him, though she wasn’t for long. Upon hearing the voice, Hermione sat up so fast that he was surprised she didn’t give herself whiplash, her head turning this way and that, trying to find the source of the voice, her eyes wide with horror, her mouth still open with a trail of saliva running down her chin.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Came that same voice “But Professor McGonagall is here, I think she wishes to speak with you.”
“Who’s there?!” Hermione said, her voice a high-pitched squeak, her face losing all color.
“It’s me, Mufasa.” The voice said, a voice that reminded Hermione of Darth Vader for some reason, he sounded an awful lot like James Earl Jones.
“Wait…the Lion painting? You can talk?!” Harry said, as he reluctantly started trying to stash the erection that was still slick with his new girlfriend’s saliva.
“Yes. How else are you going to know who wants to come in?”
The two of them looked to the side, at the large painting that hung on the wall, over the fireplace. Not as large as the one that hung over the doorway, but big enough. It was an identical painting, though it seemed to be from a closer perspective, though the lion seemed to be making a conscious effort to not look at them.
“Have you been spying on us?” Hermione asked, scandalized as she hurriedly tried to pull on her blouse and button it up.
“No. You two aren’t the first couple staying here to get… comfortable in the common room. Unlike some of the portraits here, and even one or two ghosts I could name, I don’t really like to watch humans mate. It would set a bad example for my son, Simba.”
The two of them looked at each other, and just then, Mufasa turned and walked into the shadow of his painting.
-=-=-=-
Minerva McGonagall paused as she approached the portrait guarding the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, her mind in a whirl.
‘ Only Harry.’ She thought. She honestly didn’t know whether to dock him 500 points, award him 500 points, assign detention or put a note of commendation in his file.
‘ Or maybe all of the above. I think Serverus was chomping at his bit when Harry got that egg.’ After a bit more rumination, she continued walking, eventually coming to a stop in front of the Portrait.
The portrait swung open without any prompting, and McGonagall took a moment to observe the Gryffindor Common Room, not many students had noticed her, they were all bustling about, the Twins were huddled in a corner with Lee Jordan, obviously plotting something, the younger Weasleys were talking amongst themselves, though Ronald did not look happy, various other students were reading or doing homework.
But she did not see the young wizard she’d come to see.
“They’re in their quarters. You might want to knock first.” Parvati said, smirking.
Raising an eyebrow, but saying nothing, Minerva turned and approached the small hallway, off to the side, approaching the painting, she noticed Mufasa turn and look at her, gave a slight nod, then turned and walked into the shadow of Pride Rock.
A few moments later, he walked back out, and nodded.
“They’re ready for you now Minerva.”
A slight smile crossed Minerva’s face. “Didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
“No.”
“Ah, good.”
“But I did.”
Minerva sighed as the portrait swung forward, allowing entrance.
“You’ve been watching the Twins too much…” she muttered as she climbed through.
She found her two favorite lions sitting on the couch, their faces slightly red, almost flushed, Hermione looking particularly put out.
“Hello you two, I hope this isn’t a bad time, I wanted to see how you were doing Mister Potter.”
“I’m fine, we’re fine, thanks Professor.” Harry said, casting a slight smile towards Hermione.
“I must say Mister Potter, Godric would have been proud of you today, not only for coming in first, but also for the manner in which you pulled it off.”
“Uhm, thanks. Shame about my broom though.” Harry lamented.
“Brooms can be replaced, Harry, but you can’t.” Hermione said.
“Very true.” McGonagall said as she sat in one of the armchairs.
She regarded them for a few moments, before forging ahead.
“Have you told any of your housemates about your… condition yet?”
“We told Neville and Hannah, we’re going to tell everyone else after Dinner tonight.” Hermione said. Minerva nodded.
“Do not be surprised if there is an article about today in tomorrow’s issue of the Prophet Mister Potter. In fact, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t one.”
“Yay.” Harry deadpanned.
Minerva smiled. Then she continued. “I suspect they’ll be taking the Dragons and their eggs back to the preserve tomorrow, though Charles is still very curious and anxious to speak to you to find out how you did what you did.”
Harry shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know why I did that, and I don’t know why it worked. By all rights, she should have taken my arm off at the very least. But…she didn’t, and I don’t know why.”
‘ I have a theory…’ Minerva thought, her mind briefly wandering to an obscure legend she’d heard once in her youth.
“How are you two coping with… this? ” she asked, gesturing to their surroundings. The two of them blushed, exchanged looks, then Hermione replied.
“We’re making progress, I’m still trying to work through Harry's hangups and reservations. I was right, at the beginning of the week, those… people …taught him nothing! They even told him it wasn’t natural for teenagers our age to experiment or date, or anything .” Hermione snarled, her face contorting in anger.
“Harry can NOT go back to that house! I won’t allow my boyfriend to be mistreated by people who are supposed to be his family!”
Minerva raised an eyebrow at her student’s outburst, but she didn’t say anything. If anything, she agreed with Hermione. She’d warned Albus they were unsuitable, but he had insisted.
Damn him.
“I mean, honestly! Can we honestly expect any of them to help him?” Hermione said. Harry went very pale.
“What makes you think I’d want their help? You realize what you’re implying they’d have to do? What I’D have to do?!” Harry yelped, giving her a look of disgust and horror.
Hermione blinked, his words sinking in, and her face turned several interesting colours.
“Oh god, I’m sorry Harry! I just meant that I don’t think the Dursleys would let you out of the house to meet up with any girls that live locally near you.”
“Of course, they wouldn’t.” Harry snorted, scowling and folding his arms. “Half the families on Privet Drive think I’m a troubled delinquent whose parents were killed in a car crash while drunk, and that I spend all year at what is essentially, a cross between a Juvenile Detention Centre, and a Psychiatric Hospital.”
“ What .” McGonagall growled.
“Yeah.” Harry shrugged. “They call it St Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys.”
The two women stared at him.
“Never heard of it.” Hermione said. Then she scowled. “You’re definitely not going back there. I don’t care what Dumbledore says. You can stay with me. Besides, I’d be in a similar situation as you, there are a few boys that live on our street, but I don’t really know them that well. Can you imagine what my parents would think if they started hearing rumors? At least with you there it’ll be easy for us to manage this.” Harry gave her a look.
“I dunno Hermione, I mean, sure, it’d be easier for us, but if your dad is anything like the parent of a teenage girl I think he is, he’ll be watching me like a hawk. So I doubt we’d get much time for that, if we even get any privacy. They certainly won’t let us sleep in the same bed as we do here.”
Harry winced as he saw the look McGonagall was giving him, so he tried to explain.
“We decided it would be easier for us if we slept together.” Harry said sheepishly. McGonagall sighed and rubbed at her eyes.
“As long as you two are careful, I guess I can allow it, though usually it would not be permitted considering your age, but considering the circumstances…”
“We are being careful Professor, we’ve only done…what we need to do.” Hermione said, blushing slightly, then she looked back at Harry and continued her previous line of thought.
“Well, we have gotten pretty good at quickies.” She said, casting a sideways glance at McGonagall, who suddenly looked like she was wishing she was selectively deaf. “Besides, I haven’t even written to my parents yet! I mean, what could I possibly say? ‘Dear mum and dad, things are going well here, we’re having a magical Olympics at the school, but I was cursed a week ago and now I have to drink sperm three times a day to avoid falling into a coma and dying. How are things with you guys?’ Yeah…that would go over well…about as well as ‘I’m pregnant’ .” She huffed.
“I dunno Hermione, ‘I’m pregnant’ seems like it’d be easier for them to believe.” Harry tried to give her a reassuring smile. Hermione gave him a look.
“Yes, it probably would, but they would probably ground me for life, and murder the supposed father of the non-existent baby. Or try to.”
“Well, only reason we’ve done so well here is because we’re in a castle built to house thousands of students and staff, but in reality only has a few hundred students at most, so we’ve gotten lucky with empty corridors and classrooms, but I doubt your house is that spacious, and I doubt we’d be given the time or privacy, as I said.” Harry said.
Hermione sighed and nodded.
“Well, I guess you’re right. But like I said, you’re NOT going back to Privet Drive, you’d likely be dead by the end of the first week, I’m pretty sure your Aunt won’t help you, either of them, and I doubt they’d let you out of the house long enough to find anyone else to help you.”
Harry snorted. “No, they’d probably lock me in my room and wait for me to snuff it. And no, Aunt Petunia would never help me, nor would I want her to, neither would Aunt Marge, she and my uncle must have been cut from the same mold. He’s basically an Elephant Seal on legs.”
“An Elephant Seal? That’s insulting to Elephant Seals. From what I’ve heard, I’d say he’d make Jabba the Hutt feel anorexic.”
“Who?” Harry and McGonagall asked.
“Never mind.”
“Are your housemates giving you any problems?” McGonagall asked.
Harry snorted, “In what respect? You mean most of them blanking me because they thought I cheated this year? Or what about everyone being too afraid to talk to me because they thought I was the Heir of Slytherin two years ago?”
“They’ve been blanking you?” Minerva asked, arching an eyebrow. She did not like what she was hearing.
Harry nodded. “Yeah, though to be honest, I don’t really mind, the only ones I’m really close to still talk to me so…and they did all talk to me earlier.”
“Only because they wanted to know how you avoided getting eaten.” Hermione said with a huff.
Minerva pursed her lips then stood. “Then it’s time I had a word with them I think. Oh, before I forget, I’m assuming since you two have decided to take your relationship further, you’re going to start the Bonding process fully?”
They nodded.
“Well then, given what we read in those books, it seems that you will start producing a lot sooner than we thought Hermione, and there is no telling how your condition will affect that as well.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, a feeling of trepidation starting to rise.
“Well, the Curse you were hit with is said to accelerate the bonding process considerably, which means that you will not only start producing sooner than normal, but I think it might also affect how much you produce, and how often.”
“Oh.” Hermione said.
“Mhm. If you experience any problems or discomfort, bring it to mine or Pomfrey’s attention as soon as you can, and we’ll see what we can do. Now then, I need to have a word with your housemates. You’re free to join me, or…erm…carry on with what you were doing before I got here.”
And with that, she turned and left to deal with her house. Harry turned to Hermione to ask her if she wanted to join Professor McGonagall and the others, only to stop at the look of sheer hunger that was now filling her beautiful brown eyes, and before he could say anything, she stood, unfastened her skirt and pushed it down her legs, then almost aggressively pushed her knickers down her legs, before kicking them aside, leaving her naked from the waist down, save for her shoes and socks, before giving him an odd look he couldn’t quite place. When she spoke, her voice was thick, her face already flushing, and not from embarrassment.
“Potter. Get those trousers off. Then get on your back. Now. ”
Harry couldn’t help but smile as he started to do as she said, if he was honest with himself, he liked this dominant side.
A moment later, he was laying on his back on the couch, head resting on one of the arms, it wasn’t as comfortable as a bed, but it would do. He looked up at her, waiting for her next order. But she didn’t say anything.
She pounced.
-=-=-=-
Later that evening, at Dinner, Harry sat with Hermione on one side, and Neville and the Twins on the other; the rest of their house was rather subdued. He and Hermione had been too focused on each other to pay attention to the faint sound of McGonagall dressing down their housemates.
Harry was just glad none of them had tried to hex or attack him since he’d been entered into the Tournament. Though many of the Gryffindors were still giving him odd looks, a mixture of admiration and pity, as if they were starting to realize just how dangerous the contest was.
The rest of the Great Hall were also giving him looks, curiosity from the Ravenclaws, admiration from the Hufflepuffs, jealousy from the Slytherins and Durmstrang, and respect from the Beauxbatons.
Daphne, he noticed, was giving him an odd look every now and then, when she wasn’t talking to her friends, Draco was constantly sending looks of loathing his way, which Harry returned. Krum and Cedric kept shooting him congratulatory looks, while Fleur kept looking at him oddly, though he wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that.
At the Staff table, it seemed to be business as usual, though Snape wouldn’t even look at him, and the few times he did, the greasy git was constantly glaring. Harry rolled his eyes and looked away, but not before he saw the look of pride on Hagrid’s face.
“So, how’d you do it?” one of the third years asked.
Harry shrugged, “I just let her know that I trusted her not to kill me, that’s all.”
“By dropping your wand?” the boy asked.
“Had to show I wasn’t a threat. Way I figured it, the only humans she’d ever seen, had held sticks that shot light at her that I’m sure hurt sometimes, and was probably very annoying for her. Plus she was only trying to protect her eggs, she was in an unfamiliar environment, and as far as she was concerned, if her eggs were there, anything around her was a potential threat. Especially if it was armed.”
“And if it hadn’t worked?” another Gryffindor asked, repeating what Hermione had said earlier.
“Then it wouldn’t have mattered.” Harry said.
The rest of Dinner progressed quietly.
At the Staff table, Dumbledore eyed Harry carefully, the method he’d used to get the egg still amazed him, how the boy had done it, he did not know. In all his years, he’d never known of anyone doing what Harry had done, not in all the sources he’d ever found. When he’s spoken to Mister Weasley, the man had been almost giddy with curiosity, he also had no idea how Harry had done what he did, and he wanted to talk to Harry soon, before the Dragons went home, though Dumbledore had warned him he might not get the chance, then he’d suggested that he ask one of his brothers to get the information from the boy instead.
Dumbledore had asked Charlie if there had ever been any record of a human wrangling a dragon in that way, and Charlie had shook his head.
“ If there were, I’d know about it. There are some old stories, a myth or legend or some such nonsense, that say that’s how the first Dragon Handlers did it about 1000 years ago, but most who know that myth disregard it.”
“ Oh? Why is that?”
“ Because if those stories are true, the first humans to learn how to wrangle and deal with Dragons…were Muggles. ”
“ Really? Surely not!”
“ I know, that’s why pretty much everyone who knows the myth, dismisses it.”
But…Dumbledore could not help but wonder.
“I can’t believe that cheating little bastard got First Place!” Snape growled to his right.
Dumbledore sighed. Now Serverus was going to be even more difficult.
At the Slytherin Table, Daphne looked over at Harry Potter, wondering. Her mind in a whirl.
She still couldn’t believe what he had done, Draco had been ranting non-stop, until one of the Prefects had told him to shut up and stop bleating.
She’d have to try and talk to him. Besides, wouldn’t he be coming to her for help soon? She’d have to approach him delicately. Then she smiled to herself as her thoughts began to run away with her.
-=-=-=-
Later that evening, in the main Gryffindor Common Room, Harry and Hermione sat on one of the sofas, most of Gryffindor house crowded around them. It was a bit intimidating.
“We don’t want the First or Second years hearing this, some of what we have to say…isn’t for them.” Hermione said.
Several protests were heard, but the Prefects ushered them out of the common room to their dorms. Once they came back, Hermione continued.
“Well…as McGonagall said, last Thursday, Draco confronted me and Harry, blabbing his usual nonsense. Words were said, spells were exchanged, then Draco used an old Greek Curse called the Gift of Aphrodite or Kiss of the Succubus , apparently it has two names, though I’m not sure where the second one comes from.”
“What’s it do? If it’s named as a gift from the Greek Goddess of Love, then it can’t be too bad.” One of the Seventh Years asked.
“According to a couple of books we found the curse in, it didn’t start out as a curse, it was originally designed to help couples in the bedroom, as a means of foreplay, and to help form the Bond in couples that hadn’t yet formed one.”
“What’s a Bond?” Colin Creevey asked.
Hermione blinked. ‘Oh yeah, we’re not supposed to know about that until Fifth Year.’
“Er…You’ll find out in two years.”
Ginny snorted, “We already know Creevey.”
“Do NOT tell them!” Hermione said, giving Ginny a hard look. “I’m sure there’s a reason students aren’t supposed to know until their fifth year, whether or not your parents tell you sooner is up to them.”
Ginny rolled her eyes “If you don’t want the Third- and Fourth-year Muggle-borns to know, then they have to leave now too. Though I imagine if they do, they’ll be constantly badgering the rest of us trying to figure out what you told us. So you might as well just tell them too.”
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, before Harry sighed. “Fine, but you do NOT tell any of the younger years, ok? That includes your brother Colin.” He said, giving the young boy a look, who nodded.
“The Curse, in a nutshell, basically magically suppresses our body’s ability to absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Slowly leading to starvation over several days, which gets worse with each passing day. It also makes us feel tired and run down, even if we manage to get a full night’s sleep, and Pepper-up potions don’t work. After 4 days of not doing what we need to do to get the nutrients absorbed, we’ll slip into a coma, at which point, it’s pretty much game over, 2 or 3 days after that, our bodies give out.”
“Merlin…” Fred said.
“How the hell could that be considered a Gift?!” Parvati yelped.
“I think it has something to do with the measures we have to take to counter the effects.”
“Which are?” Ginny asked.
“Urm…” the two of them exchanged another look, before looking again at the Third-years. Parvati suddenly perked up.
“Wait…you said this curse is called the ‘Kiss of the Succubus’ right?”
“That’s one name for it, yeah.” Harry said.
“You know of it.” Hermione said.
Parvati sighed and nodded.
“I’ve heard of it, but only in passing, back in India. All I know is that it hasn’t been used in centuries, and when it was, was used early in the reign of the first Sultans, who used it to form Harems. Though I never learned how, or the specifics of the curse.”
“Did you find any hint of a cure?” Hermione asked. Parvati shook her head.
“The book we read seems to indicate that it’s creator did not intend for it to be a curse, but instead a means of foreplay for married couples, and as a side effect, accelerates the Bonding process, greatly so, which is probably a result of the methods used to counter its effects. It seems whoever created it, messed up somewhere, and couldn’t reverse the effects.” Harry said.
“Oh.” Several of their housemates said in unison.
“Yeah. ‘Oh’. So if you know what the Bond is and how it’s formed, then you know what Harry and I have to do to counter the curse’s effects.” Hermione said.
“How…often?” Lavender asked.
“At least three times a day, two at the bare minimum. Once every 12 hours at the absolute minimum.”
“Bugger…no wonder McGonagall put you in private quarters.” Alicia said.
“Want us to kill the Ferret?” Katie asked, grinning evilly.
“As amusing as that would be, I don’t really fancy getting into a legal thing with Lucius because his son wound up dead and he decided to pin it on me.” Harry said, smirking “But the offer is appreciated though.”
“Ya know, what he did to you, could be considered Attempted Line Assassination, considering you weren’t immediately aware of the Curse’s effects and how to deal with it, and if convicted, it’ll get him a reservation at Hotel Azkaban. Might want to consider getting the DMLE involved.” Angelina pointed out.
“We know. We might consider it, but not until after this damn Tournament is over.” Harry said, “Unless Draco tries something else stupid before then.”
“Sooo…” Alicia said, eyeing them.
“So…what?” Hermione asked.
“You guys have to do what? ‘Feed’ from each other at least twice a day to stay alive now…and if what you’re required to eat is what I think it is, well, does it have to be the two of you or…”
Hermione stiffened a little, but then relaxed, closed her eyes and let out a sigh, her mind, oddly enough, going back to her encounter with Krum in the library, and she felt a blush start to darken her face. “Well, we haven’t tried with anyone else yet, but I guess there’s no reason why we can’t, but at the moment, we don’t know for sure. I mean, my ‘time’ is coming up, starting in the next few days so…Harry at least will have to look elsewhere, most of the time.”
The other assembled students all cringed, or most of them did, Colin just looked oblivious.
“Have you had any offers yet?” Lavender asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Harry, who blushed.
“Er…sort of.”
“Sort of? What do you mean ‘Sort of’ Potter?” one of the Sixth-years asked.
“Hermione's friends, Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass, and a Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood.”
“Oh Merlin ! You’ve been talking to Looney ?!” Ron cried, sitting back, looking scandalized.
Harry scowled. “Don’t call her that. Yes she’s a bit…eccentric, but aren’t half the people in this country insane? I mean, we have a school teaching kids how to use deadly weapons, we have a completely incompetent government whose public face is a brainless puppet, and we have serial killers working in said government and making all the rules.”
The others stared at him.
“Wow Brother of mine, I think young Harry has finally got it!” George crowed.
One of the seventh years snorted in the background. “Good thing Percy isn’t here, if he’d heard that, he would probably have thrown a fit. Or issued a detention.”
“Well, back on topic, so Harry, if by chance, you need a ‘boost’ as it were, and Hermione isn’t around, or otherwise unavailable, you could always find and ask one of us.” Lavender said, flashing him a smile. Harry raised an eyebrow.
“24 hours ago, barely any of you were willing to talk to me, now you’re offering to help keep me alive? What’s your angle?” Harry said, folding his arms.
“What? We just want to help.” Lavender said.
Fey snorted. “You just want him to do to you what he did to Granger to make her scream like a banshee two days ago.”
Hermione's face flushed red at the memory. And Harry felt uncomfortable, he noticed Ron and Ginny giving him looks, Ron was glaring at him again, a look of pure jealousy on his face, and Ginny was giving him an odd look he couldn’t place.
“Well, duh! Any guy who can make a girl scream like that is a keeper.” Lavender replied. Then she looked back at Harry. “So how about it Harry?”
“I will take it under consideration.” ‘No I won’t.’ he replied, adding the last bit in his head. “Besides, as my new girlfriend, Hermione gets first dibs.”
“Girlfriend? Since when?” Ron asked, ears turning red.
Harry shrugged “Just before McGonagall came in, we had a nice long chat, reflecting on our past interactions.”
“Well, I could give him what he needs. I’d be happy to.” Ginny smirked.
“Ah-HEM!” came the sound of three boys clearing their throats dramatically, she turned and looked at her brothers who were all giving her stern looks, and she rolled her eyes.
“As I said, under consideration.”
“Well…Harry, you could—” Colin started, but Harry raised his hand and shook his head emphatically.
“No. Sorry Colin, just no. I don’t swing that way.”
Harry then rolled his shoulders and checked his watch, checking the time, it was getting late.
“Well, it is getting late, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted after today, so I need to get some sleep.”
“But we’re throwing a celebration party for you later! We were just going to get everything ready!” Fred protested. Harry shrugged.
“But I’m not the real Hogwarts Champion, remember?”
“Who cares?” George asked.
Hermione put her hand on Harry’s arm, he turned to her, and she gave him a reassuring smile. “They’re at least trying to make up for the past few weeks, and you did come in first, so that does deserve a celebration.”
Harry smiled at her, then leaned in and hugged her, not seeing the scowl on Ron’s face, and the slightly hurt look on Ginny’s.
“Okay.”
-=-=-=-
Friday, November 25, 1994
At breakfast the next morning, Harry was trying to not pay attention to all of the hustle and bustle going on, it seemed he was still the talk of the school, he’d seen the other Champions giving him thumbs up when he entered.
As expected, a flutter of wings heralded the arrival of the morning post.
Harry knew what was on the front cover of the Daily Prophet before he even picked it up. He raised an eyebrow at the picture on the cover, which captured the few seconds it took for the Horntail to press her snout into his palm.
‘ This should be good.’ He thought with a snort as he picked up the paper.
‘ Triwizard history!’
‘ Youngest Hogwarts Champion in history Boy-Who-Lived secret Dragon whisperer or flagrant cheat?’
By Rita Skeeter
Yesterday history was made yet again dear readers! Following on from the historical appearance of the youngest Champion in Triwizard history on Halloween, yesterday, during the First Task, history was made yet again!
For those who were not in attendance, the First Task involved the four Campions facing off against various nesting female Dragons. Their objective: A Golden Egg.
That’s right, you read correctly. Nesting female Dragons.
Harry skimmed most of the article, as it was just a play-by-play of each Champion’s challenge and what they did, though he did scowl when Rita accused him of cheating his way through his challenge, and making the suggestion that he used Parseltongue to ask the Dragon for the egg.
“I didn’t cheat…” he growled. On either side of him, he noticed Hermione and Neville lean in close.
“We know you didn’t, Harry.” Neville said.
“She’s just a useless Ministry Mouthpiece, we KNOW this woman doesn’t do her research.” Hermione added. Harry nodded. He didn’t bother looking up at the other tables, he could feel the eyes on him. He looked back at the paper.
We at the Daily Prophet do wonder however, WHY did the dragon press her snout into his palm? This behavior is completely unknown and has never been observed before in all the years humans have been interacting with dragons.
This reporter had a chance to speak with one of the Dragon Handlers, Charles Weasley, second eldest son of Ministry Employee Arthur Weasley. He is quoted as saying:
“ Harry was pretty tight-lipped about what happened, he wouldn’t really say much, other than he saw the dragon was coming, figured he was as good as dead, but still being the brave Gryffindor he was, decided to try and tackle her bare-handed, since he admitted he did not know any spells that would work on a dragon.”
Harry rolled his eyes, he highly doubted Charlie would have bothered to talk to Skeeter, he would have been too busy with the dragons. Her statement was a blatant lie anyway, he still hadn’t had the chance to talk to Charlie yet, and from what the twins and Ron had said, Charlie had left the night before, along with the other handlers and the dragons.
In the Hospital Tent, where the Champions were being tended to after their respective tasks, this reporter got a chance to sit down and interview each of them.
“No, you didn’t.” Harry muttered.
Mister Diggory was quoted as saying: “It was touch and go for a moment, but thanks to the skills I learned here at Hogwarts, thanks to the excellent instruction of my Professors, I was able to power through.”
Harry snorted, “Bollocks. That’s not what he said at all.”
“Oh? What did he say?” Fred asked, looking over at Cedric, who was rolling his eyes and snorting.
“She called him ‘Mister Buggery’ and he said ‘It’s Diggory, you useless hack.’ ” Harry said, chuckling, as did several other Gryffindors.
Next, Miss Delacour was quoted as saying: “Va te faire foutre.” Which my colleagues have informed me means “It was no trouble at all.” Very humble of Miss Delacour.
Harry snorted again , as did Hermione, a chorus of giggles and laughter drew his attention to the Beauxbatons students, who were all patting Fleur on the back, and laughing. Fleur herself was grinning, looking very pleased with herself.
“I don’t really know French, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what she said.” One of the Gryffindors said.
“No.” Hermione said, chuckling. “Fleur literally told Skeeter to fuck off.” At this, the rest of Gryffindor broke out into laughter.
Mister Krum was quoted as saying: “It was difficult, the Dragon put up a good fight, but clearly, I made a mistake using the spell I used. And it cost me dearly.”
“’No Comment.’” Harry paraphrased, as he looked up at Krum, seeing him scowling and throwing down his copy of the paper in disgust. He started to make gestures to his friends and schoolmates, who clearly shared his opinion. Then he sighed, preparing himself for whatever blatant lie Skeeter had prepared as his ‘Interview’.
And finally dear readers, we have an exclusive interview with Harry Potter, the highest scorer of the Tournament. He is quoted as saying: “It was harrowing! After my broom was destroyed, for a moment, I had no idea what to do! Then it hit me: Feed her, get her distracted, get in and get the Egg. Well, the feeding part worked, but I stumbled, and she heard me, looked up and saw me. So I decided to prove myself a true Gryffindor and tackle her bare-handed.”
Harry snorted. “Again, No Comment. At least she can’t make it up completely, since there’s a photo right there of what happened.”
When asked about how he managed to subdue the Dragon, Mister Potter replied: “I’m a Parselmouth you see, so I figured ‘Why not try talking to her? Dragons are related to snakes after all.’, so that’s what I did, I spoke to her, asked if I could pet her snout, then held out my hand for her.”
Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Utter Bollocks! ” he growled.
“Language!” Hermione scolded.
“I didn’t use Parseltongue, Dragons are NOT related to snakes. this… Woman… is completely FULL of shite.”
“ Language!” Hermione said more forcefully. Then she paused, “Wait, how did she find out you’re a Parselmouth?” Harry shrugged.
“ Anyone here could have told her. The entire school has known for 2 years.” Harry growled, throwing down his paper in disgust again, this time, he ignored it, but he still felt the eyes on him from all over the room.
He’d have to send Sirius a letter later explaining everything.
At the Head table, Dumbledore sat watching young Harry, after reading his own copy of the paper. He knew of course that Rita was lying through her teeth, at least regarding the ‘interviews’. Though he did find it amusing that no-one at the Prophet had bothered to correct Rita’s mis-translation of Fleur’s comment to her, which seemed to indicate to Albus that the woman was not as well liked among her peers as he suspected she believed herself to be.
While he might not know the secret behind Harry's performance in the arena, Dumbledore had to admit he’d been surprised, impressed and once it was over, relieved. For a few seconds, he honestly thought the boy was going to die a horrible death, which would have messed up everything of course.
‘ I thank Merlin that he wasn’t facing a Nadder, Nightmare, Razorwhip, or magic forbid, a Skrill , those species are on the Critically Endangered list, and are incredibly violent, and considering what happened with Krum…Dropping his wand in front of an agitated nesting dragon. Hm, a True Gryffindor indeed.’ he thought.
Still, everything was fine, Harry was fine, now all he had to do was make it through the rest of the Tournament. He had a destiny to fulfill, after all.
-=-=-=-
Ministry of Magic, Office of the Senior Under-Secretary.
Senior Under-Secretary Dolores Jane Umbridge threw down her copy of the Daily Prophet in disgust.
The Potter brat had cheated! There was no other way to explain him coming in FIRST! A miserable Half-breed spawn of a Blood Traitor and his… Mudblood whore of a wife.
Dolores suppressed a minor snarl at the thought, those…animals…had no place among humans! Only thing worse, were the vermin that spawned them.
And to add insult to injury, to make matters worse , the actual half-breed abomination from France had got a higher score than someone who was clearly her superior in every way.
Oh yes, Dolores knew what Fleur Delacour was. It was impossible not to. It was clear to anyone with functioning eyes and a working brain what the French harlot was the moment they looked at her. It was bad enough that they let Mudbloods into their education system, but on the continent, they allowed half-breed abominations into their schools as well!
It perplexed, and honestly infuriated Dolores, that a man like Monsieur Delacour would be willing to stick his dick in a magical creature! Surely there were laws against that. Then again, she had heard the tale of a witch who lived during the 1930s or 40s in France, who was, if the accounts were accurate, half House-Elf!
How in Merlin’s name did THAT work?!
‘ Then again…’ she mused, ‘There is Flitwick, who if I’m not mistaken, is half Goblin. Then there’s that oaf of a Groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, who I’m pretty sure is Half-Giant. No ordinary human is that big…then you have the Centaurs in the Forbidden forest, and in other places, then there’s the Merpeople in the Black Lake…those disgusting fish… I guess humans as a species are willing to fuck just about anything with a penis or vagina, regardless of what species it is.’
Her mind went back to Viktor Krum. While she did not know the Krum family, the fact that he was a Pure-Blood, a proper Wizard of decency and breeding, from good stock, with a respectable position as Seeker for his national Quidditch team, should have guaranteed him First Place.
Should have, but it hadn’t.
She looked down at the article again, reading the section that detailed the Handlers examining the remains of the nest Chinese Fireball had destroyed after Krum blinded it, and they had discovered that, in fact, the damage had been worse than first thought. All of the dragon’s eggs had been destroyed, save one.
She snorted.
That was hardly Krum’s fault! The stupid lizard just didn’t bother moving away from her nest is all. It certainly wasn’t reason enough to dock him so many points and put him last , behind inferior competitors and cheaters!
Something would have to be done.
She paused, thinking of Cedric Diggory, the true Hogwarts Champion. He was a Pure-Blood, like Krum, and no doubt the young man tried his best during his task, and he had come in second place…but still…
Then an idea came to her, if she could get herself onto the Judging Committee, she would soon set things to rights. The first task was a wash, but there was the second one coming up in February. Plans would have to be made, if she could learn what the Task was meant to be, she could arrange a little…’accident’ for the Potter brat. She would have to find out quickly, however.
She scowled as she looked down at the photograph in the article, which showed the moment the Horntail pressed its snout to Potter’s outstretched palm, instead of biting it off!
Clearly, he had used some sort of magic to subdue the mindless animal just before he dropped his wand, or he had a second focus hidden on his person, she would have to investigate. She highly doubted he used Parseltongue as Skeeter claimed, as Dolores knew that dragons and snakes were not related, so the language would not work on them. So it had to have been something else.
Then there was the other issue concerning Potter.
Her mind went back to the conversation she’d had with Lucius Malfoy the other day, who had received a rather petulant letter from his son, Draco.
Draco was a nice fine young man, he had great potential, but he was spoiled, a little arrogant, and a bit too cocky for his own good. Apparently, Draco had tried to hit the Mudblood Granger with an old Greek curse, and Potter had stepped in to take the hit instead.
Fool.
Though the Mudblood had apparently still been hit, Draco's efforts weren’t a failure by any means. When Lucius had told her the specifics of the Curse Draco had used, she’d laughed, the thought of the Mudblood being reduced to nothing more than a whore, as was her proper station, was oddly fitting. The fact that the Curse’s side effects were lethal if ignored, well, that was just icing on the cake, sadly, she saw no way to make them forego managing their new ‘ condition’ , at least not while she was outside of Hogwarts, oh well…
The main issue Draco had brought to his father’s attention was Dumbledore’s punishment for Cursing Potter and the Mudblood.
That had rankled her, though Lucius had just rolled his eyes at his son’s demands that he ‘fix this!’ , the fact that Draco had been invalidated as a possible choice for Prefect next year was unwarranted! That could NOT stand! The Prefect position was one of the most prestigious a student could hold, next to Head Boy and Girl, but to deny Draco of that, for simply doing the right thing in punishing Potter for cheating his way into the Tournament, that could not be allowed to stand! She would have to find a way to get into a position to correct that…depending on how the Tournament went, it might provide her with an option.
Then her thoughts turned to other matters…she’d heard whispers, rumors, that the Dark Lord was returning soon, that he had never truly died, and had merely been biding his time all these years.
She scowled.
Voldemort’s time had passed. He’d had his chance, and he’d failed. Defeated by a baby. That proved he was no real Dark Lord, surely not. Her mind went back a year, to the summer of 93, after the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, she’d traveled to Hogwarts during the summer break, when all of the students, and most of the staff, were at home, and the castle was virtually empty, save for the ghosts and a hand full of staff who stayed year-round.
It had taken her some doing, and she’d had to rely almost exclusively on the ghosts for her intel, as the few staff she talked to refused to tell her anything, but she had eventually managed to get information that led her to the ghost Myrtle Warren, or Moaning Myrtle, as she was known. The ghost was constantly depressed, and talking to her was depressing, but she had learned how the girl had died.
A Basilisk.
Though Myrtle hadn’t explicitly said it was a Basilisk, from what she had been told, and from what she knew of dangerous magical creatures, it had been obvious. The girl had also mentioned hearing a boy in the bathroom hissing, just before she died, giving Dolores the hint as to who it had been, since Voldemort was a well-known Parselmouth.
Uncovering who he was while at Hogwarts had been difficult, to the point where she almost gave up, but Dolores had been determined, she’d asked Myrtle if she’d noticed anything unusual during the previous school year, when the Chamber had been opened again. All the ghost had said was that someone had tried to flush a diary down her toilet. A diary monogrammed with the name T M RIDDLE . Thanking Myrtle, Dolores had left the bathroom and tracked down one of the other ghosts, hoping they’d know more; one had. The Grey Lady, who, in a rare instance, spoke, and told Dolores what happened after Myrtle’s death, how Hagrid had been blamed and expelled, and the student who ‘caught’ him, one Tom Riddle, had been awarded honors for services to the school.
Dolores blinked, sitting up straight as an epiphany struck her.
Tom Riddle was Voldemort.
How had she not realized that a year ago?
Picking up her quill, she inked it and grabbed a spare piece of parchment and wrote ‘LORD VOLDEMORT’ then mentally dissected the name, taking out the letters and rearranging them to spell Tom Riddle.
It didn’t fit. Not entirely. She wrote down her first deduction.
TOM RDDLE
‘ But where did the extra letters go?’ She wondered, she was missing something, Tom’s middle name.
She cleared the parchment and tried again.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
She almost laughed when she wrote out TOM RIDDLE on the parchment. Almost.
Dolores scrutinized the parchment and frowned. She could not recall a magical family named Ridddle among the Sacred Twenty-Eight, which meant it had to be a lesser family. The alternative did not bear thinking about. She stood and headed out of her office, taking the parchment and her quill with her, heading for the Hall of Records. If the Riddle family was magical, it would be recorded there. As she walked, she went over the spare letters in her head and tried to piece together Voldemort’s middle name, hopefully that would give some clue to his heritage, if she couldn’t find any trace of the Riddles.
Ideally, she hoped her search would prove him to be a Proper Wizard, as he always claimed, and at least, a Half-Blood, while not a crime, it would call his claim to be a Dark Lord into question, if the Riddles were not magical.
Worst case scenario, he was a Mudblood. Which would also not only invalidate his claims of Lordship, it would also make him a hypocrite of the highest order, but no, that did not make sense. He waged a campaign of terror against the Mudbloods as much as, if not more so, than he did the Pure-Bloods and Half-Bloods that opposed him during his first rise.
There was also the fact that he was a Parselmouth. Parseltongue, the magical ability to communicate with snakes, as far as she knew, was hereditary, and the last known British wizard to possess it was Slytherin himself, though she had heard the odd rumor awhile ago that Potter was a Parselmouth, but that couldn’t be right.
Dolores paused outside the Hall of Records, trying to piece together Riddle’s middle name, but she couldn’t, shaking her head, she entered the large room and began her search.
-=-=-=-
Riddle Manor
Voldemort scowled as Barty lowered the copy of the Prophet he had brought from Hogwarts, Barty had reported earlier in the week that Potter and the Mudblood had managed to find a way to mitigate the curse affecting them, though Barty had not yet discovered how they were doing so. Apparently, it was an old Greek curse that had fallen out of favor many centuries ago. It seemed that the curse wasn’t having that much of a negative impact, so Riddle had to wonder why Draco would choose such a spell.
‘ Rita is an idiot. He did not use Parseltongue. But he clearly did something.’ Riddle thought.
He had to admit though, watching the looping magical photo in the paper, that what Harry had done was most unusual, he had heard an ancient Nordic legend while journeying through Scandinavia many years ago, before his first rise, but those he had spoken to who knew of the legend dismissed it, as, apparently, if the legends were true, the humans they centered around were either muggles or muggle-borns, so naturally, Riddle had dismissed it as well.
Now he was given pause to wonder…he knew the Potters went back to the 9th or 10th century, and he was pretty sure the family had its roots in Britain…hm…
‘ Either way, it is irrelevant, if Barty ensures Potter finishes the final task, arrives in the graveyard, and Potter serves his purpose, it does not matter what secrets his family holds. They won’t save him.’
“ Very good Barty, return to the castle and continue to observe.”
Barty bowed, rose and left the room.
“ Wormtail…it is time for my feeding.” He hissed. Off the side, Peter shuddered, he always hated milking Nagini.
-=-=-=-
12 Grimmauld Place, London.
Sirius threw down his copy of the Prophet and reached for the glass of fire whisky he’d opened. He hadn’t called Harry after the task, since he had no idea if Harry or Hermione would even be in the private common room, and if they had been, he might have… interrupted something.
He chuckled to himself, the curse honestly didn’t seem to be that bad, if you ignored certain aspects of it. Yes, he’d be pissed as all hell if someone had ever used that spell on him, or Remus, or James or Lily when they were back at Hogwarts. But still…sure, he got his own needs taken care of thanks to some of the local strays that wandered the area but…the dogs he interacted with didn’t really want to hug afterwards, not that they really could anyway.
Still, looking down at the photo in the paper, he was sure James and Lily would have been proud, terrified out of their minds, sure, but proud all the same.
He let out a bark of laughter when he read Fleur’s ‘interview’ with Skeeter, the joke made all the sweeter by the fact that Rita apparently didn’t know French.
Though he felt sure that Harry never would have spoken to the woman, not after his first disastrous interview.
He threw back his head and swallowed the whisky, then let out a jet of flame as it settled, and he raised his glass in a toast.
“Well done Harry. You made your parents and me proud.”
He couldn’t wait to get the full story from Harry.
His attention was caught by the sound of the fire roaring, and someone stepping out of it.
“Remus? That you?” he called.
“Yeah.” Came the reply. “I got dinner. Chicken.”
Sirius grinned and stood, stretching, before grabbing the paper as Remus entered the study, holding a brown paper bag.
“How about some light reading while we eat?”
-=-=-=-
Notes:
If you want to, please follow this Link to reach my Discord Server. If you want to come and chat, there are also links to my other stories as well as stories written by other members :)
Chapter 10: A promise and a bet
Notes:
Ok folks, here's chapter 10! I was honestly surprised at the amount of response I got to the previous chapter, though considering what happened in it, I guess i should have expected that. I know it was difficult for a lot of you to get through, don't worry, it won't get that dark (sexually) again. I'm starting to lay the ground work for the future pairings over this and the next chapter. Let me be clear here: Hermione is not bisexual YET, the F/F/F tag is there for future chapters. I want to try and make that a mini-character arc for her, development wise.
Also, i've created my own Discord server, here: Link So you guys can talk with me on this and other projects i have going and i'm developing in my head (i have a few fic ideas, some of which i will be hinting at next chapter), it's still WIP, so bare with me :P. Also, one of my reviewers last chapter suggested i make a game out of franchise reference inserts. So i will. From now on, i'll try to get at least one reference to another franchise that i know of into each chapter and i want you guys to try and spot them. (everyone missed the Planet of the Apes and HTTYD references last chapter)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 10: A promise and a bet.
Friday, November 25, 1994.
Just after lunch break.
Neville moaned as he looked down into the beautiful brown eyes of his girlfriend Hannah, her head bobbed forward and backward at a tortuously slow pace as she gently, lovingly, suckled him.
He gently cradled her head with one hand, while the other was pressed against the wall, if for no other reason than he simply didn’t know what to do with it.
Hannah smiled at him around the penis in her mouth, her eyes burning with hunger, but also shining with love. She knew her parents would not be too happy with her if they knew she was Bonding with Neville before they were technically allowed to, but…what they didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt them.
“Ha—Hannah…” Neville moaned as she drew back, his shaft leaving her mouth with an audible ‘pop’.
“My my, Mister Longbottom…this is quite an impressive wand you have here.” She said in a low husky tone, as she pressed her lips to his urethra in a loving kiss, flicking the tip of her tongue against it a few times, then she tilted her head and leaned in, one hand coming up to gently cradle his balls as she started to inhale, then she opened her mouth and blew warm air over the two orbs she held in her hand, then planted an open-mouthed kiss against each one, grinning to herself as she felt him jerk. Then she pulled back, her tongue trailing the underside of his shaft in a long broad lick.
“Yes. A very impressive wand. And I have two warm, tight and wet holsters that I think this will fit in perfectly.” She then winked up at him as she made a show of repositioning herself on the floor, then, making sure he was watching her left hand, she moved it up and under her skirt, between her legs, the rapid moving of her arm and the faint wet sounds that could be heard a clear indication of what she was doing.
Then, pressing her lips to his tip in another kiss, she then started to lick his crown. Then she briefly pulled back, and whispered, “Did I say two? My mistake, I meant three.” And with that, she opened her mouth and engulfed his entire length, not stopping until her lips and nose were pressed into his pubic hair, and his tip was at the back of her throat.
For his part, Neville’s brain nearly flatlined as he felt his girlfriend’s throat constrict as she swallowed to overcome her gag reflex, as she started to breathe heavily through her nose, then she moaned and closed her eyes.
His head lolled back against the wall of the broom cupboard they were in, and he fought desperately to stop himself from thrusting, she’d already taken him into the back of her throat, he figured she wouldn’t appreciate it if he started forcing his dick down her throat, even if he could get any more in, though he figured his shaft wasn’t that flexible anyway.
But by Merlin, what she was doing felt amazing! He wondered how she was so good at this, since this was their first time doing this since agreeing to try the Bonding process a little earlier than was customarily allowed, after their talk with Harry and Hermione. And although they hadn’t been dating that long, Hannah had said she was ready to try it, and he’d agreed, and after their talk with Harry and Hermione, the two of them had sworn to keep an eye on Draco, and if either of them found themselves in a similar position to his housemates, then they promised each other that each could count on the other for everything.
That, and that they would brutally murder the one responsible for using that curse on them, whoever it would be.
Then she started to bob her head in earnest, and their little private space was soon filled with the sounds of sucking, quiet slurping and gulping, with the occasional gulping, and the heavy sound of her breathing through her nose.
His body tensed, he was getting close, but he desperately tried to will himself not to cum, he wanted this to last forever. He reached down and took hold the hand that was gently stroking his sac, gently interlacing his fingers with hers as she looked up at him questioningly, their eyes locked, and he smiled, panting as he swallowed, trying to wet his suddenly dry mouth. Then he felt his balls tighten and he knew it wouldn’t be long, then, with a grunt and an involuntary thrust, he pushed his hips forward a little as his body locked up and he cried out.
“Ha—Hannah…! I’m…I’m…!”
That was all the warning Hannah Abbott got before her mouth was filled with a thick slightly salty, and slightly bitter liquid. The first spurt it the back of her throat and she almost gagged, but resolutely kept going, she clamped her mouth down, swallowing to close off her throat and stop herself choking, and she pulled back, just as a second spurt hit the roof of her mouth, then a third, then finally, just as she drew back, until just his glans was in her mouth, a final spurt and trickle hit the underside of her tongue.
“Mmmph! Mmmph…Mmm…Mmmmm…Hhhmmmmm……”
Hannah let out several muffled surprised yelps which quickly turned into moans as the taste of Neville’s cum fully registered, and she mulled the taste over in her mind as she gently suckled on his sensitive tip, extracting the last few droplets of semen from her boyfriend.
‘Hm, a little salty, but also kind of sweet…I like it.’ she thought, then she tilted her head back and opened her mouth, letting him see the pool of white that filled most of it, then she closed it and swallowed, then shuddered as her own climax finally crashed over her, and she stiffened, sucking in a quick breath as her body shook in small tremors, and she slowly sucked his softening length back into her mouth as a high pitched cry, that was muffled down to a moan, emanated from her. Then she sagged against his legs as hers finally gave out.
She found herself being pulled unsteadily to her feet, her left hand still between her legs, now covered in her own juices as Neville drew her to him with his free arm and kissed her, evidently not caring that he could taste himself on her, which scored him some points in her book.
Pulling back, she panted and looked at him, her lips swollen and her face flushed.
“How was that stud?” she panted. Neville grinned.
“Amazing.” He panted, as he started to tuck himself away, only to look down and catch a glimpse of where her left hand still was, her skirt bunched up behind it.
“How did you get so good?” he asked. She smiled and winked.
“I asked a few of the older girls for some tips.”
“Urm…” he felt his face flush even more, and he looked away, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “Sorry…”
“What for?” she asked, tilting her head slightly and smiling at him, her eyes half lidded with affection.
“For urm…looking?” he asked awkwardly. Her answering laughter was gentle and warm, not condescending or mocking in any way.
“Nev, darling, I just gave you your first blowjob, swallowed your cum, my first mouthful of cum ever, and on top of that, you’re my boyfriend. If anyone on this planet has the right to see that part, or any other part of my body, at anytime, anywhere, it’s you. Want a closer look?” she said, her last question came out as a husky whisper.
Mutely, Neville nodded, and she gently patted him on the shoulder, coaxing him down to sit on the bench, then she moved in front of him, and holding her skirt in place with her right hand, she pulled her left away from her slit.
Her fingers were wet and covered in moisture, she then turned her wrist, until her palm was facing him, and she extended her middle and ring finger towards him, the two that had been inside her.
Wordlessly, he reached up and pulled her hand to him, and took her fingers into his mouth and started to suck. He let out a slight moan at the taste, not quite able to place it, then he looked at her slit more closely, noting with interest how swollen, puffy and wet her smooth lips were. They were also slightly parted, allowing him to see what lay beneath.
This close, he could also feel the heat radiating from her, and he could smell her, and not just her hand either.
And in his humble opinion, he’d never seen or smelt anything so beautiful.
Then his eyes tracked up and he froze, his eyes widening and he stopped sucking her fingers, even though he was pretty sure they were clean now.
“Surprise.” Hannah said with a smile in her voice.
There, just above her slit, where her pubic hair should have been, was a tattoo. A magical tattoo, that was animated. He recognized it of course.
A stylized medieval shield split into two colors: blue on the left, red on the right, bridged by a yellow chevron. Layered over the chevron, in a triangle patter, were three depictions of a rope, tied in a knot, from which hung a horn. And on either side of the shield, stood a grey eagle, each tall with their heads raised and beaks open, their wings unfurled.
As he watched, the eagles occasionally fluttered their wings and clicked their beaks, letting out silent cries of challenge.
Neville stared, shocked and fascinated, and more than a little flattered, for there right in front of him, right above his girlfriend’s smooth and very wet fanny, was an animated tattoo of the Longbottom Family Crest.
His Family Crest.
“Urm…Wow…” he said, as she pulled her hand away.
“You like it? It’s only temporary, it’ll fade in a month or two. Though I am planning to get a permanent one.”
“Wow…” he said again.
“I know it’s a bit early for that kind of step, but I figured I might as well send a message to everyone else around me, even if no-one besides you will ever see this. I am yours. And even when I’m in bed at night in my dorm, you will still be with me.” Hannah said as she released her skirt and it fell back around her legs, and it was then that Neville finally realized, she had gone commando.
“Wow…” Neville said a third time. Hannah giggled and pulled him to his feet, kissing him again.
“Come on Nev, we’ve got classes to get to.”
And with that, she turned and unlocked the door, and they headed out.
“Oh sure, like I’d be able to concentrate on lessons after that.” He joked.
-=-=-=-
Hermione worried her lower lip as she made her way down to the Dungeons for double Potions after lunch, she was feeling…horny. And on top of that, she was feeling slightly guilty. During lunch, she’d thought about the talk that she and Harry had had the night before, and how she hadn’t mentioned her little ‘encounter’ with Krum in the library, and that she’d promised him a second round.
Obviously, she couldn’t now, since she now had a boyfriend, it wouldn’t be right.
‘No more right than you encouraging him to go muff-diving with other girls?’ her inner voice asked, Hermione slowed, but didn’t stop.
‘That’s different.’ She replied.
‘How so?’
‘My period is coming up, and I don’t think Harry wants to run the risk of getting a mouth full of blood. I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t like it, unless he was a vampire.’ Hermione reasoned.
‘There are charms and spells for that. You know this.’ Her inner voice replied.
Hermione sighed. ‘I know that, but those charms are meant to keep a witch’s knickers clean. My bleeding doesn’t run on a schedule. Nothing would kill the mood faster than him suddenly getting a mouthful of blood and choking on it. So better for him to get what he needs elsewhere.’
‘You’re assuming he would want to. You’re assuming he would not see it as cheating. And what if he insists that you feed from others?’
‘I don’t need to though.’
‘What if he insists? What if he refuses to go to someone else if you won’t? What will you two do during the summer months while he is staying with you and your parents, assuming you can arrange that? Whose fanny will he dive into then? Your mum’s?’
Hermione stopped. She hated to admit it, but her inner voice had a point.
What was she going to do during the summer months? Especially if she couldn’t, or if McGonagall couldn’t, arrange for them to spend the summer under the same roof.
And even if they did spend the summer together, what would they do when her time came around again?
After several minutes of trying, and failing, to come up with some solutions, Hermione sighed.
“One thing at a time. For now, find Harry and tell him about Krum, and hope he won’t be too mad. Besides, we’ve started Bonding now, so with the curse boosting it, I should start producing milk in a few weeks or so, so he could just use that.”
‘You’re assuming that will work.’ Her inner voice replied, ‘And what happens in the event one of you just isn’t in the mood to give head?’
‘What do you mean?’ Hermione asked, somehow not finding it strange that she was having a silent conversation with herself.
‘Simple. There will no doubt be times or even days where one of you just isn’t in the mood to dive between the other’s legs. Or anyone’s legs for that matter. What will you do then?’
‘We’ll manage.’ She replied. Then a thought occurred to her as she turned a corner, heading towards the Charms classroom. ‘Besides, the Curse also causes elevated arousal in its victims that is almost constant, so not ‘being in the mood’ is probably irrelevant, at this point. Besides, the book said there is a chance the frequency of our feedings may go down eventually, probably after we’ve finalized the Bond.’
‘There’s no guarantee of that. Just because you’re drooling like a leaking tap and he’s probably as hard as a baseball bat, doesn’t necessarily mean you two will mentally want to do it. Never thought I’d have to explain that to you, and anyway, the book also mentioned animals as a possible source. Could you and Harry really take that step?’
Hermione paused, thinking, trying to imagine a situation where she or Harry would have to resort to that. She tried to ignore the mental image her inner voice had created of what that would entail, but she couldn’t.
And while she did feel uncomfortable as she started to picture herself doing something that normally she’d never consider doing, she was so surprised at the sudden spike in her own arousal that she stumbled forward and braced herself against a wall.
“Argh!…You’re too damn horny for your own good Granger.” She growled at herself as a shiver of lust rippled through her, and she felt her core pulse at the mental image of her on her knees next to a Centaur. Of course, she doubted any of the centaurs would ever allow that to happen. They were a very proud and private people, and not too fond of humans, after all.
Then her mind betrayed her again, and another image, of her on her knees next to a Unicorn stallion, doing the same thing, came into her mind, and hermione bit her lip to suppress the slight moan escaping as another pulse of arousal shot through her, and she screwed her eyes shut and bowed her head in shame as she felt moisture start to trickle down her thighs.
‘God damn it!’ she mentally cried in frustration as a single tear trickled down a cheek.
‘You think it’s bad now.’
‘What do you mean? Are you my libido or something? And shut up! This, right here, is YOUR fault!’
‘No, I’m just part of you. Face it, you’re going to be in a for a rough week. You always get turned on really easily round your period, usually you deal with it alone in private. You won’t have that luxury now. And judging by what just happened, I’m guessing this Curse will make it ten times worse for you. You’re going to end up being so horny that you’ll probably end up wanting to fuck or suck anything with a penis, or maybe even a vagina, in and around the school, Hogsmeade or the Forest, regardless of how many legs it has.’
Hermione straightened up, her face flushing with embarrassment, arousal, indignation, shame and anger as she scowled. She was so lucky the corridor was deserted right now, if anyone had approached her now, she wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from pouncing on them.
‘I will NOT be going into the Forest to give blowjobs to random Unicorns or Centaurs!’ she yelled mentally. ‘And for your information, I can keep a tight rein on my sex drive, thank you very much!’
‘We’ll see. Besides, I never said you had to go into the Forest. You could always use the Room if Harry isn’t available. Besides, it’s not really bestiality if it’s a non-living magical construct, right?’
‘We’re not having this conversation anymore. Besides, if it’s a non-living magical construct, it can’t produce anything, which means it’s useless.’ Hermione mentally snapped, forcing the mental images her over-active imagination was trying to show her to the back of her mind. But as much as she tried to forget and burry the mental conversation she’d just had with herself, and the thoughts that had surfaced, she couldn’t. She sighed. Her inner voice was right about one thing, she was going to be in for a rough week, and maybe weekend.
-=-=-=-
Unfortunately, enduring Snape’s not so subtle jabs at Gryffindor during their double Potions lesson hadn’t distracted her too much, not to mention the fact that she and Harry hadn’t had the time to ‘feed’ after lunch, since he’d gotten swept away by some of the boys, and she was starting to get hungry and a little tired again, and looking at Harry, it was clear he was in no better shape.
She rubbed her thighs together as she tried to concentrate on the potion they were making, but it was difficult.
‘Never try to brew potions while horny.’ She thought, it was an un-needed distraction. Speaking of…her gaze involuntarily went down to her right side, down to Harry's lap, where he was occasionally shifting under the guise of stirring the cauldron. She could clearly make out the distortion in his pants and she unconsciously licked her lips as she felt her clit throb. Somehow, she’d managed to keep herself together enough not to pounce on him or any of the other boys around her, though it was taking all of her self-control to do so.
Merlin…her inner voice was right. This damned curse was going to make her period worse! This was usually how she was at the height of her cycle, not at least two days before it even started! If she didn’t get any time immediately after dinner, then she’d have to head to the Room with Harry. Because right now, she just wanted to screw the Potions lesson and eat some dick. Preferably Harry’s.
A thought occurred to her, an idea; reach down into Harry's lap and quickly bring him off, then lean over under the guise of retrieving something dropped, and catch his release and quickly swallow it, but she quickly dismissed the idea. To do that properly without getting caught, she’d have to cast a Notice-Me-Not charm on themselves, to avoid being seen by the students to the back, left or right, and there was no guarantee Snape wouldn’t catch her casting it and give them both Detention.
He’d been watching the both of them like a hawk since the first lesson started, and they were just into the second. The last thing she wanted right now, was getting served Detention when all she wanted to do was lean over and have a decent quick meal, and have a very important itch scratched.
Then again, he’d looked even more unpleasantly at Harry, and would probably heap a generous points deduction on top of the detention, just because.
‘Merlin…I hope I can maintain concentration enough until after dinner…’
-=-=-=-
At the Head Table, during Dinner, Albus sat eating his evening meal, contemplating. The school was still abuzz about the events of the previous day, and he reasoned, would be that way for some time.
McGonagall had come into his office later in the day, after the Task, and after getting Harry settled in at Gryffindor Tower, and had inquired as to why he had gone into the tent after the Task. A valid question, and one he’d prepared for. He knew he couldn’t outright lie to her, as she’d more than likely see right through it, so he’d done the next best thing, and gone with a half-truth. Not an outright lie, but not exactly the full truth either.
~ Flashback ~
“Ah, Minerva, what can I do for you?” Albus said, as his Second walked in, a frown on her face.
“Albus, I want to know what you thought you were doing going into that tent today. It was highly irregular.”
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
“It was my prerogative. As the Headmaster of the Hosting School, I was merely checking on the wellbeing of the Champions, not in my capacity as a Judge, but as a Headmaster, especially since one of said Champions had just done something no-one in recorded history has ever seen before. There is precedent for it, I’m sure.” That wasn’t completely true, while it was his prerogative to visit the medical tent after an event, as the Headmaster of the Hosting school, he hadn’t been interested in the wellbeing of all the Champions, just one. And he had actually gone to the tent to find out exactly how Harry had done what he’d done, it wasn’t until he was right outside the flap that he’d heard Poppy’s diagnosis and he’d panicked.
“I cleared this with Igor and Olympe before I approached the tent.”
That was a lie of course, he hadn’t. He’d used a clever bit of spell work to make sure they didn’t notice him heading in the direction of the tent.
Minerva raised an eyebrow, it was clear by her expression that she didn’t fully believe him, and he mentally sighed.
“Fine then, what about Mister Potter’s summer months? How are you going to make sure he’s taken care of, since you’re so insistent on him going back to…those people?” Minerva asked.
Albus paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
“You may have noticed those devices I have on my shelf over there? Each one is keyed to the wards that protect #4 Privet Drive, as well as Harry himself, so I can monitor his wellbeing. Yes, I know what you’re going to say, those are not fool-proof, which is why I've also had a former member of the Order watching the house since the Christmas of 81.”
Minerva blinked. That was news to her. “Who?”
“Arabella Figg. She’s in #12 Privet Drive, right across the street from #4.”
~ Flashback ends ~
He thought more about that conversation. After the revelation about Arabella watching Harry all this time, Minerva had seemed irritated, as if she were contemplating on asking how the woman could have missed the years of abuse he’d clearly been suffering. He was aware of that of course, but it was an unfortunate necessary evil, if Harry was living in the Magical World, and word got out, as it would, that address would quickly become known and targeted.
He’d lost count of how much mail he’d had to intercept over the years, and not all of it had been kind, some of it had been downright deadly. Letters and parcels with portkey charms on the letters that would trigger as soon as the envelopes were opened or parcels unwrapped. Curses and jinxes and dangerous potions, you named it, it was there, on some of the mail.
After Minerva had calmed down somewhat, she’d then brought up another topic that had worn on his patience.
Draco Malfoy.
She’d demanded that he expel the Malfoy Heir and call in Amelia Bones and have him arrested for using a borderline Unforgivable Curse and Attempted Line Assassination. Saying that if he didn’t, he ran the risk of Draco doing something like that again, or worse.
And if he did, she would call in Amelia.
He’d put his foot down at that. Technically, as Headmaster, he was the only one who could call in the DMLE, the only time the Deputy Head could do it, was if he were out of the castle or otherwise indisposed.
He could not allow Draco to be expelled, that would set him on the path to Voldemort. The same path his father had taken.
He knew Voldemort was still out there, it was only a matter of time before he resurfaced, and the last thing they needed was Riddle being handed new recruits on a plate in the form of expelled, disgruntled students.
So he had denied her demands, and had said that the punishments he’d already handed out should be enough of a deterrent.
She’d scoffed at that, her expression making it seem she was bout to blow her fuse.
“Point Deductions, Detentions, being banned from the Ball and losing his Candidacy as a Prefect is NOT enough!” She’d argued, getting angry. But he’d held his ground.
She’d huffed, then turned and stormed out, pausing just long enough to tell him that she was certain Draco would act up again, and if he did, she would do what needed to be done.
Just before she’d left, he’d asked her to give him the book she’d confiscated, so he could look through it for information on the Curse, she’d begrudgingly agreed, then left, returning a few moments later with the book.
-=-=-=-
In the Room of Requirement, Harry sighed as he basked in the warm afterglow of both his second climax, and the warm feeling he got after a ‘feeding’. This was the first time that he and Hermione had gone multiple rounds in a single session. He kissed his girlfriend’s head as she nuzzled against him, her naked warm and soft body moulded perfectly to his own as he wrapped an arm around her, a thin sheen of sweat covering them both.
Harry would have been perfectly content to spend the night on the lush 4 meter wide bed that Hermione had conjured when she’d literally dragged him in through the door, and before he’d even known what was happening, she’d started tearing his clothes off, almost frantically, before pushing him to the bed and climbing onto the bed, lifting her skirt, showing she wasn’t wearing knickers beneath it, and pushing her hips back towards him and ordering him to attend her by saying “Harry James Potter, get on this bed and EAT ME!”
In that position, on all fours with her skirt round her waist, her bum thrust back at him and her legs spread wide, she’d looked very inviting, and, if he were honest with himself, so had her butt. He’d briefly thought of paying some attention to that, but decided against it, as he wasn’t sure yet how she’d react. So he’d stripped, climbed onto the large circular bed, laid down behind her and given her what she’d wanted.
After her first climax, she’d turned around and pounced on him, using her wand to remove the rest of her clothes.
Then they’d sixty-nined, though it she hadn’t been as aggressive second time round.
Now they lay together, just enjoying the warmth they both felt.
Part of him started to wonder what it would be like to adopt a nudist/naturist lifestyle, sure, there was nothing inherently sexual about it, but a body as beautiful as his new girlfriend’s deserved to be fully kissed by the full light of the sun.
‘Speaking of kissing her full body…’ he thought as an idea struck him.
“Harry…” Hermione said, her voice quiet. He looked down, she seemed very nervous suddenly.
“Hmm?”
“There’s…something I need to tell you.”
“Yes?” He whispered into her hair, running his hands slowly down her back to gently caress the firm cheeks of her bum. She really did have a nice bum.
“A couple of days ago, after our little session in that corridor where I was rather persistent…well, later that day, I went to the Library and ran into Viktor Krum…”
Harry raised an eyebrow, he remembered that day, he’d been surprised that she’d been so adamant, that he’d been nicely surprised at her enthusiasm. Had that really been Tuesday? He and Hermione had had so much sex, yes oral still counted, that he couldn’t quite remember.
“Oh really? How’d that go? Was he still getting your name wrong?” He asked, smiling with amusement despite himself, he knew he shouldn’t find it funny, but he couldn’t help it.
Hermione nodded, smiling a little herself, then forged ahead. “It went…ok I guess. Not much happened, though I did urm…’feed’ from him in the Restricted Section.”
Harry looked down at her, as she turned her head to look up at him, her eyes full of emotions he wasn’t sure he could place.
“Really? You must have been really worked up then.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad? You needed to feed.”
“Well, I AM your girlfriend, and I just basically admitted that I gave some other guy head only a short time after giving you some. Worse, I promised him a second round at a later date, obviously that can’t happen now. But there’s also the issue of how that would make me look if rumours started going around, the last thing I want to be seen as is a whore, which is exactly what Draco wants to happen. When it eventually gets out that I’m your girlfriend, the last thing I want is people thinking I can’t be faithful.”
Harry paused and thought for a moment. A slight frown creasing his face. Yes, a small, very small part of him was jealous, but, his rational mind reasoned that Hermione had needed to do what she did, and he hadn’t been present. He knew he couldn’t always be there for her, just like she couldn’t and wouldn’t always be there for him, though they would both try.
By that same token, could he feed from other girls during her cycle, without feeling any guilt over it? Without feeling like he was cheating on Hermione in some way? He didn’t have an answer.
‘I’m sure I’ll find some way to manage.’ He thought.
“I’ll just have to tell him that the second round I promised isn’t going to happen. Hopefully he’ll understand.” Hermione said as she snuggled against him, sighing as Harry’s left hand trailed slowly down her back.
“Good idea, just let him down gently.” Harry said. Hermione nodded.
“You sure you’re not upset?” She asked, looking up at him, her brown eyes filled with affection and a little trepidation. Harry smiled and leaned in, planting a small kiss on her temple.
“I’m sure. If this had happened after we’d agreed to be together, I would have been a little more upset, but I understand why you did it, and that it wasn’t entirely of your own choice.”
Hermione smiled as she felt a warmth swell within her chest, and she leaned forward to kiss him, her arms going around his neck as she pressed her breasts to his chest. Their eyes closed and they both moaned as their tongues started to dance.
“I love you.” She whispered, her eyes half lidded and filled with love and adoration. ‘I really don’t deserve him.’
“I love you too, ‘Mione.”
“Hmm…I like that.” She whispered again. She then giggled as she felt his hand caress her ass again. “That tickles!”
Harry chuckled as Hermione straddled him and he cradled her face with his right hand.
“Oh? You mean…this?” He whispered, as he slowly brushed his fingers over the firm mounds of her butt, gently and slowly wiggling his fingers against her skin, paying particular attention to the valley between them, though he couldn’t get his finger in too far. Hermione giggled again and wiggled her hips then brought her knees up until she was putting her weight on her feet, her knees by her chest, which allowed his middle and index fingers to go deeper. He felt her stiffen, as she gasped, then she lowered her knees again, until she was once again kneeling, trapping his questing fingers.
“Yeeesss……” she breathed.
Harry chuckled. “What can I say Hermione Granger, you have a very nice bum.”
“Oh? So you’re an arse man, are you?” She asked as she started to run her hands over his chest, tracing the faint lines of muscle built up over years of Quidditch practice.
‘Who’d have thought riding a broom would be considered good exercise?’ she thought. ‘Then again, it could be just all the running round the castle we do.’
“I guess so, I mean, I’ve been within kissing distance of it quite a lot over the past week, and I even have kissed it once, and you seemed to like it.”
“Hm…I did.” Hermione purred, them she smirked as she felt something start to harden against her stomach. “And let me just say, Harry Potter, you have a very nice dick.”
“You mean this one?” He asked, clenching his muscles, making his shaft twitch against her, she hummed and pressed down against him.
“Yes, that one.”
“Good, ‘cause it’s the only one I’ve got. Can’t exactly trade it in for something bigger.” Harry quipped.
Hermione rolled her eyes. By Morgana, she wanted him inside her! She wanted to feel that part of him that was so gloriously male filling her in a way nothing else ever had. To feel it swell and throb as he thrust it deep into her, she wanted to feel him come inside her. She even wanted to feel her belly swelling with a growing baby inside her.
She paused, blinking. ‘Again? Why am I thinking about that now? I’m nowhere near ready to be a mum. Though it would be nice…one day.’
But she wasn’t ready for that yet, and from what she’d read about the Bond, having intercourse too early, before it was fully formed, could have unexpected side effects, though what, it didn’t say. But that was just the regular Bonding, not taking any extra modifiers, like this damned curse into account. She also wasn’t sure if anal sex counted, though she wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of that just yet. While she did enjoy his fingers back there, she wasn’t sure she was ready for something as thick as his shaft back there.
‘Although, this coming week, I'll probably be so horny I won’t care.’ She thought.
“I’m surprised you…want another round…what would that make? Four for you, three for me?” Harry asked as he moved both his hands up to cup and gently massage her breasts, tracing his fingers over her hard nipples.
She nodded as she shifted, then reached down as she raised up, taking hold of his shaft, she ever so gently slid back his foreskin, exposing his sensitive glans, which she started to rub slowly and sensually through her vulva, pressing the crown against her hard clit as she started to rock her hips.
“Actually, three for both of us.” She replied, as she sighed with pleasure then stiffened, letting out a gasp as she positioned his tip at her entrance and pressed down a little, pressing the head of his penis a little way inside her vagina.
She arched her back, her eyes going wide at the sensation. Through sheer force of will, she managed to stop herself from slamming down on him and impaling herself.
“Holy shit…” she gasped.
“Merlin, that feels tight!” Harry said, his body tensing at the truly fantastic sensations on the tip of his shaft. He looked down, watching as Hermione pulled his shaft out of her vulva with a keening whine, the glans dark red with blood, and glistening wet with her sweet juices.
Her lips were swollen, dark reddish pink, her inner lips also visible, and at the top of her slit, he could see the hard little nub of her erect clitoris, also shining with wetness as Hermione pushed his shaft down against his body, then sat down on it with enough force to make them both grunt.
He could smell her too, the air was thick with the scent of sex, the thick, heady and sweet scent of Hermione, and if he was honest with himself, he’d never smelled anything more gorgeous, more delicious.
“God Harry, I want this beautiful dick inside me! I never realised just how thick you were…it’s gonna feel soooo good when I eventually get you inside me.”
Harry nodded. He knew she was tight; she’d felt tight on his fingers the few times he’d gently probed with them.
“Like I said, I’m surprised you wanted another round.”
“Heh…get used to it. This is what I was like during my period before the Curse, now, well, I’m honestly worried how…ugh…oh yeah! How I’m going to concentrate on my class-classes!” Hermione gasped as she started to grind her labia against the underside of his shaft, grunting every time her hard clit pressed against and moved along the underside of his shaft.
Harry then gently pulled her down until she was laying on top of him, as she stared into his green eyes, her own dilated pupils so wide her irises almost gone. Their noses bumped, then their lips met in a passionate kiss, and their tongues started duelling. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight, loving embrace, and gently squeezed, pulling her full weight down on himself.
She moaned into his mouth and started grinding against him with a bit more aggression.
When they broke the kiss, Hermione started lavishing attention on his face, ears and neck, pressing her lips against the beating pulse in his neck as she mewled in pleasure.
As he started to kiss her neck in return, he changed his focus from her neck to her face, and to her ears, which he gently started to lick, making her giggle. He held her tighter as she shook with laughter at his actions. Then he put his mouth on her neck, formed a tight seal with his lips, and bit.
“Aaah! Aooohhh! Mmmph!” Hermione gasped as she pressed her lips to the base of his neck, breathing heavily, she delivered a firm bite of her own.
Harry grunted and moaned as he thrust his hips up in response, pressing Hermione pressed her clit against him with a particularly forceful thrust.
Then, in a move that made her squeak in a very cute way, he suddenly tightened his grip on her again, then rolled. He didn’t stop until she was on her back, then he pulled back, kissing her mouth once more as they gazed into each other’s eyes, then he started kissing down her front.
Starting with her collarbone, he took a moment to admire the rather nice and vivid love-bite he’d just given her. She’d need a glammur charm to hide that, assuming she wanted to. Tracing his tongue over her collarbone, he felt her shiver as he moved down, and started to slowly lick her left breast, hissing in Parseltongue as he did.
“Ooohhh…Haaarrrryyy!” she keened as her head fell to one side.
-=-=-=-
Sometime later, they both lay, sated and spent, at the centre of the bed.
“Consider that a preview of things to come this week, lover.” She said, before leaning down to kiss him. When she pulled back, he smiled.
“This is what you were normally like…before?” Harry asked.
“During the peak of my cycle, yeah…just not quite so…intense…during the build-up, I usually did get a little more antsy, have some cramps and maybe some moodiness, but nothing like…this…which is why I think this is the Curse…” Hermione replied.
“So…during your period next week…” Harry asked.
“I think, there will be a high possibility of me probably going crazy for sex…desperate even. I might even beg for you to Shag. My. Brains. Out. Hell, I might even wind up ambushing Daphne, Susan, Luna or one of my dormmates, even though I’m not into girls, I might get so horny, I won’t care if they’re girls.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, as he tried to will himself not to get hard again, thinking about his gorgeous girlfriend getting friendly with another girl. His wholly male brain did see the attraction of course, though it did confuse him as to why he, and he assumed most straight boys, found the idea of two girls having sex so hot. Maybe it was a curiosity of how exactly it…well,…worked. Then another thought occurred to him.
How would the curse affect him? Especially if he were in a position where he had no choice but to feed from other girls, could he stop himself from going too far? From doing something they wouldn’t want him to do, or worse, that he wouldn’t normally do with anyone but Hermione? If any of them offered to give him a blowjob or a handjob after feeding him, would he have the mental capacity to resist and say no?
Or would his lust override his judgement? Would he be overcome by his hormones and base instincts when confronted with a half-naked female, the curse and the situation, and as a result, be unable to stop himself from taking advantage of those offering to help him? What if some of them tried to take advantage of him? And although that seemed unlikely, it was suddenly a concern for him.
What if…merlin forbid, one of the girls was Ginny?
That latent thought drew his mind to the two youngest Weasleys. Ron still hadn’t apologized for the whole “You cheated!” thing, and after his and Hermione's talk in the common room with the rest of their house, Ron and Ginny’s reactions at first, hadn’t been that drastic. Sure, they’d been shocked, just like everyone else, though that was more to do with the details about the curse and what it required of them.
Even during that impromptu party Gryffindor had thrown, the two of them had been lukewarm to them at best, almost cordial.
That morning though, when they were leaving for breakfast, Harry had caught sight of the two talking quietly, and they’d stopped when he’d approached, and looked at him.
With the revelation that he and Hermione had been effectively a couple for almost a week before telling them, well, he hadn’t missed the furiously jealous look in Ron’s eyes. There had been a look in them he honestly hadn’t liked, though it had been very brief. Clearly Ron was learning to hide his jealously, at least to some extent. Unless he was around Malfoy.
Ginny had looked momentarily heart-broken, until she’d realized who was approaching and quickly schooled herself. When Hermione had appeared, an incredibly brief, so brief he almost missed it, look of jealousy, anger and resentment came over her face, that now that he thought about it, made him concerned.
He’d have to watch them, carefully, and he’d have to tell Hermione to be mindful of Ron. And if Ginny did come to him during the coming week, he’s just have to refuse her offers. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too persistent.
Deciding to put the two youngest Weasleys out of his mind for the moment, he focused on Hermione and asked something else that had come to mind.
“So what will happen while the Bond is…forming?” Harry asked while he slowly sat up next to her, then straddled her hips, his semi-erection resting against her bum as he leaned forward and started to gently massage her shoulders and back.
“Urm…from what Pomfrey told me, when I asked her about it, for reference against what I read in that red book…normally, it would take about a year to fully form if we stuck to the minimum required ‘sessions’, me giving you a blowjob and swallowing your cum 3 times a week which over time would bind my core to yours, with me starting to produce milk roughly nine months in, which you would have to drink to bind your core to mine. Over the period of those 9 months, the Bond would start to develop, starting with basic changes; first we’d…mmm…oh yeah…first we’d develop a sort of…ugh…empathic radar if you will…”
“Oh? And what will that do?” Harry asked as he gently pressed onto the flesh of her back.
“Basically…it’ll allow us to…mmm…sense each other, like…oh yeah…it’ll let each of us sense how the other is feeling, and where they are, not a precise location…just a general direction, at least until you get close, then it’ll become more precise. And later, when the Bond is more stable, or just after it’s finalised, that empathic link may turn psychic.” Hermione gasped the last word as his hands moved down and he scooted backwards, his shaft leaving the warm, soft mounds of her bum, which he took in hand and started to knead.
“So we’ll be able to talk in our heads?” he asked, idly letting a hand glide up over her back again.
“Yes, and there may be other benefits. Though I’m not sure what yet.” She replied, closing her eyes and smiling as she enjoyed the impromptu massage. “There are caveats though, as one would expect with soul bonds…”
“Like?” he asked, pausing his massage, but not taking his hands off her back.
“We may sometimes see or hear thoughts we wouldn’t want to from the other, at least, until we learn how to control what is shared. So at first, we may have trouble keeping things that we’d want to keep private to ourselves, well, to ourselves. There’s also another big concern. If one of the bonded pair were to die, there is a chance the other could die too from shock, and in the off chance they don’t, they’re left with severe mental and emotional damage.”
Harry thought, those were pretty big caveats, did he have the right to have that kind of impact on her life? No, he didn’t. But they’d already started bonding, and it wasn’t as if they could exactly stop now. The only way to stop the bonding process was for the oral sex to stop, and that wasn’t possible in their case.
“How often was it like this before? And did you usually get so…juicy?” he asked, deciding to try a less grim subject.
She got a thoughtful look, “Usually only once, maybe twice, during the absolute peak of my cycle, but now? Thanks to this Curse? No way to know until it happens. One thing is for sure, I’m going to be horny as hell probably for most of the week. As for my squirting? No, I didn’t start doing that until after the curse hit me. I think it’s another of the side-effects, intended to make sure you get a good feeding. Which is odd for a curse to do, so maybe it was part of the original spell’s design, I’m not sure. Just a lot of theorizing. No real way to prove anything.”
“When should we expect it to start?” Harry asked.
“Well, I’m not sure, probably Sunday at the earliest, Monday or Tuesday at the very latest, first indication will be menstrual bleeding though, and possibly cramps, I do get those too. So, for now, guess I’m wearing knickers to bed again. And of course, there is the highly emotional state I'll be in, and the potential moodiness. Don’t be surprised if I get insistent and…demanding.”
“And you still want me to feed from someone else during the week?” he asked as he leaned over and planted a few kisses on her shoulders while his hands travelled down her arms.
Neither of them knew yet if they could get what they needed from the donations of other members of their own gender, or even their own fluids, though Harry doubted that last one, and he wasn’t really in a hurry to try it if he was honest with himself.
Hermione hummed with bliss as she felt him start to massage her back again, his gorgeous, delicious cock, at least in her biased opinion, now hard again, once again resting against her bum. She gave an impish grin as she wigged her buttocks against his shaft a little.
Their sleeping arrangements usually had him on his back, with her on top of him on her front, they hadn’t really spooned much, so she hadn’t had many opportunities to feel him against her ass over the last week, but if she were honest with herself, she really liked the way his dick felt against her bum, soft or hard.
“Better not to risk you getting a mouth full of blood. This sort of thing can’t be timed, as it doesn’t work to a schedule. Sure, you might be fine and get lucky eating me out one time, but the next, you get a mouth full of blood, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want that, since nothing will kill the mood faster…other than you calling out a guy’s name when you cum.” She said with a smirk as she made a move to turn over and sit up.
“Oh Merlin no!” Harry said, cringing as he sat up and reached for his own wand. Yeah, that would super awkward.
“Aren’t there charms for that sort of thing?” he asked. She nodded as she sat up and started combing her fingers through her hair, her head back and breasts forward, and Harry took a few precious seconds to admire her natural beauty as she knelt there, letting him see everything.
“Yeah, but it’s only for keeping our knickers clean. The charm is applied to the fabric and vanishes away any material that meets them. And before you ask, no, there’s no charm to stop the blood coming out, like a reverse contraceptive charm or something. Those are placed at the cervix and are designed to stop matter flowing into the uterus, not out. Having something stopping the menstrual lining from coming out when it needs to would not be good for me.”
She then crawled to the edge of the bed and bent to start retrieving her clothes which she tossed over the side of the bed as she closed her eyes, and Harry took another brief moment to fully admire her fully displayed bum and labia, before he felt a temporary sensation of vertigo as the Room shifted, and another door appeared along one of the walls. “So yes, I want you to accept any offers of help you get from Daphne, Susan, Luna and anyone else in our house who offers. And I will not be happy with you if I find out you’ve been skipping Mister Potter!” she said, wagging a finger at him.
“Yes dear.” Harry said, as Hermione smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“Good boy, now come on, I just asked the Room to create a shower for us to use. Then when we get back to our quarters, you can write a letter to Sirius.”
-=-=-=-
Saturday, November 26, 1994.
Late morning .
Harry smiled to himself as he stood on the front lawn of the castle, watching many of the students playing in the new dusting of snow that had fallen the night before.
The first snow of the year.
He was still getting funny looks and even some awed looks now from some of the Beauxbatons students, particularly those who had an interest in exotic animals. A few had asked him how he’d done it, and he’d told them exactly what he’d done, that he hadn’t used Parseltongue, but yes, he could speak it, and no, it wasn’t a form of dark magic, it was just a language, like French.
He’d done as Hermione suggested, and sent Sirius a letter the night before, letting him know he was ok, and that he hadn’t said anything to Skeeter, and that the woman wouldn’t know hard facts even if someone beat her over the head with some. And he was honestly tempted to try next time he saw her.
He idly wondered how and why Rita hadn’t been let go by the Prophet by now. Or why they hadn’t been sued by people she’d slandered in the past.
‘Then again, they probably have, but she’s probably their bread-winner, so they probably won’t let her go unless she’s arrested.’ He thought.
His thoughts went back to the First Task, and he sighed in lamentation at the loss of his Firebolt, that was one thing he hadn’t wanted to put in a letter, but say in person. But since it was in the paper, he reasoned Sirius had already read it, and knew. Then he thought about his encounter with the Horntail.
Merlin, that really had been reckless, and stupid.
If it hadn’t worked, she would have killed him, and Hermione, Remus and Sirius would have been devastated, and it would have been even worse for Hermione, as she would have had to find someone else to help her deal with the curse, and probably the only other boy she trusted that much, was Neville, and he was dating Hannah Abbot.
He thought about the dragon again, and something he’d seen briefly before turning his attention to the watching crowd during the task. He hadn’t mentioned it to anyone yet, but he’d noticed something about the Horntail that he had not expected to see. He’d have to find some books on dragons or ask Hermione about it. He briefly thought about asking Hagrid, then decided not to, as his largest friend would probably turn red faced and clam up out of embarrassment. He couldn’t ask Charlie Weasley either, he didn’t even know the guy, and asking a question like that would be awkward.
Then his thoughts went back to Hermione, and he smiled. He could always ask her about it. Yes, they’d both gotten lucky on Thursday, though he couldn’t help but wonder what she would have done had his hastily put together plan failed. Who would she have turned to? Would she have turned to anyone? She had mentioned to Neville and Hannah at the beginning of the week, then to some other boys who had approached her during that impromptu party, to offer their ‘help’ if she ever needed it, that Harry was her only choice now, since they were now a couple, and the only reason she was insisting on him accepting help from other girls during the upcoming week, was so there wouldn’t be any…complications.
But…was that fair? Hermione had said that her time of the month was coming up, and she’d encouraged him to look elsewhere to get what he needed during that time, but, he reasoned, as he was now her boyfriend, then if he did anything with anyone else, then that would be cheating, wouldn’t it? And besides, she should be allowed a to get what she needed from someone she trusted if he was not available, as there was no guarantee he always would be. Sure, she’d had that one encounter with Viktor in the library, but that was before they’d agreed to be a couple.
‘Besides, I can make do in the meantime, I mean, I could still feed from Hermione, no real reason why I can’t, I’d just have to be careful. And I know the books say Pepper Up potions don’t work but…if I take enough…’ He thought.
He once again thought his concerns that he’d had the day before in the Room of Requirement, about the coming week, and sighed. He’d just have to try and figure it out as he went along.
Then he smiled as he saw Professor Flitwick emerge from the front entrance of the castle, and raise his wand to stop several small snowballs that suddenly came his way, then with a flick, sent them flying back to the students that had thrown them, who giggled and laughed as they dived out of the way.
He thought about what would happen at the end of the school year if they didn’t figure out how to cure this damn thing before then.
“Well, Hermione said I can’t go back to the Dursleys, or I’d probably be dead in a week, and she’s right, I probably would be. Question is, would her parents really allow me to stay once they find out what’s going on?” He thought aloud.
“I don’t think they’d have a choice once they know the consequences. But I do think they may try to stop her returning to Hogwarts for fifth year.” Came a soft voice behind him.
Harry turned and saw Luna standing there, looking at him with her large owlish eyes.
“Er…hi Luna, how are you?” He asked, a little embarrassed at being caught thinking aloud.
“I’m ok.” She shrugged.
“So…you think Hermione’s parents really would be ok with us…ya know.” He asked.
Luna just blinked slowly at him, her gaze slightly unfocused in a way that unnerved him a little. “As I said, once they know the full situation, I think they may be more amicable, though don’t expect them to give you an easy time over it at first.”
Harry sighed. “You’ve got a point. I mean, how would your parents react to something like this?”
Luna tilted her head as she considered her answer. “Daddy would be very angry, possibly even declare a Blood Feud against which ever family who had inflicted the curse on me, but I’m not sure how well that would go.” Then she looked down, her expression and demeaner turning sad.
“My mum died on my nineth birthday. February 13. Four years ago.”
“Oh, uh, I’m sorry. What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“She was a spell crafter. She was trying to create a spell that would stop the Killing Curse, that would stop death itself, but it didn’t work. I wasn’t in the room when it happened, as I wasn’t allowed in her lab, but I do remember her scream, then there was a loud bang, and I ran in and found her. She died in my arms.”
She sniffed, her eyes getting wet. Sighing with irritation at himself, Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, which she returned.
After a moment, he pulled back. He tried to imagine the reaction the elder Grangers would have, and none of the scenarios he came up with were very pleasant.
“What does your dad do exactly?” Harry asked.
Luna reached into her fur-lined school robes and pulled out what looked to him like a magazine, she handed it to him.
“He’s the owner and editor of The Quibbler. A monthly magazine.”
Harry nodded, then remembered what he was saying about Hermione.
“I don’t even know if she’s written to her parents yet.” Then a thought occurred to him. “What exactly is a Blood Feud anyway?”
“Basically, it’s a declaration of war between two families, as opposed to two nations. Politically, they would become opposed on pretty much everything, and any encounters between members of the two families have a much higher chance of turning violent, if one of the two’s political leanings is ‘Neutral’, neither Light or Dark, and the other is Dark for example, then the ‘Neutral’ family would then be considered Light orientated, as far as the Wizengamot would be concerned anyway. If there is any loss of life on either side, the ones responsible for taking that life have a lot more legal protection from persecution by the law, though there are exceptions. Adults cannot target the children of those they declared the Blood Feud with and get away with it, for example.”
Harry nodded in understanding, that made sense. “So, I could declare a Blood Feud with the Malfoys?”
“You…could, provided you were the Lord of your family, the family Head.” Luna said.
“But I’m the only Potter left.” Harry said.
“But you are still a minor and have not yet taken up the mantle and claimed your Lordship ring, which would be in your family vault at Gringotts.” Luna said, “Therefore, you cannot legally declare a Blood Feud against the Malfoys. Or anyone else.”
Harry sighed. “And Hermione’s parents can’t do it because they’re muggles.”
“Correct. There are also other matters involved with Feuds. For instance, the allies of the two warring families would put all of their support behind each one, both legally, practically and politically, which is why I say I’m not sure how well it would go if daddy called a Feud against someone on my behalf, since the Lovegood family does not have a lot of influence, and we do not have many friends to support us, apart from maybe the Weasleys, and they aren’t very influential either…” she trailed off, her expression going unfocused, like she’d just forgotten what she was saying.
“You do now.” Harry said. Luna looked at him, blinking owlishly. He decided to elaborate.
“You have the Greengrass Heiress and the Bones Heiress as your new friends, and now the Potter family, plus Hermione. Sure, there’s only one Potter, and I’m not very politics savvy, but if you ever need my help with anything, I’ll do what I can. Friends help each other after all.”
Luna’s smile was wide and genuine, her normally unfocused silver eyes looked at him intently, and Harry suddenly got the feeling he’d just been played, that he’d just unknowingly agreed to more than their conversation implied. “Yes, they do. And so will I. It’s nice to have friends.”
And with that, she leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his right cheek, before turning and walking off, heading in the direction of some of the First years, using her wand to gather up some snow.
Harry watched her go, before he turned and walked off, stowing the magazine in his robes, not really heading in any direction, he’d read it later then give it back to her. He wished Sirius were there. Even as Padfoot, he figured his godfather would love playing in the snow. Then he found himself thinking about the Marauders, and how they became animagi, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to be one, and what his animal form might be.
He’d have to ask Sirius and Remus about it at some point.
It wasn’t long before he bumped into Viktor and Cedric, who were sat with a couple of their respective Quidditch team-mates on a warmed blanket.
“Hey Harry!” Cedric waved him over, and he soon found himself sitting with them.
“We were just going over his game during the World Cup.” Cedric said. Nodding, Harry smiled, nodding to Krum.
“I thought it was very impressive when you took that Bludger to the face and kept going. I got my arm broken by one two years ago, came off my Nimbus 2000, though I was only a few feet from the ground by then, so the arm was the most serious injury.”
Viktor smiled and nodded. “Ja, in professional competitive game, you have to stay on point, ignore all distraction, even injury. You had a Nimbus? Zose are good brooms. Vhat happen to it?”
Harry winced, as did Cedric. “It was destroyed last year, during our first game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. We had a Dementor attack during the match, they invaded the stadium, Harry fell off his broom thanks to them, and it flew off towards the Whomping Willow.” Cedric pointed towards the distant giant tree. Krum and his friend turned to regard it. Krum was about to mention that there didn’t seem to be anything special about it, until one of its long, thin whip like branches suddenly swung up and tried to swipe at a passing bird, missing it by only a few inches.
“Zat is rather odd tree. You had Dementor attack? Vhy?” Krum’s friend asked. Harry opened his mouth to answer, but Cedric’s team-mate, Zacharias Smith, spoke up.
“Sirius Black tried to get into Hogwarts last year. The Dementors were posted as guards.”
“Guards?! Zose zings? At a school? Is your Minister mad?” Krum asked.
“More like Death Eater puppet.” Harry growled. Then he continued, “The Dementors seemed drawn to me for some reason, though I was able to learn the Patronus charm last year thanks to Professor Lupin.”
“You can cast a Patronus?” Cedric asked, looking impressed, as did Krum.
“Yeah, a Stag.”
“Wait, you can cast corporeal?” Cedric asked, his eyes going wide. He and Krum exchanged looks. Then Cedric looked back at Harry. “A corporeal Patronus at Third year? Damn that’s impressive.”
Harry grinned at him, “Thanks, how about you guys?” Cedric shook his head, as did the other three.
“Mine just comes out as a cloud.” Cedric said.
“Ja, mine too.” Krum said, his friend nodded.
Cedric suddenly brightened up, he looked at Harry. “Hey, maybe you could teach us.”
Harry got a thoughtful look on his face…teaching to cast the Patronus, that might be doable.
“Maybe. There’s a room on the 7th floor, near Gryffindor Tower, opposite the tapestry of the dancing Trolls, it’s called the Room of Requirement, it can create anything you want it to, as long as it doesn’t break the laws of physics or magic.”
“What’s physics?” Cedric asked, Harry continued.
“That’s not important right now, basically, you open the room by walking back and forth in front of the tapestry three times, thinking about what you really want, then the door will open, and the room will be whatever you want. A bathroom, a swimming pool, a dueling arena, anything really. Hermione and I have been using it off and on for a week now for…various things.”
“Thanks for this Harry, does Fleur know yet?” Cedric asked.
Harry shook his head. “Haven’t found her to talk to her yet.”
“Could help us practice for Second or Zird tasks, once we know vhat zey are.” Krum said, nodding. Harry and Cedric also nodded. Then Krum looked at Harry.
“You und Herm-io-ne?” he asked, once again struggling with her name.
Harry winced, then nodded. ‘Guess she hasn’t had the chance to tell him yet…oh well.’
“Uh…yeah, me and Hermione…um…Sorry Viktor.” He said, trying to offer a smile.
Viktor looked crestfallen, his friend patting him on the back and saying something in Bulgarian and smiling, trying to cheer him up. Viktor bowed his head, then then raised it, his eyes closed, he sucked in a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh, then he opened his eyes and looked at Harry.
“Zen I vill pursue her no-longer. You know her better.” He said, giving Harry a small salute.
Cedric grinned at him, “You and Granger?” Harry nodded, smiling, then Cedric turned to his team-mate and raised a hand.
“Pay up Smith.” He said with a grin.
His team-mate muttered a curse, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Galleon. He looked at Harry and rolled his eyes as Cedric took the coin.
“Seriously Potter? You couldn’t have gone for someone like Lavender? Or one of your fangirls? Or one of the Patil twins? Or both of them?”
Harry raised an eyebrow. Why in Merlin’s name would he go after both the Patil twins? “The prospect of dating one of my ‘fangirls’ as you put it, not that I expect to have any left after this last month, is exactly why I didn’t go for one of them.”
Krum nodded, giving Harry a sympathetic look. Cedric and Zacharias both snorted.
“You sure about that Potter? After that stunt you pulled with the Dragon, your female-only-fan-club has probably doubled in size.” Cedric said, grinning.
“You guys were betting one me and Hermione hooking up?” he asked. Cedric smiled as he pocketed the coin.
“Sort of. We had a bet going on among the Puffs how long it would take for you two to hook up considering you’ve been dancing around each other for years. My bet was you’d hook up before fifth year. Figured out your Egg clue yet?” Cedric asked, Harry and Krum shook their heads. Cedric sighed.
“Yeah, me neither. Tried opening the thing by prying the panels up. My ears are still hurting from all that shrieking.”
“Well, if one of us figures it out, let the others know.” Harry said, the other two nodded.
-=-=-=-
Luna smiled as she walked back inside the castle after her brief talk with Harry. She had honestly been surprised, pleasantly so, about what had happened. She hadn’t expected him to formally offer a House Alliance so readily, and she was certain that he didn’t fully understand what that meant. Or what he had meant when he had said ‘Friends help each other.’
Well, she was just going to have to make sure she made good on that promise this coming week.
As she walked past the other students, who paid her no mind, many of them talking about this and that, she paused as a thought struck her.
Her housemates had left her alone most of the year so far.
The routine ‘misplacing’ of her wand and clothes when she went to take a shower, and locking her out of the dorm to wander the halls naked in a towel, which happened every other night since a few months after she first started at Hogwarts, hadn’t really happened this year. She figured her housemates were too busy focusing on the Tournament. Which was fine by her.
When it had first started, she’d suspected the House Elves were responsible; being the diligent cleaning staff that they were. Now however, she knew that her roommates were taking her possessions, she just never bothered calling them out on it as it would be her word against theirs. Without them getting caught admitting to or doing it, Professor Flitwick wouldn’t do anything, as he was the kind of man who worked on evidence. Besides, if she reported them without clear evidence of their guilt, the possible repercussions that they could and most likely would bring on her would be…unpleasant.
The Prefects had always been useless too.
Still, she had new friends now, she didn’t need her housemates. She blinked slowly as she thought of someone who had once been a very good friend…many years ago. Ginny Weasley. The two of them had been close until the start of their education at Hogwarts, then Ginny had been distant their whole first year, and never really reconnected the second year or after that. Worse, Ginny had taken to calling her “Loony Lovegood” just like everyone else, which caused Luna to distance herself from Ginny even more.
A flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned, to see a swarm of Wrackspurts, and she smiled. They’d been unusually absent lately, as had the other menagerie of creatures she usually saw, though Wrackspurts were the most common.
She followed them, idly she noted that they were leading her to the library. While Wrackspurts usually caused confusion in people, they also tended to guide her daily activities, and usually warned her when something was wrong. Though she hadn’t started to see any of the creatures until after her mother had passed.
It was the Wrackspurts that had guided her to the library when she’d first met Daphne and Susan, after all, the impression she got from them, was that it was very important that she meet the two girls when she did.
Eventually she found her way to the library, and found Hermione sitting at ‘her’ table, the one she usually sat at when working, or talking with her friends.
She noted that Hermione was reading a familiar looking red leather book, ‘The Magic of Making Love’ along with several sheets of parchment covered in text and hand-written notes.
She also noticed that Hermione’s left arm was slightly blurred, and that her left hand was in her lap. A disillusionment charm. Easy to spot if you knew what to look for. She also took note of Hermione’s flushed face and slightly labored breathing, and it was easy for her to figure out what her brunette friend was doing.
‘Oooh! That looks like fun.’ Luna thought with a slight smile.
“Hello Hermione. Found anything interesting?”
Hermione looked up, smiling when she saw Luna, a rush of embarrassment running through her when she realized she’d nearly been caught masturbating, which she’d been doing since she sat down. It hadn’t relieved her pent up tension, but she’d thought to at least try. But what surprised her more, was the fact she didn’t stop when Luna sat down.
“Hello Luna, yes actually. I’m just going over some copied pages from the book Draco found. I’m also wondering what I’m going to tell my parents, since I don’t intend to let Harry stay with his relatives, because that would not be good for his health, or mine. I just don’t know what to say to them.”
Luna nodded, that was a problem. “The truth is often a good place to start.”
Hermione snorted. “Yeah, sure, ‘Dear mum and dad, sorry I haven’t been in touch lately, but I’ve had my hands kind of full dealing with the daily effects of a curse me and a close friend of mine were afflicted with. We basically have to give each other head 2 times a day at the very least or eventually die, and if he goes back to his magic-hating relatives, he will die, so I’m going to have to bring him home with me. Yes we’re lovers. Yes he’s my boyfriend. Yes we’ve moved faster than what many could consider normal, but we had no choice. I need him alive, so please do not murder him for getting his hands and tongue all over your daughter. Love, Hermione.’ Yeah, that’ll go over SO well…”
“Well, maybe if you don’t word it quite like that. What have you learned?” the blonde asked as she sat down.
“Honestly? Not much I didn’t already read I think…I remember reading that there is a chance that our bodies might ‘adjust’, and the number of feedings we have to do could decrease from once every 12 hours to once every 72, which would certainly help us in certain situations. Meaning, once we complete the Bond, there is a chance Harry and I will only need to feed at least once every three days, instead of at least twice a day, which while not a perfect solution, will make things easier for us in later years. The only real potential issues I see are what will we do if one of us ends up in St Mungo’s for an extended period, and what will we do when I eventually hit Menopause.”
She paused, looking over the copied pages from Draco's book.
“The other issue is my lactation.”
“What do you mean?” Luna asked, leaning in, so they could keep their voices down. Discretely Luna allowed a hand to slip into her lap and down the front of her skirt, into her knickers, where she idly started to stroke. This wasn’t something she usually did in public, but if Hermione was doing it, then surely it was ok? After all, wasn’t this just a form of female bonding?
“McGonagall said that the curse may affect how much I produce, and how often.” Hermione said, also leaning in.
“Would Harry be able to get what he needs from your milk while you’re on your cycle?” Luna asked.
Hermione paused, thinking. “I…don’t know, I guess it’s possible? We’ll just have to wait and see. And if it is, once I start producing, which could happen at any time, then he won’t need to feed from anyone else.”
Luna nodded. Then she tilted her head slightly, idly slipping her middle finger between her labia, feeling her lips starting to get wet. “So still no trace of a permanent cure?”
Hermione shook her head as she slightly shuddered, biting her lips to hold back a moan as a small climax shot through her, then let out a frustrated sigh, both from the lack of new information she’d be able to find in the copied pages, which constituted several chapters from Draco’s book, and also from the fact she was still rubbing her almost painfully sensitive clitoris, and although she’d just climaxed, she still felt like she hadn’t.
Although, the copied pages did contain information on several other curses, some of which she hoped to use on Malfoy at some point, assuming the idiot was stupid enough to provoke her.
‘I’m going to hate this week…I really hope my parents will understand why I’ll have to bring Harry home.’
“No.” she huffed. “Don’t get me wrong, part of me, an admittedly big part of me, really enjoys it. I find it…dare I say…fun. It’s ironic. I think back to almost this time last week, and I was almost in tears worrying how I’ll be able to cope with this, if I could actually do it. And now?”
She snorted and shrugged, before continuing, gesticulating with her free hand as she talked.
“Now…I wonder what I was so worried about! I’ve gotten quite good at it, though I know I’m not perfect by any means, I’m sure there’s still a lot of technique I need to learn. Though Harry hasn’t complained yet.”
Hermione paused as she thought some more, then she smiled wistfully and chuckled as she continued, hoping her face wasn’t flushed too much, and hoping the other girl didn’t notice how horny she was. Though, she silently acknowledged, talking about giving her boyfriend blowjobs, and how much she enjoyed it, wasn’t helping either. “I think I might be addicted to him, I mean, I do love him, I have for years, I only just recently admitted it to him, but honestly? I think I also love sucking him.”
She then giggled as a blush darkened her cheeks, and Luna smiled, blushing as well, though in Luna’s case, the blush was also from her index and middle finger gently pinching her clitoris, before she started stroking them back and forth along it, as she imagined what it would be like to suck Harry. She hoped she’d get the chance one day.
This was not the kind of conversation she’d expected to have, she never would have pictured Hermione as being so sexually frank in conversations, at least from what she’d heard around the school. But she was certainly enjoying it, and the mutual, if discrete, masturbation was also rather nice.
“And what I mean by ‘addicted’, we were eating sausages last night at dinner, and I wasn’t even thinking about him, or the Bond, or the curse in general or anything really, and yet, as soon as one of those sausage pieces touched my tongue, my fanny got so wet that I soaked my knickers straight through. Morgana, my nipples and clit could have cut diamonds!"
Luna blinked as she regarded her friend, her blush darkening even more. “That would be an interesting trick.”
Hermione snorted again, letting out a light laugh.
“Another thing I’ve realized I was worried about a week ago, that is pretty much a moot point now, was my worry that he would fight it. After our talk last Sunday, he’s actually quite into it. I think he enjoys it as much as I do. I don’t think he sees himself as a parasite, since with me, it’s a mutual thing, though I am a little concerned that he might if he’s feeding from others. Do you know what he tastes like?”
“No, I haven’t had the opportunity to suck his willy yet.” Luna said rather bluntly. Hermione smirked, as she tried not to laugh harder, though she did feel a little spark of jealously at the thought of Luna giving Harry a blowjob.
“No, I meant his semen. Chocolate Cauldron Cake. That’s what I taste every time he comes in my mouth. Every. Time. No trace of salty after-taste either. It was a little salty first time I did it, but that didn’t last.”
Luna nodded, “That is what the curse does, it changes your perception of taste.” Hermione nodded.
“It’s an incentive. An incentive to keep doing it. Since your diet affects how you taste, meat, dairy, that sort of thing, can make semen taste awful for example.”
Luna blinked, “I did not know that. I guess that would explain the taste change.”
Hermione nodded. “That only applies to the Curse though. For anyone undergoing a normal Bonding, they’d still have that issue.”
Then Luna perked up.
“Have you tried skipping meals?” Luna asked with a slight pant.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.
“Well, think about it, you eat and eat and eat, but you don’t feel the benefits of that, not until you swallow his sperm. Have you tried skipping any meals to see if that has any effect? To see if you can survive purely on what you get from each other?”
Hermione shook her head, also starting to pant as she continued to work her hand, silently wishing that her arousal would go down, and at the same time, wondering idly why she hadn’t stopped yet. “How would that work? Our bodies process the food we eat and store all the nutrients, which are then absorbed when we feed.”
“OR, you pass those same nutrients to each other when you feed.” Luna proposed. Hermione thought for a moment, then shook her head again.
“N—No, that doesn’t make sense. If it worked like that, we’d never get what we need feeding from anyone other than each other. Any single victim would die of starvation, no matter how much oral they tried giving. So no, we wouldn’t be able to survive just on bodily fluids alone.” Hermione said, looking over some of the notes she’d made, or at least tried to as she started to wiggle her hips in discomfort.
She then started chewing on her quill. “While there aren’t any accounts of this being used in the last few hundred years at least, I was able to copy the details from the first book we found, the one Draco used, and that described how most of the victims of this curse were women, witches, and it was used in the formation of the first harems, which fits what Parvati told us on Thursday, when she said she’d heard of it being used in ancient India. Obviously, the spell became widespread enough to become known before the side-effects were fully documented and realized. Although how that could have happened is beyond me.”
“It’s an unfortunate thing, but most Pure-Bloods, especially back then, lacked any form of common sense. Someone probably heard about the spell and thought ‘Oh! A new spell that encourages performing oral sex! I’d love to try that with the missus!’ or ‘A spell to accelerate the Bonding process? Great! That means we don’t have to wait a year!’ but never considered, or worse, ignored any negative effects. Or the ones casting the spells to form those harems just didn’t care about the wellbeing of the women they trapped.” She paused and considered.
“That also raises a theory as to why it fell out of favor and became considered a curse.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.
“Think about it. You have a daughter and she’s cursed with this by a rival or spiteful ex lover, you hunt down and kill the one responsible when you find out, only to realize too late what that would mean, and you’re unable or unwilling to give her what she needs, and she dies. I imagine it would quickly fall out of favor once word got around what it could be used for, and what families could lose.” Luna said.
Then she added “And the ‘Kiss of The Succubus’ name?”
“Emerged several decades after the spell was created, and came about because of the women who were subjected to it, were said to have been kissed by a Succubus, and so took on some of their traits, surviving purely on sex, becoming experts and performing oral, for example.”
Luna tilted her head and blinked again, then she smiled a little in a sort of serene way, as she watched a small cluster of Wrackspurts flitter about Hermione's head. She then closed her eyes and, deciding to up the ante a little, placed her middle finger at her entrance and pushed in, sucking in a breath. She then began to move her finger in and out rapidly. She opened her eyes again and looked at Hermione as she felt her body start to tense up and her skin started to tingle. Her free hand discretely moved up to cup a small breast, feeling how sensitive it was, and how her nipple was already hardening.
“Do you consider yourself an expert?” she said with slightly labored breaths, she wondered if she looked as horny as she felt, Hermione sure did. She also wondered if the older girl had realized what she was doing yet.
“Hardly. I’ve only been doing it a week, as I said before, my technique is probably far from perfect, but Harry hasn’t complained yet.” Hermione said.
“I doubt he will. A boy is hardly going to complain when a girl is sucking on his sausage like her life depends on it.” Luna replied, smiling slightly as she noticed Hermione stiffen and suck in a breath, her cheeks flushing red.
“Luna! You did that on purpose!” Hermione scolded, as she felt her clit throb again, and a surge of moisture between her tightly clamped thighs. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned that sausage thing!’ she thought.
Luna shrugged, looking innocent, then tilted her head, a slightly mischievous glint in her eyes. “Are you ok Hermione?”
“No! I’m not ok! I’m horny! And you’re not making it any easier for me!” Hermione growled.
“Oh. Sorry.” She said, completely unapologetic. “Has your cycle started yet?” she asked. Hermione shook her head.
“No, probably tomorrow or Monday, I’ll let you and anyone who wants to help him know, probably by memo or something. Though you wouldn’t know it considering what happened yesterday. I usually don’t get super horny until the peak of my cycle, about half way through it, but yesterday, I got so worked up while with him, I almost decided to throw caution to the winds, sit down on his dick and ride him until I was pregnant!”
“Would that be so bad?”
Hermione gave her a look. “Luna, I’m 15. I’m too young to be a mum! My mum and dad would MURDER me if I came home pregnant! And they’d definitely kill Harry. Even if part of my mind didn’t care about that yesterday, or the other day when I thought about having his kids. Yes I know that’s a bit sudden and weird, but I know the one thing Harry wants above all is a family, since he doesn’t really have one anymore. And one day, I’d love to be the mother of that family. But NOT now.”
“You know you’re not supposed to have actual sex until the Bond is ready to be finalized, right? And you know what is required for the Bond to fully take effect?” Luna asked, her panting becoming more clear as she felt her face flush as her busy hand was now getting very wet. Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Yes I know what is required. Yes I know that we can’t have intercourse until we both feel the Bond is strong enough that it’ll take and stay strong, which, with this curse, could be anywhere between several months to several weeks away! And yes, I know that in order for the Bond to actually finalize, Harry's sperm needs to enter my womb, so I can’t use a contraceptive charm. And he can’t use a condom. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use a contraceptive potion. I mean, I might get lucky and we do it on a day when I’m not on my cycle, but sperm can live for several days in the womb, so there’s still a risk there.” Hermione said, the last bit added as an afterthought.
“Have you decided yet on what you and Harry are going to do during your cycle?” Luna asked, her face flushing as she felt her climax approach, she had to be careful, she didn’t want to finish too soon.
“Well, some of my housemates offered to help him out, and of course, there’s Susan’s, yours and Daphne's offers…” Hermione panted
“And how do you feel about that?” Luna asked, momentarily closing her eyes as a wave of pleasure washed over her as she gently ran her fingers through her wet lips. “How do you feel about Harry feeding from someone else?”
Hermione bit her lip to suppress another moan as she felt her own climax building again, she’d now started thrusting two of her fingers into herself, she was just glad she’d had the foresight to cast silencing and disillusionment charms on her lap first when she sat down, though she was starting to wish she’d also applied cooling charms to her clothes. Her body had gotten very warm, but not uncomfortably so, not yet.
Thinking carefully, she responded. “Hm…good question. I guess, I don’t really have a choice but to accept it do I? Though I’m not thrilled by the idea though, as his girlfriend. But I trust you, Daphne and…Su—Susan…I know you guys won’t try to make a move on him and try to Bond with him without telling him…And that’s assuming he even accepts any offers of help. I’m not sure he will, even though I made him promise, there is still a chance he’ll refuse out of guilt.”
“What if it was done under the scope of a House Alliance?” Luna asked breathlessly, her voice almost a squeak. “And what if someone else wanted to Bond with him? He is the Boy-Who-Lived you know. I’m surprised no-one tried it before now. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t had girls lining up to suck his willy.”
Hermione licked her lips as she took several deep breaths and closed her eyes, hoping desperately that Luna didn’t realize what she was doing, she was so distracted by her own actions, that she hadn’t yet fully noticed what was happening to the younger girl. “I suppose that would be ok, but he’s not in a House Alliance with anyone. And he’s Muggle-raised remember? If it hadn’t been for this Curse, he wouldn’t even know about Bonding until next year, nor would anyone be allowed to start with him. As for now, well, I’ll make it clear he isn’t allowed to accept oral from anyone willing to help him, that way, no-one can trick him into a Bonding against his will.”
“He…is in…an Alliance…now.” Luna said faintly panting, letting out a slight groan. She was SO close!
“What?” Hermione asked, looking at her sharply, brows creasing in a frown, the fingers in her pussy stopping as she finally took notice of the sweat drenching her back, and of the look on Luna’s face. She would definitely need a shower after this. ‘What’s wrong with her? Is she…’
“I spoke to him outside earlier, he asked me how daddy would react if I had been cursed, I told him it would probably result in a Blood Feud between House Malfoy and Lovegood, but I also said that daddy wouldn’t fare so well, since our family does not have the political influence that the Malfoys have, nor do we have the allies to support us.” Then her breath hitched as her palm pressed against her hard clit and she nearly squeaked again, her body was now getting very warm.
“Then Harry said we do now, he said that my family now has the full backing and support of House Potter. He was also worried about how your parents are going to react to the news of what has happened. You really should tell them…soon…”
Hermione stared at her in disbelief. ‘I don’t believe this…that idiot!’
Then she sighed and rolled her eyes, face-palming.
“Of COURSE he did! UGH! That Muttonhead! Does he ever think?! Does he even realize what he agreed to? He has absolutely no idea how politics in the Magical World works. I’m not saying I’m not happy he’s agreed to be your friend though Luna, but seriously, if he tries to get into a political fight with someone, it could go very badly.”
Luna smiled at her, “I don’t think he’s realized quite what he’s agreed to yet. But I’m sure he will soon.”
Hermione sighed. “I guess he will.” Then she smirked, turning the conversation back to its previous topic. “If he decides to use his Parseltongue on you, Daph or Susan, make sure to use silencing charms on whatever room you’re in.”
Luna smiled, remembering how she’d said she wanted to experience that “I’ll keep that in mind. Is it really that good?”
“Oh Yes! You’ll see. I might not be an expert at oral, but when he uses Parseltongue, he’s a natural at it.” Hermione said with a smirk, as she started to stroke herself again. ‘Come on damn it! If this doesn’t kill my arousal for a while, nothing will. I just hope Luna doesn’t realize what I’m doing. That would be so mortifying.’
“You know, you could also feed from me if you ever need to. The offer I made at the beginning of the week is still good.” Luna replied. Hermione blushed, she hadn’t really given any consideration about that since Luna and the others had first mentioned it, even Susan's casual offers the previous Monday. Could she do it? Feed from one of her friends if Harry wasn’t available? Or even one of her dorm-mates? She wasn’t sure.
“I’ll……take it under consideration, though don’t be too disappointed if I say no. And it may take me some time to decide.”
“That’s fair.” Luna breathed as she felt her climax building, only moments away, she was almost there, and judging by the look on Hermione's face, so was she.
A thought then struck Hermione, but it was momentarily lost as she felt her second climax hit her, thanks to her hyper-stimulated libido, and she screwed her eyes shut as her body shuddered and she buried her fingers inside herself and ground her hips into her hand, a wave of pleasure and warmth flowing over her body and she felt her face and neck flush hotly, her body drenched in a thin sheen of sweat.
At that exact moment, Luna felt her own climax hit her, and she thrust her finger up inside herself, hitting and breaking her barrier, just as her orgasm hit. The pleasure of her climax helping to dull the pain of what she had just done, but she still let out a sharp gasp, her eyes screwing shut to stop a few tears of pain escaping, and her body shuddered as she let out a high pitched “Mmmmph!”
Panting, she opened her silver eyes to find Hermione staring at her wide-eyed, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“Luna! Did you just…! Were you…? Did you just MASTURBATE?! In the Library?! And in front of me?!” Hermione asked, scandalized, embarrassed, and mortified.
Luna shrugged as she panted, pulling her wet hand up, her fingers covered in blood as she grabbed her wand and started cleaning her hand.
“So…did…you…” she countered, her voice slightly tired as she started to come down and she sagged in her chair.
“That’s different! I didn’t really have a choice!” Hermione hissed, face burning.
Luna smiled as she opened her eyes and looked at her. “It was nice…though…”
Hermione stared at her for a few moments, blinking in shock. Her face glowing with embarrassment and arousal. She couldn’t believe what the younger girl had just done. At least she had an excuse! Sure, it was a poor one, but still. Had anyone else noticed? She thought she’d cast a strong enough disillusionment charm, but apparently not. A thought then occurred to her, and she tried to cool herself down, taking a moment to dry her hand.
“Is it even possible for same-sex couples to fully Bond? Given what it takes to complete it?”
Luna looked thoughtful, wincing slightly as a twinge of pain shot through her hips, though it didn’t last. “I’m…erm…I’m not sure, that will require some more research.”
“Uh…right…” Hermione said taking a deep breath to steady her nerves as the reality of what she and Luna had just done together, even unknowingly on her part. ‘God, I can’t believe she did that!’ she thought as she pushed herself up out of her chair, her legs a little shaky, and started packing away her things.
“I’ll…I’ll see you later, Luna. I need to go…take a shower.” Hermione said a little uncomfortably as she bade the other girl goodbye. ‘A cold one.’
“Ok, see you later Hermione. This was fun, we should do it again some time.” The blonde said smiling serenely, the thought that what she’d just done with Hermione was generally not something that normal friends did together.
Hermione didn’t respond as she felt a blush heat her face again as she made her way to the library’s exit. She’d have to sit down with the girl later at some point and explain what they’d done was not what normal friends did together. Though given what she knew of the girl from others around the school, the things she’d heard, she wasn’t surprised Luna was so…socially awkward.
The poor girl had only one real friend when she first came to Hogwarts, and that had been Ginny, and that friendship had suffered greatly during their first year, thanks to that damn Diary, and from what she could tell, Ginny and Luna hadn’t really reconnected. And the only other interaction Luna had with the student body was, was being the subject of their collective scorn and ridicule.
She hadn’t gotten all the details, but Hermione was starting to get the impression that Luna had been very naïve during her first years at the school and had paid for it.
‘With so little positive social interaction with the other students, even in her own house, it’s no surprise she thought masturbating in public was perfectly fine.’ Hermione thought.
-=-=-=-
Deputy Head’s office, that same time.
McGonagall paced in her office, thinking. She wanted answers, answers regarding Harry's treatment by his relatives, especially after everything she’d learned. And she knew the one place to get them.
With all the excitement of the First Task, she’d forgotten to question Albus about Harry's summer living arrangements, as she’d said she would do the previous weekend in the Hospital Wing. But, she’d finally asked him how he knew if Harry was being looked after, after confronting the Headmaster about his stunt in the medical tent. And he’d mentioned an old Order member had been watching the Dursley home for the last 13 or so years. He’d also gestured to a shelf which bore several simple looking devices that he claimed monitored the protections around Privet Drive, and Harry's wellbeing.
She turned, walked to the fireplace in her office, and grabbed the pot of Floo Powder. Idly, she wondered just how good those monitoring charms were, she doubted the Wards would survive the summer if Harry didn’t return to charge them, which would naturally alert Dumbledore the moment they failed, and would tip him off that Harry wasn’t where he should be.
While it was true that the fireplaces in the four House Comon Rooms, including the private Quarters, could receive Floo calls, but not make them, they also could not provide transit either. What was not known, was that the Floos in the Headmaster’s office and the Hospital Wing were not the only ones that could send and receive transit. The one in her office could as well, though it was something she used sparingly.
Turning, she threw the powder into the fireplace and it flared up, turning green.
“Number Twelve Privet Drive!” she called into the fireplace, she then stuck her head into the flames, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t be overcome by the vertigo. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and found herself looking into a well-kept living room, a few cats were dotted around the room.
“Arabella? Are you home?” she called.
“Minerva?” came the voice of the Squib she wanted to talk to, and in from the kitchen, Arabella walked, wiping flour off her hands.
McGonagall smiled as she saw the woman. “May I come through Arabella?”
“Oh, of course Minie! I’ve just put some bread in the oven not too long ago.”
Minerva smiled and stepped through, brushing off her robes as she stepped clear of the fireplace.
Several of Arabella’s cats came up to her, obviously sensing the cat within her and started rubbing against her legs, purring loudly. She leaned over and stroked them gently in greeting, knowing just where they liked it best.
“Some tea Minerva dear?” Arabella asked.
“Please, thank you. That bread smells wonderful.”
Arabella smiled and headed into the kitchen to set the kettle to boil as Minerva sat down.
“So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
Minerva closed her eyes sighing, this was going to be a long talk.
“I’m afraid it’s about young Harry. I’m not sure if you’ve read the Prophet, but he got entered into a magical tournament against his will. We’re still trying to figure out who, but it’s going slowly, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here, because almost two weeks ago, he and one of his closest friends were cursed by another student.”
And with that, McGonagall told Arabella everything. When she was finished, the other woman had her hand over her heart and looked on the verge of either a fit of rage or tears.
“Oh! Those poor dears.” Figg said, before she got up to go check on the baking bread, Minerva following, offering to help her.
“I’m sorry Minerva, I wish I could help, but I honestly don’t know what I could do.”
“Couldn’t you give him and Miss Granger the time and privacy they’d need?” McGonagall asked. “Perhaps you could approach the Dursleys and propose that he stay with you, and then Miss Granger could come and stay.”
Arabella shook her head as she took the baking tray out of the oven, taking a deep breath of the freshly baked bread.
“No. Petunia and Vernon would never allow him to come here if they thought he actually enjoyed it. It’s one of the reasons I always made sure his visits here were so boring he’d grow to hate them. When what I actually wanted to do was shower him with all the love, affection and care that I knew he deserved and desperately needed but clearly never got from them. But I couldn’t. I also couldn’t tell him anything, Dumbledore’s orders. And you say this Hermione is a Muggle-born?”
Minerva nodded, Arabella sighed. “Then without a Floo connection, how would she even get here? And I’m sure her family wouldn’t let her stay here, unless they live locally, and I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
Minerva paused, that made sense. “No, they don’t. Didn’t you try telling Albus how they were treating him?
“Of course I did!” Arabella said defensively, “Multiple times! But he always insisted that since Petunia was Lily’s sister, she was Harry’s only family and so he HAD to stay.”
“Tell me about them. What are the Dursleys like? I only saw them that one time back in 81.” Minerva asked.
“Horrible. And that’s putting it kindly. Vernon is huge, I don’t know how he hasn’t keeled over from a heart attack yet. Petunia is vindictive and spiteful, and a gossip monger, sticking her nose into others’ business, for any bit of information she can get. And their son…he’s just like his father. And he’s mean. I’ve seen the way he treats some of the local kids. And the way he’s treated poor Harry over the years, but I couldn’t do anything.”
“Harry said his uncle is more like an Elephant Seal than a man.” Minerva said. Arabella snorted with amusement, a smile tugging her lips.
“He isn’t wrong.”
McGonagall sighed in resignation, the beginnings of a plan to help the two already forming in her mind, if she couldn’t somehow arrange alternate accommodation, she just hoped she’d never have to use it, but if she did, she’d probably need help. She wasn’t looking forward to asking for that help.
The two women then spent some time just talking and catching up, soon though, McGonagall realized she’d have to return to Hogwarts.
“Well, it was a long shot asking, but I thought it was worth a try. Thank you Arabella, I’ll see what I can do. But don’t be surprised if Harry does not return to Privet Drive this summer. And if Dumbledore ever asks, just tell him everything is fine.” Minerva said, as she turned to head back to the living room.
“I will Minnie, and take some of this with you.” Arabella said, offering a piece of the freshly baked bread. McGonagall thanked her then stepped through, back into her office.
Sitting down at her desk, McGonagall looked down and contemplated the half-written letter to Hermione's parents, then decided to try and finish it, idly eating as she did so. All the while putting more thought into her Plan B, hoping it would work, while also hoping she wouldn’t have to use it, and that she could convince some of her colleagues to help her.
Had she been paying more attention to her surroundings, she might have noticed the book she’d confiscated, the one Daphne had stolen from Draco, ‘The Dark Arts of Sex Magic’ was not on her desk where she’d left it after retrieving it from Dumbledore earlier that morning. it was gone…
-=-=-=-
Late afternoon, Library.
Hermione was once again back in the Library, this time working on her homework, a Charms essay.
She heard several whispers the other students suddenly pick up, and she sensed someone approaching her. She looked up, and saw it was Viktor Krum, who was looking a little sheepish. Hermione blushed, remembering the last time the two of them had met here, and mentally preparing herself for the conversation she was about to have, trying to figure out how to let him down gently.
“May I sit?” he asked. She nodded, doing her best to ignore the hushed whispers of the few around them. Seriously, didn’t these kids have homework to do?
Taking a deep breath, Hermione decided to break the ice.
“Listen, Viktor, about what happened last time…” she began, but he raised his hand and smiled at her kindly as he sat down.
“You need not explain. I come to tell you zat I know zat you und Harry are dating. He told me earlier. I am many zings, but I am no thief. I vill no longer try to court your affections.”
“Oh. Well, urm, that’s good, thank you. I was about to tell you I’d have to call off our prior arrangement.” She said with a smile. Viktor smiled somewhat.
“Ja. It vas…enjoyable, however unexpected. Zough it did surprise me. I usually do not allow such things from girls I do not know.”
Hermione blushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. But it won’t be happening again.”
Krum smiled and nodded. “Zat is fair.”
“So, how are you finding Hogwarts?” she asked.
“Interesting. Is good school, though layout can be confusing. At Durmstrang, stairs do not move.”
Hermione giggled, “Yeah, that can get annoying, but at least you get used to it, and they even have a pattern, so you can predict them.”
As the two of them settled down to talk and get to know one another, most of Krum’s ‘fangirls’ had dispersed, and neither of them noticed the four pairs of eyes watching them. Two pairs curious, one pair suspicious and jealous, and the last, calculating.
-=-=-=-
“What’s he doing talking to Hermione?” Ron asked, scowling, Seamus and Dean were sat with him, Ron had been in the middle of trouncing Dean at Wizard’s Chess, again, when they noticed Krum come in and make his way over to Hermione. Ron had been watching her since he’d come in, she’d had her homework out so he’d not bothered to go near her, even though he really wanted her to go over his homework, he knew the odds of that happening were low, especially since she spent all her time with Harry now, along with a Snake of all people, and a Puffer, and now, also, apparently Loony.
What had happened? They used to be friends, why had Harry and Hermione side-lined him? He didn’t get it. To make things worse, Harry had stolen Hermione from him, the girl he’d had his eye on and flirted with for years. He’d even told his mother about his interest in Hermione, that the two of them had been flirting back and forth for years, and now…
Part of him didn’t want to believe they had actually been cursed, part of him wanted to believe all of that in the Hospital Wing the previous week had all just been a ruse to allow them to get together behind his back.
Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to believe that to be true, he knew it wasn’t. He’d seen how bad they looked. Plus he doubted McGonagall would lie about something like that, she wasn’t Snape after all.
But what really burned him, what really ruffled his feathers and got his heckles up, was the apparent ‘treatment’ for their new condition. Which, if what Hermione said was true, basically amounted to them Bonding. Or at least, for Hermione to do what was necessary to start the Bond, regardless of if it happened or not.
He scowled at the thought, his ears heating up as he looked at Hermione's face, focusing on her lips, and a treacherously curious part of his mind wondered just how recently those soft pink lips had been wrapped around Harry's cock. His eyes drifted down to her hips and again, that same part of him wondered how recently Harry's face had been there. He grit his teeth in seething jealousy.
It just was not fair! Harry got everything! The fame. The money. The glory. The girl, and now, the blowjobs! And all the pussy he could ever want to eat!
He vaguely recalled Hermione asking the girls in their house to ‘help’ Harry out this coming week, since she would be on her cycle, though Ron had no idea why that was an issue. That just meant that Harry would be getting even more pussy! He also remembered what Ginny had said, and how he, Fred and George had cornered her afterwards and ‘encouraged’ her to leave Harry alone. If there was one thing he and his brothers ever agreed on this week, it was that Ginny would be the only girl in their house not getting any, well, apart from the First and Second Years of course. The look of fury and defiance she’d sent their way every chance she got since had been ignored by all three of them.
He’d been reminding Ginny of that fact that morning when Harry had come into the Common Room, followed shortly after by Hermione.
“Leave off Ron, Hermione can talk to whoever she wants to.” Dean said, as he looked down at the chess board, contemplating his next move, only slightly irritated that his Queen was making out with one of the Bishops, while the King did nothing but just stand there and watch, bemused.
“Yeah,” Seamus said, “You’ve been in a weird mood since Thursday, since Harry and Hermione gave their little talk. What’s up with that?”
Ron clenched his jaw as he felt his ears heat up more.
“Ah, I think I see…” Seamus said, grinning as he sat back.
“What?” Dean asked. Seamus nodded towards Ron, who was still watching Hermione and Viktor talk.
“I don’t think it’s Krum Ron is jealous of. I think it’s Harry.”
“Oh?” Dean asked. Seamus nodded.
“Yeah, think about it. Ron basically was going on and on since Halloween about how Harry cheated his way into the Tournament, which was of course not true, although none of us believed that at the time. That got him even more fame and notoriety, something Ronny here is sorely lacking. Then Harry pulls that stunt with the Horntail, which is even more fame to his name. Again, None For Ron. Now we find out that he’s basically been living every teenage boy’s dream for almost a week and a half and has been getting head at least three times a day from a girl who is also now apparently his girlfriend. And he’s been eating her out just as much. That’s two more things Ron isn’t getting! And let’s be honest, Granger isn’t exactly bad to look at. If you can ignore the whole ‘Bookworm’ thing. But hey, some guys, apparently Harry included, like the smart ones. And you know what they say about the brainy ones, right?”
He paused, taking a moment to look at the girl in question, then he continued.
“I mean, I never would have pegged her to be the type who would like giving head, hell, I thought she’d never want to date anyone, let along Bond with anyone, even without this Curse they’re under being a factor. She always seemed to care more about books. Harry is one lucky bastard though, I bet she was a novice at first, unless there are books here on the subject. I overheard one of the girls once say they thought Hermione wouldn’t know what to do with a dick unless she read an instruction manual first. But I bet she’s getting really good at it now.”
He grinned then gestured to Ron, “I wonder what he finds more galling: the fact she willingly sucks Harry off every day, or that Harry saw her naked first.”
Ron’s head finally snapped around and he glared at the other two boys, who were grinning at him knowingly. A protest already on his tongue, but he forced it down, he knew he wouldn’t win an argument with these two.
“Well, neither of you are getting any either!”
“True.” Seamus said, “Sad but true, but there’s still hope for us.”
“And not me?” Ron asked.
Seamus snorted. “You? You sound like the Express pulling out of the station when you sleep, and you have the table manners of a troll. Any girl dating you would either have to either not care about your eating habits, and wear sound-proof earmuffs to bed, or have no sense of hearing at all.” He laughed.
Ron ground his teeth as he glared at his two dorm-mates.
“Hell, I bet Neville is even getting some. I saw Hannah drag him into a broom cupboard right after lunch today.” Dean said, grinning at the look of jealous fury on Ron’s face, which was slowly turning red. He really was just so easy to wind up.
“Who would you like to Bond with then, or at the very least date?” Seamus asked, looking at Dean.
The other boy shrugged, thinking carefully. “Brown maybe? Or Parvati? Maybe even Turpin, she is pretty cute.”
“Lisa Turpin? She’s Ravenclaw right?” Seamus asked.
“Yeah, our year.” Dean said, nodding.
“I think she’s seeing a Ravenclaw guy. Saw her last week giving a Ravenclaw boy some attention in an alcove near the Astronomy Tower, would have completely missed ‘em if he hadn’t moaned her name so loud. I looked over and there they were against a wall with her on her knees and his hands in her hair.”
Dean frowned, looking mildly disappointed, but then he shrugged. “Oh well then, plenty of other girls in the school, plus there’s also all those lovely girls that came over from France and Bulgaria.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ron scoffed. “Yeah right! You’ve got zero chance with any of them! Especially Fleur.” He said, guessing who Dean was really referring to.
“Better chance than you!” Dean shot back with a snort.
“Oh yeah?” Ron huffed. “Tell ya what, I’ll ask her out to the Yule Ball, that’ll show you!”
Dean snorted again then looked at Seamus, who smirked and nodded.
“Fine then. Let’s make a bet. 5 Galleons says Fleur will roast you alive for the attempt.” He said.
Ron was about to nodded and offer his hand when Dean spoke up. “Better idea. If you can ask Fleur out to the Yule Ball, we’ll do your homework for you for the first term of the new year. And if you fail, you do ours.”
Seamus looked at him wide-eyed, face pale, his expression one of utter horror. Had his friend suddenly gone insane?!
Ron grinned evilly. “Deal!” then he extended his hand and the two shook while Seamus looked on dismay.
Grinning to himself, and feeling in a much better mood, Ron started packing away the Chess board, as the pieces had abandoned their positions and had been listening to the exchange, the game forgotten. He then stood, nodded to the two boys then left.
Once he was gone, Seamus gave Dean a stern look.
“Thomas you FOOL! You’ve doomed us both!”
“What do you mean?” Dean asked. “This’ll be easy! You KNOW he’ll fail to ask her out, and that’s assuming she doesn’t fry him for even asking her.”
“Exactly! Which means, WHEN he fails, he’ll have to do OUR homework for the first term of next year! You know he doesn’t even do his OWN homework! He always twisted Granger’s arm until she did it for him! I’m honestly wondering how long he’ll last now Granger and Potter have effectively turned their backs on him. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he fails his OWLS in Fifth year! So what do you think will happen to our grades?!” Seamus ask, horrified.
Dean’s dark complexion lightened several shades, his eyes widened as the enormity of his blunder hit home.
“Well…bugger.”
-=-=-=-
Sunday November 27, 1994
Gryffindor Tower Third Year Girls’ Dorm, early morning.
Ginny lay in bed, one knee raised as a hand busily stroked between her legs, her fingers sliding through her wet lips, combing through the patch of dark red hair that covered them and the mound above. Her eyes closed as she breathed long and deep, licking her lips as she fantasized and imagined. Imagined the coming week, and what she would do. What she had planned since Thursday.
She tried to imagine what it would be like to have Harry in her mouth, to feel his hard cock sliding back and forth over her tongue, palette, cheeks and lips as she hungrily sucked. Tried to imagine what it would taste like, and what it would feel and taste like to have him cum in her mouth, and then how it would feel when she swallowed it, and started the Bonding.
She knew full well about that of course, had since summer. Her father hadn’t really approved of their mother telling her and Ron about it, he’d said they were too young to know, but their mother had just waved him off, saying “They’re old enough to know what to expect and do Arthur, better they be prepared now rather than later.”
Their father had begrudgingly accepted, though he had extracted a promise from the twins and Ron to make sure she didn’t try anything. Fortunately, it hadn’t been binding. So what they didn’t know about, wouldn’t get back to her father.
“Mmm…” Ginny moaned as she imagined what it would be like to pull Harry into an alcove somewhere, or a broom cupboard, and have him feed from her. She gasped lightly as a finger brushed her aching clit, and her other hand moved up under her nightie to cup a breast. She knew they weren’t much, barely there actually, but that didn’t matter. For now, that was not the part of her body Harry would need to see or focus on.
A Wizard could bond with more than one Witch, after all, so there was no reason why he couldn’t bond with her and Hermione. If she played her cards right, she would probably be able to push Hermione out completely, especially if she started feeding from another Wizard, like Ron, to help mitigate the Curse, if Ginny understood the workings of it, then her place as the future Lady Potter would be assured.
She just had to get Harry's attention first, but she wouldn’t make her move until she knew for sure Hermione's cycle had started.
The Boy-Who-Lived would be hers.
Her mother had promised her that years ago.
All she had to do now, was get him.
-=-=-=-
Great Hall, early morning.
Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor Table and started to tuck into her cornflakes which she’d asked for.
She’d passed several pieces of parchment to several of her former dorm-mates on the way out of the Common Room, namely Parvati, Lavender and Fay, as well as to Susan and Luna when she entered the Hall, with a hushed reminder to Susan to let Daphne know when she got the chance, the girl had nodded.
Her cycle had started.
Though Harry had been able to feed from her while they took a shower, Hermione told him that the odds of him being able to do it without it getting messy were about 50/50.
She hadn’t noticed a change in her levels yet, though she had no idea how long it would take. As she turned to her fellow housemates and started talking to them, she missed the looks Ron and Ginny were giving her and Harry. As she ate her breakfast, she noticed her levels start to rise, and as she looked around at her house-mates and fellow students, she felt them start to spike as she looked at several people, both boys and girls.
She’d been staring at a Ravenclaw boy, Terry Boot, for nearly a full minute until Harry nudged her.
“Hey, you ok ‘Mione?” he asked quietly, a look of concern in his kind green eyes.
“Huh?” she asked, blinking and looking away from Boot, who hadn’t noticed she’d been staring at him. “Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine Harry.” She said.
‘What was THAT? Why was I staring at Terry like I wanted to eat him? It’s got to be the Curse affecting me, I didn’t think it would be this quick though…’ she thought, as she looked over at Susan, just as the girl was stretching, her hands in the air and chest pushed out, and Hermione almost moaned at the vision of beauty her redhead friend had suddenly become in her eyes.
Her gaze focused on Susan's lips, lips Hermione suddenly found she wanted to kiss, to feel on her own breasts…and speaking of breasts, Susan's were beautiful, large, easily D at least, double at most. And Hermione started to envision what they would look like bared to her, what they’d look like covered in honey or syrup, or even ice cream. For a moment, she even envisioned what they’d look like pressed together around Harry's penis, and she found herself licking her lips.
She then blinked, and her mind cleared, and she shook her head. ‘What the…?’ she thought. Then she mentally sighed, and focused on her breakfast.
This was going to be a long week.
-=-=-=-
At the Staff Table, Dumbledore smiled slightly as he carefully watched Hermione. Taking note of how she now stared at both Terry Boot for over a minute, and Susan Bones for almost as long. The stronger potion was working, and faster than he’d thought it would. Though he’d only told the Elves to dose her food this morning, as a test, they would dose Harry's tomorrow.
He’d been disappointed with the lack of results form the previous potion dosing and had decided to ask Severus to brew a stronger formula. He had to be careful though, to limit the dosage. He didn’t want to give them too much. He’d read the book Minerva had given him, and while the Curse was fascinating, he suspected that the one who created the original spell was certainly no master spell crafter. Resorting to a sterilization curse as a ‘cure’ was a drastic measure, and he reasoned, it would only have been listed as a cure if all other possible options had been investigated and dismissed, either right after the discovery of the negative side-effects, or later over time.
He certainly hadn’t heard of the curse before, there was no mention of it in the Private Library he had access to as the Headmaster, and he had no idea where this book had originally come from, there was no author named, which was expected, given the nature of the contents. There was no publication/completion date either. But considering what information there was on the curse in the book lead him to theorize that who ever wrote about it in the book had firsthand knowledge of the curse, either as a victim or witness to someone who was, or were descended from someone who had been a victim in antiquity, and the knowledge had been passed down as a warning, if the note on its history and plausible origin were any indication.
If there was anyone within the country that had more information, it would be the Unspeakbles in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. It was their job to discover things like this and study them. Though the research rarely, if ever saw the light of day.
But one thing was clear: the spell’s creator had been an amateur. No professional spell crafter would make that kind of mistake with a spell.
Then again, magic did behave in strange ways, it demanded balance in all things. If the spell’s creator had intended to create a spell that accelerated the Bonding but with no intended caveats, then it was possible, however slim the chance, that magic itself might have created the described caveats, though he was unsure if that was the case, since the creator was long dead, and therefore, unavailable for questioning.
He continued to regard Hermione carefully.
This was going to be an interesting week.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 11: The Torment of Hermione Granger
Notes:
Trigger Warning!
Hey folks, first off, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I have several reasons for the long delay.
First off, if you saw my latest update to my Scenes from a Hat collection, then you will know that on the 2nd of September this year, the CPU i bought for the pc i built back in July, a AMD 3900X, started to fail. It took several weeks (7) to identify the issue, RMAing the Motherboard (which came back OK), replacing the RAM and Power supply (both from an old system, the PSU was 8 years old and starting to fail as well.), and finally, replacing the CPU (which AMD was kind enough to ship). So I didn't get my system back up and running until late October.
I also switched to Scrivener a couple of months back, dropping Word as my primary writing app.
My other reason, is I just got distracted with another fandom, which I may also start posting stories for in the future. :P
But the update is here now, just in time for Christmas, thank you to all of you who have been patiently (or impatiently, lol) waiting for me to update. I hope you enjoy. I won't set a date for the next update (which is probably about 1/3 to 1/2 written already).
So until the next update, enjoy, and have a safe Merry Christmas and happy new year (and may the next one be far better than the shit show this one was) :)
EDIT
Removed/retooled the scene between daphne and harry after he saves her from Draco.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 11: The Torment of Hermione Granger
Sunday, November 27, 1994.
Mid-morning after breakfast, Hogwarts grounds.
Fleur Delacour hugged herself and shivered as she stood on the front lawn of Hogwarts, stepping away from the steps leading up into the Carriage. She had just finished a Floo call with her parents in her quarters inside the Carriage. She’d already let them know on Thursday how the First Task had gone. Her parents had understandably been thrilled at her performance and had been impressed by what they’d heard of Harry Potter’s performance as well.
Her mother had also subtly asked if she’d spotted anyone she ‘liked’ yet. Fleur had to roll her eyes at that. Though she couldn’t really blame her mother for being that way. They were Veela after all. They were creatures of passion. Both inside the bedroom and outside of it. A higher-than-average sex drive and more open attitudes to sex were all part of a Veela’s physical and psychological makeup. Veela, as a rule, were as comfortable talking about sex, in great detail, in casual conversations as most people were talking about the weather, or Quidditch.
Though that did present its fair share of problems. Her almost ethereal beauty for instance, that drew the eye of almost every red-blooded male human within visual range of her, and made the majority of those behave like brainless idiots in a foolish, and futile attempt to impress her. It had won her many enemies during her adolescent years and had lost her just as many friends. That was not to say that she didn’t have any friends left, she didn’t have as many as she used to. Those she did have, if they had boyfriends, she hadn’t met them, and likely never would.
It was why she worried about little Gabby so. Gabrielle was only 8, but already her Veela nature was starting to manifest, though thankfully, since she hadn’t started to mature sexually, her Veela characteristics just made her look exceptionally cute. But once her sister hit puberty, and her Veela heritage really kicked in, she would be in for a few very rough years. Fortunately, she would have Fleur and her mother there to help, and maybe even their grandmother.
Though it still would be difficult.
Fleur hugged herself again against the cold as she started to walk across the grounds, taking note of the younger students milling about, playing in the new layer of snow, and ignoring the boys who tried to get her attention with foolish antics, some with their girlfriends present, who sent jealous, withering glares in Fleur’s direction. She’d seen it all before, so she ignored it.
Being creatures of fire meant that they did not particularly like the cold, though that did not mean they couldn’t appreciate the natural beauty of winter snow.
Another thing Veela, as a rule, were not fond of was being underwater. Again, being creatures of both the air and fire, they did not like being submerged for long periods of time. Taking showers and baths was a necessary evil, so it was easily tolerated. She looked out over the Black Lake and shuddered. From what she’d heard of this school, there was supposed to be a giant squid in that lake, though it was apparently relatively tame.
And according to some rumours she’d heard, there was supposed to be a Merpeople settlement at the bottom of the lake. She shuddered again and turned away, heading in the opposite direction from the lake. She really hoped those rumours were not true. If they were…
Then she hoped the Second or Third tasks of this Tournament did not have anything to do with that lake. Though she still hadn’t figured out how to open the egg.
It was beginning to frustrate her.
“Fleur!” A high-pitched voice called, she turned, and barely managed to lean to the side to dodge the snowball that came flying at her.
She narrowed her blue eyes at the giggling form of her 8-year-old sister, who ducked behind a small snow-covered rise with a group of First Year Hogwarts students. The little imp…
Quickly whipping out her wand, Fleur grinned as several of the First Years, her sister among them, poked their heads up over the rise, and several arms came up, each one holding a snowball.
Fleur waited until the snowballs were almost to her before she made a swish-flick motion with her wand, and the balls all did a U-turn in mid-flight and sailed back towards her now squealing and laughing attackers.
“You weel ‘ave to try better zan zat, non?” she called, smiling as they all tried to dodge the snow; only a few of them managed it. “Next time, do not warn your target!” Then she decided to be sporting and put away her wand. Crouching, she scooped up some snow into her hands and made some snowballs, which she threw at the laughing First years, who eagerly returned fire, seeing she’d put away her wand.
As she played with the younger students and Gabrielle, Fleur thought about the other champions and her own opinions on each of them.
Krum was famous, even in France, as an international Quidditch star, though she had been a little weary of the Durmstrang students, as that Academy had a reputation. It was the school Gillert Grindelwald had been expelled from, after all—the man who preceded Voldemort as Europe’s premiere Dark Lord. But Krum, she was finding, was nothing like the atypical Durmstrang student; he was rather kind, and apparently no stranger to dealing with the Press.
Fleur momentarily scowled, losing her focus and letting a snowball hit her, as her thoughts briefly turned to that…woman…Rita Skeeter…She couldn’t help but chuckle as she remembered what she’d said, and how the woman clearly had not understood a single syllable of what she’d said. As evidenced by the quoted “statement” in the paper the next day.
She couldn’t believe they’d printed that in a frontpage article!
Then her thoughts turned to the other two champions, Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter.
Cedric seemed rather nice. He’d handled his dragon rather well, and she’d been impressed by his transfiguration work. She hadn’t spoken to any of the champions much over the past month. Something she aimed to try to correct. However, getting close to either Cedric or Krum would be difficult, with the gaggle of girls around them. Cedric, in particular, seemed to already have a girlfriend, who sent Fleur warning looks every time the girl caught her looking in his direction. She sighed; it was the same everywhere.
Then her thoughts came to the last champion. The fourth Champion. And wasn’t that a first! How would they handle the final victory score if one of the two Hogwarts Champions and either her or Krum came in equal? There had never been a fourth contestant in the Tournament in its entire history, hence its name.
There had been some arguments among the Beauxbatons students the night of the Selection, after the fact, where several of her fellow students had argued that both they and Durmstrang should be allowed an extra Champion. Clearly, their protests had fallen on deaf ears.
Harry Potter…she didn’t know much about him personally, though she had heard of him before coming to the school. She honestly doubted if there was a person in the magical world anywhere on Earth who had not heard of him.
And if she was honest with herself, she had not been impressed when she’d first met him when he’d entered that little side room after the choosing, only to announce, albeit reluctantly, that he had also been chosen.
She remembered being furious, as were the others. She’d even called him a ‘Leetle Boy!’ when she’d addressed him.
Now, though, she found herself re-evaluating him. His performance had been the most spectacular, the most unique, and had earned him the highest marks. Even Maxime had to admit she was impressed begrudgingly. Karkaroff, though, she could tell he’d been livid at Krum coming in last.
She had never heard of someone interacting with a dragon that way. Well, she’d never heard of anyone interacting with a dragon that way and surviving.
She’d also seen several of the other Hogwarts students wearing flashing badges, though she couldn’t really tell what they said, as her English wasn’t perfect, but she’d learned that Potter’s main rival among the students, Draco Malfoy, had created them.
Now that she thought about it, she’d heard rumour that Potter and one of his housemates had gotten into a scuffle with Malfoy a week before the first task, and then had spent all of the previous weekend in the school’s infirmary, though she wasn’t clear on the details. Though there had been a lot of students wearing those flashing badges before the First Task, now, only a handful were wearing them.
She wondered what he was doing now. She’d like to talk with him at some point, get to know him better. She then refocused her attention as three more puffs of snow hit her and redoubled her efforts to bury Gabby and her new friends.
-=-=-=-
At that moment, the boy in question was making his way through the castle, on his way to the library to finish a potions essay; he still hadn’t ‘fed’ yet. He suspected that several of his female housemates would soon start making offers to help him. And although he’d promised Hermione he would accept, part of him couldn’t help but feel like doing so would be a betrayal of her. He hoped he could last a bit longer; he’d been feeding so much lately that he reasoned that he’d be able to manage going one or two days without, surely.
“Hey, Harry.” A voice said behind him. Turning, he saw it was Parvati Patil walking towards him, looking a little…nervous?
The dark-skinned Indian girl blushed fiercely as she came to a stop before him. The few times their eyes met, she’d smile nervously and look away.
Harry had a feeling he knew what she wanted. He hadn’t missed Hermione handing out those pieces of parchment.
“Yes, Parvati?” He asked. She looked around, spying a broom cupboard not far down the corridor. There was no one else present, not even any portraits.
“I was wondering…if you needed any…help.” She said, saying the last word in a loud whisper.
“Help? Well, now you mention it, I was just on my way to the library to finish some essays for Moody, Sprout, Flitwick and The Greasy Git, I mean, Professor Snape, and could probably use a second opinion on them.” Harry said with a grin. He knew exactly what she meant by ‘help’, but after the way she and the rest of Gryffindor had treated him the past month, and how he’d seen most of his house, including her and Lavender, wearing Draco’s badges until this last Thursday, he decided a little payback was in order.
If Parvati wanted him to eat her out, she was going to have to work for it.
Parvati rolled her eyes and fixed him with an embarrassed glare. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it, Potter!” She growled, before grabbing his hand and dragging him further down the corridor, to the broom cupboard. He tried to say something, but she didn’t listen, and shoved him into the confined space before stepping in and closing the door behind her, then locking it.
“Parv, listen, I—” his protests were cut off as she pushed him down onto one of the benches, then stepped forward until she was only a few inches from him, and then she lifted her skirt.
And Harry got his first look at Parvati’s vulva. Her lips were smooth, a beautiful milk chocolate brown, just like the rest of her. Above her lips, covering her mons, was a neatly trimmed triangle of short black hair. He could see well enough, despite the lack of light, to see that her lips were slightly parted, and they were already glistening.
She was already wet.
At this distance, he could smell her heady aroma as well. Sweet and heavy, with a faint musk to it that was uniquely feminine, and with a scent that was also uniquely her. He could also detect the distinct smell of coconut. Every breath he took of her scent made his trousers tighter. He closed his eyes as a grimace of embarrassment and guilt swept through him.
‘I know I promised Hermione, but I don’t know if I can do this…’ he thought guiltily.
“Parv, listen, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, because I do, and I do think you’re lovely, but I already fed this morning.”
“I’m sure you have, and thank you. A girl always likes to know if her body looks beautiful. But I know about this curse, Harry, probably as much as Hermione does, if not more, so does Padma. We know it takes multiple feedings a day to stay fully on your feet. Sure, you can get by with two a day, but that’s dangerous. What if you forget the second one? Or someone stuns you, and you end up missing the second deadline? Then you start going downhill.”
Harry raised an eyebrow at the mention of her twin.
“Does Padma know about this?”
“She does. I asked Hermione if I could tell her, and she said yes, as long as it doesn’t go further. Don’t worry, Padma won’t spread it around, she knows how serious this curse is, and neither will I nor Lavender. Sure, we’re the school gossip queens, but even we know when to keep a lid on things.”
She then tilted her head and gave him an impatient look.
“Now, stop talking and put that mouth of yours to some better use, Harry. My fanny isn’t going to eat itself.”
Harry hesitated some more, licking his lips to wet them as his cock throbbed painfully hard in his pants.
“Or do you need a bit more incentive? Should I whip out the girls?” She asked, her hands started to move to her shirt and she started pulling it up, revealing more of her flat stomach. “Or maybe…” she said with a seductive purr, as she took a step back, then turned round, looking back at him over her shoulder as she arched her back, pushing her hips back towards him a little.
“…Are you more of an arse man than a boob fan?” She giggled, wiggling her hips a little.
Harry gritted his teeth as he tried to clamp down on his raging libido, and he tried desperately to think of something unsexy that would kill his erection. Sadly, with a half-naked girl in front of him offering her body up on a figurative plate, it was difficult. He couldn’t help but look. Look and compare.
He noticed that Parvati’s butt was a little fuller than his girlfriend’s, the cheeks a bit more defined, though they were just as firm, yet soft, as he gently placed a slightly shaking hand on her left cheek. Even in the reduced light, with how her hips were angled, he could just make out a hint of her labia between her slightly spread legs.
“Mmm…” the Indian girl let out a slight moan at his touch. Reaching up, she slid a hand under her shirt and began to unbutton her blouse, wondering just how she measured up in the butt and bust department compared to Granger as her hand glided over the smooth skin of her chest. She then worked her shirt up until it was over her breasts, and her blouse was pulled open. She couldn’t quite get naked, but this was as close as she could get for now. She shivered with building excitement as she felt Harry gently squeeze her ass, smiling to herself.
‘Oh yeah, he’s definitely an arse man, but let's see how he likes the girls…’ she thought, as she then straightened up and turned back around.
“While I do like my bum getting some attention on the odd occasion Harry, that’s not the part of me you need to focus on right now. Here, let’s see if you like the look of these while you’re snacking.” She said with a husky whisper that Harry found he really liked the tone of, he’d have to drop a hint to Hermione to use it more often. He swallowed and shuddered with barely suppressed lust as he stared at Parvati’s slit once more as she turned round. He could definitely see how wet she was now. He then looked up and saw the twin mounds of her breasts that she was proudly displaying to him.
No knickers or bra.
‘And I thought Hermione was the only kinky one in Gryffindor,’ he thought.
“Come on Harry…” Parvati breathed, her eyes dark with lust, “Show me what you can do. Do to me what you did to Hermione to make her shriek like a banshee.” As she angled her hips to give him better access, she thrust them forward. Harry paused and looked up at her, seeing her flushed face as she panted with desire, the enclosed space was starting to become heavy with the smell of her.
“Oh…right. Still can’t believe you guys heard that,” he said, blushing, Parvati rolled her eyes.
“Harry, everyone in Gryffindor heard that! Some of us thought you were brutally murdering her in there. It sounded like she was either being stabbed to death, burned alive or giving birth to a baby elephant. Now, shut up and eat me,” she growled, placing her hands on either side of his head and tried to pull him in.
Harry rolled his eyes.
“Fine, but one lick.” He said, taking hold of her hips as she raised a foot and placed it next to him on the bench.
“One lick?! Really? You better give me more than that Potter!” she growled, putting a hand on the wall behind him to support herself.
“Trust me, Patil, it’ll only take one.” He said smugly, he then leaned in and extended his tongue, focusing, then he started to hiss, as his tongue came into contact with the bottom of her slit, and he slowly dragged his tongue along it, collecting a small amount of fluid as he did so.
“Oh? Someone’s very sure of themselves today, aren’t we? What makes you think it’ll only take one-ooooOOOHHHHAAAHHH!”
Parvati’s world dissolved into ecstasy as pleasure unlike anything she’d ever felt before erupted from her crotch, as sparks seemed to surge through her nervous system following the slow path of that tongue! She arched her back, throwing her head back as she keened, her body shaking as she felt his tongue reach her clit and her body convulsed. Her other hand let go of her skirt and moved to the wall to support her weight as she started to roll her hips, grinding against his face. He then placed a kiss on her clit and pulled back, easing her away. He smirked up at her as she panted, taking deep breathes as she looked down at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes.
“There. Told you all it’d take is one lick.”
“What…the hell…was that?!” she panted.
“Parseltongue. Apparently, it is very potent when used in oral,” he then started to gently ease her back away from him, making to stand, when she suddenly pushed forward, her hands going to the back and sides of his head, holding him in place between her legs.
“Oh NO you don’t! Don’t you DARE think about leaving me hanging after that!” she growled, shoving his face against her wet slit.
“Mmph!” he grunted, as she started to roll her hips aggressively, grinding against his mouth really hard. ‘Maybe this was a mistake…’ he thought as she then pulled her hips back and leaned over, tilting his head up to practically snarl into his face.
“You’re not leaving this cupboard until you finish what you started! Don’t want it getting back to Granger that you like to leave a job unfinished, do you? Now stick out that magic tongue and start hissing! ‘Cause Potter, you’re about to get your face fucked!” And with an almost insane grin, she tilted his head, rather roughly, back down and started to press her slit against his mouth again. Then, holding his head with both hands in a vice-like grip, she started to thrust.
Harry had little choice but to obey as the Indian girl literally fucked his face, but he did have the foresight to cast a silencing charm on the door. It was fortunate that he did, since he said the incantation in Parseltongue while his fellow Gryffindor was grinding her erect clitoris and labia into his mouth and nose, very aggressively if he was honest with himself.
Thanks to the charm, the two Sixth years did not hear Parvati’s near-deafening scream a short moment later as they walked past the cupboard.
Harry grunted again as Parvati thrust her hips forward with such force, his head was pressed back against the wall, and she held him there as she climaxed a fourth time, filling his mouth again as she aggressively, almost violently worked her hips back and forth against his mouth.
She was doing exactly what she’d promised to do.
“Oh…oh…uh…uh...nnnggh!” Parvati grunted as she tried to catch her breath, body shaking as she awkwardly thrust her hips forward, though her movements were very sporadic now.
Harry couldn’t help but smile with smug pride, though his neck was really starting to crink. He didn’t know if using Parseltongue during oral was technically cheating, but honestly, he didn’t care. Especially if it got the feeding over with quicker. With Hermione, he liked to take his time and enjoy it.
But with Parvati, and he assumed, any others who offered to ‘help’, assuming he accepted, it felt like he was cheating on his girlfriend, and he did not like that. He would feed from the others for now, but he silently vowed to find another way.
With a final thrust of her hips, Parvati pressed her swollen slit into his mouth, then trembled, her back arched and head leaning back as she let out a final gasping cry; Harry holding her hips to help support her weight as she shuddered again, one final time.
“Ugh…” with a final grunt, Parvati pulled back and looked down at his face, smiling as she panted breathlessly, then sank into his lap, going almost boneless as she kissed his wet face. She rested her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, her body coated in sweat.
“Holy shit…” she gasped. Harry chuckled as he licked his lips and swallowed, the familiar taste of Treacle Tart filling his mouth, oddly making him hungry for more, hm…odd, he didn’t feel the usual ‘rush’ that he felt when he fed from Hermione…
That thought brought his previous thoughts to the front, and a wave of guilt washed over him.
“You okay?” he asked, as she pulled back and then planted a kiss on his cheek.
“I’m better than okay. Boy, if I’d known you could do that since our second year…I would have tried to nab you last year. Granger better never let you go.”
Harry chuckled as she pulled back and looked at him, smiling mischievously as she felt his erection pressing between her legs.
“Hm…feels like you have a problem there…want me to help you some more?” she asked. Remembering that, along with telling her that he would potentially need help, Hermione's note had explicitly said that she, and she assumed everyone else who read theirs, were not allowed to suck him off. Hand-jobs were okay, though, right? Or maybe if she sucked him, but didn’t swallow?
“Uhm…” Harry said, his voice a little higher than normal. “I’m good, thanks, Parv…” though he wasn’t, his body desperately cried out for release; he was going to have to find a bathroom, even if he knew that probably wouldn’t work.
She raised an eyebrow as she finally stood on shaky legs, wobbling a little as she started buttoning up her blouse, and making herself presentable. “You sure? That felt really hard, and I bet it’s uncomfortable, sure you…couldn’t use a…hand?” she asked, giving him a cheeky smile and a wink. “It’s the least I could do after a performance like that.”
“I'll…I'll be fine…” he said, steadily getting to his feet and giving her an appreciative look before cancelling the silencing charm and opening the door.
“So…what do I taste like?” she asked, flirtatiously.
“Huh?” he asked, giving her a confused look.
“What does my cum taste like? I know for people afflicted with this curse, it’s supposed to taste like their favourite food, or at least something really sweet, as an incentive to keep doing it.”
“Oh, uh, treacle tart, like, well, that’s…Hermione.” He replied a little awkwardly.
As they walked out, Harry quickly looked around to see if anyone was present, they seemed to be in the clear. Parvati stumbled out, her legs still somewhat unsteady. She caught herself on the wall and giggled.
“Phew! That was fun. Seriously Potter, Granger better not ever let you go, or she’d be the biggest fool on the planet.” And with that, she gave him one last smile, turned and walked off, her gait a little unsteady.
Unseen by him, her warm smile turned into a ridiculously happy grin as she walked, unconsciously swaying her hips at him. ‘I can’t WAIT to tell Pads and Lav about this! They’ll NEVER believe me!’
Harry didn’t even have time to mention the fact that if Hermione ‘let him go’, she’d probably be signing her own death sentence. Then he paused as he turned in the opposite direction, as a thought struck him. One he had not considered before, but only now realised.
He and Hermione were effectively trapped.
Trapped in a relationship that thankfully, was borne from an already well-established friendship, so it had a great foundation to build from.
But it was still a relationship that revolved around sex, for the most part. They’d have to work on that. Sex couldn’t be all this was about.
But a thought suddenly occurred to him that made him pause and think.
What if it had been someone else?
What if, by some cruel twist of fate, he’d been protecting someone else from that curse? Or someone else had been protecting Hermione? Someone that neither of them had a close friendship with, or were good friends, but already had prior commitments to others?
What if, Merlin forbid, the other individual, if there had been one at all, had been a member of Staff?!
He briefly tried to imagine what the what the fallout would have been if that had been the case. If Draco had cursed any of the Staff with that curse, well, his furry little ferret arse would have been out of Hogwarts within the hour, Dumbledore wouldn’t have been able to do anything about that.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how a member of the faculty would cope with this, he wasn’t sure if anyone of them were seeing anyone. And he wasn’t about to ask any of them. He didn’t fancy serving the rest of the school year in detention. He certainly couldn’t see either himself or Hermione helping said members of Staff deal with the curse, they’d probably refuse anyway. That was all assuming of course that the Staff member in question wouldn’t have disarmed Draco before he got the curse out.
The only scenario worse than a member of staff being caught in it, was a Second or First year getting hit.
But that hadn’t happened, thankfully. It had just been him and Hermione, ironically, probably the best option either of them could have gotten. An errant thought crossed his mind that he should actually thank Draco, but he quickly dismissed it. Yes, he and Hermione had gotten very lucky, in more ways than one, thanks to Draco, but they were still trapped in this arrangement, possibly for the rest of their lives, unless completing the Bonding somehow cured it, in which case, it would just be a matter of waiting until they both felt they were ready.
Harry then decided he’d thought enough on this topic, he didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. It was leading into dangerous territory.
Plus he was still as hard as a rock. And it was beginning to hurt. He quickly cast a few glamour charms on himself so it wouldn’t be noticeable, then he turned and headed for the main entrance. If his mind couldn’t help him ‘cool down’ then maybe being out in near freezing temperatures would do it.
-=-=-=-
A short time later, he was out on the front lawn, looking around at the playing students, he sucked in a breath of cold air, held it then let it out.
A snowball sailed past him, and he leaned to the side to avoid a second, turning, he saw the small group of First years who were alternating between throwing snow at him, and…Fleur?
He watched for a moment, smiling as she dodged and ducked, avoiding frozen projectiles being sent her way. Unfortunately, the cold did nothing to cure him of his ‘condition’, which was, to his annoyance, being exasperated by the fact that she was so beautiful. If anything, his ‘condition’ was getting worse looking at her. He grit his teeth and did his best to ignore his hormones and the damn Curse as he tried desperately not to imagine what those pink lips of hers, that looked so incredibly soft and sensual, would look and feel like wrapped around his dick.
“Hello Fleur, need some help?” he asked, ducking an incoming snowball.
“Ah, bonjour ‘arry. Oui, my seester has betrayed me!” she said with mock anger, a grin splitting her face as she crouched behind a rise as he approached. He looked over, and yep, there was Gabrielle among the Firsties. He grinned.
“So I see.” He crouched next to her, scooping up some snow.
“How are you finding Hogwarts? Not too cold for you?” he asked.
“Eet ez good school, zough I am not sure about some of ze students.” She replied, thinking of the Slytherins who had leered at her, and a few she’d seen eyeing Gabrielle. Harry nodded.
“Yeah, but there are problem students in every school.” He admitted.
“Mhm, I was really impressed by ze performance you gave during ze Task.” She replied. Harry chuckled.
“Yeah, that was all improv. My original plan went up in flames. Literally.”
She gave him a sympathetic look as she dodged another snowball. “Oui, we saw.” After throwing one of her own, catching a First year Ravenclaw boy, she continued. “What made you zink to try touching eet?” she asked. Harry shrugged, he honestly hadn’t really thought at the time, he’d just gone with a feeling he’d had.
“I just wanted to show her I wasn’t a threat. I figured the only humans she’d ever had contact with used wands against her, and she and her clutch were in an alien environment, so naturally, her maternal instincts were set to ‘Kill Anything That Moves! Especially if it’s holding a Stick!’ mode. So I figured ‘Why not show her a human that doesn’t hold a stick?’ and luckily, it worked.”
“And if eet ‘ad not?” she asked. He shrugged again.
“Then I would have become the youngest Tri-Wizard Champion in history to get eaten by a dragon.”
“I guess so.”
“Figured out your egg yet?” he asked, she shook her head. “Well, word of advice, don’t try to pry open the panels. It shrieks. A lot.”
“Shrieks?” she asked, turning to look at him, a thoughtful, and if he was right, a slightly fearful look in her eyes.
“Yeah, sounded horrible, only listened to it for a few seconds.”
“Hmm…” she hummed, momentarily distracted.
“Not sure if Cedric or Krum have told you yet, but I was told about a room on the Seventh Floor near Gryffindor Tower, opposite a tapestry of a wizard trying to teach Trolls to dance ballet.”
“Non, zey ‘ave not. What kind of room?” she asked.
“It’s called the Room of Requirement, and you open it by walking back and forth in front of the tapestry 3 times, thinking about what you really need.”
“What eez in zis room?” she asked, turning to look at him. He shrugged.
“Anything you want. It creates anything you need, and once you’re inside, you can change it to what you want it to be, it can conjure almost anything. Only thing it can’t do is food.”
Fleur nodded. “Merci ‘arry.” She said with a smile.
The two of them continued to talk, and Harry did his best to ignore his raging libido.
They talked for nearly an hour, with Gabrielle and the First years coming over to join them eventually, when they realized the snowball fight was over.
-=-=-=-
Later, after lunch, Hermione pulled him to one side, down a side corridor, until they found an empty broom cupboard.
As soon as the door was shut and locked, Hermione turned to face him, her eyes burning with barely restrained lust. Harry finally lost his struggle with his own as she pounced on him and their lips met in a fierce kiss, and she pushed him back against the back wall.
Ten minutes later, the door opened and the two stumbled out, panting and sweating, their hair and clothes a mess.
“Well…that was…intense.” Harry said as he finished trying to sort himself out.
“Heh, I did warn you…” Hermione said, straightening out her shirt. “Though you seemed pretty pent up yourself there.”
“Yeah, you did…” Harry said, he hadn’t mentioned his encounter with Parvati, and he thought he’d best keep quiet about it. His girlfriend might be ‘okay’ with the idea of him feeding from others, but he was pretty sure she didn’t want a list.
“Well, I need to get back to the library, still got some essays to finish, want to come with?” she asked.
He was tempted, he really was, but he reasoned that, if he went with her to the library, studying would be the last thing he’d end up doing.
“Love to, I would, but I think, honestly, in my current state of mind, studying would be the last thing I’d end up doing.” He said, giving her an apologetic smile, and a wink.
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. “Honestly Harry! You’re such a boy!”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He said, chuckling as he gave her a hug, shamelessly reaching a hand down to firmly squeeze and rub her arse.
Hermione giggled as she hugged him back, burying her face in his neck as a thought went through her head and she thrust her hips back into his wandering hand.
‘What am I going to do with him?’
Unfortunately, her lust addled brain didn’t recognise that as the rhetorical question it was, and promptly provided an answer.
‘Lay him out on a table, cover his gorgeous naked body in all sorts of confections and then eat him penis first?’
She mentally groaned as she tried, and failed, to stop the mental images that suggestion created from forming in her mind as she felt her arousal start to build again.
‘Shut. UP!’
She couldn’t wait for this week to be over, and it hadn’t even properly started yet, she mentally tried to work out how many days it could be, if three, then she’d be down by Wednesday, any longer and it could be Friday.
‘God, I really hope I’m not like this every month…I don’t know how I'll cope!’
Pulling back, she looked at him, smiling, hoping her flushed face didn’t give her away too much. “Ok, well, I'll catch you later then.” And with that, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and turned, heading off. He watched her go, part of him really wanted to follow her to the library and find a nice quiet spot in the Restricted Section and go another round, but she had work to do, and honestly, so did he, and he needed to concentrate, something he figured he wouldn’t be able to do with Hermione sat next to him in a secluded spot.
-=-=-=-
On his way back to the Common Room after lunch, he was intercepted by Lavender Brown.
He didn’t notice her until she was just a few feet away and he looked up.
“Hey there Harry, you’re looking a little…haggard.” She said, smirking and giving him a knowing look.
He shrugged, smiling wanly.
“Eh, can’t complain I guess, went outside, got some fresh air, had a snowball fight, ya know.”
Lavender nodded, though she wasn’t really interested in small talk right at that moment. And the sudden hungry look she gave him clearly telegraphed that fact.
‘Oh boy, here we go again…’ he thought. ‘I wonder if I should start charging 10 Sicles a go at some point.’
As she opened her mouth to speak, Harry raised his hand to stop her.
“Look, Lavender, I think I know what you’re really after here. And, while I appreciate the offer, I…” ‘How can I say this delicately?’ “…I…”
“Yes…?” Lavender purred, tilting her head slightly as she tried to strike a pose that she hoped he’d find alluring, which mainly involved her pushing her chest up and out. Parvati had told her what he’d done to her in that broom cupboard, and she wanted some of that herself.
“I…” he swallowed, steadying his nerve as he tried to focus on Lavender’s face, and not her chest. “I don’t need to…um…feed, right now.”
Lavender blinked in confusion, as she stood up straight, the flirtatious expression leaving her face.
“What?” she asked.
Harry shrugged, “Well, I don’t want to sound, well, presumptuous, but, that is why you’re here, isn’t it?”
“What? A girl can’t approach you for a chat without having an ulterior motive?” she asked, folding her arms, and sounding more than a little offended. “I mean, sure, it would be nice if you could do to me what you did to Parv earlier, I also hear Padma’s looking for you as well, but still, you automatically assume I’m talking to you just for the sole reason of wanting to get my fanny licked?”
“Well, considering over the past month you’ve all gone out of your way to ignore me or insult me.” Harry snarked back. Now it was Lavender’s turn to be on the defensive.
“Well, we did apologise for that, and maybe I wanted to make it up to you myself in my own way.” She replied hotly.
“Look…” he said, trying to salvage what he could from this before he upset her anymore. “I appreciate the offer, I do, but I’ve already fed three times today, and quite honestly, my jaw is starting to ache. I feel fine, I don’t need to ‘top up’ right now, and before you say I need as much as I can get, I know that. I’m just not really comfortable with the idea of feeding from people other than Hermione. I know she said I could, I just don’t really want to. And besides, if I start diving under the skirts of every girl in Gryffindor, word will get out. And last thing I want is the whole school finding out about this.”
“Are you really sure they’d care that much?” Lavender asked, Harry scoffed.
“Oh please! I’m a pretty hot topic of conversation these days, always have been, apparently. For something I don’t even fucking remember DOING!”
His last words came out as a snarl, and Lavender backed up a little, taken aback.
“In fact, come to think of it, it’s my mum that should be getting all the credit! NOT me! SHE’S the one that did all the work that night. She’s the one that did the one thing none of the fucking COWARDS in the Ministry or the Order had the spine or balls to do: Kill! Tom Fucking Riddle!”
And with that, he walked past her, before she could reply; but rather than head towards the common room, he turned, heading in another direction, soon finding himself wandering through the corridors. If he was honest with himself, his encounter with Lavender had left him a little riled. Sure, he had appreciated the offer, but this was someone who had spent the last month ridiculing and blanking him, walking around wearing one of those damn badges, and he still remembered how she’d acted during their second year, along with most of their house and the school when they thought he was the Heir of Slytherin. And yes, that last bit might have been a little on the harsh side, but he felt his anger about that nice was justified.
So he really didn’t feel in the mood to get under her skirt for any reason.
Soon, he bumped into Daphne Greengrass and Susan Bones, the two girls giving him a tight hug.
“How you doing Harry?” Susan asked, smiling at him as Daphne stepped in for a hug.
Harry smiled as he returned it, taking a deep breath of Susan’s deep red hair. “Eh, ya know, I’m doing okay I guess. Got entered into a potentially lethal competition against my will, lost my broom in the first task, risked getting eaten, got cursed by a ponce, which, in retrospect, I should probably thank him for because I’m gotten more head these last few days than I have in my entire life beforehand.”
Daphne snorted, smirking. “I bet. Sooo…” she said, her voice taking on a teasing and flirtatious tone, “What’s it like getting your willy sucked several times a day? And what’s it like getting your tongue wet?”
Susan snorted, smirking as she gave Harry a once-over.
“I’m not answering that.” He said, folding his arms.
“What? It is a valid question.” Then she turned to Susan “I don’t know about you Sue, but I certainly wouldn’t mind getting some head every now and then. A girl has needs ya know Potter.”
Harry shrugged. “Well, I can’t really do that with Hermione at the moment, and only Parvati has cornered me so far, Lavender tried, I think, but I shot her down.”
“Why? I thought Hermione said you weren’t allowed to refuse help?” Susan asked, Harry nodded.
“Well, she implied she didn’t want me to, she just said she’d be very upset if she found out I’d been skipping.”
“Best not to skip then, next time Lavender or anyone else asks, better take them up on it. Remember, you upset her, you’re on the sofa.” She replied. “Too bad she’s on her cycle though, I’m surprised we still haven’t found a spell or potion to cure that.”
“Yeah, that’s a bitch. Take it from someone who actually has to deal with that crap once a month.” Daphne added. “Fortunately for you, that’s not an issue for me this week. So if you ever want either me or Sue to help you out, just come and find us, and we’ll…take care of your needs.” She finished with a grin and a wink.
“Oh, ‘we’ will, will we?” Susan said, folding her arms and giving her friend a look. “How very nice of you to offer him my fanny on a platter Daphne.”
“Oh please Bones, you’ve been dying to get him between your legs just as much as I have, and don’t you deny it!” Daphne then smiled at Harry, before she continued “Besides, you, me and Luna all offered to help him out if he ever needed it. And this week, he will.”
“Well, I appreciate the offer girls, but right now, I uh…I don’t really need to feed right now.” Harry said.
The two girls shrugged.
“That’s okay, it’d be kind of cramped in a broom cupboard with three of us, and with these abandoned classrooms, no telling which paintings might be passing around information. We’d need to find somewhere more…private anyway.” Daphne said.
“Ever heard of the Room of Requirement?” Harry asked.
-=-=-=-
Later, just after Dinner, Harry had just left the Great Hall, trying to hide the fact that he was starting to feel rather lethargic and tired, since he hadn’t fed since that morning with Parvati. He figured he’d be fine, not much longer and he’d be able to get back to his and Hermione’s quarters and join her in the shower.
Or at least, that was the plan, until Luna had rounded the corner and intercepted him, grabbing him by his tie, she started dragging him down the corridor towards a broom cupboard.
He didn’t even try to protest, he just mentally sighed and rolled his eyes, as several other students gave him and Luna odd looks, though he did catch the look on Hermione’s face, and it almost made him stop walking. While she was smiling with a look of encouragement, he could see the emotional conflict in her eyes. She might have insisted he accept offers of help, and even arrange those offers of help, but he could see the truth of it.
She was not entirely okay with it.
In some capacity, she was struggling, emotionally, to cope with the situation, and if he were honest, that realisation made him feel worse about this whole thing. He wasn't sure how they'd cope with this next month, though if he remembered right, she'd probably start producing milk soon, so, he reasoned, he could just use that.
'Would that work though?' he thought as Luna dragged him towards a cupboard.
"Uhm, Luna? What are you doing?" he asked.
"Feeding you of course." Luna said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to say to a guy as they reached a cupboard and she opened it and practically shoved him in, then closed and locked the door behind her, applying several silencing and privacy charms.
"Look Luna, I appreciate the offer, really, but there's no need." Harry deflected. Luna didn't reply, instead, she shoved him down onto the bench then stepped up onto the bench, her feet on either side of his legs, as she started to lift her skirt.
Harry had a good idea what he was going to find before she'd finished lifting the skirt, and yes, he was right.
She was going commando. And she was as smooth as Hermione and Parvati. And despite himself, the sight of her smooth vulva, and the smell of her, was more than enough to inflame his libido, and in an instant, he was painfully hard again. Before he even knew he was doing it, he was taking a deep breath, his nose just shy of touching her, his lungs filling with her warm, heady scent, and by Merlin, she smelt good!
"Actually, there is. I've been watching you whenever I get the chance, and I've noticed how tired you've gotten. You haven't fed since this morning. We're in a Family Alliance now, which means I must do all I can to help you if I am able, and if you need it. You do. I am. So I will." She replied, casting a sticking charm on her skirt to hold it up, she braced herself against the wall and bent her knees a little and moved forward, until she felt his warm breath between her legs, and smiled.
Harry sighed, figuring he wasn't going to talk his way out of this one, so he reached up, the warm, soft cheeks of her ass filling his hands rather nicely, and brought her forward.
-=-
Later that night, laying in bed with Hermione sleeping soundly next to him, Harry was struggling to shut his brain down, a first, if he were honest. He thought to himself, making a mental note to ask Hermione in the morning when she would start producing, as he honestly didn't feel okay feeding from others, he knew Hermione wasn't completely okay with it, if her milk gave him what he needed, then that would do.
The question was whether she'd stop producing after they'd bonded, or not. And if not, how long would she go on for? Months? Years? Decades?
It was something they'd have to discuss, at length, once this week was over.
He had a feeling Daphne and Susan were planning to approach him soon, but he felt he needed to get to know them better first. He also needed to talk to Hermione about what he'd seen with the Horntail.
Sure, that last bit wasn’t particularly relevant to anything, but he still found it odd.
It was nearly midnight by the time Harry finally got to sleep.
Monday November 28, 1994.
After breakfast, Harry had just left the Great Hall and was making his way past another cupboard, when the door opened and an arm shot out and pulled him in before he could react.
His world spun as he heard the door being closed and locked with a muttered spell, then, before he'd finished getting his bearings, a pair of lips crashed into his, and he felt hands start to fumble with his belt.
Considering the path his life seemed to have taken lately, this wasn't too unexpected, or alarming, after all, Luna had done the same thing pretty much, the evening before. At first, he thought it was Susan Bones, when he noticed a flash or crimson hair. However, alarm bells started ringing in his head when he regained enough senses to see the girl's hair was a very familiar shade of red, and that she was shorter than him. Younger than him.
This was not Susan.
The kiss finally broke as Harry felt his pants being unzipped and pushed down his legs as the girl that had ambushed him sank to one knee, panting heavily.
"GINNY!" he yelped.
"Quiet! This'll go a lot quicker without interruptions." She replied, as she pulled down his boxers and got her first look at him.
"Oooh…very nice." She purred as she gently took his half-erect shaft in-hand and started stroking.
Harry silently cursed. He was really beginning to hate this curse, and how it always seemed to leave him in at least a semi-state of arousal, almost constantly, even after 'taking care of things', his arousal wouldn't stay down for long, especially not with so many good looking girls walking around, with Hermione being at the top of the list. And Fleur certainly wasn't helping. He briefly remembered how gorgeous she'd looked, and how everything about her seemed to just scream sex.
For a brief moment, he wondered if a Veela had been the one to create the Gift of Aphrodite, but he wasn't sure, he figured he'd have to ask Fleur about it, if he had the chance. He just had to get out of this cupboard first.
He wasn't sure if it was the fact they were now a thing, but recently, over the last few days, he found almost everything Hermione did very arousing, he'd just never mentioned it to her.
'Guess I still have some hang-ups to work through…' he thought. Right now though, he had a bigger problem.
His reminiscing of his encounter with Fleur and his reminder of Hermione had hardened his shaft in Ginny's hand to the point where it was almost painful.
When he finally regained his focus and looked down, he could feel his body had warmed up significantly, and he was starting to sweat a little, and, he was standing in a broom cupboard with his pants round his knees, and a raging hardon inches from Ginny Weasley's face!
The girl he thought of as a surrogate sister was on her knees in front of him, slowly stroking his raging erection, staring at it in wide-eyed wonder, a look of pure lust and fascination painted across her freckled face as she stared, open mouthed.
"Oh my." She purred, licking her lips salaciously before looking up at him and grinning with pride.
"I knew you had to be big, but I had no idea. Thinking about me where you?"
'Absolutely NOT! Not in the slightest!' He thought. "I'm only average. And just what the heck do you think you're doing?" he said, as he made to push her away.
"Helping you, that is what you need, right?" she replied, as she started to lean forward, her mouth opening to take in the head of his shaft.
"I'm good thanks. And besides, that’s not how this works. I'm supposed to go down on the girl, not the other way round, unless you're Hermione."
Ginny paused, momentarily scowling at the mention of her perceived rival.
"Pro tip Harry, don't mention another girl’s name when one is about to give you a blowjob. It's not polite."
'Obviously.' He thought.
"Except you're not going to give me a blowjob Ginny. I'm fairly sure Hermione didn't give you a slip of parchment, which means, you're not supposed to be one of the ones offering to help me." He said, as he stepped to the side as she leaned forward, causing her to miss her target, almost. She still had a firm grip on him, so all he managed to do was angle himself rather uncomfortably. He all but jumped back when her lips momentarily made contact with his skin as he pushed her hand away and started pulling up his pants.
"You're too young to start the bonding. And even if you weren't, you're like a sister to me, it wouldn't feel right." He said.
Ginny scowled as she stood. "Fine then." She unceremoniously unfastened her skirt and dropped it to the floor, and Harry quickly looked away when he saw the bare skin of her hips, indicating she wasn't wearing any knickers, though he also caught a very brief glimpse of the bush she was sporting.
'What IS it about girls and going commando lately? It's like they're all expecting to get eaten out or something!' he ranted mentally.
While he had nothing against a girl having hair down there, he would at least prefer it to be trimmed.
'Au Natural isn't really my thing though.' He thought.
"Ginny, stop.” He said, stepping away, turning his head.
Ginny scoffed, “What? Not good enough for you? You prefer a smooth snatch is that it?” She growled. Harry gave her a look, making sure to keep his gaze on her face.
“I did just say that I think of you as a sister, didn’t I?” He replied as he pulled up his boxers and trousers. She actually had the nerve to roll her eyes at him and wave him comment off.
“You do know that all pure-blood families are interrelated, right?”
Harry shuddered, that meant he was likely related to Malfoy in some way, not the sort of thing he wanted to be made aware of. Though that did oddly enough help in killing his unwanted arousal, at least, partially. He then turned and drew his wand, unlocking the door.
“Besides, I figured I’d do my bit to help the Boy-Who-Lived.” She smiled at him sweetly, at least, what she thought was a sweet smile, but to him, it looked predatory.
“Sorry Ginny, I’m not interested. And you’re not supposed to be Bonding with me, not only because I don’t want you to, but because Hermione doesn’t either, and I’ll bet neither do your family. Now I’ll forgo telling Fred and George what you just tried to do, on the condition you never try this again.”
He paused, then looked back at her over his shoulder.
“Oh, and one more thing. I am NOT the Boy-Who-Lived, he’s just a fantasy you’ve been brought up to idolize, along with the rest of your generation. I’m not him. I’m sure there are stories out there about things I’ve done through out my life, but you should know better that those stories are lies. I spent the nine years of my life after my parents died, before I came here, living like a House Elf.”
And before she could stop him, he opened the door and walked out, leaving a half naked, red-faced, confused and outraged Ginny staring after him in disbelief.
He made a mental note to himself to investigate if there were any stories about him and look them up.
-=-=-=-
Office of the Senior Under-Secretary, Ministry of Magic, London.
Dolores Umbridge closed the door to her office and walked to her desk, putting down the several sheets of parchment she had, all filled with copies of documents from Genealogy Department.
Her research had been…informative.
And her initial suspicions had been correct.
Tom Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, was a Half-Blood.
She had found no trace of any family called Riddle in the Hall of Records, going back as far as the records were kept.
So then she'd turned her efforts to looking up the descendants of Salazar Slytherin, while still trying to mentally decrypt Voldemort's middle name.
Eventually, she'd hit pay-dirt, with both.
The Gaunt family, with a Wizard named Marvolo as its last recorded Family Head.
She sat down then leafed through the pages, picking up several which had various details on Marvolo, including reports filed in the DMLE concerning his breaches of the SoS.
Marvolo Gaunt, father of Morffin and Merope. The former, a half-crazed and almost feral Wizard according to the few eye-witness reports of the head of the DMLE at the time who was visiting the house, who apparently spoke nothing but Parseltongue, and the latter, a Witch who was barely above a Squib.
Umbridge snorted as she read over the papers.
'What a disgrace.' She thought. 'Salazar would roll in his grave if he knew what his greatness had been reduced to.'
Though it galled her to admit it, the Gaunt Family would have to be removed from the list of Sacred Twenty-Eight for the crimes of it's last daughter.
While she might be a blood purist of the highest order, she wasn't an idiot. You didn't make it through seven years in Slytherin by being stupid. She was fully aware of the dangers of multiple generations of inbreeding within the Pure Blood families, Merope and Morffin were prime examples of that.
It was just easier to use the Mudbloods as a scapegoat.
She leafed through to another sheet and started reading what was written.
The Gaunt Family had once been proud and prosperous, quite well off in fact, but over the centuries, through either bad money making decisions or just plain bad luck, their fortunes had dwindled, until eventually, they had been reduced to a shack on the outskirts of a small muggle town called Little Hangleton, on the edge of an estate owned by the most wealthy family in the town.
A family of Muggles.
The Riddles.
"Disgusting." She muttered, though she had to admit, she couldn't fault Merope for doing what she'd done. The poor girl must have been desperate to escape her existence. Though the details concerning Tom Riddle Jr's conception were never written down, and so she did not know them, she could at least theorize.
Clearly Merope had wanted a better life, and had somehow caught the attention of Voldemort's father, but clearly it hadn't lasted past the discovery of her pregnancy, as Merope had disappeared after being disowned by her father and brother. Later records from the Department for Magical Education revealed that a young Tom Riddle had been living in an Muggle Orphanage, indicating that was where Merope had gone, where she had given birth, and perished, after naming him Tom, evidently.
From that, Dolores was able to work out the rest for herself.
'A young child learns he's a Wizard, wants to stand out, but clearly hates his own name. Obviously believed his muggle family abandoned him, as they clearly did. And so started a campaign supporting the Pure Blood Cause, even though he wasn’t one himself. And most believed otherwise, simply because they assumed, or he lied. Likely both.'
She grit her teeth and scowled in fury, suddenly grateful she never took his mark during the last war. Then she thought of all those who foolishly pledged themselves to him, foolishly and blinding thinking he was one of them, when all along, he'd been a charlatan. A pretender. A liar.
A Half-breed.
If there was one thing Dolores Umbridge hated more than Mudbloods, it was Half-breeds, though she tolerated Half-bloods as a necesary evil in their world, other kinds of half-breeds, like Centaurs, or that half-giant Dumbledore protected, they were a different matter. But a Half-Blood leading Pure-Bloods? No.
A Half-breed like Voldemort had no business ruling Britain, and certainly not the Pure-Bloods!
And Voldemort had no right calling himself a 'Lord' either, certainly not by their standards.
A Lord, she knew, was the title given to the head of a Magical Family, usually, one old enough to be considered Noble at the very least, Ancient garnered more respect, and families that were considered both Ancient and Noble received the most respect from their peers.
The Gaunts, and the Riddles, were neither. Well, the Gaunts had been Ancient at least, but were certainly no longer Nobles by the time Marvolo was born.
Yes, her plans would have to move forward, and she would have to work at weakening Riddle's support base…maybe start with the ones in Azkaban…
Hogwarts, Classroom 7A, Seventh Floor, Arithmancy class.
In the Arithmancy classroom, on the Seventh Floor, Hermione tried to concentrate on the mathematical equation written on the chalk board.
She looked up at Professor Vector as she started talking again, pointing and tried to focus, but she couldn't.
She'd heard Lavender complaining about Harry refusing to let her help him the day before, though she hadn't said anything. She'd also heard through the gossip mill that Harry had been seen walking out of a broom closet only a short while after someone had dragged him in, only to be followed out a few minutes later by a flustered and mildly peeved looking Ginny.
She snorted to herself. She wanted to be surprised at Ginny's attempt, but she honestly wasn't. Though hopefully the crush she'd nursed for Harry would fade soon now the girl knew she didn't stand a chance.
She idly wondered if the Twins or Ron had heard about that little incident yet.
As she looked down at her work again, she started to imagine what it would look like to draw a rune array on Harry's naked body using something edible, like syrup or whipped cream, and how that would affect the runes and their empowerment. Hermione blinked as she tried to clear her head, and banish those thoughts. Now was not the time.
But she couldn't help it. She'd been horny all day, more so than usual, over the past week and a half. The last couple of days, particularly around mealtimes and just after, she'd been particularly randy. In fact, she hadn't really been able to focus on the conversations around her, and she'd just nodded aimlessly whenever someone talked to her. She was really starting to hate her cycle, not that she really liked it to begin with, but this amount of horniness was just outrageous!
She was a sophisticated girl, thank you very much, not some sex-crazed nymphomaniac who couldn’t go more than five minutes without thinking about sucking off, stroking or fucking her boyfriend!
The fact that her other hand had already made it’s way down under her robes and into her skirt to try and bring herself some relief didn’t really help her case in that argument.
She was so distracted in fact, that she didn’t even realize she’d been masturbating in class until a tremor of warmth and ecstasy that still didn’t do anything to quench the fire burning between her legs spread through her abdomen, and she blinked in silent horror at what she’d just done, quickly looking around to see if anyone had noticed. They hadn’t. She mentally groaned.
'Probably just the curse, my subconscious is probably just associating food with my need to "feed" now.'
She hoped that once they bonded, this rampant horniness they both seemed to be under now would alleviate, because if it didn't…they'd have to move to a private island somewhere in the tropics.
She'd even started ogling other students, even Susan! And she'd masturbated with Luna in the library, true, she hadn't noticed Luna had been doing it too until the other girl climaxed, but that was beside the point! She was not interested in girls. She wasn't. She was sure of it.
And yet, the last few times she'd looked at Susan, or even a few other girls in the Great Hall, usually around meal times, she couldn't help but ogle them.
She mentally groaned and rubbed her eyes with one hand, resting an elbow on the desk as she sighed. If this kept up, she'd be constantly horny at mealtimes, she just hoped she'd still be able to focus on eating.
'I wonder how Harry is doing in Divination…' she thought idly, her concentration on her work utterly ruined as she bit down on her tongue to stop a scream of frustration, as she felt heat and wetness pool in her crotch. Again.
Tuesday November 29, 1994.
Hermione tried to concentrate in History of Magic, but it was difficult, not only because Bins was his usual droning self, going on and on about Goblin rebellions, her thoughts also kept going to Harry, as well as several other students that she’d noticed during breakfast.
Particularly Susan, Daphne and even Luna. She’d also taken more notice of the girls in her own House, particularly Parvati and Lavender. She had no idea why she’d taken such interest in them, but for some reason, she’d been drawn to them, feeling her body warm and tingle as she looked at certain girls, and focused on various parts of their bodies. Particularly their lips and chests.
She wanted to scream, this was really starting to aggravate her. It was getting to the point that she couldn’t look at another student without her arousal spiking while she mentally undressed them. More than once, she wondered if this is what Harry had to deal with when he was round any of them, or even Fleur.
She shuddered, she didn’t want to think about how her body would react under the curse if she was in close-quarters with Fleur, and it was forcing her arousal even in the presence of beautiful women, which ironically, should have inspired fierce jealousy in her, not spikes of lust where she imagined burying her face in their chests or crotches, or having them do the same to her.
She made the mistake of looking at Harry next to her, who had covertly pulled out some homework and was working on that, rather than listen to Bins. Part of her wanted to reprimand him, but the rest of her understood his lackluster attention to the lesson. Especially since Bins never got her name right, or anyone else’s.
Not for the first time, she wondered if there was any truth to the rumor that Binns had died of boredom listening to his own voice.
As she looked at her boyfriend, she felt her mouth water, along with her other lips, as she imagined crawling under his desk to suck him off in class, and take her sweet time doing it too. The fact that Bins probably wouldn’t even notice, much less care, made the idea very appealing.
‘God...if only I had his invisibility cloak on me...’ she thought, wondering just how feasible it would be for her to use the cloak to give him an unexpected blowjob in public.
“You okay?” He whispered. Putting his left hand on her thigh. She bit her lip as a surge of need ran through her, and she opened her legs almost on reflex, but he didn’t move his hand any higher, much to her frustration.
“Yeah.” She lied. Why wasn’t he moving his hand up? She was offering a free chance for him to finger her and he wasn’t taking it!
“Hey, I was wondering if you could answer something for me.” He said, his voice still a whisper as he continued to work, but not looking at her. Ron was sleeping, his head on his arms.
‘If you’re about to ask me to suck you to dehydration, or if you can finger my very wet fanny, the answer is YES to either or both!’ Her rampant libido started to play havoc with her thought patterns.
“During the first task, when the Horntail turned her back on me, I...noticed something...odd. That I honestly hadn’t been expecting to see.” He said, his face darkening a little as he turned to look at her, his eyes widening as he saw the blatant lust burning in her gorgeous brown eyes as she looked at him, her lips swollen and full as she lightly panted. He idly wondered if she’d noticed the solid erection in his trousers, which was thankfully very easy to hide once he sat down, though it was making it difficult for him to concentrate.
“Odd how?” She asked, ‘I don’t give a damn! I just wanna be fucked! Seriously, what does a girl have to do to get LAID around here?!’
“Dragons are reptiles right? And with reptiles, everything is...well, inside, nothing on the outside, right?”
“Generally, yes. It’s only mammals that have external generals that are separate from the end of the digestive system. Though that may also apply to sharks.” Hermione panted, trying to focus her mind on the conversation, and not on the burning, almost painful heat between her legs. If it weren’t for the numerous students around them, she would have already climbed into his lap and started riding him, most likely.
Harry’s blush darkened. “Well, when she turned her back and raised her tail to inspect her eggs, I saw, at the base of her tail, she had...hum...”
“What?” She asked, curiosity now peaked.
“She had a pussy. An actual pussy, and ass. I could see both, I’m surprised no-one else saw it.”
Hermione blinked in surprise. “What? You mean she had an actual vulva?” Disbelief colored her words as she tried to imagine what he’d seen, considering how big that dragon had been, and how she and the others watching hadn’t noticed that, though to be fair, she’d been staring at him.
“Yes! It didn’t look exactly like a human’s, but it was damn close.”
Hermione blinked. Of all the things for him to ask, that hadn’t even been on the list. She’d honestly never given any thought to such things regarding Dragons, she’d just assumed since they were reptiles, that everything was internal, but apparently, at least with Horntail females, it was not. She began to ponder the matter further.
“What do you think?” He asked, she gave a light shrug.
“Well, I always assumed Dragons were cold blooded, but maybe they’re not, at least not all of them. And if she did have external, separate genitals as you said, then those are clearly mammalian traits. It could be possible that Dragons, or at the very least Horntails, are what would be called Mammal-like reptiles: Reptiles with mammalian traits, though usually that’s more subtle, like milk glands, or fur, or warm-blooded metabolism.”
Harry thought for a moment, then shrugged, “Maybe worth researching, I guess.”
She nodded, “I agree. Now take the open invitation I’m blatantly giving you, and get that hand between my legs and finger me!” She whisper-growled.
-=-=-=-
Later that day, just after lunch, Hermione wandered the corridors in a sort of daze, she’d just come out of lunch, and her mind seemed to be only half functional. The arousal she’d been experiencing lately round about meal-times seemed to be getting worse. She’d actually staggered out of the Great Hall after lunch, saying she needed to use the bathroom, but that was just to get away from everyone, as she felt like she’d pounce on the next person she ran into and maul them.
It would not do her reputation any good for her to be seen making out with random students. Once again, she found herself cursing Draco, the curse, and her cycle.
Unfortunately, fate seemed to have it in for her that day.
“Hermione?” A voice asked behind her. She stopped, closed her eyes and grit her teeth. It was Susan. She turned to look at the other girl, and instantly regretted it.
The sight of Susan’s full lips, her kind eyes, her round face, and the prominent forms of her large breasts that weren’t quite hidden under her robes drew Hermione’s attention, and she felt her own breasts tingle in response, felt her clitoris throb painfully between her labia, and felt her knickers get uncomfortably wet, as she felt her pussy pulse with desire for the other girl, in time with her heartbeat.
“Are you okay?” The red-head asked, coming closer.
Hermione started to pant with lust as the girl got closer, and she stumbled a little, almost losing her balance as her higher brain functions seemed to momentarily shut down, and all she could think about was kissing the other girl’s full lips, squeezing and exploring her luscious breasts, and seeing if she was as smooth as Hermione herself was.
“Hey Susan...” Hermione said, her greeting coming out as a sensual purr.
Susan raised an eyebrow as she came to a stop in front of her friend. Perfect.
“Are you alri-mmMMPH!” Her question was interrupted by Hermione suddenly reaching forward and grabbing her, turning her and pushing her back against a wall, before pressing her own body against the Hufflepuff’s, a shiver of pleasure running through her as she did so.
Susan was taken completely off guard, which meant her reactions were slowed down, which allowed Hermione’s hands to start exploring as she pressed her mouth to her friend’s, pushing her tongue into the other girl’s mouth.
Caught completely by surprise, Susan moaned by reflex and gripped her friend’s shoulders to push her back, then she felt Hermione trap one of her legs between her own thighs, then she started to erratically grind against her leg.
‘Oh Morgana’s saggy tits! What is she doing?!’
Both were so distracted by what was happening, that neither noticed the Slytherin girl watching them from down the corridor, smirking as she hid behind a wall outcrop.
This was very interesting, very interesting indeed.
-=-=-=-
Later, after Dinner, Harry stepped into the Hospital wing, feeling exhausted. He hadn’t fed all day, and although Susan and Daphne had approached him, he’d declined their offers to feed him, saying that he felt he needed to get to know them better as they were not in the same house. The girls had seemed a little disappointed, but had accepted his logic.
He’d finally decided to stop feeding from other girls, as he felt that he honestly couldn’t keep it up. He felt like a vampire, or parasite. With Hermione, it was different, as she was getting as much as he was. And while he’d fed from Luna, like with Parvati, something had just felt…off, he didn’t get the rush from them that he did from Hermione. Sure, he’d still tasted the same thing, but the fatigue and hunger hadn’t really faded as he’d expected it to. Almost as if…it wasn’t working as it should.
Now here he was, waiting from Pomfrey. He looked around, trying to remember how many times he’d been in the ward, but honestly couldn’t count.
“Mister Potter, what can I do for you?” Poppy asked as she walked through the door, drawing her wand.
“I...I was wondering if you had anything in the way of stamina potions?” He asked a little nervously. Pomfrey raised an eyebrow.
“May I ask what for Mister Potter? You aren’t having any...issues, are you?” She asked as she started running diagnostic charms on him.
“Well, no. It’s just that, I was wondering if there was another way I could keep my strength up.”
Pomfrey paused and regarded him, taking note of the readings that were slightly off.
“I’m not sure Pepper-Up potions will help you Mister Potter, I believe that book Miss Greengrass brought was quite clear on that.”
Harry groaned in frustration. “There has to be something you can give me.”
Pomfrey sighed and put away her wand.
“I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”
Harry shook his head.
“There has to be another option for me and Hermione.”
Pomfrey paused, considering what he’d said. She regarded him sadly, not sure if there was anything she could do to help, the book had been quite clear: Stamina boosting potions and spells would not help him or Hermione keep their strength up, or stop them deteriorating. Only one thing would, for not at least, perhaps.
But she got the impression Harry didn’t want to use that option anymore, if it came to him getting what he needed from anyone other than his girlfriend.
‘It makes sense, the poor boy probably feels he’s not being faithful to her, and she’s been one of his most loyal supporters for years.’
“What’s really bothering you Harry?” She asked.
Harry shook his head as he started to pace, looking frustrated, with himself or his situation, she wasn’t sure.
“I feel like a parasite! I’m ‘feeding’ from these girls, taking from them, to survive, and they’re not getting anything in exchange!” He ranted. She raised a brow.
“Not getting anything? How so? Considering what you have to do, I imagine they’re definitely getting something out of it.” She pointed out.
“You know what I mean. With Hermione, its different.”
“How so?”
“With Hermione, we’re both getting what we need, it’s equal give and take. I know she said she’s okay with me getting ‘help’, but I can tell she’s not. She’s chosen not to feed from anyone else. So why should I?”
Pomfrey didn’t say anything, she just waited for him to continue. When it became apparent he was waiting for a response, she pursed her lips and thought carefully.
“I honestly can’t think of any reason why you should, baring the fact that Hermione was only thinking of your comfort. She could have easily not made any arrangements for you this week. But she did, because she cares.”
Harry nodded. “I know, I know. Well, hopefully, once she starts producing milk, which will probably be soon, this ‘arrangement’ will be a moot point.”
“Perhaps.”
“Her cycle started Sunday, so it should end tomorrow or Thursday, surely you can give me something to tide me over ‘til then?” He asked. She sighed.
“As I said, I doubt there’s much I can do, but it seems to me you’re not going to leave until you get what you came for.” And with that, against her professional judgment, she turned and walked towards a cabinet, and returned with several vials of potion.
“Have either your or Hermione experienced anything else unusual recently?” She asked.
Harry uncorked one of the vials and downed the potion, steeling himself as he felt its effects wash over him, but to his mounting frustration, he didn’t feel the fatigue, hunger or arousal he was feeling fade.
“Well, I have been getting more, urm...well...” he paused, not quite sure how to voice his recent findings.
“Yes?” She asked, “Don’t worry Harry, Doctor Patient Confidentiality is in effect. This conversation won’t go outside this room.”
Relaxing slightly, Harry sucked in a breath and held it, before letting it out. “I’ve been getting horny round about mealtimes, well, hornier. I think Hermione has too, but she’s not said anything, and I didn’t ask, I just noticed it since when she ‘feeds’ after meals, over the past couple of days she’s been more...enthusiastic lets say.” He blushed at his next words.
“I felt for sure she was trying to swallow either my dick or suck my testicles out through it last time, she was that…insistent.”
Pomfrey frowned.
“Why didn’t you bring this to my attention sooner?” She asked, running another diagnostic on him. He shrugged.
“I mean, it could be part of the curse, right?”
“That is a possibility, but still, it’s a change we didn’t account for. From now on, I want you and Hermione to report anything you consider unusual to me or Professor McGonagall as soon as you notice it, alright?”
Harry thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. How do I check out?” He asked.
“Hm, your levels are getting low again. I really wish you’d reconsider. The fact that there has been a noticeable decline in your condition means I am obligated, by medical ethics, by school regulation and by law, to inform at least your Head of House.”
Harry winced, he figured as much, then shook his head. “I’ll be fine.” He said, heading for the door. “And thanks.”
Pomfrey watched him go, sighing sadly. The potion hadn’t worked, just as she warned him it wouldn’t. She only hoped he wouldn’t come back for more. She had to tell Minerva.
Wednesday November 30, 1994.
Early Morning, Private Quarters.
Harry was brought out of his pleasant warm sleep by the wonderful feeling of his girlfriend’s tongue slowly and leisurely licking his balls.
He did his best to not react, trying to keep his breathing calm and even, as if he were still asleep, but it became increasingly difficult when she licked up the underside of his shaft, until she reached the tip, where she gently kissed and licked his frenulum, before taking the very tip of his crown in her lips and suckling gently, before going back down to where she’d started, and resumed worshiping his balls.
He wasn’t sure how he didn’t groan when she gently sucked one into her mouth.
‘Does she know I’m awake? Or is she trying to wake me up? Damn...either her penchant for fast learning extended to sex, or the curse gave her some kind of innate skill, or she’s just always been a natural at this...’ he thought.
He finally lost his battle with the moan he’d been holding back when Hermione sucked both of his testicles into her mouth and started to lick and suckle them, while her hand closed around his hard shaft and she started gently stroking.
“Mmmm...” she hummed, alternating between gentle suction, and slow licks as she traced over the orbs resting against the back of her lower teeth. Idly, her still-half asleep mind wondered at the taste, and she began to wonder if the curse was affecting her perception of not only the taste of Harry’s semen, but his actual body now; because now, her taste buds were telling her that she was licking and sucking Cauldron Cake, but she clearly had his balls in her mouth.
As her mind woke up a little more, she moved up his shaft again, kissing and licking it, before tracing her tongue round the ridge of his crown, before she started to lick it hungrily.
This time, he moved, squirming and thrusting his hips up a little.
Yep, something had definitely changed.
“Morning.” She said quietly, catching a drop of precum on her tongue, following it up with a kiss.
“Mm...Morning.” He sighed with a smile, pulling back the covers to look down at her, reaching down to run his fingers through her hair as she started to rub her face against his shaft, almost like a cat.
“It’s different now...”
“What is?”
“The taste.”
“Hmm?” He hummed in inquiry, as she ran his tip over her lips as if she were applying lipstick with it.
“Your penis and balls, they taste different this morning. The same as your cum does.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, curiously. “Did the book mention that?”
“Hm, not really. But I suppose it makes sense. The change in taste is supposed to to be an incentive to keep doing it, so it would make sense that the perception of the taste of skin would also change. Have you noticed anything with the...others?”
“Not really, I only really noticed a taste change when they came, but their actual bodies? No.” He replied, thinking. The last girl he’d fed from had been Luna, and she’d tasted like, well, Luna.
“Hm, maybe it’ll happen soon with you as well then.” Then she giggled, “Hm, eating pussy that tastes like your favorite food before the girl it’s attached to cums.” She idly thought back to the day before, when she’d cornered and made out with Susan, her face flushing.
‘Where the hell had THAT come from? I need to talk to her. God, I hope no one saw us!’ She thought.
She still could not believe what she’d done to Susan in the corridor. She’d practically molested her friend!
Her traitorous mind played the sordid details of that encounter over again, and she recalled how she’d kissed, groped and ground against her buxom friend until finally she’d drawn back to take a breath, and Susan had asked her what was going on, and she’d snapped out of her delirium.
A cold sweat had come over her and she’d backed away from Susan as if she’d been electrocuted, then, white faced and panicking, she’d blubbered an apology, before turning and running, ignoring Susan’s call for her to stop as tears of humiliation had fallen from her eyes.
“Speaking of...” he said, an inquisitive note in his tone.
“Sorry baby, still out of commission.” Came the apology. And from the sound of her voice, she was really unhappy about that.
“Any idea when?” He asked. Hermione thought for a moment, sitting up a little, letting him get a full view of her creamy, firm and perky breasts.
“Well, if not later today, then it should be done tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll start producing milk soon, and if that can supplement your new ‘diet’, then you shouldn’t have to rely on others from next month on.”
‘Hopefully.’ he thought. He was still feeling tired, dead tired, like he had the Saturday after they’d been cursed, but not quite as bad, for some reason. He still felt like he could walk, though if he recalled, he’d felt that strong the previous Saturday.
The potion he’d taken in the infirmary hadn’t worked, just as the book and Pomfrey had warned him, but he didn’t care. He refused to feed from anyone but Hermione now. Had what he said to Pomfrey been stupid? Maybe, but still, he couldn’t help feeling like he was just using them for his own benefit, the fact they got screaming orgasms out of it was immaterial, right?
Hermione seemed to pause for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face.
“Have you noticed any feelings in your mind lately?”
“Feelings?” He asked.
“You know, like a presence, or feeling that you know isn’t your own mind?”
He thought for a moment. He hadn’t sensed Voldemort for a few days now, nor had he had any dreams about the bastard, which was a plus. Usually, when ever he got a feeling from Voldemort, it was a sense of coldness, anger, hatred. But...
Now that he thought about it, he could feel something on the very edge of his mind, but he couldn’t quite ‘reach’ it, but what ever it was, it didn’t feel malevolent or cold, it felt...warm, friendly even.
“Yeah, I can, sort of. You?”
She nodded. “Yes, I first noticed it last night. If I’m right, it’s the earliest stages of the telepathic/empathic link that forms during the Bonding process. I didn’t think it would be this soon though.”
“How fast do you think it’ll develop? And just how...connected will we be?”
“We’ll be able to communicate telepathically, probably over any distance, and we’ll be able to find each other, no matter where each of us is. As for how long it’ll take, and in what order it’ll form? How long is a piece of string? Same with the Bond and when I’ll start lactating. With this curse being a factor, it could happen any time.”
“Then it’s just a question of waiting then.” He said. She nodded.
“Pretty much, now, don’t distract me, I’ve got a job to finish.” And with that, she lowered her head and engulfed him.
-=-=-=-
Draco sat on his bed as he leafed through the book he’d taken from McGonagall’s office during the weekend, while she’d been gone. Breaking into her office had not been easy, fortunately, his father had taught him a few things to help him get into places where he wasn’t necessarily allowed to be.
He was going over the Gift curse again, memorizing it’s incantation, as well as reading up on a few other curses. Yes, he was definitely going to use the Breast Engorgement curse at some point, though, he reasoned, Bones didn’t need it, she was already carrying a nice pair of pumpkins on her rib cage, though Daphne and Granger could probably do with being bigger.
Well, until their breasts exploded, anyway.
A painful and messy way to die yes, and a real shame to destroy what would probably be rather nice breasts, but still, one was a Mudblood, and the other, his own personal plaything, not that she remembered any of it.
He briefly considered using the spell that would give him an extra penis, so he could make both Daphne and Bones, or Granger, suck him off at the same time, but then thought better of it. One of the apparent caveats of that spell was, according to the text, reduced ‘fuse’ so to speak. He wouldn’t last as long, and Draco decided that he wanted to draw out any encounter for as long as he’d be able to enjoy it.
He thought back to what Parkinson had told him the night before, about what she’d seen.
Granger cornering and groping Susan, even kissing her, rather passionately.
That had been something he had not anticipated, he didn’t particularly care if Granger fancied girls as well as guys, he just couldn’t remember any instance where she hinted at that over the past few years.
He’d also been informed of Susan and Daphne hanging out with Potter, though whether they’d let him feed from them or not, he didn’t know. He grit his teeth. It was bad enough that Greengrass, a girl who portrayed a cold ice-queen exterior to the rest of the school, would be so friendly with the number one enemy of every decent Pure Blood in the school...
Worse, she was potentially even helping keep the scar-faced bastard alive! She’d have to be reminded of her place, Susan and Granger would also have to be made an example of...yes...
All he had to do was wait for the right time.
-=-=-=-
Charms Classroom.
“Alright children, since Mister Potter was able to demonstrate perfect use of the Summoning charm during the first Task, I think it is necessary for the rest of you to practice it today, as well as it’s counter, the Banishing Charm.” Professor Flitwick said as he stood on his stack of books behind his desk, observing his Fourth Year students.
What followed had been an exercise in chaos, with objects flying everywhere as students tried to successfully cast the Summoning charm.
Neville struggled the most, barely able to summon the pillow across his desk, Ron was only slightly better at it.
When it came to practicing the Banishing charm, Depulso, Neville was barely able to move his pillow across his desk.
The most exciting, and potentially hazardous thing that happened, was when Harry tried the charm.
Unfortunately, he misjudged just how powerful he’d gotten over the last week, since unknowingly performing the power boosting ritual on himself.
He aimed his wand at the white pillow on his desk, intending to banish it off the desk and across to Flitwick’s.
“Depulso!”
No one in the classroom was entirely sure what happened next, but only Hermione’s quick reflexes potentially saved Flitwick’s life.
Not only did the pillow launch itself from Harry’s desk and fly towards Flitwick so fast the short Professor was barely able to track it with his eyes, but Harry’s desk was also sent flying towards him.
By the time Flitwick realized Harry’s desk was hurtling towards him at worryingly high velocity, it was nearly upon him. If he didn’t dive out of the way, or otherwise stop it, there was a good chance it would kill him on impact, or at the very least, land him in the hospital wing or St Mungo’s.
“Arresto Momentum!” Hermione yelled, wand aimed at the desk, stopping it mid-flight, just a few inches short of crashing into Flitwick’s desk and potentially crushing him.
Harry stared slack-jawed at his desk as it hovered in the air. At the table to his left, Hermione stood, her wand arm extended as she breathed heavily with the amount of effort she put into her spell.
Flitwick stumbled backwards and almost fell off the pile of books he stood on. He then used his wand to cancel Hermione’s spell and levitate the desk back to where it should be. He then smiled at his class, trying not to let show how frazzled he was.
“Well, I appreciate your diligence to your work Mister Potter.” He said, smiling a little, the rest of the students, who had started to recover from the show of almost seeing their Professor getting flattened, chuckled.
Harry’s face was white, his eyes wide.
“I...uh...” he said, not quite sure how to explain himself. He had no idea what had just happened, he honestly hadn’t meant to throw his table at one of his favorite teachers. If it had been Snape, then fine, but not Flitwick.
“Please try to exercise a little more restraint in the future Mister Potter. Miss Granger, 10 Points to Gryffindor for your quick reflexes and quick thinking.”
Harry looked down in shame, then to his left at Hermione, who was looking at him with a questioning but stern gaze. He smiled sheepishly.
-=-=-=-
Later that evening, after dinner, Hermione found herself wandering through the halls, her body moving as if on autopilot, she was barely aware of anything other than the burning, almost painful heat and…pulsing…between her legs.
She’d lost track of how many times she’d climaxed already today, it seemed she was almost on a hair-trigger now, the slightest caress or stroke from another living being would set her off into a quivering, whimpering wreck.
She’d also lost count of how many times she’d had to apply a drying and cleaning charm to both her legs, skirt and knickers, though now, she’d given up trying.
It had slowly gotten worse since Sunday, it had been annoying at first, then tolerable by late Monday/earlier the previous day, but now…?
She grit her teeth as she staggered up a flight of stairs, thankfully ones that did not move, as she soon found herself on the seventh floor, heading towards Gryffindor Tower, that was, thankfully, deserted for the moment.
Because if she ran into any of the Gryffindor boys, or girls…
If she had still been capable of thinking rationally, she might have realized she needed to go to see Madam Pomfrey. Had she still been thinking rationally, she would have decided to go take a long cold shower, preferably in liquid oxygen.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t thinking rationally. She was only consciously aware of two things:
One. She was more desperate and aroused that she could ever recall being before she got cursed.
Two. She needed to be fucked. A tongue, even a magic one like Harry’s wasn’t going to cut it anymore. She needed something more substantial than a tongue. She needed a dick.
‘One in particular...’ she thought as she stumbled to the tapestry of the dancing Trolls, and started pacing.
Through the lust-filled haze clouding her mind, she managed to form a coherent thought, that would tell the room what she wanted, while the rest of her mind was being filled with images of naked bodies, only visible from the shoulders down, both male and female.
Had she still been able to think rationally, she would have argued with herself; protested, and denied that she did not have any bisexual leanings, tendencies or curiosity, but everything lower than her sternum and higher than her knees didn’t really care. And in her current state, she did not care who or even what the room created, as long as it was able to fuck her.
The door finally appeared and she almost ripped it off it’s hinges as she opened it.
The room had taken on the appearance of a forest clearing, a waterfall a short distance away fed down into a small pool, which fed a small stream that led off into the distance. The pool was wide and deep enough to swim, but she had no intention of swimming today. The rest of the clearing was a wide space, grass under her feet, surrounded by trees, and a light warm breeze blowing.
In the center of the clearing, were several figures, all either naked or half naked. They all turned to face her, and she felt her nipples and breasts tingle almost painfully in anticipation, and she actually whimpered with need as she felt her clitoris throb with need.
“Nngh...” she moaned, her hands going to her breasts and squeezing them as she then started to frantically tear her clothes off, her body trembling as a climax washed over her.
‘Finally!’ was the last thing she thought as her mind finally gave in to the lust clouding it.
-=-
Harry was also idly walking through the halls, and like Hermione, he didn’t feel so good, but not for the same reasons. A few more girls had approached him, but he’d turned them all down, and as expected, they’d all been disappointed. Thankfully, Ginny had not tried to make a move on him a second time. In fact, he was pretty sure her brothers had gone out of their way to make sure she wasn’t left alone with him, if she managed to get near him, which she’d tried to do, but had failed. And if the look on her face last time he’d seen her was any indication, she was NOT happy about that.
Luna had tried again, but he had declined, rather insistently. Susan and Daphne had also approached him again, with offers to help him this time, rather than just talk, but he had declined as politely as he could manage. Even though doing so had been very difficult, with Susan’s rather obvious attempts to sway him by making sure her cleavage was clearly on display.
Daphne had not been so blatant, but he had definitely seen the look in her eyes. Parvati had also come for a second round, along with Padma, but again, he’d turned them down, saying he’d found an alternate solution. The two had quizzed him, eventually figuring out what he was doing, and had warned him that it wasn’t going to work, and that once it failed, Hermione was going to be very upset with him.
He’d just have to grin and bare it, and try and keep up his strength as much as possible. As he remembered, after their initial cursing, by the third day, Sunday, he and Hermione had barely been able to move, but by the second day, Saturday, they had still been able to, if he remembered right. So the way he figured it, he had until Friday before his plan potentially failed, but by then, Hermione’s cycle would hopefully be over, so it’d be a none-issue.
He paused, thinking, deciding that some training was in order, after all, using Parseltongue during oral sex was supposed to give him a power boost, right? And he had noticed in class that his spells had been more powerful of late. His mind went back to his first successful use of the summoning charm, and how he’d buried himself alive, and during the Task, he’d intended to create a small wall to hide from the Dragon, but had ended up recreating something that resembled a section of the wall of Troy, or maybe a castle’s wall.
His mind made up, he decided to head towards the Room of Requirement.
Pausing for a moment, he reached into his robes and pulled out the map, which he’d decided to stash on his person earlier in the day, just so he’d always have it with him.
Activating it, he scanned the map of the castle. He couldn’t see Hermione anywhere, which either meant she wasn’t on the grounds, which was unlikely, or she was somewhere that was unplottable. And as far as he knew, there was only two areas in the castle the map didn’t pick out: The Room of Requirement, and the Chamber of Secrets.
He was just about to shut off the map and fold it up when he noticed a few things. In Moody’s office, there was a name that said ‘Barty Crouch Jr’.
Mr Crouch’s son? Wasn’t he in Azkaban? Or dead? And Professor Moody’s name was also in the same room. Odd, why would Moody be in the same room as someone who was supposed to be in Azkaban?
Then something else caught his attention.
Several floors down, in an isolated corridor, was Daphne Greengrass, surrounding her were several name-tags; Malfoy, Bulstrode, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle…and Snape, a short distance away.
He scowled. Not just at what was potentially happening to one of Hermione’s friends, but the fact that Snape was close enough to at least hear what was going on, or see it at the very least, and wasn’t doing anything.
‘He’s waiting.’ He thought, ‘He’s waiting for a student, maybe even me, to come along and break it up, so he can step in and play his part as a Professor, and issue detentions. To the wrong people. Fuck you, Snivellus.’
Harry scanned the map, looking for anyone near by who might be able to help him.
He noticed Professor Sinistra, one floor up from Daphne, on the Fifth Floor, and on the Sixth, a Hufflepuff Prefect and Ravenclaw Prefect: Cedric Diggory and Marcus Turner.
Turning, he closed the Map and hid it back inside his robes but did not shut it off, he ran for the closest stair case.
It took him a few minutes to catch up with the two Prefects, and when he did, he was panting and sweating.
Cedric and Marcus turned as they heard footfalls coming towards them, rapidly.
Cedric raised an eyebrow as he saw Harry running towards them, looking red-faced and panting.
“You okay there Harry?” he asked.
“No…Time…” he panted, “Daphne Greengrass…in trouble, Fourth Floor, Professor Sinistra is on the Fifth, find her and meet me on the Fourth.”
Before either Prefect could say anything, Harry turned and ran off again, the two shared a look.
“What makes him think a Slytherin is in trouble? And how does he know where Sinistra is?” Marcus asked, Cedric shrugged.
“No idea, but I don’t think he’s pulling one on us, come on.”
-=-=-=-
“Over the table you two.” Draco’s voice drifted down the corridor, sending a chill up Harry’s spine... and a surge of fire in his gut. He quickly checked the Map again, Cedric and Marcus had met up with Sinistra, and all three were making their way done towards them, Snape was still there, now outside the disused Classroom Draco and his cohorts had dragged Daphne into.
He was close enough to hear Daphne pleading now, “No, No! Get off me you filthy ape! NO! I said let me go!”
“Oi, Pansy! Gag this bitch!” he heard Draco snap.
“No—” Daphne was cut off, but the sounds of a struggle could still be heard.
Harry didn’t see Snape as he approached the door to the classroom, but that only meant the bastard was hiding. The Map still said he was there.
Finding the door wasn’t fully closed, or even locked, Harry slowly pushed it open, so as not to alert those inside. What he saw made him want to kill every other Slytherin in the room.
Daphne was being held face down on a table by Crabbe and Goyle, her legs held open and her skirt thrown up over her back. There was no sign of her underwear, but then Harry saw a scrap of white fabric sticking out of her mouth. Her cheeks were glistening with tears.
Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode were standing close by her head, grinning. Pansy appeared to be resting a hand on her back, between her shoulders, while the other was pinning one of Daphne’s hands down, while Milicent had the other one.
And Draco was standing directly behind Daphne, between her legs. His hands were already gripping her hips, and he seemed to be taking a moment to relish the moment.
A cold fury exploded within Harry, and his wand snapped up. “Stupefy!” he snarled, sending a red bolt shooting out across the room to slam into Bulstrode. The Slytherin girl was thrown back into a wall, out cold, even before she struck it.
Three heads snapped up to look at him, while Draco spun around. Even before he registered his open pants and his cock sticking out, Harry had already sent a second spell out, this one striking Pansy. She too was propelled backwards to collapse onto the floor.
“What? Potter! Get him!” Draco cried. Harry, however, was faster, and in seconds, both Goyle and Crabbe joined the girls on the floor. Draco took a moment to collect himself before his own wand came up, only to pause as Harry stepped forward, the tip of his own wand aimed right between Draco’s eyes.
“Go ahead Malfoy, give me an excuse. I’d love to, I really would.” He growled.
“You wouldn’t dare. You don’t have it in you.” Draco said, though his bravado was beginning to slip, his face going pale. Harry’s eyes flicked up and down, before pausing at a certain spot, his face twisting in a derisive snort.
“Oh yeah? How much you willing to bet, Ferret. And if that is the end result of keeping the Malfoy Bloodline pure, then I guess it explains why you don’t have any brothers or sisters. I honestly wonder what Parkinson sees in you, after all, I doubt she’s shagging you for your brains, or looks. Expelliarmus!”
Draco’s face went even whiter, an impressive feat, as his wand went sailing from his hand, and he moved his hands to cover himself. Not a hard task in itself, as his rather puny member was wilting to an even smaller form.
A clatter of footsteps came from the corridor, forestalling any other actions. Professor Sinistra was the first to enter, with Cedric and Marcus flanking her. Sinistra gasped sharply at the sight before her, while Cedric’s eyes widened sharply before he moved forward, shoving Draco aside to kneel down by Daphne, who was still crying.
Sinistra looked around at the unconscious Slytherins, then back to Draco, whose trousers were threatening to fall down. As she took in the placement of his hands, the open flies and the look on his face, Sinistra’s darkened. Daphne Greengrass was her favourite student. Pure fury pulsed through her veins as she pointed at him and snarled.
“You will not be returning after the Christmas break, Mister Malfoy.” She hissed, causing what little colour that was left in his face to vanish. “And do your trousers up!”
As Draco complied, Harry wondered where Snape had got to, usually the greasy git picked about now to show up and start handing out detentions to everyone but Draco. Harry suspected that Professor Sinistra’s intervention forced him to change tactic.
“Professor, I noticed Snape hanging round this area, not sure why he didn’t intervene, or why he hasn’t shown up yet.” Harry said, noting the slightly frantic look on Draco’s face, and the look of betrayal on Daphne’s.
“I did not see him Mister Potter.” Sinistra said, moving to help Daphne up.
“He likes to hide under concealment charms and wait until the right moment to pop up and make it look like a competent teacher doing his job, usually giving detentions to the victims of what ever engagement Draco cooked up.”
Sinistra raised an eyebrow, Harry got the impression she didn’t quite believe him.
“Mister Diggory, Mister Potter, look after Miss Greengrass. Mister Turner, gather these...students’ wands, and follow me.” It was clear that the normally polite and softly spoken Professor wanted to say something much harsher. She flicked her wand and muttered a spell, conjuring a piece of parchment which she wrote a message on, then with another flick of her wand, it folded up and flew out the door. She then started reviving the other Slytherins, much as she wished she didn’t have to. From the fire in her eyes, it was clear she wanted to use some other forms of magic on them. Such as potentially lethal hexes.
“You’ll regret this, Scarhead!” Draco whispered harshly, thinking Sinistra couldn’t hear him. “You’ll pay for this...and will your slut lesbo-Mudblood!” He glared at Harry, his eyes flicking to Cedric for a moment, who glared back at him.
“MISTER MALFOY!” Sinistra snapped, whirling around. “You will keep a civil tongue in that mouth! That will be two hundred points from Slytherin! And three hundred points, plus four months detention with Filch or Professor Hagrid each, for assaulting and attempting to rape a fellow student!” She turned back as the other Slytherins began to protest.
“Quiet, or I’ll see you all expelled!” Her sharp tone was made worse by her own internal frustration. She personally thought that each and every one of these…these…monsters, should be sent straight to Azkaban. But the Headmaster had set limits for punishments years ago, and only he could exceed them. Expelling a student was at his discretion, as was informing the DMLE. The only time that was usually over-ridden was in the event of a student’s death, and thankfully, that had not happened since Myrtle Warren.
Though that did not stop other professors from trying. There had been several instances like this reported to the staff over the years, but she suspected, and had for some time, that it was more wide-spread, but with Dumbledore’s stead-fast refusal to get the DMLE involved, they could do nothing. It was only a matter of time before Amelia Bones decided she’d had enough, and stepped in anyway, Dumbledore’s rule be damned. Apparently, the last time something serious enough to bring in the DMLE had happened, it had involved one Remus Lapin, Sirius Black and Serverus Snape. McGonagall had tried for years to change his mind, but he’d remained unbending.
As she turned to head out the door, Sinistra turned to Harry and said, “And Mister Potter, that will be 250 points to Gryffindor for your quick thinking, and quick response alerting myself and two Prefects. Though I would like to know how you knew what was going on in here, and where we all were.”
Harry thought quickly, he really didn’t want to tell her about the Map, especially with Malfoy and his lackeys glaring at him venomously.
“A painting told me, I forgot which one.” He said, hoping she’d buy it. It was clear from the look on Draco’s face that he didn’t. Professor Sinistra scrutinized him a little longer, before nodding.
“Alright Mister Potter, now you two go on and help Miss Greengrass, Mister Turner and I will deal with this lot.” Then she turned and left.
Taking the bundle of wands from Marcus in her free hand, Sinistra looked coldly at the Slytherins, venom dripping from her voice. “Come along now. We’ll see what the Headmaster has to say...” She glanced over to Harry, “You may need to submit your memories over this incident, Mister Potter.” She spoke softly.
He nodded silently. Daphne was still for a moment, before nodding jerkily. Satisfied, Sinistra directed the detained students away, gesturing for Turner to come with her. As they walked away Harry turned back to Daphne. “You okay?”
“Now, yes.” Was the shaky reply. As Cedric wrapped a comforting arm around her, she looked up curiously. “How did you find me?”
Harry paused, before opening his robes and pulling out the map, unfolding it, he showed it to them, and they both watched, wide-eyed, as the tags bearing the names of the Slytherins, Marcus Turner and Professor Sinistra could be seen heading away from the room they were in.
“Nice. An interactive map that tracks people in real-time. Where’d you get it?” Cedric asked.
“Family Heirloom.” He said, muttering the code to deactivate the map, which he then folded back up and put back in his robes.
“I suggest you be very careful who you let see that. Some might try to steal it.” Cedric said, “If that thing shows the real-time locations of everyone in the castle, and every room, it could be a potential security risk.”
“Well, I’m not complaining.” Daphne said, as she gave Cedric and hug and a peck on the cheek, before she turned to Harry and hugged him, only he didn’t get a peck on the cheek, he got a full French kiss.
“Mmmph!” he grunted as he felt her tongue push against his lips, and he opened his mouth on pure reflex. His eyes flicked left, to look over her shoulder at a smirking Cedric as she held his head steady.
“Sooo…Should I go find Hermione or…?”
Right…Hermione…
“Why don’t you go on Cedric, I’m sure Harry can help me get to the Hospital wing okay, right Harry?” Daphne said with a smirk.
“OK, if you’re sure.” Cedric said, as he left, giving Harry a wink.
Once he was gone, Daphne stepped forward and hugged him again, this time, she whispered into his ear in a low tone that sent his blood flow haywire, and resulted in her moaning in approval and secret delight at the hard length of flesh that was suddenly pressing against her right thigh.
“Thank you.” She said quietly.
“Let’s just get you to Pomfrey.” He said.
-=-
After escorting Daphne to the Hospital wing and leaving her in the tender care of Madam Pomfrey, Harry ducked out quickly, and found a secluded alcove where he pulled out the map again. Once again, he couldn’t find Hermione, which meant she could only be in one place. But he did see Sinistra, Draco and Co, and Snape in Dumbledore’s office.
Making his way there, he found what he expected to see; a wooden door, he quickly opened it and stepped inside, but he was not prepared for what greeted him.
In a grassy forest clearing, with a waterfall, pond and river in the distance, was Hermione. She was naked, and on her knees, next to someone. No, she was surrounded by many someones.
Harry stopped short as his brain caught up with what his eyes were seeing, and he fully took in what he was seeing.
Hermione was surrounded, by several people, not all of them human, but all seemed to bare his face, at least, that’s what he could tell when they all, except Hermione, turned to look at him.
If he were honest with himself, it was creepy as hell.
One, the one Hermione was kneeling next to and moaning while she masturbated, both herself and the copy of him, was a freaking centaur.
From the waist up, it looked like him, right down to the lean muscle he’d got from running around the school the last few years, and all that Quidditch, but from the waist down, it was the body of a horse: a barrel shaped body covered in short black hair with clear lines of muscle underneath, a black swishing tail. Judging by it’s, his height, his back would be roughly level with Hermione’s chest when she stood up, which meant he was tall enough for her to get under him and…
He quickly drew his eyes away to the rest of the group, and yes, they were all copies of him in some for or another.
One looked like an Olympic bodybuilder, he honestly wanted to laugh at the utter ridiculousness of his double having such a build at only 14 or 15. Since when did any teenage guy have a six pack? Though he did look strong enough to beat Malfoy to a bloody pulp.
The third was…wait, was that a wolf? A wolf with his green eyes and what looked like a white scar over it’s right one.
The fourth was similar to the second in terms of build, only his eyes were blue, not green, and the scar on his forehead was completely gone, his hair, which was in a small ponytail, had blonde streaks in it, and in his right hand, he held a strange looking two-handed broad sword, one Harry had never seen before, with an ornately designed cross-guard and hilt.
And all of them were naked.
Hermione hadn’t noticed him yet, she was too busy kissing and licking the tip of Centaur-Harry’s shaft, which, the real Harry noticed, was roughly the same width as his, with a tip that matched his exactly, well, minus the foreskin. But the length, he figured that was normal for an adolescent horse, or Centaur. Not that he was an expert on that sort of thing.
Despite himself, Harry felt himself blushing, if he were honest, he felt rather weird looking at these copies of himself, sure, exaggerated, in many ways, but still him. He took another step forward as Hermione’s mouth closed around the head of the cock she was stroking and she moaned, which made the Centaur Harry above her groan.
The real Harry watched, almost transfixed, as Hermione slowly moved her head up, taking more of the pink shaft into her mouth, until her eyes closed and her throat started to visibly bulge.
‘Merlin…how much of that is she taking? How is she still breathing?!’
By his estimate, she’d already taken nearly 5 or 6 of what he was guessing where 12 inches, at least, any more and she’d probably choke, he could already see her face flushing red from effort. She then sucked in another breath, and pulled more of the shaft in, her head moving up it’s length, closer to his body as she turned her head, moaning deeply and shuddering as the penis slid slowly down her throat, her breathing becoming labored.
“Oh god…” the centaur facsimile moaned, yep, that was definitely his voice.
“What about us?” one of the others asked, in response, Hermione reached back and patted her upturned bum. Harry was surprised to see the wolf step forward first, and start to lick his girlfriend’s offered rump, which made her moan and wiggle her hips. As strange as this was, Harry decided that his girlfriend needed to breathe, and what he was seeing had raised questions.
“I think I’ll take it from here guys.” He said, stepping forward, and with a wave of his wand, stripped himself. The wolf whined, before tentatively delivering one lick right between the cheeks of Hermione’s ass, making her moan again, pushing her hips back a little, the wolf went in for another pass but Harry stepped up, putting a hand on it’s shoulder and pulling it back gently.
Hermione moaned a third time, and started to pull away, the wet, glistening shaft eventually fell from her mouth along with a stream of saliva as she gasped, taking in a huge gulp of air, as she turned back to look at him, her face red, her eyes dark with lust.
“You don’t need these guys Hermione, you’ve got me.” He said gently.
“Nnng.” She grunted, panting as she reached back under herself to spread her lips as she focused, and suddenly, they were alone. The clones were gone.
“You’ll do…” she growled, a crazed, almost manic look in her wide dark eyes that almost glowed with lust, her voice raspy and hoarse.
“You know I can’t, not yet.” He said, kneeling behind her, resting a hand on her back, looking at her with equal desire, love and concern.
“Nnngh!” she whined, thrusting her hips back at him, spreading her legs.
“Uh…”
“Don’t just stand there! FUCK ME!” she screamed, as tears started to fall down her face.
Harry tried to concentrate, he really did, but the captivating view of his naked girlfriend’s backside and pussy, both spread open and proudly being displayed for his viewing pleasure, had a negative impact on his capability to think properly, that, or it was the rapid loss of blood circulation to his brain that almost made him collapse as pain surged through his lower abdomen.
His trousers and boxers were suddenly very tight. Uncomfortably tight.
He’d done his best to just ignore his almost constant hard-on most of the time, making sure to cast illusion and concealment charms on himself so no-one would see it while he walked around the school in tight trousers. Sure, he wasn’t ‘big’ by a major stretch, but still, he didn’t want it to be noticed.
He noticed a small pot on the ground next to her, that he’d somehow missed when he came in. Reaching down, he dipped his finger in it.
Warm honey.
He looked back up at the rather inviting view presented to him and suddenly found himself salivating. Sure, he’d seen Hermione’s arse closeup many times this past week, but he’d rarely taken the time to just admire it.
“Stop ogling…stick it in!” Hermione growled.
Harry reached out and placed a hand on her bare left cheek. Her skin was warm. Warmer than it should have been. He took a moment to just admire the smooth valley between her cheeks, the ring of muscle flexing as his fingers neared it, and she pushed her hips back. Below it, her swollen lips shined with wetness.
“Hermione, I think you’re running a fever.” He said, as he crawled to her side and placed a hand against her head. Yes, she was warm, warmer than she should have been in the room.
“I just need dick. I want YOURS!”
“Why were they copies of me? And why was one of them a Centaur and the other a wolf?” he asked as she turned and grabbed the pot of honey with one hand and his shaft with the other, pulling back his foreskin and leaning in to plant a kiss on his tip, making him shudder with need.
“No questions!” she growled, she then angled his shaft down and brought up the pot of honey, until over half of his shaft was submerged.
Then she lowered the pot and angled his hard shaft up.
Harry was about to respond but lost his train of thought as he saw the thick layer of gold liquid coating half of his length, and Hermione, a crazed, hungry look in her eyes, licked her lips, before she leaned in and started to lick his shaft, then took the glans in her mouth, before she opened her mouth and leaned in, taking in half of his length, and he tensed as she began to suck.
“Hngh…” he grunted, and involuntarily thrust his hips forward before he could stop himself, but all she did was moan. The vibrations traveling along his shaft and into his crotch, as he felt her suck even harder, and he felt the muscles at the back of her mouth massage his crown as she swallowed the honey.
He knew he wouldn’t last long, both from how pent-up he was and the skill she had developed over the last week, he was ready to come after only a few minutes, though he wanted to draw it out. But his lover was determined to get her snack, and redoubled her efforts as she felt him tense, reaching up with a hand to gently hold his balls, and started to gently massage them.
Placing his hand on the back of her head, he thrust his ships several more times, grunting and moaning her name as his shaft throbbed and his semen filled her mouth, which she hungrily swallowed with an impassioned moan.
“Mmm…it is…Delicious.” She purred, delivering a gentle kiss to his tip as the last few drops emerged onto her lips, which she licked clean.
“I’m still horny though, so I’m not done with you yet.” She said, seemingly more lucid than when he’d walked in, but clearly still in the mood.
“I’m guessing I can’t…” Harry said, looking down her body, she sighed and shook her head.
“No, hopefully some time tomorrow baby. Besides, you should be getting plenty of fanny around Gryffindor anyway, I heard what you did to Parvati and Luna. Nice job.”
She then handed him the honey pot and turned her back, on her hands and knees, she thrust her hips towards him.
“Now…It’s my turn. Put that gorgeous dick, magic tongue and talented fingers to good use…” she purred.
“You know we can’t, not yet, the bond isn’t ready.”
“Then fuck my arse! I know you want to, I know you’ve been ogling it, you even gave it a kiss the other day…it felt nice…wanna try that again? Hmm?” she said, her tone becoming sultry as she swayed her hips invitingly. Harry sucked in a breath as he felt himself pulse with need, he was still hard, almost painfully so, and he really wanted to feed from her, needed to, as he was struggling to hide just how tired he was getting, he’d have to feed soon.
‘Wow…she really does have a nice bum.’ He took the honey, then started to pour it over her lower back and butt, watching as it made a trail of sweet gold down over her cheeks and between them, over her winking ring, and down to her swollen lips.
Licking his lips, he leaned in.
“§Lets see how just how good this tastess…§”
“Ha-Harry…Wha—EEP!” Hermione yelped as her already lust-addled mind dissolved into bliss as pleasure she hadn’t felt for several days now exploded through her pelvis, ventured right on the edge of her labia, and slowly working up. Instinctively, she clenched her muscles, or tried to, but her body just wouldn’t respond. That wonderful magical tongue just seemed to make her muscles relax. She let out a hoarse scream of need and pushed her hips back into his face forcefully as he went past her entrance, licking up the warm honey.
Hermione moaned and shuddered as she felt his tongue start to gently press into her, while at the same time, she felt fingers start to explore her slit.
She tried to focus, but it was difficult, her mind was filled with images of what Harry was doing to her, what she wanted him to do to her, and what she’d let him do, if only he had the courage to ask, or she had the presence of mind to ask him to do.
She whimpered with disappointing as she felt him withdraw, but that whimper turned into another moan as she felt something far firmer than his tongue start to gently push into her passage, filling her from both sides.
‘That’s not…too thin and hard…are those…?’ she tried to focus, but soon gave up and gave in, to the pure pleasure now flooding her as she felt Harry’s fingers probing deep inside her.
For his part, Harry was thoroughly enjoying himself, he had his beautiful bushy haired girlfriend on her hands and knees, mewling like a cat in heat as he thrust two fingers in and out of both her vagina and ass, alternating between matching paces and speed, to alternating ones. Both pairs of fingers in and out at the same time, or one in and one out, both slow then fast, or one fast and one slow, like he couldn’t make up his mind how he wanted to work her over.
Then, with a grin, he leaned forward and bit her left cheek, then kissed the other. His shaft was painfully hard still, and he really wished he had an extra hand free.
“Cum for me…cum for me ‘Mione.” Harry whispered, before he leaned over and started to kiss and lick the cheeks of her butt, wishing, just for a moment, that he’d conjured something to help with her clit. But he figured licking her beautiful bum, as he’d thought about doing recently, while using Parseltongue, was probably all she’d need, or be able to tolerable. Any more and her mind would probably break, which probably wouldn’t be a good thing long-term.
“Oh…oh god…oh fu—fuck me…yes! Yes…YES! Frig me darling, suck me, fuck me! Oh god…so good…oh baby please! Fuck my arse, my fanny, my mouth! Anything! What ever you want darling, I’ll do anything you want, let you do anything you want, just as long as you use that magic tongue, and that gorgeous…delicious dic—OH!”
Harry smiled, feeling rather pleased and smug with himself as his normally prim and proper girlfriend, who was usually all about following the rules, was reduced to a gibbering moaning shaking mass on his fingers as he buried the index and middle finger of each hand all the way into her body, while he sucked, licked, sucked and even bit the firm flesh of her arse as she thrust wantonly, desperately against his mouth and hands.
Though he wanted to feed, the position wouldn’t have been entirely optimal, and as he drew his left fingers out of her, he could see faint traces of pink on them, which was really not appetizing at all.
As he pulled his fingers out, Hermione rolled to one side, boneless and moaning as aftershocks ran through her. Her rump covered with small red marks from where he’d sucked particularly hard on them, and were those…? Yes, those were tooth marks.
‘“Best meat’s in the Rump”…indeed.’ he thought, but decided not to voice it.
“You okay?” he asked, wiping his fingers clean.
“Mmm…”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
-=-
Half an hour later, the door to the Room swung open and Harry and Hermione stumbled out, freshly showered, though Harry still hadn’t fed yet, and he was starting to wonder if she’d noticed yet.
“That was…that was great Harry…thanks. Thanks for helping me, I’m feeling a lot better now, though still a little randy.” She said, winking at him.
“Yeah, anytime ‘Mione. Anytime.” He replied.
“Well, I should be done by tomorrow, so you won’t need to keep going to others from then on, and once I start producing milk, which could be any day now, or in a couple of weeks, that should hopefully that should suffice when this happens again.”
Harry raised an eyebrow, his eyes going down to her chest, as he tried to imagine what her B cups would look like swollen with milk, and tried to picture himself nursing, he honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“Guess we’ll find out soon huh?” he said. She grinned, thrusting her chest out at him.
“I know I’m not very big right now, but they should grow bigger, become at most a mid to high C cup.”
“They’re fine as they are.” He replied. She smiled at him.
“You’re really sweet Harry, but I’m not blind. I saw you ogling Susan’s boobs the other day, hell, I had a grope recently.”
“Wait—What?!” Harry almost choked as a picture flashed through his mind of his girlfriend gently caressing Susan’s rather ample bust popped into his head.
Hermione continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Anyway…since I think we’re both still a little horny…I was wondering if you’d be willing to…” she trailed off, giving him a sultry look.
Harry looked around, there wasn’t anyone present, and it wasn’t quite curfew yet. He smiled at her. “Anything you want ‘Mione.”
Hermione turned her back, raised her skirt and pushed her panties down to her knees, then leans forward, arching her back and pushing her hips towards him.
“Do what you did in there…I want to feel that again.”
Harry smiled, cast a few silencing charms, then knelt behind her and took her butt in his hands and leaned in.
-=-=-=-
Aurora Sinistra slammed open the door to her private quarters, then closed it with just as much force, finally letting out the snarl of frustration and fury that had been bottled up since she’d apprehended Draco and his cronies.
She’d marched them to Dumbledore, who thankfully, had still been in his office.
She had explained the situation and demanded their expulsion, citing that they had attacked one of their own House. Dumbledore had said that, since it was a Slytherin matter, then Serverus should be present. Aurora had scoffed, saying that he had been, but had apparently either been ignoring Miss Greengrass’s calls for help, or had been waiting to ambush any student to come to her rescue with a detention.
Dumbledore had had the audacity to wave her off, saying Serverus would never do such a thing. Serverus had been called in to testify, and had sworn that he’d had no knowledge of the alleged assault, and even went as far as implying that Harry had set the whole thing up to ambush Draco and his friends, which Sinistra had almost drawn her wand at.
Dumbledore had then promised that he would deal with the situation and dismissed her. She’d had to bite her tongue to stop the retort from coming. She knew that if she lashed out at him, it would cost her her job, if not her life.
Though as she left the office and headed down the stairs, she could have sworn she heard raised voices coming from within, though part of her wondered if that had just been her own mind yelling at her to go back and hang the both of them.
With a groan, she sat down at her desk, with a flick of her wand, she summoned a glass goblet, and a bottle of brandy that she used to help deal with stress when things got tough for her.
‘Probably not the best idea to try and drown my grievances in a bottle…We need to have a staff meeting.’
Then her thoughts turned to Harry, he’d seemed, off. He’d looked tired, as if he hadn’t been getting much sleep, and Hermione, the few times she’d seen the girl, at meal times and in class, had looked…frazzled.
She decided that she’d bring that up during the meeting, once she got one organized. The staff usually held a meeting at the end of each week, on a statuary, which was not ideal, as she wanted one that did not involve Dumbledore or Snape.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 12: The Torment Continues
Notes:
Here's the next update, i'm sorry it took so long, again, things have just been getting in the way, writers block, and coming up with other story ideas among them.
My girlfriend caught covid over christmas, so she was dealing with that all through january (which included her birthday), thankfully, she managed to pull through it, and has now had both vaccination shots, but it's been a rough few months for her and her family.
This chapter actually contains the very first scene i ever wrote after coming up with the whole idea for this fic, that was over a year ago. It's the final scene of the chapter, and has, understandably undergone several revisions since.
One of the reviewers for last chapter asked if i could list all the pop culture/franchise references i've used so far, so here goes (The ones I can remember. I will add more as the story goes):
Planet of the Apes (the original version, it was rather obvious, but because of where it was, many of you missed it i think), quite a few from How To Train Your Dragon (including one in this chapter). And of course, the inspiration for the title of the previous chapter, The Torment of Tantalus.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 12: The Torment Continues
Thursday December 1st, 1994.
As Harry stepped into the Gryffindor Common Room to head down to breakfast, he noticed Dean and Seamus grinning at him, he paused, and turned to address them.
“What’s up guys?” he asked.
“We heard through the grapevine there was some ruckus yesterday involving Draco and some of his cronies.” Seamus said.
Harry rolled his eyes as Hermione came out of their private quarters behind him.
“When am I not getting into a scuffle with Draco?”
“True.” One of the other boys said.
“Ron come down yet? I don’t see him.” Harry said, he hadn’t seen much of Ron the past few days, and if he were honest, he was starting to miss him, even though Ron had been a major prat over the past month.
‘Has it really been only a month? Merlin, so much has happened already. I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since Hermione and I were cursed.’ He thought.
“You think Ron would miss his chance to be first to the breakfast table?” one of the girls asked with a snicker. Harry snorted.
“Point.” He then turned and headed for the door, not trying to let it show just how rundown he was feeling. He was honestly struggling to walk, but he had to keep up appearances, Hermione was still bleeding, though she said she would probably be done by the end of the day at most, round about lunch at least.
As Hermione took his hand and started leading him to the portrait hole with a smile, a giggle made them pause and turn back.
“What’s so funny?” Hermione asked.
“Erm…you’ve still got some…uh…” Parvati pointed at her hair then giggled again. Hermione blinked, then looked down at her hair, blushing as she saw the few droplets of drying white clumped in her brown hair. How had she missed that?
-=-=-=-
During Transfiguration, Harry was finding it difficult to concentrate, he had gotten so tired, so drained, that he was starting to struggle to keep his eyes open, and the near constant arousal that he was still suffering from didn’t help either. Score one for concealment and disillusion charms. He’d actually started to wonder if it was even medically safe or healthy to be hard for this amount of time. He wasn’t sure. And if he was honest, he was reaching the point of not caring either.
Not to mention the fact that his ‘fasting’ had another consequence: he had become hyper aware of every female near him, his sense of smell seemed to have heightened, and his eyes, whenever he looked at Hermione or any of the other girls around him, seemed to be drawn magnetically to places that probably weren’t propitiate, fortunately, he was able to avert his gaze, but he still couldn’t help but notice. Much to his silent horror, this hyper awareness also seemed to apply to the staff. Which was why he was making a considerable effort not to look at McGonagall.
He was so distracted that he failed to get the transfiguration spell right, and as a consequence, the wooden block he’d been trying to turn into a pigeon, ended up being something else entirely.
What he ended up with, he wasn’t exactly sure.
It was a white rabbit, kinda cute. He started to pet it, before it suddenly stiffened, and looked up, it’s ears going up and twitching. Then it squeaked, before it jumped from his table to Neville’s, and bit down on the neck of the winged pig that he’d somehow managed to transfigure.
‘Did that rabbit just squeak “Ni!” before it jumped?’ his tired mind tried to think, as he tried to process the chaos rapidly unfolding, as Neville yelped as warm blood sprayed all over him from the now headless pigeon-pig thing that was flopping around his desk. The rabbit squeaked “Ni!” again, before it jumped a second time, this time landing on Draco’s table, and promptly bit the head off of what ever he’d managed to transfigure, though what it was, Harry couldn’t tell, with all the chaos going on.
In all the ensuing chaos, no-one noticed that he and Hermione weren’t really paying attention to the killer rabbit, no, Harry had stopped following the now homicidal bunny, and instead, focused his attention of the searing brown eyes of his girlfriend who was giving him a particular look, and had slipped a hand into his lap, and one of his into hers.
Had either of them been ‘sober’, he assumed one of them would have objected, but he was well accustomed to that particular look on Hermione’s face, and honestly, he was too wound up to care about where they were.
-=-=-=-
DADA classroom, after lunch.
As Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors entered the DA classroom, which had been converted into a small dueling arena. Followed in by the Slytherins, they saw Moody sitting behind his desk, looking down at his lesson plan, but his large magical eye roamed over all of them as they entered, though she wasn’t sure she liked the way it seemed to focus on her and Harry a little longer than anyone else. She shivered slightly. She could have sworn she saw Moody’s mouth twitch in an almost-smirk, before it vanished as his eye tracked to the seat beside her, where Harry was sitting.
Her gaze tracked to her right, as she gave Harry a curious look. His eyes were heavy, slightly slouched, resting his head in one hand. Her eyes narrowed…was he…? No, surely not, he’d been feeding, she was sure of it. She tried to focus her thoughts but her mind quickly became clouded with other thoughts about him, and her heart rate started to rise, as she felt her face flush and she tried to discretely rub her legs together, shuffling a little uncomfortably.
‘You never checked with any of the others though, did you.’ Her inner voice scolded.
No, she hadn’t, she’d just assumed. She only knew about what Ginny had tried through the gossip circle, she hadn’t actually spoken to the girl in question, she never seemed to be able to get the chance.
Why hadn’t she checked with the others to see if Harry really had been feeding? Simple answer, she realized with a scowl at her own stupidity: She hadn’t checked because she hadn’t wanted to hear how good her boyfriend was at eating out other girls.
‘Face it Granger, you were jealous. You were jealous that Harry was eating out these other girls, when we know for sure he didn’t really want to. And he could tell we didn’t like the idea.’ Her inner voice said, she huffed, tried to clear her head for the lesson to come, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him, couldn’t get the thought of getting down on her knees and either sucking him off right there in the classroom, or getting down on her hands and knees and begging him to fuck her, timing be damned.
‘God…I want him…’ she thought, her eyes tracking over to several of the girls in the class, even flicking over to Daphne very briefly. ‘He’s mine. You can’t have him.’
“Well class, we’ll be learning the shield charm today. I figured you’d better learn it now, as it might have saved a few of you getting into particular scrapes…” Moody said, as he looked over the class, focusing his magical eye on first Hermione then Harry, Draco snickered, as did several other Slytherins.
“10 points from Slytherin!” Moody snapped.
The snickering stopped, Draco and his lackeys going slack-jawed.
Hermione grumbled, she already knew the shield charm, as she’d previously mentioned, Harry had just moved in front of her to take the hit, while she’d still been holding him.
Which did raise an interesting point in her mind. How would the curse affect a single individual? It was designed to be used on people who were either Bonding or intended to, so if she hadn’t also been hit, if it had just been Harry, how would it have affected him?
‘Probably not very different as to now.’ She thought, then something else occurred to her. ‘If the curse is only designed to work for those Bonding, will it even work with anyone else? Might have to test that theory.’
As the lesson progressed, Moody had everyone pair off, and cleared a space for them. Harry was facing Draco, Hermione was facing Daphne, who gave her brunette friend an apologetic look. Ron was facing Goyle, Neville was facing Crabbe, Parvati was facing Pansy, and so on.
Draco smirked as Harry glared at him.
“Surprised to see you still in school this morning at breakfast Ferret, I thought for sure Dumbledore would have kicked your flee-bitten arse out after yesterday.” Harry growled, as he watched Draco conjure a shield.
Malfoy snorted. “The Headmaster won’t expel me. My father is on the Board of Governors remember?”
Harry readied himself for the stunner he was about to throw at Malfoy, trying to concentrate on all his strength, and not let it show just how weak and tired he actually was. Those stamina potions really hadn’t helped.
“Protego.” He muttered, as he did his best to stay on his feet and not sag as he felt what little strength he had leave him and go into his shield. Almost immediately, he knew his shield wouldn’t stop anything Draco threw at him, and he doubted he had the strength to muster a counter attack.
“Wasn’t he removed from the Board after our Second Year?” Harry asked, smirking at Draco’s scowl.
“Expelliarmus!” Draco snarled, sending a disarming charm towards Harry.
Harry winced and stumbled as he felt his shield flare and strain under the hit, while normally, he would have barely flinched.
“Stupefy!” Harry retorted. His spell left his wand as his vision started to blur. He remembered last time he’d gone this long without feeding, he could barely move, so he wasn’t sure how he was still standing, he knew he shouldn’t be, not if he’d gone as long without feeding this time as he and Hermione had the first time.
‘Maybe it’s different now, maybe because Hermione’s keeping her strength up, part of that is affecting me…’ he thought. Unfortunately, with his momentary lapse in concentration, he’d taken his eyes off Draco.
Which was exactly when Draco struck.
“Stupefy!” Draco snarled, his stunner slammed into Harry’s shield and finally buckled it, causing it to become visible as white cracks appeared around it, spreading out from the point of impact, before it shattered with a flash.
Harry’s vision blurred as he felt the room start to spin, and a slight pain started to make itself known in his skull, as he felt his center of balance destabilize, and the last thing he heard was Hermione crying his name, along with several other Gryffindors, and a cackling Draco.
-=-
The door to the Hospital Wing opened and Harry’s prone form was levitated in by Moody, followed by Hermione, Ron, and Daphne, who was getting suspicious looks from Ron, but was ignoring them.
The fact that Daphne had been the one to hit Draco in the back with a stunner and drop him after Harry had collapsed, had apparently gone over the Redhead’s skull, like most things did that didn’t involve Quidditch, Chess or food.
But not over the heads of the other Slytherins, who had glared at her as she’d tried but failed to slip out of the classroom with Moody, Hermione and Ron unnoticed.
“What happened now?” Pomfrey huffed as she came out of her office, and saw Harry being lowered onto ‘his’ bed.
“Potter let his guard down.” Moody growled. Hermione huffed.
“Actually no, he cast a shield charm which Draco was able to break through. I think he collapsed, because he hasn’t been doing what he promised me he’d do.” She said, scowling as she looked at his prone form.
Pomfrey sighed, shaking her head. “I was afraid of this. I warned him those potions wouldn’t work.”
Hermione’s gaze snapped to her, “What potions?”
“He came to me the other night, asking for stamina potions. I told him they would not work, but he was insistent.”
“WHAT?!” Hermione yelled.
Moody grunted, “Well, I’ve got a lesson to finish teaching, come on you lot. Back to class. And Miss Greengrass, that’ll be 10 more points from Slytherin for shooting a classmate in the back.”
Daphne winced. Yeah...she was gonna pay for that later tonight, and maybe tomorrow as well.
“Actually, I may need Miss Greengrass here, for a short while, if Miss Granger is unable to help rouse Mister Potter.” Pomfrey said, Daphne blushing at what she was implying.
Moody grunted, his magical eye trailing over both girls, before he smirked and nodded.
“Alright, fine, I need to go wake up Draco, I didn’t bring him in because I didn’t think you’d want to deal with him and them.”
Moody then turned and guided a protesting Ron out of the room. When they were gone, Pomfrey turned to Hermione and Daphne.
“I assume your cycle has ended, Miss Granger?”
“I...I think so, but even if it hasn’t, I’ll just have to go ahead and do it. If Harry complains, it’ll serve him right for breaking his promise to me.”
“I can...help too, Hermione. I do owe him, for yesterday.”
Hermione smiled at her friend, hugging her. “Harry told me about that last night. I should have gone up against Draco, I’d have made that little shit suffer.”
Daphne nodded, returning the hug.
“Want me to go first? Just in case? I did promise him a reward for saving me, we’ll just have to wake him up first. Can’t eat me if he’s unconscious.”
Hermione thought for a moment, then nodded, “Sure. Want me to turn around and give you priva—” she started to ask, but Daphne cut her off with a smirk and a wink.
“No, you can watch, if you want, besides, I may need help...balancing.” Daphne said, her face glowing, as she smiled with embarrassment.
“Alright then. I’ll give you three some privacy. Any problems, just call me. Rennervate!” she then stepped back and closed the privacy curtain, as the two girls looked at one another uncertainly, as Harry stirred and moaned on the bed.
“Wha…happen…” he asked weakly, as he oped his eyes and looked up, his vision hazy with exhaustion and saw a brown and blonde head looking down at him. The face with bushy brown hair was scowling.
“Harry James Potter! I am very upset with you right now!” Hermione scolded, leaning forward so he could clearly see the displeasure on her face.
Harry blinked in confusion as his brain caught up with his surroundings, and he saw the privacy curtain, and Daphne and Hermione standing on either side of his bed, glaring down at him, and he realized he was in the Hospital Wing. And that his girlfriend was mad at him. And he figured there would be only one reason for that.
‘I was in DA, testing a shield charm, but I barely had the strength to hold it, then Draco hit me with a stunner that broke my shield and…Oh bugger. Pomfrey must have told her about the potions. No wonder she’s pissed.’ He thought.
“You stupid, insufferable prat! What were you thinking?! I’m so mad with you right now, that if I didn’t have to feed you, I’d be putting on on a diet tonight! AND make you sleep back in your old bed in the Boys’ dorm!” Hermione seethed.
“Oooh! She’s really mad at you Potter!” Daphne giggled, thoroughly enjoying the show she was getting.
“You promised me Harry! You promised that you would accept help from the other girls! And yet, I just found out you’d been taking stamina potions for at least two days, while you were getting weaker, knowing they weren’t working!”
“Because I…I knew it was hurting you.” Harry bit out, as he tried to sit up, but Daphne reached forward and put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down. “I knew you didn’t like the arrangement. The idea of me being with other girls, I—”
“It doesn’t matter how I felt! I did it for you! Because I couldn’t feed you! I made arrangements so others could! So we would avoid exactly this kind of scenario!” she huffed and started to pace up and down the length of the bed, huffing as she tried to get control of her emotions.
“If something was bothering you, why didn’t you tell me?”
In the back of his mind, Harry was aware of a feeling, almost like a physical sensation, that he couldn’t quite place. But somehow, he knew it wasn’t coming from him, it was coming from Hermione. He was sensing her disappointment in him, that he hadn’t confided in her the true extent of his issues. That he hadn’t come to her to talk about what ever issues had stopped him from feeding, more made him decide to stop.
He closed his eyes and sighed, thinking, trying to come up with a plausible explanation both girls would believe. And one that sounded logical and believable to himself also.
“I…well, first, I felt like a parasite.” He said, not quite sure even he believed what he was saying, or that what he said made sense.
Hermione stopped pacing and turned to look at him, before sharing a look with Daphne, then looked back at him.
“A parasite? In what way?” she asked.
He opened his eyes and looked at her, hoping she’d understand what he was getting at.
“I was feeding from them, Parvati, Luna, Susan and Daphne offered but I said I wanted to get to know them better first.”
Hermione looked at Daphne for confirmation, who nodded.
“And, I just didn’t feel right. I felt like I was taking from them, but they weren’t getting anything in return.” He said, mentally wincing at how ridiculous that sounded, even if it was what he’d believed at the time.
The two girls snorted and rolled their eyes.
“‘Not getting anything in return.’ Are you serious?” Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She couldn’t believe those words had just come out of his mouth.
A slight smirk appeared on Harry’s face, and just as he was about to respond, Hermione put a finger to his lips and glared down at him, making him look at her.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it. I’m not in the mood.” She growled, her bright brown eyes that were full of anger, and unshed tears of fear, fixed on his, and he stopped, as it hit him; just how upset she really was.
“You could have gotten far worse Harry. What if you’d collapsed in a corridor alone with no-one to help you? Or if it had been a while before someone found you? Or if the Slytherins, other than Daphne or Susan, had found you? You were lucky you were in a class with a teacher we trust!”
“And back to what I said, if you honestly think the girls you ate out didn’t get anything out of it, then you’re either denser than a Weasley, or somehow deaf and blind, because believe me Potter, if what I’ve heard is any indication, they definitely got something out of the deal.”
Then she smirked down at him, the started to shirk off her robes.
“Case in point. That’s why I’m here.”
He looked up at her as she pulled her blouse out of her skirt, then loosened the fastenings, and let it drop, and he caught a glimpse of her white silk knickers before he looked up at her smirking face. She winked, then hooked her thumbs into her knickers and quickly pushed them down and kicked them off, then stood straight, her hands on her hips.
“I did promise you a reward for helping me out of that mess yesterday, didn’t I? And while I do appreciate you focusing on my face when I’m talking to you while being half naked, that’s not where I want your attention right now.” She said, as she raised a foot and placed it on the bed, then looked at Hermione.
“You sure you don’t wanna join in Hermione? See how we compare? Like I said, I may need your help to balance, unless I do this sixty-nine. The temptation to sample the Potter family legacy might be too strong.” She winked at her friend then licked her lips, pointedly looking at Harry’s crotch, where a telltale bulge was evident.
“I…uh…” Hermione blinked, her face burning as her wide eyes trailed over her friend. Her anger at Harry for his lack of diligence forgotten as Daphne perched half on the bed, inviting both of them to check her out. And she couldn’t help herself. Her curiosity got the better of her.
She looked.
She noted, rather curiously, that Daphne was as smooth as she was, her lips were already darkening, and had a light sheen on them, indicating she was already getting worked up. A feeling Hermione understood all too well, thanks to her experience the day before, as she felt her own body respond, mentally sighing and giving up any pretense of trying to stop it.
‘I’m not in to girls. I’m not in to girls. I’m not in to girls.’ Hermione chanted in her head, as she found herself licking her lips at the vision of divine beauty between Daphne’s legs, and wondered what it would be like to have that hovering over her own face, or for her and Harry to lay between those legs as the two of them licked her together, or how it would feel to press her own fanny against it, while they both perched above Harry’s face as he lay here on the bed, so he could lick them both while they gazed passionately into each other’s eyes as they connected in a way only two girls could.
Or perhaps, they could try that, while sat on Harry’s hips, their smooth slits pressed together in a wonderful, decadent, erotic carnal kiss, with Harry’s gorgeous, delicious steel-hard dick trapped lovingly between the two smooth vulvae, as either Susan or Luna, or both, leaned in to lick, kiss and suck as much of it as they could reach, as well as the two throbbing clits, and wet, swollen lulvae that lovingly embraced and caressed it…
“Hermione!” Daphne’s voice cut through the foggy haze of pure lust clouding her mind, and Hermione’s world came back into focus, and she froze, as she became acutely aware of the fact that she was groping her right breast with one hand, under her blouse, while her other hand rubbed in circles over her own slit, her legs slightly spread, in plain view of Daphne and Harry.
‘Oh. My. God…what was I—?!’ her mind tried to assess the situation, and she tried to pull her hands away from their compromising positions, but she couldn’t.
Daphne and Harry were staring at her, Harry had a look of hunger in his tired eyes, as well as no small amount of lust. Daphne was wide-eyed, blushing furiously.
“Merlin’s Balls Granger! If I’d known you were that into girls, I might have said something to Susan months ago.” She said, somewhat awkwardly as she tried not to ogle Hermione’s assets.
“Wait, you’re a lesbian?” Hermione squeaked, wondering if she’d misjudged her friend. Daphne shook her head.
“No, completely straight. Though I think Susan might swing both ways, not sure. She just seemed to hint to me once that she and Hannah Abbot had a little something on the side going once. Not sure if that’s true or not, and if it is, Longbottom is a pretty lucky bastard.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked. Daphne grinned down at him and smirked, reaching down she gave her own slit a little stroke.
“What do you think I mean? Isn’t it every boy’s dream to have a girlfriend who is willing to dive between another girl’s legs?” before he could answer, she turned back to Hermione.
“Judging by what you were just doing though, I think you might need to reassess your own sexual preferences, just a bit. Though from one straight girl to another, you do look good.”
“Er…thanks…so…so do you.” Hermione stammered, her face flushing as she let her skirt drop down, then she fiddled with the fastener for a moment, before she muttered, “Fuck it.”
An instant later, her own skirt and knickers were on the floor, letting the other two get a proper look at her.
Daphne smirked and looked down at Harry.
“What do you say Potter? Do we look good enough to eat? Hhhmmm?”
“It…” Harry tried to focus, but honestly didn’t know where to look, his girlfriend and one of her best female friends were standing on either side of his hospital bed, both naked from the waist down, barring their shoes and socks they were still wearing, or at least, Hermione was still wearing her shoes. He wasn’t sure when Daphne had removed hers.
“It won’t work!” he ground out, as Daphne swung her other leg over until she had both feet on either side of his head, and he had a rather spectacular view of her darkening lips and rosebud as she crouched over him, facing his feet.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, as she moved up and took hold of Daphne, supporting her, as the other girl started to lower herself down, though if Hermione was right, her friend couldn’t decide how to position her hips, though the wide eyed grin on her face, and the wicked gleam in her eye, told Hermione she had a plan in mind.
“That’s the other reason I stopped. I didn’t get any benefit from Parvati or Luna.” Harry said, as he stared hungrily up at the warm female flesh hovering just an inch above him, his lungs already filling with her warm, slightly earthy and delicious aroma, his shaft throbbing painfully in response.
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked, as she took hold of Daphne to steady her, her friend grinned at her in thanks, then reached down to spread herself open as she felt Harry’s warm breath, and rolled her hips, as if she couldn’t decide where she wanted his tongue first. Then she grimaced, and Hermione saw her legs start to shake with the effort of being folded for so long. She knew Daphne supporting her weight on her ankles probably wasn’t the most comfortable of positions, even if she was on a thick pillow.
“I fed from both of them, but didn’t get anything, not like I usually do with you.”
“Did you do it right?” Daphne asked, shivering slightly as she felt his warm breath as he spoke.
“Pretty sure I can’t get pussy eating wrong.” He deadpanned.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “Trust me Harry, there are ways to do it wrong. The fact you have Parseltongue just means you can cheat.”
“Well then.” Daphne said with a grin. “Might just have to—” she lowered herself down “Try again!” She said with a wicked grin as harry grunted as the full weight of her body came down on his face.
“Not so hard! You’ll hurt him! Or smother him.” Hermione protested.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” The blonde replied as Hermione moved back to the foot of the bed, then crawled onto it. “Besides, I want to know what getting rimmed by a Parselmouth feels like. Don’t tell me you’re not curious.”
Hermione snorted, “What makes you think I don’t already know?”
Her friend raised a brow as she started to rock her hips, moving them, trying to find the right, most comfortable position. “Wow Granger, never figured you’d be so…kinky.”
Hermione snorted, “Says the Slytherin who is crouched over my boyfriend’s face, half naked, giving him an intimate close-up view of her fanny and arse.”
“And trying to decide which one I want that magic Parselmouth tongue of his licking first.” Daphne grinned salaciously.
Daphne narrowed her eyes then smiled, as she bit her lip, She then wiggled her hips, and her eyes opened wide and her mouth fell open, forming a perfect “O” as her cheeks flushed, as she finally settled.
“Oh yeah...that’s it Potter...thats....iiiit! MMMMmmmm!” Daphne swooned.
Hermione smirked, “Good, isn’t he.”
“Uh huh...” her blonde friend panted, as she started to rock her hips a little, as Harry’s hands came up to take hold of her hips.
Hermione asked as she licked the bulge in Harry’s trousers, before taking the zipper between her teeth, then pulled.
“Is his Parseltongue always…mmm…this good?”
Hermione pulled the zip down, and his trousers came undone, allowing her to quickly free his shaft. Leaning forward, she took hold of his shaft and started stroking it, drawing the cowl of skin tightly back, his glans already swollen red and shining with moisture. She licked her lips, and leaned forward, before stopping to run her graze over Daphne.
Her friend was panting, supporting herself on her hands and tip-toes as she rocked her hips back and forth over Harry’s face. Daphne’s eyes widened and darkened with lust as she licked her lips at the sight of his revealed dick, a breathy moan escaping her lips, her crystal blue eyes darkening with lust and clear hunger.
Hermione looked down between Daphne’s legs, and got a clear view of her friend’s swollen labia as Harry licked and kissed them, her clitoris clearly visible. Despite herself, Hermione felt a small stab of jealously at the sight, through she tried to clamp it down. She’d asked others to do this, and Daphne, Susan and Luna had all volunteered to do this, but only Luna had got the chance.
Hermione knew she shouldn’t be jealous of something she’d arranged for. Though she figured it was different now she was actually seeing it happen.
As she leaned over and started to plant gentle kisses on Harry’s glans, she watched Daphne’s face, saw the look of hunger and lust in her eyes, heard her moans of approval, and Hermione realized something, that made her pause, then she smirked.
“Yes, it is. But he’s not using it now. If he were using it right now, you’d be completely incoherent.”
“Wh-wha-What?” Daphne gasped, as she rolled her hips back, and she felt that skilled tongue drag over the winking ring of muscle between her cheeks.
“Oh sweet Morgana yes!” Daphne gasped, arching her back and spreading her legs a little, giving Hermione a better view, though the Brunette tried to focus on her friends face as she replied, trying her best to ignore the burning lust running through her at that moment. Lust that demanded she either suck or mount the penis she was holding, or berry her face between those porcelain legs and lick while Harry worked her over from the other side.
“He’s not using Parseltongue right now. If he were, you’d be screaming and you wouldn’t be able to talk, and you probably wouldn’t be able to hold that position either, now, if you don’t mind, this dick won’t suck itself. And Harry dear? I know you’re probably enjoying yourself back there, but you really need to be licking a couple of inches forwards, you won’t get what you need otherwise.”
And with that, Hermione got to work.
-=-
Outside the Hospital Wing, Pomfrey did her best to ignore the moans and cries and praises coming from inside her domain. But it was difficult, especially when she heard Daphne Greengrass’s impassioned cries and pleas of “Yes! Right there! Deeper! Faster! HARDER! Oh god yeah! Lick my arse you gorgeous stud! Oh god YES Harry! Suck my clit! Put that magic tongue in my fanny! Oh Yes! Yes! YES! YeeeoooooOOHH!”
Pomfrey cringed.
‘I don’t get paid enough for this.’ She thought, as she started to wonder how easy it would be to convince Dumbledore to give her a pay rise. She was definitely going to need a drink when they left…and maybe sterilize the room. Definitely burn that particular mattress, pillow and set of bed sheets.
“Mmm…That willy looks delicious Hermione…mind if I have a taste?” Daphne’s voice came through the door as a husky moan, and Pomfrey cringed again.
“Definitely don’t get paid enough for this.” Poppy groaned.
-=-
Back on the bed, Daphne was now more or less laying on Harry, his face coated in her juices as he licked his lips, the sweet taste of treacle tart filling his mouth as he swallowed, panting for breathe as he felt Daphne start to lick and kiss his shaft, he briefly wondered what Hermione was doing, if she’d pull Daphne off him and take her place on his face. He took a moment to admire Daphne’s toned and shapely arse, and her rosebud, which he had to admit, looked rather nice covered in his saliva. He just thanked Merlin that she’d somehow taken the time to clean herself properly at some point, though he had no idea when she’d done that. And just below it, flamed dark pink with arousal, swollen and open like a flower, covered in a mix of his saliva and her nectar, was her vulva.
‘Hmm…Daphne is one kinky girl. Never thought she’d go for that right away.’ He thought.
“Did that work Harry?” Hermione asked as she sat up, trying to get a good look at his face, but not really seeing anything other than Daphne’s rump. She sat up and little more and craned her neck. Looking up from where she was hungrily working, Daphne saw what her friend was doing, then lifted her leg and, with a little maneuvering, climbed off him while still keeping him between her lips as she sucked on his tip while her hands started gently playing with his balls.
Harry panted with pleasure as he tried to process Hermione’s words through the rather distracting sensations Daphne was giving him, he looked up at her, his expression still tired, his eyes still lidded, and he shook his head as best he could. He’d definitely swallowed enough of her juices that he should be back on his feet already, but he wasn’t. Why?
The book said he could feed from anyone, or anything, as long as it was female, even animals were apparently an option, though only in emergency cases. Somehow, he doubted he’d ever be in a situation where he’d have to find a unicorn mare in the Forbidden Forest, a centauress, or even a doe somewhere, and stick his head under their tails. Or at least, he hoped he’d never be in a situation where he’d have to resort to that, especially if it wouldn’t work, as apparently, feeding from Daphne just now, hadn’t.
Just like it hadn’t with Parvati or Luna.
So was the book wrong? He looked down at her and shook his head weakly.
“But…but it has to have worked! Daphne came, and you swallowed everything, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
Hermione thought for a moment, then sighed as she got off the bed and walked to the head of it.
“Well then, guess I’ll just have to make sure, won’t I?” she said, as she swung a leg over him, and quickly assumed the position her friend had just a moment ago. Harry lightly smirked to himself as he decided to show Daphne what Parseltongue could do to a girl from the get-go. He hadn’t used it on her, preferring to draw out her first time and make it last, but with Hermione…
-=-
The almost ear-splitting shriek that came through the closed door almost had Madam Pomfrey bursting through with her wand drawn, ready for a fight. Almost.
What followed was a guttural moan that was clearly not Greengrass.
“Oh, so that’s what it’s like from the get-go huh?” came Daphne’s muffled voice. “Well, why didn’t you use that on me?”
“Simple, it was your first time and I wanted to draw it out.” Came Potter’s voice, sounding a little stronger.
‘Looks like he’s back to normal. Time to wrap this up.’ She thought, then opened the door, and headed in.
The privacy curtain was still drawn, thankfully, but she could tell there was movement.
“Mister Potter, are you lucid?” she asked.
“Uh, lucid enough I think.” Came the reply.
“Well, if you three are done here, I suggest you make yourselves presentable and try to get back to class, if you have time.”
“Uh, sure…uh…ugh…in a minute.” He groaned, and Pomfrey cringed again as she tried not to think what was going on on that bed.
“Well, hurry it up. And I would like to take the opportunity to remind you to stick to your prescribed medication from now on. Do NOT make a habit of being brought in here half dead because you decided to try something different and it failed. I did warn you. And please try not to make a habit of being in here for this sort of thing. I’m running a Hospital Ward, not a Merlin-damned brothel!” she huffed.
-=-=-
Five minutes later, they were all outside the Hospital Wing after being shooed out by the Matron, who looked like she badly wanted a drink.
“You think we should have told her that Daphne’s attempt failed?” Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.
“I want to double check that book first, make sure we didn’t miss something.”
Daphne meanwhile, was grinning, her cheeks glowed, and the serene smile on her face and in her eyes practically screamed “I just got laid!”
Hermione giggled. “That’s a good look for you Daph.”
“What?” she asked.
“That ‘I’ve just been fucked’ look.”
Daphne grinned, as she leaned in to kiss Harry. Deeply. When she pulled back, she grinned at them both.
“I know you didn’t really use that Parseltongue trick on me right until the end, if you used it at all, but damn Granger, don’t ever let this one go.”
“Don’t plan to, and I couldn’t anyway.” Hermione said, as they made their way through the corridors. “Are you going to be okay going down the the Slytherin dorms tonight? I mean, everyone did see you stun Draco.”
Daphne slowed, losing some of the bounce in her step, though her legs were still a little jittery, and the taste of salt in her mouth was still lingering. When Harry had finally cum, Hermione hadn’t been sucking him, instead, she’d tried to catch it. She’d ended up with a bit of a facial, so Daphne had cheekily ‘helped out’, though she hadn’t liked the taste all that much.
Bitter and salty, and for some reason, she felt ill getting some on her tongue, and she hadn’t tried to swallow. In fact, she imagined the face she’d pulled had been rather unattractive as she’d spat it out.
And although she had tried helping with the blowjob, simply having his shaft in her mouth had nearly made her gag for some reason, though she couldn’t understand why. In all fairness, he took good care of it, there was no unpleasant taste or smell, pretty decent size, not too large, definitely not on the small side, and it looked rather suckable in her humble opinion.
Her body just didn’t seem to like the idea for some reason.
She mentally shrugged, she was sure it was nothing. She pursed her lips as she thought over Hermione’s concerns.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Draco doesn’t have as many loyal friends in Slytherin as he likes to think.” And with that, the three of them headed back to the DA classroom, surprisingly, they hadn’t missed the last of the lesson.
-=-=-
Dinner, that evening.
At the Head Table in the Great Hall, Minerva noticed her friend seemed rather distracted as she ate.
“Are you alright Poppy?”
“Just a rough day. I’ll be alright.”
“We’ll talk about it at the end-of-week meeting, after Dumbledore, Severus and Hagrid leave.” Minerva said, as she covertly passed a folded note around to the rest of her colleagues, asking them to stay behind after the meeting was adjourned by Albus.
She’d heard about the incident yesterday when Aurora had caught up with her on their way to breakfast, spitting and hissing like a furious cat over what Draco and his cronies had tried to do to poor Daphne Greengrass.
As far as Minerva was concerned, Malfoy was on probation now, if he stepped out of line like that again, she’d call in the DMLE, Dumbledore’s regulations be damned. Though in her mind, she should have contacted Amelia after that day a week before the task.
She looked up at the Slytherin table and scowled at the boy in question, he was in deep conversation with his lackeys. She still didn’t know where that damn book of sex magic had gone, the second one, The Magic of Making Love she’d let Hermione and Harry keep, so they could research a cure, and she made Miss Granger promise that would be all they would do, though she did give them permission to try a few spells, as long as they took the appropriate measures.
She looked again at Poppy, noted how worn out her friend looked, and wondered if she needed a break.
-=-=-=-
Friday December 2nd, 1994.
Great Hall, breakfast.
Harry sat at the table, eating some toast, a nicely toasted French baguette, with ham and smoked cheese in it. At the other side of the table, there was Neville, who had Hannah sitting next to him, the two of them giving each other occasional glances, ones Harry recognized. He smiled to himself.
‘Good for them. Hopefully their Bonding is going more conventionally than ours is.’
He’d noticed, this morning when he’d woken up, that he was able to sense Hermione’s presence in his mind more clearly now, he still couldn’t sense her thoughts, but he could definitely sense her feelings, it was like a warmth in the back of his mind, that thankfully was a welcome change for the cold chill of Voldemort’s link that he felt, which thankfully, had been quiet lately. Part of him hoped what ever he’d become had whithered away and died, and that snake had got hungry and eaten Wormtail.
Ron and the others had asked him after dinner the night before what had happened in DA, Harry had just shrugged and said that Draco had got in a lucky hit, but the looks he got from Parvati and Padma told him they didn’t buy it, so once everyone had gone back to doing their own thing and left him alone, the twins cornered him and made him talk. Needless to say, they were rather smug about telling him “We told you so” before Padma had given her sister a hug and left for her own dorm.
Once he and Hermione were back in their private quarters, getting ready for bed, Hermione had extracted a magical vow from him, saying that he would never endanger his own health in such a way again, that if he was presented with an opportunity to feed, he’d take it, no matter who or what owned the pussy in question.
He then pointed out that it was moot point, since, apparently, feeding from anyone but her, or someone else under the curse, did nothing.
Hermione had huffed, and picked up the red book, as well as the pages she’d copied from the book McGonagall had taken, and the two of them had combed through both, but ultimately failed to find a satisfactory answer.
Now, as he ate his breakfast, he covertly slid a hand down into Hermione’s lap, giving her a light smile as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she talked to Lavender, and did her best to ignore his hand sliding up under her skirt, stroking her bare thighs, which she readily parted for him.
Well…she had said once that he could do this whenever he wanted. And right now, he wanted to see how well his girlfriend could keep a straight face and hold a conversation while getting fingers.
A flutter of wings caught his attention, and he looked up, just as his fingers entered her, and the morning post arrived. A barn owl dropped a copy of the paper on his plate, while a second did the same for Hermione, and he reluctantly withdrew his hand, paid the owl, and unrolled the aper and started to read.
And promptly fought to keep his breakfast down as his own face, and Hermione’s, stared back at him. But it wasn’t the picture that almost made him throw up, it was the Headline, Sub-headline, and full page article, which apparently extended across the first three pages.
PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF DEPRAVITY!
Boy-Who-Lived: Philandering playboy: A cheat at sports events and love?
Hermione Granger: Loving girlfriend or Cheating Temptress?
By Rita Skeeter
Hello dear Readers! This reporter has uncovered unfortunate, horrible, tragic news! It seems that the youngest Triwizard Champion in history has recently fallen victim to a foul curse!
That’s right dear readers, Harry James Potter, aged 14, the famed Boy-Who-Lived, defeater of You-Know-Who, has become the victim of a terrible, debilitating curse approximately one week before the First Task! The exact nature of this curse can only be speculated on at this time, but the curse itself seems to be Greek in origin, unlike most spells, jinxes and curses, which are Latin-based, according to the Witness who observed the incident.
A witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, has come forward and has stated they saw Harry Potter, Fourth-Year Gryffindor, being hit with the curse while defending fellow student Hermione Granger, who this reporter recently speculated in her last article of being a love interest for Mister Potter. Miss Granger, a Muggle-Born, it seems, got into a heated argument with a fellow student, and words were exchanged.
Tempers exploded, and so did wands! And it seems Mister Potter caught the curse that was aimed at Miss Granger. A valiant effort to be sure. However one must consider that Miss Granger is known for being very intelligent, some even say she is the smartest witch of her generation, so then, why did she not cast a shield charm, as she surely knew one?
Perhaps she wanted Mister Potter to be cursed? Perhaps, as the witness claims, she may have actually fired the curse herself! Although Mister Potter was standing so close to her, she was also hit by it, so she is now affected also.
Who was the other student Miss Granger was arguing with? It has been brought to this reporter’s attention that most of Hogwarts’ student body believes that Mister Potter cheated his way into the Tournament, so perhaps this curse is an attempt at sabotage?
After this, neither of them was seen until the following morning, where it was observed that both of them looked extremely tired. Indications that neither of them got much sleep the night before perhaps? Which leads this reporter to wonder what they could possibly have been getting up to in the Hogwarts Hospital wing.
One must wonder what the standard of Professionalism has fallen to if two students are allowed to engage in illicit activities in the Hospital Wing.
IS Miss Granger Harry Potter’s girlfriend? Or a Sex-starved Teenage Temptress? Another witness claims to have spotted the pair in an alcove in one of the corridors on the 2nd floor, shortly after mid-day lunch, where Miss Granger was performing a rather graphic and indecent sexual act on Mister Potter, with a lot of apparent enthusiasm.
Is this a result of the curse they are both being affected by? If so it is a strange one, we here at the Prophet have been unable to find any information on what type of curse could do this.
If Miss Granger is Mister Potter’s girlfriend, then this reporter would like to remind her that such actions are best left in the privacy of broom cupboards or other such places, not random alcoves were literally anyone can see. And, that the Bonding is typically not started until both intended parties reaches the age of 15, which Mister Potter will not do for another 8 months. Mister Potter should be aware of this, and have put a stop to it.
Or perhaps, as another witness claims, she is in fact a Teenage Temptress, hoping to curry favor with the youngest Triwizard Champion in history, by using her feminine wiles and apparently, very talented sexual arts. One must wonder how someone so young could display such skill with the carnal arts? Perhaps the curse used on Harry Potter, and by extension, herself, is a sex-based curse, and what was observed merely her being forced to feed from him like a Succubus? Which would naturally lead to the question of what Mister Potter must be led to do? Or maybe it is her way of getting Harry Potter to forgive her? Who taught her what she knows? Her domestic upbringing perhaps?
Or maybe she has practiced with various other male students around the school? Or even female? Will International Quidditch Star, and Durmstrang Triwizard Champion Viktor Krum be next on her seduction list after he approached her to ask her to accompany him to Hogsmeade? And what of the Yule Ball? This theory seems to carry some weight behind it, as the two were observed together in the Library recently, by a fellow student, although what they were doing, the student refused to say.
And what of Miss Delacour, the Beauxbatons Champion? Does she fit in this anywhere? Rumor has it Mister Potter was seen speaking jovially with her several days ago, though the details of their conversation are not known, this reporter does wander if she was the one to instruct Mister Potter how to properly perform? Perhaps she arranged a demonstration so he could show her what he learned?
Is she a potential rival for Miss Granger? She’s certainly pretty enough, and as a Veela, this sort of thing would come naturally to her, so she could easily be a potential rival for Mister Potter’s ahem ‘attentions’. Or is Miss Delacour also schooling Miss Granger in the arts of seduction and pleasure? No doubt she’s had enough experience to educate them both. All we can do is speculate.
Another Witness claimed to have seen Mister Potter servicing Miss Granger in a similar fashion as recently as yesterday, in the Seventh Floor Corridor leading to Gryffindor Tower, after the evening meal. Again, this witness wishes to remain anonymous, but had this to say:
“Yeah, I saw ‘em. Granger was leaning up against a wall, looking back over ‘er shoulder, moaning and saying Potter’s name with this really big grin on her face, her skirt up round her waist and her knickers hanging off one ankle, while Potter knelt behind her, his hands on her hips and his face pressed into her arse cheeks. And I'm pretty sure he wasn’t lickin’ her fanny! At least not anymore! I mean, everyone has their kink I suppose, but that? Really Potter? You don’t know who else has been in there!”
Quite a sordid tale it would seem!
There was also apparently an incident during a class yesterday, which saw Mister Potter, Miss Granger and fellow students Miss Daphne Greengrass, Fourth Year Slytherin, and Ronald Weasley, Fourth Year Gryffindor, heading into the Hospital Wing, with Mister Potter being levitated by a Professor while unconscious. And only the Professor and young Mister Weasley left the room.
A few moments later, sordid moaning and passionate screams were heard from within while School Matron Poppy Pomfrey stood outside.
What message does this send when the school Matron allows illicit sexual activity in the Hospital Wing with such lax in professionalism?
This reporter has spoken to several of Miss Granger’s year-mates, in an attempt to build a profile of her, who also wish to remain anonymous, who have reported that, in class, she often quotes passages from books almost verbatim, earning herself a bit of a reputation as a “Stuck-up Know-it-all”, “Hogwarts: A History” seems to be one of her favorites. Well dear readers, it seems that quoting pages verbatim is not the only oral talent she seems to possess.
This reporter will let you; the loyal readers decide for yourselves.
Harry Potter, the Youngest Triwizard Champion: A profile: Page 4.
Hermione Granger, loving, impassioned girlfriend or sex-hungry seducer? Theories and Profile: Page 6.
Viktor Krum, International Quidditch Star and Triwizard Champion. Miss Granger’s next target? Page 8.
Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatons Champion: Miss Granger’s rival or Oral Arts instructor? A profile, Page 10.
Hermione’s hands were white, and shaking. In fact, her entire body was shaking as all the blood drained from her head, and her face turned as white as her hands, and she started to hyperventilate, as she stared, in horror at the article penned by Skeeter, the picture of herself and Harry hugging from her previous “HARRY POTTER’S HEARTACHE” article on the front page. Thankfully, that was the only picture to go along with the article.
“How...” she whimpered, barely above a whisper as cold sweat broke out over her body, and she noticed just how quiet the Great Hall was. She didn’t even try to stop the tears as they fell, but she somehow managed to keep the sob in, and her breakfast down.
She didn’t dare look at Harry, or at any of the other students, Hogwarts and otherwise, who were in the hall, reading their own copies of the Prophet. Feeling her breakfast start to fight its way back up her throat, she threw down the paper, got up from the table, and ran for the door. Her footsteps echoing eerily loudly in the silent hall as she felt hundreds of eyes following her, and as she threw open the doors and kept running, her sobs finally broke, the first wail being heard by the rest of them just before the door closed.
Harry was PISSED.
He gripped his own copy of the paper, wishing he could incinerate it with his eyes. He was going to MURDER that BITCH!
He also had a pretty good idea who her ‘Anonymous Witnesses’ were, or at least one of them. As for seeing them when Hermione pulled him into that alcove and dropped to one knee before he could even stop her, well, he had been pretty sure the corridor had been empty, unless a ghost had seen them. ‘Gonna need to start using privacy and concealment charms...’ he thought.
His mind went to the description of the scene between him and Hermione where he had fed from her and rimmed her, outside the Room of Requirement, and he reread it, his jaw clenching. Someone had definitely seen that and told Skeeter. But who? How? He was certain the corridor had been deserted. Unfortunately, he had no idea who it could have been, the list of suspects was too long, he’d have to get the information out of Skeeter, right before he skinned her ALIVE!
He threw down the paper in disgust. Then looked around at the other Gryffindors. Most of them were giving him looks of sympathy and silent support, as they knew about the curse already. Ginny was giving him a look that was unreadable, but when their eyes met, she looked away. Neville, Fred and George, Parvati and Hannah were giving him looks of sympathy, and silent nods of support, though Neville was gesturing towards the doors, mouthing “Follow”.
Harry looked around the room and saw everyone else was looking in his direction, even the Beauxbatons at the Ravenclaw Table, and Durmstrang students at the Slytherin Table had read the papers, and were alternating between pointing at him and the doors and exchanging hushed words or giggles, or talking quietly amongst themselves. The only two visiting students who weren’t, were Fleur and Krum, the latter of whom was giving him a sympathetic and apologetic look. He remembered Viktor promising him he wouldn’t pursue Hermione anymore, so the incident the paper mentioned must have been the Saturday after the First Task, when Krum found out about him and Hermione dating, but who had seen them? Who would want to make up such lies to Rita?
As for the Hogsmeade Weekend, well, they’d both spent that in the Hospital Wing. Rumor had it, there was another coming up just before Christmas, so they should be able to make that one.
Fleur meanwhile, was curiously reading her own copy of the paper as several of her classmates snickered around her, her eyes widening at one point, and Harry had to wonder if their copies were translated editions, as he wasn’t sure how well Fleur could read English. He saw the color drain from her face, before it flared red with a look that Harry could only describe as blood lust, evidently, shed just read the part about her, when her copy of the paper seemed to spontaneously ignite in her hands, and…had her face become more angular all of a sudden? He also heard her snarl something in French, but he couldn’t quite understand it, well, at all in fact.
‘I hope that was wishing death and disease on Rita and her ancestors.’ He thought.
She then looked up and saw him watching. Their eyes met, and she was giving him a strange look, not accusatory, more sympathetic, but also confused, it was clear that she wanted to know more, and when their eyes met, she raised a questioning eyebrow. He mouthed the word “Later” and she gave a slight nod, then tilted her head towards the doors. Go to her.
Harry stood and immediately started marching towards the main doors, he then paused and looked back at the Head Table, ignoring the snickering from the Durmstrang and Slytherin students. At the Head Table, he could see Professor McGonagall, staring at the main doors, red-faced, her expression murderous. Many of the other staff were also sporting horrified or furious expressions, except for Snape, Dumbledore and Moody. Dumbledore looked impassive, Hagrid looked highly embarrassed, his face red, and he wouldn’t meet Harry’s eyes for long, and when he did, they were full of sympathy. Snape just wore his usual default scowl, though it seemed to be more mocking now, and when he met Harry’s eyes, he sneered.
He saw Madam Pomfrey, who looked ready to kill. Likely at her own professionalism being challenged. She seemed to mutter something, before tearing her copy of the Prophet in half, then quickly reach into her robes to pull out several Potion Vials which she gave to McGonagall, who took them, nodded and stood, making her way round the Staff Table towards him at a brusque pace. His gaze moved to the side table which held the Tournament Committee.
Crouch Snr, Ludo Bagman, Madam Maxime and Igor Karkaroff, were all looking at him with various expressions, from sympathy to disgust. Maxine wore an expression that looked particularly irate.
Harry then turned back, stopping when he saw the smug smirks on the faces of Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. He glared at the two Slytherins, vowing revenge for the harm they had just brought upon his best friend.
He locked eyes with Draco, then drew a finger across his throat, then pointed at him. His message clear to all.
You’re dead, Ferret.
Though he did catch the eye of Daphne, who looked horrified, though she was trying to hide it. His gaze swung round to the Hufflepuff table and landed on first Cedric, who was giving him a sympathetic look, and Susan, whose face was as red as her hair. She looked furious. When their eyes met, she mouthed ‘GO’, he nodded then turned as he heard McGonagall come up behind him, and marched to the doors and threw them open without looking back.
He had a fairly good idea where she was.
As the two of them left the Great Hall, harry finally let the snarl of fury he’d been keeping in out.
“I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her. I’m going to kill her.” He chanted over and over again as he walked. McGonagall easily keeping pace wit him.
“For once Mister Potter, I agree with you. The damage she has just done is...extensive.” Minerva growled as she silently fumed. If she ever got her hands on that wretch...
“Professor, I think it is safe to say, given that I suspect I know who at least two of her ‘informants’ are, that if Hermione and I attend Potions class this afternoon, someone is likely to end up dead.” He growled.
Minerva sighed as she kept walking. She hated to admit it, but he was right.
“Very well, you and Miss Granger may forgo classes today, I will inform your Professors.”
They soon reached the Fat Lady, who swung open as soon as she saw them.
Mufasa’s portrait was also open, as they could hear her sobbing the moment they entered the Common Room.
Harry steeled himself, then stepped into their private quarters, McGonagall right behind him.
Hermione was curled up on one of the sofas, hugging a pillow and crying as Crookshanks rubbed himself against her, purring loudly, doing his best to try and calm her down.
Harry moved to the sofa and sat next to her, enveloping her in his arms as she turned and embraced him, burying her face in his chest, still shaking.
“Why?” she whimpered, “Why would she do that?”
“Because she doesn’t care, Hermione. She thinks she’s untouchable. I think, when the next Hogsmeade weekend comes before Christmas, if there is one, I’ll go pay their headquarters a visit.” He said gently, trying to keep the anger out of his voice for her sake.
“What good will that do? They won’t listen to you.”
“All I’ll ask them for is Rita’s where-abouts.” He replied. She held him a little tighter.
“Then what? You don’t have anything on her that you can hold over her head to keep her quiet.” Hermione mumbled.
“I’ll find a way to deal with her.”
“How can we face the school now? Everyone now knows everything! And you know Draco is gonna crow and rub it in our faces in Potions!” she sniffled.
“If he does, he’ll suffer an ‘accident’, or he would if we were going.” Harry replied. She pulled back and looked at him.
“You can’t be serious about skipping Potions! Snape will fail us!”
Harry snorted, “Like the greasy git wasn’t going to do that anyway. No, I know he’ll fully support Draco trying to provoke us, and might even try to rub it in himself. And you know if we retaliate against anything Draco says or does during class, that worthless bastard will jump us.” Harry growled, forgetting, or ignoring, McGonagall, who bit her tongue to stop herself reprimanding him on reflex. Honestly, she agreed with him.
“You have History first period yes? Then Charms, then Potions in the afternoon, correct?” she asked. They both nodded, looking at her.
“Very well, I will speak to Professors Flitwick and Snape, I’m sure Filius will understand your absence, I’m sure he’ll have one of your house-mates deliver the lesson material to you. As for Severus…I will see what I can do. No promises however.”
McGonagall then reached into her pocket and pulled out the potion vials, handing them over. “Calming Droughts. Poppy figured you could use it Miss Granger.”
“What I want to know is how she got her information. Some of that article was just speculation, but some of it was accurate. Very accurate. Whether she realized it or not, she was actually right, for once.” Harry snorted. McGonagall nodded, and Hermione just gave a light shrug.
“What I want to know is why she didn’t say anything about Cedric.” Hermione added.
“Well, his dad works for the ministry.”
Hermione scoffed, “Like that would stop her. Nothing is sacred with her. I can’t imagine Fleur took that insinuation all that well.”
“She didn’t. I’m honestly not sure who looked like they were contemplating homicide more: Fleur, Pomfrey, Maxime, you Professor, or me.”
“Yes, Poppy was most displeased at that snub to her professionalism. I believe her words to me were “That two knut whore wouldn’t know professional conduct if it face-fucked her.” As it happens, I quite agree, though neither of you heard me say that.”
Harry bit his lip as he tried to keep a straight face, and not show just how caught off-guard he was hearing one of his favorite professors use the words face-fucked so casually.
Which, unfortunately, lead to his traitorous mind conjuring a rather horrible image of Rita on her knees getting so thoroughly treated by a far more competent member of the Prophet’s staff.
‘Nope! Nope! Nope! No! Nein!’ he mentally yelled, he winced, and Hermione and McGonagall looked at him, and somehow, he felt that warm presence in his mind brush his, just as he tried to get rid of that awful mental image, and he saw Hermione’s eyes widen in shock, amazement, and disgust.
“Oh Merlin! That’s just awful Harry!” she yelped, covering his face with her hands.
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. “Miss Granger?”
“I think Harry just established a brief full connection with me, and it was a mental image based on what you just said.” She moaned into her hands. “Of all the thoughts to show me Harry, why that one?!”
“Sorry, couldn’t help it, it just popped in there. I don’t have the mental discipline you do.”
“Evidently.”
McGonagall looked at both of them carefully, mentally calculating just how far along the Bonding had gotten if they had started sharing thoughts.
“He sent you a thought? How long have you two been able to sense each other’s feelings?”
“Yes, he did, and I think, a day or so? I first noticed this feeling in the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but it felt…I don’t know, safe, like it wasn’t an intrusion.” Hermione said, looking at Harry, who nodded.
“Uh, yeah, I first noticed it maybe yesterday too.”
“That is quite extraordinary, usually it takes several months for the Bonding to reach that level. Why don’t you give it a try Hermione?” Minerva said.
Hermione looked at her, then at Harry, nodded and closed her eyes, trying to think of something. Deciding to get him back for the image of Skeeter, she focused her mind on picturing Snape taking a shower, and, fighting down what she’d managed to eat at breakfast, she pushed that mental abomination of thought towards that presence she felt in her mind, then opened her eyes to gage his reaction.
Harry tilted his head in confusion as he felt a wave of revulsion and disgust from that presence in his mind that he know was sure was Hermione’s link with him, but no thoughts came.
“Don’t think that worked, I think I can guess what you were thinking, something pretty nasty, but I didn’t see anything. Mine might have been a fluke.”
Hermione pursed her lips and nodded. “Probably for the best. I imagined Snape taking a shower. Ew!”
Harry snorted, as did McGonagall.
“Well, I suppose I could show you what that dragon showed me.” He replied.
McGonagall raised a curious brow, Hermione snorted.
“Oh? Not planning to stick your head under a dragoness’s tail, are you?” Hermione asked, remembering what he’d told her during class.
Harry snorted “Only time I’ll put my head under a dragon’s tail is if you’re the dragon.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” McGonagall asked.
“Apparently, Harry noticed something about the Horntail that isn’t known outside of dragon handler circles, since Hagrid never mentioned it. Apparently, female dragons, at least the Horntail, and possibly other exotic species have certain…mammalian traits that other reptiles, even the now extinct mammal-like reptiles, don’t have.”
“Mammalian traits?” McGonagall asked.
“She looked more like a horse under the base of her tail, than a lizard.” Harry clarified.
“Oh.” McGonagall blinked, her cheeks pinking slightly.
“Yeah, didn’t look very long, once I realized what I was staring at. I’m certain she did it on purpose.”
“How? She had her back to you for all of 10 seconds.”
“Actually, it was probably closer to a minute.” Harry said.
“I see.” Minerva said.
Hermione looked at the calming potion vials, thinking, she then sat up, her eyes wide, her face paling. “Oh god! My parents!”
Harry sat up, a chill running down his spine. “They don’t get a copy of the Prophet do they?” he asked with dread. She shook her head.
“No, they don’t sell subscriptions to muggles. I just remembered, I haven’t sent them a letter yet telling them what’s been going on. I’m not even sure how I can tell them about this! But I’m going to have to!”
Then she looked at him, her eyes widened more, as a look of fear entered them, and in the back of his mind, he felt that warm presence turn cold. It was still there, but now, all he could sense from it was a feeling of uncertainty and fear.
“Harry…what are we going to do when the School Year ends? When we go home! What are you going to do?! You CAN’T go back to that house! You’ll be dead within a couple of days!” she said, as she hugged him tight, and he felt something wet and warm on his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent of old parchment and leather, and a slight hint of the shampoo she liked to use.
‘Fuck, she’s right.’ He thought, and he doubted there would be any way he’d be able to make it to her house, and he was certain Dumbledore would some how find a way to stop him from leaving.
Minerva silently swore as well, as she realized Hermione was right. If Harry went back to that house, at least without some sort of contingency plan in place, he would not survive the first week, and she doubted Miss Granger would be any better off, even if she could somehow convince her parents of her situation. She narrowed her eyes. She needed to talk to Albus, and if that didn’t work…
“Do not worry you two, I will think of something, even if you have to go back to that house Mister Potter, Harry, I will ensure you have help.”
“He can’t go back there Professor! Not with that horse, the pig and Jabba the Hutt living there.” Hermione protested. Harry snorted, remembering the last time Hermione had called his uncle an Elephant Seal, he really should try using that.
“You mentioned him before, who is he?” Minerva asked, an eyebrow raised. Hermione snorted, smirking.
“A giant talking slug with a liking for women in metal bikinis.”
“WHAT?!” McGonagall and Harry yelped, horrified. McGonagall silently decided she didn’t want to know who or what that creature was, or where it was, or how Hermione could know of such a monster.
“Something from a piece of Muggle fiction.” Hermione said, almost laughing at the look of disgust and horror on her House Head’s face.
“Oh…I…I see.” McGonagall said, very much relieved. “Well, I think I’ll leave you two in peace. I’ll see you at lunch.” And with that, she turned and headed out.
Hermione smiled and hugged Harry again, wincing a little as she noticed the slight pain in her chest. Her breasts had gotten a little sore, they had been since she woke up that morning, though she decided to put it out of her mind, as she focused on that warm presence she felt in the back of her mind that she somehow knew was Harry’s empathic link with her, growing stronger day by day, she wondered if he’d noticed it yet.
“We should probably try to focus on—mmmhhfff!” her words were cut off as Harry pulled her in for a kiss, determined to distract her.
-=-=-
“I’m sorry Molly my dear, but someone is coming, I’m afraid I must cut this short.”
Dumbledore’s voice reached Minerva’s ears just as she entered his office, and she saw him get to his feet in front of the fireplace, before he turned to her and smiled.
“Ah, Professor McGonagall, please, come in! Lemon drop?”
“No, thank you Albus.” Minerva said as she came to a stop at his desk.
“I was just talking to Mrs Weasley, she called, asking about that unfortunate business with the Prophet this morning.”
Minerva scowled, barely keeping in the growl at the mention of that rag that wasn’t even fit for hamster bedding.
“That’s why I’m here. Albus, I thought you banned her from the school grounds? How was she able to do this? I highly doubt the validity of her ‘Witnesses’, and I can only think of two students who would willingly sell that wretch any information, but you won’t let me do anything about either one! Aurora told me what happened on Wednesday. Mark my words Albus, if you don’t do something about Draco, others will. And if he crosses the line one more time, I WILL call in Amelia!”
Dumbledore opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a hand to cut him off.
“No! Don’t say ‘If he’s arrested, it will start him down a dark path.’ I think he’s already running down that path! Considering what he’s already done. I warned you before, that if he ever casts that curse again, and my gut tells me he still might, I will also call in the DMLE.”
Dumbledore gave her a hard look, he didn’t like the idea of Draco being kicked out, if only for the reason it would give Malfoy Senior more reason to want to come after him. And give Riddle another supporter.
“As for the other reason I’m here. Mister Potter and Miss Granger’s living arrangements for the summer.”
“Unfortunately, the protections placed on his summer residence will fail if he does not return and spend at least a week there, after which, I’m sure I can arrange something. I know you spoke with Arabella, so I’m assuming she knows the situation, and I believe it may be possible to arrange a visitation with Miss Granger and Harry, with her as a chaperon, so they may erm…‘see to matters’ shall we say? Failing that, Molly did suggest letting them stay at the Burrow, even after I explained what would have to happen to keep them alive. She was understandably…unhappy about that idea, but she understands it would be necessary.” Dumbledore said.
“Are you kidding me?” she scoffed. “I told you that night that they were unsuitable, and worse, you KNEW about Harry’s living conditions there, due to how his first few acceptance letters were addressed, and you did NOTHING! And only now are you considering a change?!”
Dumbledore sighed, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a cloth. “As I said, he must return there to maintain the wards, at least for a short time in the event an arrangement with Arabella doesn’t work out, then he can go to the Burrow. Molly has given me her assurance that she won’t try to stop them…doing what they must.”
She glared at him, pursing her lips. “She likely knows she doesn’t have a choice if she wants them to live. And on the subject of Arabella, I don’t think it will work. The Dursleys usually sent him round to her house as a punishment. How do you think they’ll react if they found out he’d have to go there every day on medical grounds? They would likely refuse, and probably grow suspicious. She told me that she had to make his stays with her unpleasant in the belief they would stop him seeing her if they thought he enjoyed it. HOW do you think they’ll react if they find out he has to see her in order to stay alive?!” Minerva snarled.
“They might even suspect that she’s a witch, then what?! No, I do not think that will work.”
She paused, taking another breath, before she continued, “I also activated the Mail Redirection Ward to prevent any malicious mail being sent to either of them, at least until the mindless masses find something else to focus on. I spoke to them after escorting them back to their quarters. To say they are both distressed over what was in that article would be an understatement. As such, I’ve allowed them to take the day off from classes today. I’ve already cleared it with Filius and Severus. Filius was more than understanding, and said he would deliver any coursework they miss to them personally, if none of their classmates were willing, but I’m sure he’ll get volunteers. As for Severus…I wanted to strangle him.”
“Come now Minerva, I’m sure that wasn’t necessary.” He said with a raised eyebrow.
“Which? Having Filius deliver their work or wanting to strangle Severus for threatening to fail them for missing class?”
“Allowing Mister Potter and Miss Granger to miss vital lessons.”
McGonagall stared at him, uncomprehending. ‘Is he serious?’ “What?”
“Surely having them miss Charms and History will not help them? I’m sure none of the fourth year Ravenclaws would give them any difficulty. As for the Slytherins and Potions, I believe you’re doing Severus a disservice if you imply that—”
“Oh come off it Albus! You and I both know that Severus would take every opportunity to harangue them, and he’d let Draco get away with worse, and the moment anyone from Gryffindor defends them, or they stand up for themselves, he’d dock points or issue detentions. If he doesn’t out-right antagonize them himself! And as for Charms and the Ravens, I know Filius would never tolerate any harassment in his class, but that doesn’t change the fact that those students now know about this, and that would make both of them uncomfortable.”
“And what about next week? Or the week after that? Or next term after the holidays? Do you really think that embarrassment will be gone in two days?” Dumbledore asked. Minerva grit her teeth with frustration. She hated to admit it, but the old man was right.
Then she sighed, rubbing her temples. “Well, I may have come up with a possible solution that may help them during the summer months, just in case your secondary arrangements don’t work out.” She said, and with that, she turned and walked out, checking her watch, a birthday gift from Lily following her graduation, she saw it was nearly lunch, she still had to get a message to everyone she wanted to talk to later in the evening after the regular Staff Meeting, she didn’t want Albus, Snape or Hagrid present for that.
Dumbledore watched her go, wondering just what she had in mind.
-=-
At lunch, Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, and made their way to their seats, trying, very hard, to ignore the snickering and pointing from the other students, particularly the First and Second years. After the horrible experience at breakfast, they’d decided to try having a meal in the Great Hall again, knowing they wouldn’t be able to put it off forever.
Neville and Hannah had dropped off their Charms homework, and filled them in on what they had missed, after the lesson and just before lunch. Luna had even intercepted them and given them both tight hugs, saying Ravenclaw’s door was open to them.
The two had thanked her, and Neville and Hannah. Hermione noticed, with a slight smirk, that Neville was limping a little as they all made their way down to the Great Hall, and when she’d inquired, he’d blushed fiercely, Hannah had grinned with pride, and made a show of licking her lips. It hadn’t helped when Luna had rather bluntly asked;
“You must really enjoy sucking Neville’s penis Hannah, Neville has been limping like this every day for nearly two weeks now. Do you still have that magical tattoo of his family crest? Where is it now?”
Harry had almost tripped over his own feet as he’d looked between Neville and Hannah, both of them red-faced, and smiling with embarrassment.
The two lovers shared a look, turning to an expectant Luna.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business Luna.” Hannah said, trying her best to keep a straight face while at the same time, trying desperately not to laugh or die from embarrassment.
“What magical tattoo?” Hermione asked, scrutinizing Hannah carefully, the blonde Puff’s face scarlet.
“She has a magical tattoo of the Longbottom family crest. It’s one of those animated ones that you can move around your body with your wand. I saw it on the side of her neck yesterday.” Luna said, blinking owlishly, before she continued on. “You still have some of Neville’s sperm on your chin.” The other four shared a look, Hannah wiping her mouth and chin with her fingers, still blushing. All seemed to be thinking the same thing: What the HELL was that?
Thankfully, they had been able to sit through lunch, and had done their best to ignore the stares from the rest of the hall, well, at least the stares directed at them.
Fleur still seemed to be the target of most of the adolescent males in the school, most of them gawking at her and drooling, Ron still being one of the worst of those offenders. The beautiful blonde still sat at the Ravenclaw table with the rest of her peers, surrounded by female students, as no male could be near her without being reduced to the mentality of an ape, though she did occasionally shoot them concerned looks. Evidently her outburst at breakfast had now led to most of her admirers keeping a safe distance.
Now, sat at the Gryffindor table, the two of them were finding it very uncomfortable, with most of the students at the other tables staring at them. Thankfully, the Gryffindors tried to offer some comfort, particularly the Quidditch team. Plus, Hermione couldn’t stop herself from frowning or wincing, the pain in her chest that she’d felt earlier in the day after breakfast had gotten worse. Now there was definite pain and pressure.
She suspected that she knew what was causing it, but the rational part of her mind wanted to deny it, that she should have to wait for at least one more week…but no.
She’d started producing. Earlier than expected.
The students were still filing in, and the whispers and murmurs were getting louder and harder to ignore.
Fortunately, lunch was over fairly quickly, and the two of them made a quick exit, returning to their quarters to try and work on the schoolwork, if only as a distraction.
Hermione had wanted to go to Potions, but Harry had quickly pointed out and reminded her who their Potions teacher was, and which house he led. She had sat, somewhat dejected, as she realized the same thing McGonagall had; if they went into that Potions classroom, there would have been a high probability of at least someone getting hexed.
Then dinner had come round in the evening. The evening’s edition of the Prophet was just more wild theories and speculation concerning the ‘revelations’ of that morning’s edition. No-one at Gryffindor had read it. Finally, having had enough, Hermione stood, turned and walked towards the main doors, a brief feeling of confusion and worry flitted through her mind, and a second later, Harry was walking beside her, taking her hand in his. The whispering and snickering getting louder as they reached the doors.
“You’re just going to let them walk out?” they heard Snape complain.
“They’re free to leave if they wish.” McGonagall’s reply was the last thing they heard before the doors closed.
Once they were back in their quarters, Hermione started to pace as Harry sat, his stomach growling.
“This is horrible! We’ll never be able to take meals in the Hall at this rate!” Hermione said, fretting.
“They’ll forget about us when something else happens.” Harry said, trying to re-assure her. Then he looked at her more closely. “Are you alright?”
She mumbled something, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. “Huh?”
“My breasts hurt. They have been all day.”
“Oh…uh…do you want me to go back and get Pomfrey?” he asked, she looked at him, trepidation on her face, before she shook her head, and started pulling off her robe.
“What are you doing?” Harry asked, raising a hand to try and stop her.
“I’m lactating Harry, producing milk, ya know? That stage of the Bonding process?” she said, as she loosened her tie and started to unbutton her shirt. She turned and gave him a pointed look, before she started to walk towards him.
“Uh…oh…erm…okay…so…” Harry said, nervously. She rolled her eyes.
“So you have to drink it.” She said, bluntly. “I can’t reach them myself.”
“Don’t you want to have lunch first? We could ask the Elves to bring us something.” He said, feeling his half-hard shaft, which honestly, he’d gotten so used to that he’d managed to ignore it most of the time, fully harden at her words.
She paused and thought, then nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Dinner first, then you help me.” She said, taking a seat next to him.
“Er, okay, soo…do we just call out to a specific Elf or—” Harry’s question was cut off as a familiar House Elf, dressed in a filthy pillowcase appeared next to him, grinning.
“Dobby is being here to help the Great Harry Potter Sir and his Hermy.”
Harry and Hermione shared a confused look, then looked down at the eager elf.
“Dobby? When did you start here?” Harry asked.
“Yesterday Harry Potter Sir, Professor Kitty be asking Dobby and Winky to work in Hogwarts Kitchen with other elves this mornings.”
“Then how did you know to pop in here just now?” Hermione asked.
“Professor Kitty told us to be alert to anythings yous be needing.” Dobby said, grinning.
“So…McGonagall told you our situation?”
Dobby blushed and nodded. “Yes. No needs to be worrying though, Dobby and Winky being sure to be giving yous privacy when yous needing to…urm…be taking care of things.”
Harry and Hermione smiled as they shared another look, both of them flushing with embarrassment still.
“Okay, so…uh…Hermione and I were wondering if we could get some of what they’re serving for din—”
Harry’s words were cut off as Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing a few moments later along with Winky, both of them levitating trays that held plates and a pot of tea and some cups, and what appeared to be sponge cake for desert.
The two students thanked the two elves, who replied saying that if they needed anything else, they just had to call.
Once they were both done eating, Winky appeared and cleared away their plates. Hermione was unsure about this arrangement, she still didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of the elves being treated as little more than slaves, but for the moment, she knew her efforts to do something about it weren’t going anywhere quickly.
Once they were settled again, Harry turned back to his girlfriend, taking her hand in his. “Okay, now dinner is out of the way…you needed my help with…” he gestured to her chest, she blushed again, nodding, before her hands moved to her collar and she finished removing her tie, then she started to unbutton her shirt. Once that was off, she raised up and turned to him, pushing him back into the sofa and swinging a leg over his, until she was sat in his lap, as her hands went up behind her back, unhooking her bra. In a few moments, she had it undone, and cast it off to the side, sighing as her breasts, which felt fuller and heavier than they had that morning, were finally freed.
Harry gulped as he stared at the beautiful mounds that were just about level with his face as Hermione settled herself down, a slight smirk on her face as she felt something pressing rather insistently against her crotch.
“So…uh…what do I…”
“Just take one in your hand, and gently hold it, then start licking the nipple, if you want, then…put it in your mouth. You’ve done it before.” She said, her voice getting a little thicker with emotion and anticipation as he did just that, she bit her lip as he leaned in, his tongue flicking out to circling her left nipple.
“How often will I have to do this?” he asked, looking up at her over his glasses.
“Daily. They were already starting to hurt a little this morning, I doubt I could have waited until tomorrow, so it must have started late last night. Normally, when a new mother feeds her baby, it’s every couple of hours or so…but I’m not sure how we’ll be able to do this quickly before lessons, we’ll have to make sure we eat our meals quickly if I need to be drained, or we can try to see how long I can go per day.”
Harry leaned in, his lips almost touching her breasts, but he was hesitating. He’d suckled her nipples many times of course, but he’d never done it with the expectation of getting something out of them. Part of him was telling him this wasn’t normal, that she should only be doing this with a baby, or not this soon at any rate.
“Under normal conditions, this wouldn’t have happened for another eight or nine months or so, and by then it’d be October or so, just starting our fifth year.” Hermione said as if reading his mind, then he remembered, they’d already started forming a mental and emotional connection, so she probably had. As she put a hand on the back of his head, and tried to pull him closer, he resisted a little still, still curious with questions.
“How come we’ve never seen couples bonding before?” Harry asked, as he started to gently massage her right breast.
“It’s usually done in private, some allowances are usually made with the staff when the bonding reaches this stage, but since this is unprecedented, McGonagall didn’t really have time to prepare I think. I haven’t even told her yet. This, and the staff preparations, is also why students are discouraged from starting too early.” She then looked down at him, rocking her hips to grind her groin against his, which made them both hiss in pleasure. “You’re stalling.”
“No I’m not.” He lied.
Eyes narrowing, she sat down fully, before raising a hand to his chin and raising his head, forcing their eyes to meet.
“Harry James Potter.” She growled through her teeth in the most authoritative tone she could manage, the one she usually reserved for him and Ron when they were being idiots, as she glared at him. “Stop being a stubborn, boar-headed Gryffindor and Suck. My. Tits. Now!”
“Yes dear.” He said, before her hand came up round the back of his head and pulled him close. He wasn’t sure exactly what to do, not really, but he figured there had to be more to it than just simply sucking right?
It took a little bit of trial and error, but soon, he was gently sucking on her areola. When his teeth grazed her nipple she hissed and arched her back, and he tried to pull away.
“No! No…that’s…that’s good…” she panted, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer as both of his arms wrapped around her to hold her steady, and he resumed his efforts.
He wasn’t quite sure what to expect, after all, he hadn’t really done much research on this subject, he’d thought he’d had more time, though he doubted there were many, if any books in the library on how to properly breastfeed.
A sudden bout of nausea seized him the exact moment that his mind registered what he was doing, but he tried to ignore it. After all, even without the curse, he would have still had to do this eventually.
‘Would I though?’ an errant thought flitted through his mind, ‘Would I have even considered bonding with Hermione without this curse? Would I have even asked her to the Ball, which I haven’t even done yet? Try asking a girl for a date first before you suckle at her tits Potter!’
“Will you go to the Ball with me?” he asked, pulling his mouth away from her swollen wet nipple just far enough to talk.
“Mmm…huh? What?” Hermione moaned as she oped her eyes and looked down at him, her mind rapidly becoming clouded in pleasure and lust.
“Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?” he asked, smiling up at her as he flicked his tongue out to lick at her stiff nipple.
‘Is he fucking SERIOUS?!’ she mentally screamed, as she grit her teeth in incredulity, and a small amount of genuine anger.
“What? You’re asking me now?!”
“Well, I just realized I hadn’t asked ye—”
“YES you prat!” she snarled, anger at his stalling, incredulity that he was asking now and lust and love for him burning in her brown eyes as she glared down at him. Her breasts were really starting to hurt now, and his stalling wasn’t helping any. “Now shut up and suck my god damn fucking boobs!”
She then pulled hard on his hair, pushing his face almost painfully back down on her breast. Immediately, he clamped on and started sucking, harder than before, and when he felt the first few drops of warm liquid on his tongue, he didn’t stop or pull away, he just closed his eyes and gently started massaging both of her mounds.
“Mmmm……Yeah…that’s it…you’re really good at this.” she sighed, a lot calmer. Harry leaned back into the sofa, pulling her with him. In a few moments, his mouth was full of warm, sweet milk, and he swallowed, gulping it down, and he felt her press her lips to the top of his head in a gentle kiss.
“I…I love you…so much…”
Sucking in a breath, he continued. After a few minutes, the flow of milk from her breast slowed, then stopped, and he gave her nipple one last suck before he released it, taking a moment to regard her wet breast, he quickly moved to her right one when she started to mewl with impatience. As he started licking her right breast, she grabbed his right hand and shoved it down between them, then up, under her skirt until it was cupping her very wet knickers. Her desires and intent clear even through the lust clouding his mind.
“Your fingers. Please!” she gasped as he started to suck, while at the same time, he slipped his hand under the wet fabric and cupped her hot, wet labia. His eyes widened slightly, even now, after all their times together, he was still surprised at just how wet she was. She felt like a furnace as he gently slid first one, then two fingers into her, and started to thrust, while she started to roll her hips, grinding her clitoris into his palm with a desperate moan.
Harry lost track of time as they sat there, all he was aware of was the warm nourishing fluid flowing into his mouth and down his throat as he drank, he was so absorbed in what he was doing, that he barely even registered Hermione’s first climax, or her second.
He didn’t even notice the rush he got while drinking her milk. The same rush he got from a regular feeding. He only finally became aware of it, once he’d swallowed the last of her milk and pulled back, and she sat up, gasping and panting, as she came down from a fifth climax, her face flushed, her pupils dilated, her eyes dark with lust and hunger.
“You okay?” he asked. She nodded, gulping air, before she fixed him with a look.
“Yes. You?”
He nodded. “I think it worked, I feel like I just had a normal feeding.”
“Good. We know you can use these next month. Now, on your back Harry Potter. Trousers and boxers OFF. It’s my turn.”
Not for the first time, Harry was very glad he and Hermione had their own quarters as she literally tried to tear his trousers off the moment he laid down on the sofa.
-=-=-=-
Staff room, after dinner.
Minerva swirled the glass of Ogden’s Fire Whiskey in her hand as she sat at the staff table, her friends and colleagues sat around her, well, most of them. Rubeus, Moody, Filch, Albus and Snape had already left, something she was silently thankful for. Snape had wanted to discuss the “Childish and unseemly behavior” exhibited by Harry and Hermione since their cursing, and how Skeeter hadn’t entirely been wrong about Hermione being the cause of their predicament.
It had taken a significant portion of her own willpower not to draw her wand on Snape right there and then and blast him through the wall. Fortunately, everyone else had been on her side, and the cold glares Snape had received had quickly put an end to any discussion of that damn article. Though Minerva had demanded to know how Rita had gotten back onto school grounds, as she had been banned following her appearance during the First Task, unfortunately, Dumbledore hadn’t had an answer.
Though he did confirm to the rest of the staff that Harry and Hermione had been cursed, but he refused to say what, which she was thankful for. After that, the meeting had progressed how it usually did, with Snape complaining yet again about Neville Long bottom destroying his cauldron in Potions, discussions about the school budget, and how the visiting schools were doing.
Once the meeting had been adjourned, and Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Moody and Filch had left, Minerva had signaled for the rest of stay seated. She felt this meeting had to happen, with those she trusted, not that she didn’t trust Hagrid, the man had a heart as big as his stomach, and as soft as his beard…but sometimes, that worked against him.
The reason she’d called this meeting, was the article published in the paper that morning, and the incident in the Hospital Wing yesterday, which she’d heard about from Poppy after she’d finished talking to Snape and Filius, before her meeting with Albus earlier in the day.
She had not been happy about that at all. She also needed to discuss the summer months and brainstorm ideas. Harry could not return to Privet Drive, he’d be dead within a week if he did, and Miss Granger likely wouldn’t be much better off.
Serverus…well, he’d already made his feelings on the situation quite clear. Filch, well, he hated all the students, and would likely taunt either Mister Potter or Miss Granger, something Minerva did not want. Moody…well, she wasn’t sure what he could contribute here, besides, he was an ex-Auror, he’d likely try to arrest her for what she was about to discuss here. And Rubeus, bless him, he was so friendly and sensitive, he’d likely become extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed at the subject of what they were about to discuss. Though if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t comfortable with it either.
She looked around at her friends; Irma Pince, Poppy Pomfrey, who she knew, was already aware of the situation, Aurora Sinistra, who was still furious over the altercation with Draco Malfoy on Wednesday, Charity Burbage, Pomona Sprout, Filius Flitwick, Rolanda Hooch, Septima Vector and Bathsheda Babbling.
“Thank you all for staying. I’d hoped that we’d never have to have this meeting, but, sadly, it is necessary, there are important matters we need to discuss, and I’d rather not have this get back to Albus or Serverus.”
“What’s this about Minerva?” Pomona asked. “Is this about that ridiculous pile of dragon shite that so-called ‘reporter’ printed in the Prophet today?” McGonagall sighed and reached into a bag she’d brought in with her, pulling out a few sheets of parchment. She still hadn’t found the book she’d confiscated, she suspected someone, possibly Snape, had taken it, but she couldn’t outright accuse him without proof.
She handed the sheets to Pomona, Filius and Aurora, the others leaned over to get a look. Minerva held her breath, mentally preparing for the hissing, spitting, ranting and yelling that she was sure was to come. She was not disappointed.
“What the bloody hell is this?!” Aurora snapped, her dark-brown face twisting in an expression of outrage.
Minerva sighed. ‘Here it comes.’ she thought. “That, Aurora, is a copy of several pages from a book taken from the Slytherin Private Library by one of its students and presented to me. Those pages detail a curse used by Draco Malfoy on both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, a few weeks ago now, a week before the first task. Miss Granger and her friends also managed to secure a second book on Sex Magic, this one seeming more benign, so I have allowed them to keep hold of it.”
“Huh, I was wondering where that book went.” Irma muttered to herself.
“And we’re just finding out about this now?!” Filius asked, eying her with surprise. Minerva sighed again, this was going to be one rough meeting, and that was assuming she got them to go along with her plan.
“I decided that it should be kept quiet, for their privacy. Poppy already knew about it, obviously, as did the Fourth through Seventh Year Gryffindors. They didn’t want attention being drawn to them. Miss Granger also made the students she told swear to secrecy. Though I suppose, that is now a moot point. Thanks to that wretch, not only does the entire school now know, but so do our guests, and just about every other person in the country that reads that rag.”
“So why tell us? While the effects of this curse do seem to be...extremely personal in nature, Mister Potter and Miss Granger seem to be coping rather well, despite Mister Potter dealing with the added stress of the Tournament. Has there been any news on that front?” Pomona asked. Minerva shook her head.
“No, no developments yet on who put his name in the Goblet, as for why I'm bringing this to your attention? Well, I...need your help. What I'm hoping to come up with here; and believe me when I say, I wish I wasn’t trying to do this, but I fear I may have no choice, is come up with a Plan B.”
“Plan B? What’s Plan A?” Charity asked.
“Plan A involves finding alternative accommodations for Mister Potter and Miss Granger during the summer months outside of Hogwarts, the same accommodations, so they can continue to...support one another, as they are doing now here at the school. I’ve already placed them in the Gryffindor Head Boy’s quarters off of the common room. I know none of you are aware of Mister Potter’s life outside of Hogwarts, so I'll give you the abridged version. His Muggle relatives; his aunt, uncle and cousin, hate magic. They consider it, and anything and everything even remotely magical as ‘unnatural’.” she snorted, magic was the very essence of nature! She continued, knowing that her friends were not going to like what they were about to hear. “For the first nine, almost ten years of his life with them, from November 1st 81 to July 24th 91, the day he received his first Acceptance Letter, Harry Potter lived in a cupboard under the stairs of his relative’s home.”
Blank stares were the only response she got, for a few minutes anyway, before everyone started talking and, in some cases, yelling over each other, at once.
“WHAT?!” Filius yelled, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the staff present. Minerva nodded.
“I was only made aware of how bad it was a short time ago.”
“Wait...first Acceptance Letter? How many did he get?” Bathsheda asked.
“One Hundred and Eight-One, according to Mr Potter, over the course of a week, prior to his 11th birthday and Rubeus presenting him with his final one at around Midnight on July 31st.”
“ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE?!” came the collective outcry from the assembled staff.
“Why so many?!” Rolanda asked disbelievingly.
“Apparently, the first forty-one were destroyed before he got a chance to read them.”
“But...but...!” Aurora stammered, not believing what her friend was saying. Minerva nodded. “As I said, his relatives despise magic and all its forms, they never told him the truth of what happened to Lily and James, Hagrid did. I heard it from him when he got back that year after making the delivery, he was ranting about how Petunia and Vernon Dursley had insulted the memories of Lily and James by not telling Harry the truth, but, for some reason, I put it out of my mind over the years, and didn’t peruse it.”
“But...Albus addresses the Acceptance Letters! HOW could he have possibly MISSED that?!” Pomona seethed.
Minerva sighed in shame, she honestly had no answer for that, she remembered Miss Granger’s anger at realizing that the Headmaster knew of the miss-treatment Harry had received and had done nothing about it over the years.
“Why didn’t you do something?” Filius asked.
“I tried to warn Albus, the night he left Mister Potter at the Dursley home, I warned him that I’d been watching them all day and that I thought they were the worst sort, completely unfit to take care of him, but Albus insisted, claiming that Harry had no other family to go to. This was wrong of course, there was his Godfather, but...that’s a whole other mess to deal with at another time. My original point is; if Harry Potter returns to his Muggle relatives, I'm reasonably sure, giving what is written on those pages, that he would more than likely be dead within a week.”
“Why?” Septima asked.
“Well, if you read the requirements and side effects of that curse, if Mister Potter does not...uh...feed for an extended period of time, he’ll get so weak that he’ll fall into a coma then die, over the course of about three or four days at least. The only female in that house on a regular basis is his aunt, and I HIGHLY doubt she would be willing to help him, and I imagine they would not let him out of the house to find someone willing to help him and I also highly doubt that Arabella Figg would be willing, even though she’s been living next door to them since 81.”
“Wait...Arabella Figg? She’s a squib working for the Order isn’t she? I think I saw her a few times during the last war, during Order meetings.” Filius spoke up.
“Yes, and she was tasked by Albus to keep an eye on him, and apparently, she didn’t make his stays at her home pleasant, I confronted her about this recently after I found out about his treatment there, and she told me that she wanted to interfere, that she knew what they were doing, but Albus ordered her not to say anything to him, and she believed that his relatives would not let Harry visit her if they suspected he enjoyed the visits.”
“Hold up. Dumbledore KNEW what was going on in that house?!” Pomfrey spat, a look of rage clouding her face.
Minerva nodded. “Probably not everything, I doubt Harry told her that they kept him in a cupboard, probably out of fear he wouldn’t be believed, but if he did, and she told Albus, and he did nothing...” Minerva trailed off, not liking where her thoughts were leading her.
“Why would they even treat him like this? I get not liking magic, but that is a bit much.” Rolanda said.
“Because, according to Mister Potter, they treat him like a House Elf, they make him do all the chores, all the cooking, cleaning, gardening and such, and have, since he was little. They constantly insult him, calling him Freak, most of the time. They have also instilled in him low self-esteem and self-worth, and I believe, on the subject of sex and relationships, they probably told him nothing, or they told him that it is only done between a man and a woman who are married. And anything outside of marriage is wrong, which leads to our current issue. Mister Potter was apparently very reluctant, when all this started.”
Aurora snorted in disgust, “Five Galleons says Potter’s uncle is getting some on the side and his wife doesn’t know.” several of the other Professors snorted and chuckled, temporarily lightening the mood.
“I doubt it, from what I’ve been told of him by both Mister Potter and Hagrid, the man makes Elephant Seals look anorexic. Miss Granger said he’d put Jabba the Hutt to shame.” Minerva said with a snort.
“Who is Jabba the Hutt? And what’s a Hutt?” Filius asked, confused.
“So, what is all this about then Minerva?” Pomona asked, ignoring Filius’ question.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed, at least those of you who teach him, that Mister Potter has been getting fatigued again, over the past few days.” Minerva asked, there were several nods.
“As I told you Minnie, he’s been coming to me and asking for Pepper-up potions and stamina potions. I’ve told him it’s dangerous to take too many of them, and that they wouldn’t work anyway. And I was right. He collapsed yesterday during a Defense lesson. Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass…helped him recover.” Poppy said, wincing as she tried not to remember the impassioned moans and screams she’d heard through the door to her domain, at one point, she’d even cast sound dampening charms so no passers-by would hear clearly.
McGonagall nodded, “Then it seems the book was correct: Stamina potions won’t have any affect.”
“Well, it seems that he’s been ignoring his...treatments, shall we say, and only getting what he needs when he feels he has no choice.” Pomfrey said.
“Why would he do that?” Aurora said.
“Again, that brings me back to his upbringing, and how strict it was. I have reason to believe that he believes he’s taking advantage of Miss Granger, as well as the offers of...help any other female students may make or have made, although I don’t think there have been many, I did not ask. Frankly, he is starting to think that he is acting like a parasite, feeding from these witches and they do not benefit, and consequently, he is trying to avoid doing so. At least, that’s the impression I got from what Poppy told me earlier.” Minerva said.
Septima snorted, “If he thinks they’re not ‘getting anything out of it’ then he’s clearly not paying attention, or doing something wrong. What about Miss Granger?”
“She is unhappy with his...fasting, shall we say. I wouldn’t be surprised if she forced him to swear a vow that he never refuse an offer of help again, given what happened yesterday. But as for her own…diet, she seems to be keeping on top of it.”
Septima paused, a thoughtful look on her face. “Do either of them know about Bonding? If I’m correct, Miss Granger is 15 years old, which means she is of the minimum age at which a witch and wizard can start Bonding, could the curse have originated as a spell designed to facilitate it?”
Minerva nodded.
“They do, and they have. We all know what to expect during the final stages of the Bonding, so considerations will have to be made then. The issue again is timing, that damn curse has accelerated things greatly. She could start producing in weeks, not months.”
‘And just our luck, might be days.’ She thought.
She then considered what her friend had said, and doubted that the curse had started out as a mis-crafted spell designed to facilitate a Bonding, as according to the book, it had been developed as a means of foreplay between married adults, so by that logic, they should have already bonded. The fact that it just accelerated the Bonding was an unintended bonus.
“So if we can’t get alternate accommodation for them, what is this Plan B of yours?” Pomona asked.
Minerva took a breath, here it was, her plan, though she knew they weren’t going to like it.
“Well, Albus insists that Harry go back to his relatives, and believes that he can make arrangements with Arabella to support him and Miss Granger. I don’t see how though. Miss Granger’s home is nearly an hour’s drive from where he’ll be, and that’s quite a commute for her parents to make every day. You’re probably thinking ‘she can just use the night bus’, and that may be true, but Mister Potter’s relatives may catch on that something is up, and may stop him from going round to Arabella’s house, and that would be an even bigger headache that we just don’t need.”
She paused to take a sip of the whiskey, then continued.
“My plan is this. We send them both ‘care packages’, of potion vials, filled with water, with…what they need, mixed in.” Minerva said, trying not to cringe at what she was proposing, she knew she was skirting a very dangerous line, and it wouldn’t take long for them to figure out what she meant, and how it would work, and who it would have to come from. Needless to say she was glad Moody, or worse, Amelia Bones wasn’t in the room, or she’d probably be arrested for what she was proposing.
“How would that work?” Aurora asked, “If I’m reading this right, they both need several…infusions, daily, there is no way a single which and wizard, assuming a witch can’t provide for both of them, would be able to ‘produce’ the amounts needed. Where would we get the volunteers? How would it be done?”
“They certainly wouldn’t be able to provide for each other, they’d both need to be on daily doses of lust potion and stamina potion to produce enough uh…donations surely? I know teenagers are young and have better stamina but still.” She looked at Poppy “And as you all know, too much of that stuff is dangerous.” Pomona said.
“Actually, in regards to Miss Granger’s and Mr Potter’s…readiness, shall we say, the curse takes care of that.” Minerva said, then noticed that Septima was giving her an odd look.
“Minerva, you said ‘We’ll send them care packages.’ Are you implying what I think you are?”
“Wait, what?” Charity asked.
“She’s suggesting WE send the care packages.” Septima replied, but Minerva cut her off.
“I will send them, via Owl post.”
“Yes, but who would make them? Because it would take more than one witch to fill enough potion vials to make sure they get what they need. At least three of us! And just how would you, or we, go about filling those Vials? I can tell you right now, I’m not exactly a fountain, so how would I manage it?” Septima said, her voice rising, along with her temper.
“What?! Minerva! Tell me she’s joking! Tell me you’re not actually considering having US…provide the fillings for those vials?!” Pomona said, scandalized.
McGonagall sighed and raised her hands in a calming gesture. “BELIEVE me, I don’t like it anymore than any of you do, if we can’t get them into a stable, protected accommodation for the summer break where they can safely tend to each other, it might very well be the only way to keep at least one of them, if not both of them alive!”
“What about the Burrow? I’m sure Molly and Author would be willing to take them in.” Flitwick said.
Minerva nodded “Albus was just finishing a conversation with Molly when I entered his office. She knows what’s going on, thanks to that rag, and apparently did suggest that Harry and Hermione stay at the Burrow, even if she’s not comfortable with either of them doing what they must, considering how over-bearing she can be. You know what she’s like. Her two eldest sons fled the house as soon as they were old enough to get away from her. Besides, it would likely be very uncomfortable for the children as well, as their relationship with young Ron has been…strained lately. So no, I do not believe the Burrow would be a good idea for them.”
“Have you at least told Miss Granger’s parents?” Filius asked. Minerva shook her head.
“I’ve had that letter sitting on my desk since just after I found out about this curse, and what its effects on them are, but I keep rewriting it. How do you tell parents, muggle parents at that, that their 15-year-old daughter is now almost entirely dependent on drinking semen or vaginal fluid in order to stay alive? I asked Hermione if she’d written a letter yet, and she said no, she doesn’t know how to tell them, but she knows she’ll have to, eventually.”
The others nodded, that was an issue, but one that would have to be tackled, and soon.
“Back to the issue at hand though, your...Plan B...” Pomona said, giving her friend a penetrating look. “If Mr Potter is not feeding as regularly as he should be out of a belief that he is somehow taking advantage of or using these witches, how do you expect him to take those vials? You know he’ll realize what is in them the moment he drinks the first one. How are you going to convince him? Or Miss Granger for that matter! How do you expect them to react once they realize who the contents of the vials are from?”
“I will speak with Mister Potter privately soon, either after his next Transfiguration lesson, if I notice that he seems a bit exhausted, more than he should at least, or I'll call him to my office. As for how to get him to take them, I'll simply tell him that as his Head of House, it is my duty to make sure he stays healthy and his welfare is maintained. But as I said, I am hoping this Plan B will not be necessary, and that Plan A will work. But...if Plan A fails, and we need to use Plan B...can I count on your help?” she asked, looking around at her friends.
They all exchanged uncomfortable looks, this was not an easy decision to make, and she expected most of them to back out, if not all, and if they did, then, well, she’d do what she could for her lions, even if that meant drinking lust potions every day to get herself wound up enough.
“If none of you wish to help, then I understand, and I'll do my best to manage on my own.”
“And how will you do that? I mean, I'm not saying I want to know sordid details about your sex life, but in order for you alone to produce as much as they would both need, daily for the entirety of the summer break, you’d have to be drinking lust potions daily. And that is not a good idea.” Poppy said, and Minerva agreed.
“Which is why I'm counting on Plan A hopefully working, so we won’t have to do this, but in the event that fails, I'm hoping I can count on at least some of you for support.”
“How do you know ahead of time if he’ll accept the offer or not?” Aurora asked, then she eyed Minerva closely. “You already have some ready, don’t you.” it wasn’t a question.
Minerva reached back down into the bag and pulled out three small Potion Vials, each one held some clear liquid, filled almost to the top, each with a simple stopper in the neck.
“Charmed to be unbreakable while the stopper is in place, along with stasis charms that deactivate when the stopper is removed. And yes, they’re full of water and...test samples...” she tried not to cringe as she said that.
After several more exchanges and quiet shushed talking, the others spoke up.
“I’m sorry Minerva, but I’m afraid I cannot help you with this, at least, not in the way you’re suggesting.” Filius said apologetically. “I don’t feel comfortable with the idea.”
A few others nodded their agreement. “I too am afraid I will have to back out Minnie. I teach them for Herbology, I'm not sure I’d be able to look Mr Potter in the eye if I knew he was...well...” Pomona couldn’t finish, as an embarrassed, uncomfortable look crossed her face.
Minerva closed her eyes, she’d hoped that Pomona Sprout, one of her oldest and dearest friends, would back her on this, but she didn’t hold it against her friend for backing out, or Filius for that matter.
“I’ll help you, Minerva.” Rolanda said quietly, “I don’t teach them anything, and I only referee the Quidditch matches, so it shouldn’t be as awkward for me.”
“I’ll also help, since I only teach them once a week, I won’t have to interact with either of them much outside of their Astronomy lessons, unless I need to.” Aurora said.
“I will also help you.” Poppy said quietly, giving her friend a re-assuring, but slightly uncomfortable look. Honestly, Minerva couldn’t blame them for being uncomfortable, she was uncomfortable with what she was suggesting, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to use it.
“I will help you as well, Mister Potter is not in my class this year, though Miss Granger is, but hopefully there won’t be any awkwardness.” Vector added.
It was then that Irma spoke up, after being quiet for most of the meeting. “I think I would be of better help searching the library for any information on a cure.”
McGonagall nodded, before putting the vials back in her bag and taking back the parchments. “Thank you, all of you, hopefully, we won’t need to use this plan.”
-=-=-=-
Notes:
If you want to, please follow this Link to reach my Discord Server. If you want to come and chat, there are also links to my other stories as well as stories written by other members :)
Chapter 13: Reactions and Altercations
Notes:
And here we have the follow-up chapter.
Trigger warning for Assault!
A big thank you to AcademicallySuffering over on Discord for his help with coming up with actually accurate translations for the curses used in this chapter, and also helping me come up with an incantation (or two) that can be used for the main curse of this fic itself.
Also, a big thank you to Hoshitsuki (a native french speaker) over on Discord (who also has fics here) who helped me properly translate Fleur's response to Rita's bit about her :P
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thursday December 1st, 1994.
Defence Classroom.
“Ugh…” Draco moaned as he blinked, and his senses started to come back to him.
The first thing he was aware of, was that he was laying on his back with Pansy and a few other of his close associates kneeling or crouching next to him, looking equal parts concerned and angry.
“Draco!” Pansy said, reaching down to help him up into a sitting position. She turned to send a scornful sneer in the direction of the Gryffindors, most of whom were laughing and snickering at her boyfriend’s predicament.
“Wha’ happen?” Draco slurred, not quite awake as he started rubbing his face.
Pansy’s face twisted into an expression of pure hate.
“ Greengrass.” She snarled.
Draco’s eyes widened, then narrowed as they turned hard and cold, his lips turning down, as he frowned. He then looked around as Goyle helped him to his feet.
“Where is she.” He growled quietly.
“Went with Moody and the mudblood, took Potter to the Hospital Wing. You must have hit him pretty hard. His performance was pathetic. ” Bulstrode sneered, grinning.
Draco snorted. He had noticed that Potter had seemed off his game, in fact, he’d noticed over the past couple of days that Potter just seemed to be getting more tired. A slow smirk pulled at his lips as a thought occurred to him.
‘He’s not been feeding…hopefully it’s been too long and he’ll wind up dead.’ He thought.
“The bitch needs to pay for betraying us.” Theodore hissed.
“She will. ” Pansy growled.
Draco said nothing more, as he silently ruminated Daphne’s clear betrayal of Slytherin, he’d have to inform Snape, and measures would have to be taken.
He looked over and the Gryffindors and was about to fire of a few cutting remarks, when the door opened and Weasley re-entered the room, followed by Moody. His eyes flicked the the doorway, expecting to see Greengrass stepping through, but she didn’t. Moody closed the door and turned the rest of the class.
“Alright you lot, back to your positions. We have a lesson to finish.” He growled, his magical eye sweeping the room.
Where was Daphne? Why hadn’t she returned with them?
Draco’s eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him.
‘She stayed behind. She’s helping the mudblood…helping POTTER!’
He grit his teeth in a repressed snarl of fury, but then quickly schooled himself when he saw that eye flick his way.
He paid no attention to the slight smirk on the Professor’s face.
-=-=-=-
Later, after dinner.
Daphne made her way through the halls, idly trudging her way back towards the Slytherin dorms, as slowly as she could. If she were honest with herself, she was terrified.
She’d sat with her sister and her friends among the Second Years during dinner, and the looks she’d gotten from her own year-mates when everyone had first sat down, in particular Draco and his crew, and soon after, the higher years…
She shuddered.
During dinner, she’d also looked up at the head table to see if Snape had anything to add, he hadn’t even looked at her beyond a cursory glance and his usual habitual sneer, though that was usually more hidden when he looked at any of his own students.
The evening copy of the Prophet had been yet another coverage of the First Task, or more precisely, Harry offering his arm as a snack to a Horntail.
‘Isn’t it about time that useless waste of paper started covering something else?’ she thought.
Then she paused, thinking.
Maybe she shouldn’t go down to the dorms tonight…she really hadn’t liked that look Draco had been giving her. But where else could she go? The only other places to sleep at Hogwarts were the Staff Private Quarters as well as the Head Students’ Private Quarters in each house, and she currently didn’t have the password for Slytherin’s.
Then again, even if she did , she likely wouldn’t make it through the main door to the dorms without getting attacked. No, she needed somewhere else…
Then, the proverbial lumos went on in her head.
She smiled, turned, and started heading in the other direction, towards the Seventh Floor corridor leading to Gryffindor Tower.
Along the way, she bumped into Susan, who grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up.
“Daphne Greengrass, you sneaky snake.”
Daphne pulled up short, blinking in confusion. “Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me, I know what you did.” Her friend replied.
Daphne raised an eyebrow, an almost imperceptible smile crooking her lips, deciding to play along. “I’m reasonably sure I have no idea what you mean.”
Susan rolled her eyes. “Okay how about this? I heard from Neville during dinner that you cursed Draco in the back in DA, then you go with Hermione, Ron and Moody to take Harry to the Hospital Wing after Draco knocked him out, which led to the aforementioned cursing-in-the-back, but you didn’t come back . And during dinner, Harry looked rather well off, better than he has the last few days at least. Which leads me to one conclusion.”
She paused, gathering herself, then she grinned at her friend, who rolled her eyes. “Which is?”
“You Daphne Greengrass, went and snatched yourself some Parsellingus!”
“Some what…?” Daphne asked, incredulously. Not quite sure she’d heard that right.
Susan grinned at her own creativity. “Like it? That’s what I’m calling it now. Getting your fanny licked by a Parselmouth.”
Daphne stared at her, slack jawed, her eyes going wide as she processed what she’d just heard, her face heating in a fierce blush. Then she mastered herself and gave Susan a quick glare.
“Bones, don’t ever say that word again!”
“Why not? It’s accurate.” Susan grinned. “Besides, you gotta spill!”
Daphne raised an eyebrow again. “This, after you gave me grief about offering him your fanny on a silver plate the other day?”
“You were offering both, and he’s already had yours. I wanna know what it was like! You know girls talk about this sort of stuff!”
“Maybe.” Daphne snorted, “But I’d rather think Harry would like the details of his ‘feedings’ kept quiet.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “Besides, if you’re that desperate to know, just drag him into a cupboard, sit him down then drop your skirt and knickers.” She then stepped around Susan and kept walking. Susan turned to follow.
“Where are you even going anyway? This isn’t the way down to the Slytherin dorms.” Susan said, as she fell into step with the blonde. Daphne sighed, her shoulders sagging a little.
“Daph?” her friend asked worriedly.
“I can’t go back down there, not tonight. I saw the look on Draco’s face during dinner, and his friends, they’re planning something, I know it, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t feel like walking into an ambush back in the dorms tonight.”
“So where are you gonna go?” Susan asked.
“Room of Requirement.” Daphne replied, as she turned and headed down a side corridor, heading in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
“Want some company?” Susan asked.
“Wouldn’t you be missed back at the dorm?”
Susan shrugged, “Nah, Hannah asked Neville to join her in our room tonight.” She smirked and gave Daphne a wink, the blonde snorted.
“Being Purebloods, I’m surprised they’re taking the risk starting this early.”
Susan shrugged, “Han says she likes doing it. You know she’s actually got an animated tattoo of his family crest on her fanny?”
Daphne raised an eyebrow as she turned to her friend. “Oh? And how’d you know that?”
“Saw it this morning. It was on her chest when I first saw it the other night, but this morning, it was right between her legs, as if someone had painted it on her lips, I don’t think she noticed. It’s one of those that you can move with your wand, but there’s also ones that move randomly, and even those that can move based on your own thoughts.”
“Aren’t those temporary?” Daphne asked, trying to hide a giggle.
“Usually, though you can get permanent versions.” Susan said, as they turned onto the seventh floor.
“I’m sure Neville appreciates the sentiment.” Daphne said as they turned in to the corridor Harry had mentioned, soon spotting the tapestry.
“Okay…lets see if this works.” Daphne said, as she paced in front of the ridiculous wall decoration.
When the door appeared, Susan put a hand on Daphene’s shoulder, making her pause.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine Sue, I’m sure one of your other dorm mates wouldn’t mind sharing if Hannah and Neville don’t want some ‘help’.”
Susan raised an eyebrow. “Just what are you implying Daphne Greengrass? Besides, Neville is cute, but he’s not my type, plus Hannah isn’t the type who likes to share.”
Daphne grinned evilly. “Hermione is.”
Susan snorted and rolled her eyes, “I’m sure that was just a heat of the moment thing during an emergency situation. Besides, I’m not really on-board with the idea of sharing a bed with another girl. Yes Hannah and I share a room, but we don’t share a bed.”
“Aren’t the Hufflepuff dorms Co’ed?” Daphne asked.
“Generally, but it’s usually up to the students in each year, and like I said, I want to give Hannah and Neville some privacy.”
“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daphne said, giving her friend a quick hug, before turning and heading into the room, which she’d modelled after her own dorm room.
Friday December 2nd, 1994.
At breakfast the next morning, Susan sat down at the Hufflepuff table, glancing over to the Gryffindor table at Hannah, noticing with a small smirk the almost constant slight smile on her friend’s face.
“Looks like she had a fun night last night.” she said.
“Uh, what are you talking about?” Padma asked, looking over at Hannah, who was casting heated glances at the boy sitting next to her every few minutes.
“Hannah and Neville. Judging by that smile that seems to be permanently fixed on her face, she had a very fun night. And what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be sat with the Ravenclaws?”
Padma rolled her eyes as she started to pay more attention to her breakfast.
“What’s the matter Bones? Feeling left out?” she asked, smirking at the slightly flustered look that spread across Susan’s face.
“Hardly.” Susan snorted.
“Oh? You sure you’re not feeling a tiny bit jealous that all three of your best female friends are getting their fannies licked and you haven’t? Or that they’ve all had a chance to swallow a wand?” Padma retorted, snorting as Susan turned away, her face pinking a little.
Padma let out a theatrical sigh, “I know how you feel. It’s absolutely galling that my sister got a turn with Harry and I didn’t.”
“Oh? Isn’t having a go with twins every boy’s fantasy?” Susan asked, trying to ignore the curious stares from the rest of the table that their house-mates were giving them.
Padma shrugged, “I imagine so. But when I approached him, I must have caught him at a bad time, he seemed a bit fed up and pissed off, he snapped at me, made some comment about our entire society worshiping him for something he didn’t even do, or remember doing, and that everyone of us seems to be ignoring the fact that it was his mum that did all the work, and did the one thing the rest of us ‘ Didn’t have the balls, literally or figuratively, to do’ , as he put it.”
“ Ouch.” Cedric muttered, further down the table. “Though you gotta admit, the guy has a point.”
“Anyway, back to my original question.” Padma said, giving Susan a grin, “You’re definitely jealous. You know there’s nothing to stop you yanking him into a broom cupboard.”
Susan snorted, as did several others now listening in. “You mean like Weasley tried to do? Besides, I don’t need to just focus on Harry, I’m sure I could get any boy I wanted.” Susan said confidently.
“Sure. All the boys that have tried to chat you up the past year or two, you’ve ignored or turned down.” Justin said, Susan rolled her eyes as she swallowed the toast she’d been eating.
“ That’s because all of those boys couldn’t look higher than my boobs, and couldn’t think higher than their hips.” Susan said with a huff, “If I’d know what a Parselmouth could do, I’d have made a play for Harry years ago.”
“Sweetie, no one knew what a Parselmouth can do in bed, and those that did certainly weren’t spreading it around, would you? That’s probably the real reason why Parselmouths get such a bad rep, because once word started to get around how good they were in bed, regular people couldn’t compete.” Padma said, patting Susan’s arm.
“I doubt You-Know-Who knew about it.” Susan growled, “If he did, he wouldn’t have been such an asshole. I’m betting half the reason he turned out like he did was because he never got any while here.”
The others that were within hearing range shuddered, “ Please! Don’t put that image in our heads Bones! We’re trying to eat here!” Justin moaned.
“Besides, in regards to the boys around here, most of them that usually follow you around like puppies are now leaving you alone, and going after a certain french witch.” Padma said, smirking.
“You mean the ones that can’t look any higher than a girl’s rib cage? She can keep ‘em. Especially the ones that act like their brains have shut down around her.”
“You mean like Weasley?” Justin grinned. Susan shuddered, it still disgusted her, the look of absolute vacancy in his eyes as he stared at the Veela, his mouth hanging open, drool, and other half chewed material, dribbling from his mouth. It was… horrifying.
“I heard from Neville that Ron was still following the orders Moody gave him while under the Imperious after the effect had been lifted.” Justin said.
Susan nodded, “My aunt told me that those with exceptionally weak minds are even more susceptible to that curse than most. It is possible to be resistant, or to break free once you’re under it, but you need to be very strong-willed, and that will never be Ron Weasley.”
Before anyone else could comment on the topic, a flutter of wings heralded the arrival of the morning post.
When the post owl had made it’s delivery and left, Susan picked up her breakfast again and started to eat, only to realise the hall and suddenly gone deathly silent. She looked around and saw everyone reading a copy of the Prophet , and those that didn’t have their own, where sharing.
Curious, she picked up her copy and started to read.
Then promptly wished she hadn’t , as she tried desperately to keep her breakfast down at the headline stared at her.
PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF DEPRAVITY!
Boy-Who-Lived: Philandering playboy: A cheat at sports events and love?
Hermione Granger: Loving girlfriend or Cheating Temptress?
By Rita Skeeter
At first, Susan wasn’t aware that she’d started gripping the paper with enough force to turn her knuckles white, or that her fingers had already started to tear through it, or that her hands were shaking, or that her face suddenly felt cold.
‘Oh no…please Merlin no!’
Her eyes skimmed the article, the only sound she could hear was the rustling of paper, her own rapid breathing and the hushed whispers from the Slytherin and Durmstrang students, as well as the French contingent.
“Fuck…” Cedric muttered.
The sound of hurried footsteps drew her attention to the Gryffs, just in time to see Hermione’s retreating form as she ran for the main doors, flinging them open.
The cold chill she’d felt the moment she’d read the headline, was replaced by a seething, equally cold sense of fury.
‘ Auntie needs to be told the whole story, I doubt there’s much we can do to silence Rita now though.’ She thought. All those months the Dementors had been stationed at the school, looking for Sirius Black, and Susan found herself contemplating a rather dark alternative. ‘ They were sent after the wrong person.’
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much that could be done to Skeeter unless she broke one of the more serious laws, and Susan knew, or suspected, the insufferable hack was too smart to do that.
It was then that she heard something from the Ravenclaw table, Fleur was saying something while reading her own copy of the paper, and thanks to her aunt’s career in law enforcement, she sometimes had contact with other DMLEs on the continent, though that was rare, her aunt Amelia had still made it a point to teach Susan several foreign languages.
Admittedly, her French was rusty, but she was well versed enough to understand the Veela’s rant.
"J'peux pas croire le culot de cette pute! Si j'attrape cette pauvre excuse de cloporte et son journalisme à deux balles, je vais lui faire avaler sa putain de caricature de feuille de choux! Je vais lui enfoncer sa plume dans le cul à cette salope! Au moins elle aura du style comme ça la pétasse!"
Susan snorted. She probably could have come up with just as much of a fitting insult in half that sentence.
The sound of movement drew her attention back to Gryffindor, just in time to see Harry stand and start making his way towards the door, she watched as he paused and glared at the Slytherins, at Malfoy and Parkinson specifically, before exchanging a quick glance with Krum then Fleur, then his eyes locked with her own, and she saw the murderous rage burning in those green orbs.
‘ Shit, only seem him this mad once before, and that was after Hermione got petrified.’ She recollected. Seeing him hesitate, she jerked her head in the direction of the door and mouthed “ Go!” , he didn’t waste any more time, as McGonagall joined him at the door, and the two left.
Once the two were gone, the murmurs started in earnest. She idly wondered what Dumbledore would try to do to keep the peace this time, though she didn’t really see the point, the dame was already done.
She looked down at her own breakfast, suddenly not feeling very hungry.
-=-=-
Minerva sat at the head table, just tucking into her regular morning breakfast of coffee and toast.
“Rough night, Minnie?” Filius asked.
“Oh, you know, the usual here.” She then turned and looked at Poppy, who was sitting next to her.
“Poppy? Are you okay? You look haggard.”
“I think I’m going to have to burn Potter’s bed in the infirmary.” The woman replied, letting out a tired sigh.
“Whatever for?” Sprout asked, Pomfrey shuddered.
“Trust me Pom, you don’t want to know.”
Minerva raised an eyebrow, remembering how, the night before at dinner, Poppy had looked…well, stressed, would have been one way to put it.
Though Minerva hadn’t asked about it, figuring it had just been another busy day of dealing with a school full of teenagers.
She was about to ask her what she meant, when the morning post arrived.
As soon as she unfurled her copy of the paper, she would have spat coffee all over the front page, had she not already swallowed what was in her mouth.
She stared in mute horror and and mounting fury as she read the headline, and the accompanying article.
Clearly, Rita was going all out here, sparing nothing in describing every sordid detail of the private lives of two of her favourite students. The complete destruction of the sense of safety, privacy and security that Harry and Hermione were being dealt by this article made Minerva’s blood boil.
She’d read plenty of scandalous articles in her time, but this was somehow worse , namely because it exposed the private lives of two Hogwarts students in a way that she was sure, hadn’t been done before, and the fact that one of them was Harry Potter, and the other was a muggle-born, well, she didn’t know what was worse.
She tried to stop reading as the article started to mention, in some cases, explicit detail, some of the compromising positions and activities the two had been unknowingly caught in, but she couldn’t, some unseen force compelled her to read the whole sordid thing.
She made a mental note to talk with Pomfrey about that incident the night before, wondering why she was only finding out about it now, and from Rita shit-eating-hag-fucker Skeeter of all people!
If she ever got her hands on that… creature… well, Amelia would probably want to award her an Order of Merlin, if she had the means to do so.
She cast a sideways glance at Pomfrey, and saw the look of fury coloring her face. Minerva looked back at the article, reluctantly, and noted with a raised eyebrow, the not-so-subtle snub at her long-time friend’s professionalism.
It was then that she heard movement in the hall and looked up, in time to see Hermione running from the room, a few moments later, Harry got up and started to follow, pausing a moment to look around the room, which was now entirely focused on him.
“That two Knut whore wouldn’t know professional conduct if it face-fucked her!” Pomfrey snarled, before ripping her copy of the paper in half, earning a snort of amusement and agreement from almost everyone else sat at the table.
“I wouldn’t even waste two Knuts on her.” Filius commented.
“Aye.” Rubeus rumbled.
“Now Poppy, that is hardly appropriate.” Dumbledore said.
“But it is accurate Albus.” Pomfrey said, before she reached into her robe and pulled out a couple of potion vials, handing them both to Minerva. “They’ll need these Minnie.”
Minerva nodded as she stood and made her way round the table towards the main door, following the retreating form of Harry, all the while contemplating ways she could kill a certain reporter.
-=-=-
Daphne sat at the table, but refused to eat anything. She’d lost her appetite after reading that infernal paper. She knew her physical state was less than stellar, her hands were clammy, shaking, a cold sense of fear and rage wared within her for dominance. She felt her heart break as she watched Hermione run from the hall, part of her longed to follow, to comfort her friend, but she knew if she did, her standing in Slytherin would be even more dangerous. Sleeping in the Room of Requirement had been interesting, going to sleep in a copy of her own dorm room, but waking up in a large bed big enough to comfortably hold several people, had been… interesting. As had the candles and pink and dark red blankets, cushions and rose petals dotting the room.
She wondered if the room had been trying to tell her something.
She’d done her best to ignore the furious look Draco and his cronies had given her when she’d entered the hall and sat dowel. Clearly, they’d planned for something the night before, after dinner. No doubt something to pay her back for her actions in DA, but since she’d never returned to the dorms…
She’d cast a worried glance at her sister, fear suddenly surging through her. If Draco had laid a hand on little Tori, she’d kill him, consequences be damned.
Fortunately, Astoria hadn’t seemed too nonplussed, though she had shot her a confused look, silently asking why Daphne hadn’t been in the dorms the night before.
She looked down at the article again, noting with a chill of dread that it had indeed mentioned her, Hermione and Weasley taking Harry to Pomfrey, and clearly insinuated what had happened once there.
‘ How? Pomfrey would have spotted anyone close enough to eavesdrop…and there was no-one else in the room…’
Well…that explained the cold look of hostility on most of the Slytherins’ faces that morning when she’d arrived at the table. She’d sat next to Astoria, trying to put as much distance between herself and the rest of her year mates as she could, but it hadn’t helped much.
“So, Greengrass, you going to be dropping your knickers for Potter next?” Nott sneered from further down the table. “Or maybe bend over and beg him to lick your arse? Or are you gonna get down on your knees and suck him off alongside the mudblood, since you’ve clearly picked a side?”
“After all the practice she’s been getting, she’d probably be able to show the mudblood a thing or two.” Crabbe guffawed, Goyle chuckling alongside him.
‘What?’
“What the hell are you guys talking about? I’ve not been ‘getting any practice’ as you put it—” a snort from Parkinson and Bulstrode made her pause, before she continued, “—and I certainly won’t be dropping my knickers or raising my skirt for anyone anytime soon.”
“We’ll see, Greengrass.” Pansy growled, sending her a heated glare. “You are aware of what happens in Slytherin to those who side with the enemy , yes?”
Daphne scowled at the pug, but said nothing, so Goyle spoke up next,
“You need to learn what happens to those who shirk their loyalty to Slytherin.” Daphne snorted, almost laughed outright.
“Loyalty? Seriously Gregory, are you listening to yourself? Slytherin isn’t about loyalty, it never has been. There is NO loyalty in the Snake Pit.”
“What about Blood Loyalty then?” Bulstrode snapped, glaring at the blonde, as were many of the upper years now.
“The only Blood I’m loyal to is my own.” Daphne snapped back, “And since I didn’t betray my family, I have no need to worry about that.”
“Your family never supported the Dark Lord last time, did they.” Nott said, eying her and Astoria with a calculating eye.
“No. We chose to stay neutral.” Daphne said, knowing that what she was about to say could probably land her in even deeper shit than she was already in, but honestly, she didn’t care, it needed to be said.
“My father was smart. You have to be, to be a successful businessman. He didn’t want to be branded like a domesticated farm animal, which is why our family stayed out of the war.” She said, staring at each of them hard.
“Blood Traitor!” Draco snarled, as he stood, hands on the table, leaning over as he glared at her with a look of such hatred. Nott just glared at her, his look cold but calculating. Out of all the Slytherins, the only ones not giving her looks of death were the First and Second years, though the Second years looked more shocked than angry, Astoria looked worried, and her friend, Tracey Davis, though her brother Roger, was giving her a suspicious look.
“Is there a problem here?” came the voice of their head of house. Everyone turned to see Snape standing from the table and approaching, the murmurs from the other tables had died down again.
“Daphne Greengrass has betrayed Slytherin! She helped Potter and the mudblood last night in Defence class, and she just insinuated that everyone who took the Dark Lord’s Mark, all of whom did so with pride , are little more than farm animals!” Draco seethed.
“Is that an admission that your own father willing supported that wanker Draco?” Susan called out.
Draco turned to glare at her, only realise many eyes were now on him. He looked between Daphne and Susan, glaring at them both.
‘Say nothing.’ He thought to himself, ‘Plan, bide your time Draco.’ Drawing in a breath, he settled his glare on Daphne then sat down.
“Miss Greengrass, one week of Detention with me after classes, starting tonight. You’ll be helping me prepare potion ingredients.” Snape growled, his eyes drilling into her, she knew better than to match his glare, so just nodded. “Do try to keep your outbursts to a minimum Draco, a Slytherin does not draw attention to themselves like some boorish Gryffindor. ”
And with that, he turned and headed back to his seat.
At his place at the table, Krum sat stone-faced, glaring down at the paper, translated into Bulgarian, wishing it wasn’t. He liked Harry, he wasn’t arrogant as many in Slytherin had claimed, no, that title was reserved for it’s self-styled prince.
‘Detestable little prick.’ He thought with a growl. He looked further up the table, and saw the smug grin on the little bastard’s face.
He’d been on the receiving end of a few scandalous articles himself, and he knew what Harry and Hermione were likely feeling right now.
He looked up just in time to see Hermione stand and run from the room, Harry following soon after along with the Transfiguration Professor.
His and Harry’s eyes met briefly, and Krum did his best to convey what he was feeling in that look, then gestured for him to follow his lover.
He suddenly no longer felt hungry.
-=-=-
“I’LL KILL HER!”
Sirius’ voice roared through the gloomy rooms and passage ways of #12 Grimmauld Place as he threw the screwed up paper into the fireplace and started to pace like a caged animal, glaring periodically at the wad of paper, watching it burn, wishing it was Rita.
Remus sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He hated it when his friend got like this, all this time cooped up was not doing Sirius’ mental health any good.
Sure, he got to go out whenever he wanted, but only as Padfoot, never as Sirius Black, which was both a blessing and a curse.
After so many years in Azkaban, Sirius was still desperately deprived for affection, and although Sirius was able to find… company , for lack of a better word, among London’s stray dog population, fleas, ticks, animal control, and parvo were legitimate concerns to Remus.
Though he wasn’t exactly sure if Sirius could catch parvo or not, he knew he could definitely catch fleas. And had.
But he wasn’t able to leave the house as Sirius Black , and actually interact with other people, as he once could, which was why Sirius tended to get like this.
And now this had literally landed in their laps while they’d been sitting down to breakfast.
‘Well, this is a FINE way to start the day.’
He thought for a moment, wondering why Dumbledore had never arranged a trial for Sirius, after finding out his friend never received one, he wasn’t sure if Dumbledore had ever visited Sirius or not, his friend’s memories of Azkaban were one long jumbled nightmare he tried not to think about, and Remus never pressed.
Something…felt off with this whole situation. Rita seemed to have the run of Hogwarts, Dumbledore seemed to be losing his touch when it came to controlling information, considering he’d managed to keep news about the student attacks in 92 from getting out, so why was he suddenly not able to keep the press out?
“Did you go to Gringotts yet?” he asked, hoping to distract his friend.
“Not yet, I’ll try to make it there sometime before Christmas, and if I can’t, hopefully sometime early next year. Don’t give me that look Moony, I do fully intend to make Harry my heir, but I want to wait until after he finishes this tournament.”
“Why? You could arrange to disinherit Draco now.” Remus said.
“If I do that, and then something happens to Harry and me, then House Black gets dissolved. And yes, I hate this place, I hate my mother’s portrait, I can barely stand Kreacher, but I really don’t want to see nearly one thousand years of history just go poof.”
“Well then, lets hope Harry and you both live long happy lives.” Remus said, “Now, sit down and eat your breakfast.”
-=-=-
Office of the Under-Secretary, M.O.M
Dolores eyed the paper before her with disgust. While she certainly wouldn’t mind anything that went towards damaging Potter’s standing, she really didn’t want to know the ins-and-outs of his private life.
Her eyes narrowed as they scanned the page, picking out details, her calculating Slytherin mind ever analytical.
Greengrass…
A prominent Pure-blood family, the father a businessman, not as rich as the Malfoys, Potters or any of the other really old families, be he did have connections. If her knowledge of the family was accurate, they hailed from the continent, from Scandinavia or Norway, and they had fled to England following Grindelwald’s defeat. Why they had done so was not known. She did know that the family had remained neutral during Voldemort’s… Riddle’s… she corrected herself with a scowl, first rise. Maybe the family had supported Grindelwald during his campaign, and had been chased out? And to avoid persecution a second time, they’d stayed neutral with the next ‘Dark Lord’ rising?
It would have to warrant further scrutiny, especially if the eldest daughter was now throwing her lot in with Potter.
‘Along with throwing her knickers at him, evidently.’
Dolores knew the mind of the teenager, nothing inflated a boy’s ego more than a beautiful rich girl draped on his arm, or on his lap. She had no doubt the young Greengrass girl was an eye-catcher. As for the mudblood, well, at least she was keeping to her station.
This curse…it was clearly Greek, by it’s name alone. She’d once heard of an old curse developed long ago, that worked somewhat like this, but she’d often dismissed it as a joke, a Wizard’s ultimate fantasy. The only thing that really made it a ‘curse’ was the detrimental effects it had if it was ignored. At most, it was more of a medical condition.
She would have to look into it some more.
She’d have to compliment Skeeter on her work, the woman was doing a splendid job as a reporter. She’d have to find out who Skeeter’s ‘witnesses’ were.
Dolores turned and looked at her calendar, the Yule Ball was coming up, and during February, the Second Task. She scowled. She still couldn’t believe Krum had scored the lowest of the four Champions. Something would have to be done to rectify that during the next task, but to do that, arrangements would have to be made, carefully. Getting herself onto the committee was one way to do it.
They still hadn’t figured out how Potter had got his egg from the Dragon without getting maimed, mauled or burned. Obviously he’d cheated, it was just proving that that was difficult. If they could , then they could strip him of his point allocation and even disqualify him from the tournament.
‘Yes, that could work.’ She thought. The best way to prove he cheated, was to catch him doing it again. How to go about it though…?
-=-=-
The Burrow
Molly put down the paper, looking up and sharing a concerned look with Arthur, who took the paper from her and started reading, his eyes widening and face paling, before he scowled and threw it down.
“Arthur, what do you think? Do you think there’s anything we can do?”
Arthur sigh and shook his head, “What am I supposed to think Molly? He’s at Hogwarts until the end of the school year, and you know Dumbledore has him staying with his family. I doubt there’s much you or I could do. I’ve never even heard of this curse, or what ever it is. And if what that… woman wrote in this paper is to be believed, then, well, would you really be comfortable with Harry and Hermione doing… that under our roof if they have to?”
Of course not! Were the words that almost flew out of her mouth, but Molly shut it with a decided click. In her opinion as a mother, Harry and Hermione were far too young to be engaging in such activities. But if this cursed required them to, as Rita’s articled seemed to theorize, then, well, there wouldn’t be much she could do about that.
Her mind in a turmoil, running through all of her plans for Harry, Ginny, Ronald and Hermione, and wondering just how many were now falling apart. Her dream of One Big Happy Weasley Family now suddenly didn’t look so certain.
She would have to talk to Dumbledore, maybe he could find a cure, maybe he already had? But if he had, surely he would have used it by now, and the article clearly indicated neither student had been cured yet.
And hadn’t the article mentioned the eldest Greengrass daughter? She wracked her brain, drumming up all she knew of the family. Neutral, but with a dark-aligned past if what few rumors she’d heard were true. Father was a businessman, though she couldn’t quite remember what he did.
Molly wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about Harry and Hermione associating with her, as with neutrals, they could go either way.
Then there was the issue of how to handle Harry and Hermione when they next came to the Burrow, and if they stayed for a few days. Would she be comfortable with them doing the things that this article described? She honestly wasn’t sure.
Once breakfast was finished, Arthur gave his wife a quick kiss and a hug, letting her know he’d be back in the evening. She knew it was pointless asking him if he could look into this matter with Harry and Hermione, so she didn’t bother.
Once he had flooed to the ministry, she checked the time, trying to gauge how long it would take for Dumbledore to make it back to his office. Grabbing a handful of powder she threw it in, getting down on her knees in front of the fire.
“Hogwarts, Headmaster’s office!” she called as the flames turned green and shot up to fill the fireplace.
“Albus! Are you here?” she called, wondering if she was too early. “Albus!”
“Ah, Molly my dear, what a delight, pleasant morning I trust, yes?” the man in question said as his head appeared in her fireplace a few moments later.
“Well enough, Arthur just left for work. Albus, I’m calling about that article in the Prophet.”
Dumbledore sighed, brow wrinkling in a frown. He could already feel a headache starting, and for once, not because of staff complaining about his under-cover Agent in Tom’s circle, or the idiot of a Minister.
“Yes, that article is a most unfortunate revelation for the school, and young Harry and Hermione especially. His reputation is already precarious, and hers likely will not fair well because of this.”
“So it’s true then?” Molly said.
“I’m afraid so. A week before the First Task, young Harry and Hermione were both hit by an ancient curse, which has left them in a predicament where they must…um… feed from one another to survive.” Dumbledore said, not sure how to tell the overbearing Smothering Hen the full sordid details.
“You mean like Vampires?! ” she asked, horrified.
“No, more like a Succubus and Incubus.” He replied.
“What?” Molly asked, confused. That couldn’t be right. Then she thought back to the article, and all the sordid encounters it had documented, and how one thing was common with all of them.
“Are the two of them really…that intimate? Surely they’re too young! They’re not in fifth year yet! They’re too young to start the Bonding.”
‘And the whole point is for them to Bond with Ron and Ginny!’ she wanted to yell in frustration.
Dumbledore closed his eyes briefly, sending up a silent prayer to whatever god was listening to help him get threw this, he was well aware of how Molly could get.
“Miss Granger is 15, and yes, they are that intimate. The Curse requires it. I will spare you the really sordid details, but suffice to say, they must feed from one another on a daily basis, twice at day at the very least, orally. If they don’t, then they will grow weaker over a period of several days before their systems start shutting down. As for the Bonding, I’m certain they have already begun. It seems the curse was initially designed as a spell to accelerate the Bonding process, at least that’s the theory, it’s just that who ever made the spell, missed a few details.”
Molly pursed her lips, mulling it over, thinking.
“What about at the end of the year? Harry surely cannot go back to his relatives if he must do this to stay alive. I highly doubt they will be willing to help him.”
Dumbledore sighed gain, his headache, which had been a minor annoyance, was now a full blown throbbing pain at being reminded of that. He’d been worried about this very detail over the past two weeks.
“Unfortunately, Harry must stay with his relatives, for his own safety, and theirs. As for Miss Granger, I’m sure she’ll be fine in the Muggle world, it can’t be that hard for her to find someone willing to help her, I suspect. I suspect most of the boys in her local area would be willing to help her.”
Molly snorted, rolling her eyes. “Come now Albus, you can’t possibly believe that. They can come stay at the Burrow, Arthur and I would gladly take them in. And I’m sure Ronald and Ginny would be thrilled to have them around the house.”
“And you would be comfortable with them being so intimate under your roof?” Dumbledore asked pointedly. Molly bit her lip to stop the automatic No! that almost materialized. “I suppose Arthur and I can make exceptions in their case.” She groused.
Then after a moment, she continued, “But Albus, what about Ronald and Ginny? Couldn’t they help? I’m sure Ron would jump at the chance to help Hermione, and I know Ginny is still infatuated with Harry, she always has been. True, Arthur and I told both of them not to start Bonding until they were in their fifth years, but…” she paused, wondering if what she was suggesting would really work. A part of her wondered if she was really okay with what she’d just suggested, but it was for the sake and survival of The Boy Who Lived, after all. Sure, Arthur would probably object, but she could keep him in line easily enough. She ruled the Burrow, after all.
“I’m not sure that would work Molly, I have already tried using Potions on Miss Granger and Harry both, to engender attraction towards Mister Krum in Miss Granger, and attraction towards Ginevra in Harry, but it has not worked.”
Molly scowled, as a thought occurred to her, “Well, there has to be options for us, you know what’s at stake!”
Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, he knew. And he’s spent the last few days wondering why the potions weren’t having any effect. The artificial memories he’d placed in Miss Granger’s and Mister Krum’s heads should have encouraged further interactions, but it hadn’t.
He mentally huffed in frustration. That hasty little bit of memory alteration hadn’t been planned. Poppy had come dangerously close to revealing the presence of those potions, and while it was possible that it could have been explained away as a prank by other students, hearing her start to mention them had sent him into a panic, and had reacted… hastily.
‘No doubt just jubilation from Mister Potter’s rather unorthodox Task completion.’ He thought.
It was a moot point now anyway, the potions clearly weren’t working. Miss Granger and Mister Potter were closer than ever now, and were surely Bonding by now.
He had never Bonded himself, nor had he really thought to study the intricate process, so he wasn’t fully aware of all of it’s side-effects, beyond the mental and emotional link that is established during the process.
The only question now was, how had that Curse affected it?
And speaking of…
Poppy had been livid about that article, as had Minerva and most of the other staff, he’d kept his reaction suitably controlled however. He honestly wondered how Miss Skeeter had gotten into the school, and why she’d gone into such graphic detail of what she’d seen. Usually she wasn’t so… thorough.
Though the slight against the Veela Champion was a potential double-edged sword, her father was the French Minister, if he remembered correctly.
So that had the potential to blow up in their faces.
Still, if the Bonding was stopped before it was finalized, it would weaken, then eventually fade, normally. At least that was how he understood it. There was the second Task coming in February, he had planned to make Miss Granger Krum’s hostage, and young Ronald Harry’s, respectively. Mister Weasley had his own role to play in Dumbledore’s plan for Harry, namely, being a buffer between Harry and Hermione, and making sure the two of them didn’t get too close, though he didn’t know it.
But now…he was wondering if it might be a waste of time making Ronald Harry’s hostage, or weather they should add more , or more difficult obstacles…it needed more consideration. Unfortunately, it was already too late to scrap the Task and come up with a new one, he’d already negotiated the cooperation of the Merpeople, and they did not like being backed out on. Yes, he was aware of their history with Veela, but that would just add an extra layer of challenge for Fleur.
Especially if…
The wards on the Gargoyle guarding the stairs to his office alerted him that Minerva was coming, and unfortunately, he had to cut this short.
“I’m sorry Molly my dear, but someone is coming, I’m afraid I must cut this short.”
-=-=-=-
Fleur was sitting in the Beauxbatons Carriage, putting away several of her assignments, and getting ready to head into the castle for lunch.
There wasn’t much about the English cuisine they served here to write home about, though she did like some of it.
Her mind was still on that article…She’d heard the British Magical newspaper could be bad but, she’d had no idea! No one would have dared publish anything so scandalous or scathing in France, not about her anyway, not if they wanted to keep their job.
But this… Rita Skeeter …she had not been overly impressed during their first meeting, but now, she could tell there was nothing likable about her.
Her heart went out to her young co-champion and his paramour. They clearly didn’t deserve this, and they surely didn’t deserve to have their most private moments splattered across a sheet of paper for the whole school, and likely the rest of the country, to see.
She paused as she thought about what she’d read in that article. A shiver went down her spine as she wondered if the contents of those articles were censored appropriately depending on the age of the person reading it. She doubted it.
That meant the Hogwarts First and Second years likely read the same thing the older students and staff did. She had destroyed her copy in Horror and outrage, but she knew there was a chance Gabrielle could end up reading it, or be told what was in it. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to her sister about the paper yet, so she wasn’t sure how much her sister knew.
Their parents always made sure to read any articles in the paper before letting Gabby see them. She would definitely have to have a word with her. Veela matured faster than humans, physically and sexually, a fact that had caused Fleur endless grief in her earlier years at Beauxbatons, and had cost her many friends. It also manifested and affected their avian transformation abilities, which took time to learn how to control. And a transformation getting stuck half-way could be very uncomfortable, if not downright painful.
She mentally sighed and sent up a silent prayer to either Aphrodite or Hera, or Athena, which ever goddess was listening, for Gabby to have an easier time of it when it was her turn.
Which thankfully wouldn’t be for a few more years yet, but still…her reading about what this Skeeter rat had apparently witnessed, could kick-start Gabby’s curiosity and interest in the opposite sex early. And Fleur knew, once a Veela’s natural instincts were manifested, they could become all consuming if not ‘managed’ properly.
If this hack of a reporter had affected her sister in such a way, well, the woman’s days were numbered. International law be damned.
For a brief moment, she thought about some of the specifics the article had mentioned, specifically, the curse their attacker, most likely the blond haired boy who seemed to have a rivalry with Harry, had used.
There was something… familiar about it, from it’s described effects.
‘No, it couldn’t be that. How would he know it? Where would he know it? Does he even understand the consequences he’ll face?’ then she thought with a snort of derision, ‘He probably doesn’t care.’
She remembered the questioning look she’d given Harry as he’d followed the crying form of Hermione out of the Hogwarts Hall, and how he’d implied that he would explain things at a later time.
Hopefully, that time would be soon.
Saturday December 3rd, 1994.
When Harry awoke the next morning, he noticed that he’d woken up first. Hermione still slept soundly, a very light snore accompanying the gentle movement of her breasts as she lay on her side, facing him.
He smiled as he blinked tiredly, thinking back to the night before, a hand moving to his stomach as he remembered drinking from Hermione.
‘Did I really do that?’ He thought, as he looked down, seeing their intertwined legs, his morning hardon pointing straight at the junction between her legs, a slight smile of admiration appeared as he took in her flushed, slightly swollen labia which were already glistening.
‘Already? Still? Does she ever stop being wet?’ He looked again at his erection, remembering that it hadn’t really gone away since he’d been cursed. Sure, it mostly faded after Hermione had sucked him, but even then, it never fully went away. Normally he was able to ignore it though, as he suspected that Hermione had managed to mostly ignore her almost constant arousal.
He looked again at her fanny, though he couldn’t really get a fully clear look without his glasses, and he really didn’t want to move and wake her up. He saw the pink swollen nub of her clit peaking through her labia, and he unconsciously licked his lips as an idea struck him, something he couldn’t recall trying, thanks to his half asleep mind. He’d have to try it once she was awake, or in the shower.
His gaze moved back up to her breasts, and he gently moved a hand to cup one of them, testing it’s firmness and weight, trying to judge how full it was.
‘She said I’d need to drink several times a day, right? Might as well get started.’ He licked his lips as his stomach let out a growl, almost as if it knew what he was about to do.
Leaning forward, he kissed her left nipple, which had already pebbled, then circled it with his tongue, wetting it, then he closed his mouth over her areola, then closed his eyes and pressed forward as he started to gently suck.
After just a few moments, warm, sweet liquid started to flow into his mouth, and he started to swallow. He sucked in a deep breath as the now familiar feeling of revitalisation that he usually got from eating her out swept through him, and he gently looped an arm around her and pulled her a little closer, as he closed his eyes and continued to suckle.
“Mmm…” the soft murmur that escaped her lips as she seemed to curl up around him, made him smile. Then he felt a hand come up and stroke his face as a sense of love, trust, endearment and gratitude brushed his mind.
“Mornin’ ‘mione.” He whispered, detaching from her breast just long enough to look up at her face as her beautiful brown eyes opened to pear down at him, before he went back to work.
“Mmm…morning…lover…mmm…” she moaned as her other hand moved down to take hold of his hard shaft, she gently squeezed it, then started to stroke it, before she shuffled her hips a little closer, and angled it up slightly, letting out a gasp.
Harry broke his contact with her breast and glanced down, watching curiously as his lover used the exposed glans to rub and stroke her hard clitoris.
“‘Mione?” He murmured.
“I want to try it, see how easy it is to get off using your tip instead of a finger, and focusing on…mmm…oh yeah…just my clit. Oh…that’s nice…”
Harry smiled as he let out a moan of his own, before returning to his ‘breakfast’. Soon, he moved to her right breast, and continued suckling.
“Thanks for this Harry, I really needed it, I had a feeling they’d be full this morning.” Hermione whispered above him, voice still thick with tiredness but also rising lust.
“Any time.”
Hermione moaned as she started to rock her hips towards him, caressing her hard nub with his glans, his precum mixing with her own juices, leaving a clear sheen on both of them as she angled his shaft down a little, and rubbed his tip through her labia, a strand of clear liquid connecting his cock and her clit, almost like a string of saliva after a particularly passionate kiss between lovers.
It would be so easy, and so satisfying, to just thrust her hips forward and impale herself on him, as she’d wanted to do quite a few times already, and just let him fuck her. But no, they weren’t ready yet.
As she moved his shaft back up to prod and nudge her own smaller nub, she started to run her other hand through his hair as he leisurely drank from her.
She started to go over what they needed to do today, which assignments they still had to work on, and if any of the hubbub from yesterday had died down yet.
‘Who am I kidding? We’ll be the talk of the school for at least another week. If I ever get my hands on that foul wretch, she’s dead.’
With that thought came another realization: they would either have to triple check for any potential witnesses if they were in any corridors, or god forbid, outdoors, and if they were in an abandoned classroom, they’d have to double check the locked door as well.
They couldn’t allow any more laxes in their situational awareness.
‘Maybe Moody has a point.’ She thought, as a particularly nice jolt of pleasure shot through her pelvis then up her spine, starting between her legs. She brought her right leg up and forward, trapping Harry’s left. In response, his left hand moved down her back then gently stroked over her ass, which he playfully squeezed, making her squeak in a rather cute way.
A sense of mischief and amusement brushed against her mind, and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at him. Smirking, she reached down with the hand that had been cradling his head, and delivered a light, but definite slap to his backside.
She smirked at the sense of surprise she got, and did her best to telegraph a sense of smug satisfaction as she rocked her hips forward, pushing his glans against the rest of her clit, which sent another jolt and a shudder through her, making her moan.
A light stab of pain shot through her right breast, but soon faded into a tingling pleasure, making her moan go several octaves higher. She pulled back and looked down, eyes widening slightly as they met his upturned green ones, and a sense of amusement brushed her mind.
He bit her.
He’d bitten her nipple.
Not enough to hurt her too much, but enough that she’d feel it, and what little pain she’d felt quickly turned into pleasure.
‘Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be, hmm?’ she thought, then smirked down at him. ‘Just you wait until we’re in the shower and I’m sucking you dry Potter.’
When the flow finally stopped, Harry pulled back and swallowed, taking a deep breath.
“Hm, not bad. I think I could get used to this.”
“And the fact that you could potentially skip every meal has nothing to do with it?” Hermione said, smirking.
“Well, Susan did suggest we see how that would work, didn’t she?”
“Hm, maybe. We’ll have to experiment at some point. Now then, in the shower, I want my breakfast.” She said, sitting up and getting out of bed.
Harry watched her go, smiling as he watched her pert, cute bum sway as she walked, then she paused at the bathroom door, looking back at him.
“Well? Waiting for something?”
“Just admiring the view.” He said. She rolled her eyes.
“Get your arse in gear Potter and get in that shower. Now.”
“Yes dear.” Harry replied, quickly following her.
A few moments later, after taking care of necessities, he stood under the shower spray as she sat before him, leisurely licking and nuzzling his shaft and balls with all the care of a woman who knew she had all the time in the world.
Occasionally looking up to make sure his eyes were closed, Hermione took one of the sponges and soaped it up, then started working it over his legs as she worked with her mouth, pausing momentarily to cover his crotch in soap, then standing to do his chest and stomach, then motioning for him to turn round.
“I’ll do you then you do me, okay?” she purred.
“Sure.” He replied, as he also lathered up a sponge, then turned round into the spray, letting the warm water wash his front, momentarily lamenting the loss of her wonderful mouth on him. As he rinsed himself down, he stiffened as he felt her fingers work the soap into his ass, then, as he expected her to prompt him to turn around so he could rinse his back, she quickly darted back around until she once again sat in front of him, under the spray, and looking up, she grinned and opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.
“Aaah!” she said, her brown eyes full of laughter, as she took his entire length in one go, closing her lips around his base, swallowing to cut off her gag reflex, then she sucked. Hard.
At the same time, she brought her hands up between his legs, one cupping his balls gently, while the other went further back.
“Oh god…Hermione!” he moaned, tilting his head back, closing his eyes, pleasure shooting through him…which was just what she wanted, as the hand that wasn’t on his balls, went further back, as she slid her middle finger up and back, until she found what she was looking for.
Harry’s eyes snapped open as he felt the tip of her finger start to gently probe somewhere it hadn’t before.
“Wha-wait, what are you—” he stammered, she just smiled up at him.
“Well, I figured I wanted to try something. Prostate massage. And there’s only one way I can reach it.” And with that, she slid her finger in, gently moving it around until she found the hard mass she was searching for, and pressed on it just as she started to suckle again.
“Ah! Uh…Hermione…” groaning, Harry tensed, thrusting his hips forward.
“Mmmmm…” she purred, flicking her tongue over his tip as she felt his shaft swell with his impending release, noting that he was quicker than usual, clearly, feeding from her had worked him up somewhat.
She looked up at him and smiled around his dick as she suckled, then finally, with a groan of her name, her mouth was filled with the sweet creamy nectar she’d come to relish the feeling of as it slid down her throat.
Gasping, Harry staggered back, before his knees gave out and he ended up sitting before her.
“Well? What do you think?” She asked. Panting, he regarded her with a calculating look.
“A little warning next time, please. Now, on your feet miss Granger, it’s your turn.”
“With pleasure.” She cooed as she stood, “Besides, I need to shave, and so do you.”
-=-=-=-
Draco scowled to himself as he exited his own private room in the Slytherin Dorms, making his way to the common room, glancing around, he only saw his closest affiliates, that was good, last thing he needed was someone like Davis overhearing and ruining everything.
“She’s not in the Girls Dorm.” Pansy said, scowling.
“You’re saying she was somewhere else last night as well? She didn’t come back after her Detention with Snape?” Goyle asked. Draco snorted,
“Of course she did, he escorted her, but she dipped into the Second Year Dorm then left before Curfew, remember?” Bulstrode snapped, folding her arms.
Draco seethed, “Are you telling me that she spent a second night outside the Dorms, and no-one knows where? I told you to grab her as soon as as Snape left.”
“We tried.” Crabbe protested, “But Davis was in the common room, and you know she’d have put up a fight, she always does. And we actually did try to go after her when she left, but we lost her.”
Draco nodded, Tracey always resisted more than Daphne or the others, good thing he was so good with memory charms, though he hadn’t done anything with Tracey the night before, he’d been waiting for Daphne. “Well, we know now for sure that she’s been helping Potter, probably Bones too, since they both like to spend time with Granger, and all of this week, I’ve heard tell of several girls dragging Potter into closets, even that crazy little Ravenclaw, what’s her name?” he paused, then thought for a moment. “At least the tip-offs and eye-witness accounts we gave Skeeter paid off. Alright, we need to send Greengrass a message, and not just her, we need to send a message to Potter, we’ll discuss it after breakfast, come on.”
-=-=-
Daphne blinked slowly as she opened her eyes, and looked around, before slowly sitting up to take in her surroundings. She was in the Room of Requirement. She was alright. She was safe.
Then the memory of last night came back to her.
Her detention with Snape had been predictably gruelling. He’d had her help him preparing potion ingredients, which had taken hours , and had been quite disgusting. Pickling rat brains, and other assorted animal parts, was not how she’d wanted to spend her evening, thank you very much.
Snape had also asked her what had transpired that morning at the Slytherin table to get Draco so riled up at one of his own house-mates.
So she’d told him.
His reaction at first had been…unreadable. Evidently he hadn’t known how to react to all the Death Eaters being refereed to as ‘Branded Farm Animals’, and just for a moment, she thought she’d seen a flicker of a smirk of amusement on his face, but it had been so fast that she honestly wasn’t sure.
After that, he’d stayed unusually silent, only speaking to give her directions.
When the whole thing was finally over, near Curfew, Snape had advised that she keep all future comments regarding the more prominent members of their elite, and in particular, those of a certain disposition or sporting body art, be kept to herself.
Then he’d escorted her back to the dorms, then left. She’d noticed Draco’s cronies, glaring at her, but no Draco. Remembering the conversation from Breakfast, and the utterly frigid atmosphere and lunch and dinner, she’d ducked into the Second Year’s dorm to check on Astoria, before she then ducked out and left.
She’d easily spotted her pursuers, but thankfully lost them before she reached the Seventh Floor and the entrance to the Room. Last thing they needed was Draco finding it.
“As nice as this room is, I can’t sleep in here every night, a prefect or teacher is bound to catch me sooner or later.” She lamented to the empty room.
“Okay Greengrass, sort yourself out, then down to breakfast, sit with Susan, Slytherin is getting too unfriendly.”
And with that, she stood, and started to get ready for the day ahead, hoping it wouldn’t be too stressful.
-=-=-=-
Sometime after breakfast, Hermione had met up with both Susan and Daphne, while Harry had gone off to study in the library, so he claimed.
“Well, well, if it isn't Scarhead’s three whores.”
Her hands curling into fists, Hermione turned to face the approaching Draco Malfoy. Flanked as ever by Crabbe and Goyle he strode down the corridor like he owned it. Behind his thugs, Hermione saw Pansy and Millicent. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daphne tense up, palming her wand, as did Susan as her house-mates approached.
Malfoy stopped a few feet away from her, a sneer on his face as he looked over them. "Seems you didn’t get the message few weeks ago Granger, and from what I read in the Prophet , you even got Greengrass here to help you on Thursday.” He glared at Daphne, who returned it. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you said yesterday at breakfast Greengrass. Your family are the cowards, not mine. There’s a word for helping the enemies of your house Greengrass. It’s called treason. ”
He then sneered at Hermione. “As for you, mudblood. I think it’s time I found out what you’ve learned over the past few weeks of swallowing Potter’s dick.” Then he smirked, “I’m assuming from the article yesterday, and your reaction to it, mine and Pansy’s contributions to Skeeter met your approval?” He said, smugly.
“So it was you!” Hermione snarled, her hand dropping towards her wand. Her motion was stopped however when she saw the four wands that were now pointed towards her and her friends. A muttered curse from her left shoulder confirmed that Susan had also noticed. Even these particular students couldn't miss at this range.
“No funny stuff mudblood whore.” Malfoy snapped, but then his expression turned harsh. “Drop your wands and kick them over to me.” When none of them moved to comply his face darkened.
“Do it, or we'll stun you where you stand, then take them off you...along with your clothes.” Crabbe and Goyle chuckled and grinned, leering at them stupidly.
Hermione's heart and mind raced, looking for an out. But there was none, and while the idea of giving up her wand to these... monsters turned her stomach, having them stun her and strip her while she was unconscious was even more terrifying.
Slowly, reluctantly, she drew her wand by two fingers before stooping down and setting down on the floor, her eyes never leaving Draco as she did. ‘ If only you were here Harry...’ She thought as the other two girls set their wands down as well.
-=-
Across the school, Harry paused, sitting up from the Charms essay he was working on, as a sense of fear and hot, fiery rage brushed his mind. Hermione, Hermione was in trouble. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus, tried to trace the mental and emotional distress call, but he couldn’t, the connection wasn’t strong enough.
Growling in frustration, he turned and started to make his way back to Gryffindor Tower, to get the map.
-=-
“That’s better.” Draco said as the three wands rolled to stop by his feet. Reaching down he plucked them off the floor, holding them in one hand as with his other he drew a wand from within his robes.
“I thought your wands had been confiscated.” Susan asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“I took them back off McGonagall's desk. I also took the book back.” Malfoy seemed inordinately proud of that fact. The smirk dropped from his face, however. “Now move.”
He flicked his wand, indicating the way he wanted them to go. Faced with no choice, the three girls began to walk.
Conscious of the fear that was almost paralyzing her, Hermione and Susan walked each side of Daphne, almost holding her up. Hermione could feel her trembling. “It's going to be alright Daph'.” She whispered.
“No, it won't.” Draco cut in smugly. “In here.” He gestured to a classroom they were about to pass. Inside, Hermione was unable to prevent a small gasp escaping her lips. Hannah, Neville, Ginny, Luna and two Slytherin girls were tied up at the far end of the room. Nott was stood before them, leering at the older Slytherin girl. She simply glared back at him, her eyes full of hatred. To her side was the smaller, younger raven-haired girl whose head was bowed. The faint sound of whimpering could be heard.
Neville was sporting a rather nasty looking bruise on his face, and both the older Slytherin girl and Hannah had clear signs of a scuffle showing on them.
“Tracey?” Daphne spoke, clearly confused. The witch looked away from Nott, her eyes meeting Daphne's startled blue ones. Her own widened slightly in surprise as the younger girl’s head shot up. Hermione's eyes widened when she saw her face; the resemblance to Daphne was clear, despite the difference in hair colour.
“…Tori?” Daphne gasped in horror.
“Remember what I said yesterday Greengrass. Slytherin will not tolerate blood traitors. It’s time you and these other two learned your place. Especially you and Davis. As for your sister, well, she’s getting an object lesson, so she’ll know her place, when she gets to Third year.” Draco stated from behind them as he closed the door. He waved his wand, prompting a clicking sound to come from the door. “There. Now we won't be disturbed.” He grinned maliciously.
“Oh? What’s the matter? Not getting any from Parkinson? Is she not into Rodentoid vermin?” Hermione asked with heavy sarcasm.
Draco snarled, before stepping swiftly up and punching Hermione across the face, causing her to stagger back, falling to the floor, but quickly getting to her feet again.
“That was for last year bitch.”
Neville tried to jump up, but his bindings made him fall flat on his face. Daphne paled, while Susan lunged at Draco only to be held back by Crabbe.
Hermione winced, blinking back tears of pain as her cheek and jaw stung, but faced the little ferret once again. “That the best you can do Draco? I’ve felt breezes hit harder than that!”
Draco scowled as his face turned a nasty shade of purple. “You'll be first, mudblood!” He looked toward Parkinson and Bulstrode. “Hold her.”
The two lumbering Slytherin girls latched onto Hermione's arms, pulling her shoulders taunt. A scuffle to her left told Hermione that Goyle must had grabbed Daphne, but her attention was fixed on Malfoy as he stepped towards her. “Crabbe, Goyle, soften those two up a little.”
The sound of grunting and yelping was soon joined by the sound of tearing fabric each side of her, which sent a cold chilled Hermione's blood as Draco stepped into her personal space.
“So how did you manage to grab them?” Hermione asked, gesturing to the hostages. Draco snorted.
“Grabbed Davis and the blood traitor’s sister as we left the Great Hall after breakfast. Grabbed the Puff while she was sucking off the squib, guess they took a page from your book about not having any situational awareness. As for the airhead, took some doing to track her down, but getting her wasn’t any trouble.” Then he leaned in towards her.
“Now then, let's see what you've been hiding…” He half whispered as he grabbed her shirt collar. The smell of his breath made her want to vomit all over him.
With a firm tug, he pulled on her shirt, easily tearing the buttons off as he opened it up, letting her breasts spill out. She’d decided to forgo wearing a bra now she was producing, and in her opinion, a bra just added more layers that she honestly felt she didn’t need. A cushioning charm along with an absorbing charm on the inside of her shirt was enough, in her opinion.
Now she was regretting it.
“Oh my…those are nice…” he purred.
Hermione shuddered in revulsion as he drew a finger over a nipple, pressing on the swollen flesh, and a spark of shame and disgust shot through her as a small bead of milk collected on her nipple, which he caught on his finger. His eyes winded slightly as he lifted the finger up to his face, then popped it into his mouth.
“You’re producing? How long have you been sucking Potter’s dick? Since last year?” he asked. Hermione just glared at him, not responding.
Muted gasps from either side drew her attention and she looked to see both Susan and Daphne in a similar state to herself, both girls now topless, with Susan’s rather ample bust heaving a she breathed rapidly out of fear, or anger, or both.
A spike of jealousy momentarily shot through her at the sight of Susan’s larger bust, but she quickly and violently pushed it down. Now was not the time to get self-conscious.
The touch of hands on her own breasts drew her attention back to Draco, who started to massage and squeeze them roughly, making her wince as more milk started to flow.
“Hey guys, looks like we get to have a snack while having our fun.” He chortled at the answering sniggers from the other boys. Then he locked eyes with her then looked down pointedly.
“Lets just see how much of a kinky slut you really are Granger, since you like to have your fanny and arse licked in corridors,” Draco said, as he nodded to the two girls holding her.
“Not to mention, sucking dicks in the corridors where anyone can see. Or making out with the Huffleslut here.” Parkinson sneered.
“What are you talking about?” Susan growled, insulted. Pansy sneered.
“Oh please, I saw the two of you going at each other on Tuesday. Guess we know which bed Greengrass has been sleeping in the past two nights.” Then she turned and regarded Daphne with scorn.
“So you like to suck dicks and clits? If I’d known that, I’d have had a turn with you last time Draco had a go, or last night even before you ran out.”
Daphne blinked in confusion, not understanding what the pug-faced girl was saying.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Parkinson? I’ve never sucked a dick in my life, and certainly not gone down on another girl. And even if I did, for either act, there are far better choices for me to pick than you and that! ” she spat, jerking her head in Draco’s direction.
Pansy snorted as Millicent flicked her wand at the back of Hermione’s skirt, cutting the elastic waistband, then using her hands, tore the rest of the fabric. Bulstrode pulled what was left of the skirt away and tossed it aside, leaving the Gryffindor in just her knickers, shoes and socks.
Hermione tried to press her legs together to stop one of Draco’s hands moving down, but she could only grit her teeth as tears of fury and disgust as his fingers continued unimpeded.
“Smooth and wet already eh? Looks like you’re enjoying this as much as we are.” He said. Hermione grit her teeth and glared at the Slytherin, who simply grinned at her.
Finally having enough, acting on instinct, one of her knees shot up between his legs, slamming into his crotch hard with a definite crunch.
“Gurk!” Malfoy exclaimed in a high pitched, pain filled yelp as he staggered backwards bent almost double. His face was even whiter than normal, while his hands were down clutching at his crotch. Unaware of the pained winces that the other males in the room were sporting, Hermione took a deep breath.
“There’s only one man in this castle who has the right to touch me in any way Draco. And it will Never. Be. You. And as for you two slags-” she said, looking to either side of her at Pansy and Bulstrode “-I honestly don’t care if you whore yourselves out to the entire Slytherin dorm, but don’t you fucking dare think you can either drag me down to your level, or compare us.”
“Keep telling yourself that mudblood whore.” Bulstrode snarked.
Slowly Draco lifted his head, his face a contorted mixture of pain and rage. “That…was your last mistake…mudblood!” He snarled out between gasps. He then nodded to the others, and one of them forced Hermione down onto her knees.
Hermione glared up at Malfoy with utter loathing. He smirked as he stepped closer and started to unbuckle and unzip his pants.
To each side of her, Susan and Daphne could only watch in horror and fear as Malfoy dropped his pants down, followed by his underwear, and they all got a good look at the Pride of the Malfoy Bloodline, though there was some developing discoloration, he’d somehow managed to stay hard.
Daphne gasped as she felt something in her mind crack, and a fragmented, disjointed series of images flashed through her head, all centred around Draco in a similar state, but she had no idea what it meant.
Despite herself, Hermione found she couldn’t look away. Out of some morbid curiosity, she found herself wondering just how Draco stacked up to her Harry in the wand department, as it were.
She smirked as a truly evil idea of how to really hurt his pride struck her.
“Eh, Harry's bigger while soft, so the Malfoy Family Jewels aren’t really anything to write home about. Compared to Harry, you have nothing to brag about.”
To either side of her and to the far right, she heard several snorts, and even one or two chuckles. She even faintly heard “Ooh…nice one.” She was pretty sure that had been Hannah.
“Oh really? I doubt that. Well, you of all people should know it's how it's used that counts!” Draco sneered as he reached out to grab her head and pull her towards him.
Then behind him, the door was blasted off its hinges, shattering under the force of whatever had hit it.
Wood splinters whistled through the room, embedding in the floor, walls and furniture. A couple lodged themselves in Malfoy's back, causing him to cry out in pain and stagger to his left, before dropping to one knee. Another piece found itself lodged in Parkinson’s shoulder, and she staggered back away from Hermione, yelping as she did so.
Everyone's gaze snapped to the now open doorway.
To see a very, very pissed off Harry Potter. In one hand he held his wand, and the other, he held a rolled up piece of parchment she knew to be the Marauder’s Map.
“Oh shite,” Nott said, a small amount of self-preservation rising within him.
Hermione felt relief course through her at the sight of him. A surge of emotion washed over her mind, now that he was so close, and she finally got a read on his emotions, among them were fear, protectiveness, concern, loathing, hatred, rage, and love. Most directed towards her assailants, but the first two, and last, were directed towards her and the others held with her.
Though she didn’t need to be an empath to know how he was feeling, or what he was thinking. The look in his eyes said it all.
And if she were honest with herself, a part of her found that look and demeanour he wore to be the most erotic thing she’d ever seen. A small gasp escaped her lips as a tingling sensation erupted between her legs as her clit hardened to the point it was almost painful. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning at the surge of lust and need that took a direct route from her eyes to her vagina, which was still wet, despite her situation.
Draco however had other things on his mind. Like the look in Harry's eyes as he stared at him. It was a look of a predator about to strike its prey. His green eyes seemed to be almost aflame. “Potter!”
“Leave them alone Malfoy.” Harry growled in a deceptively calm voice that sent a shiver through Hermione, and if the sudden flushed look on Susan’s face was any indication, it had had the same effect on her.
Draco spun round, his hand going for his wand. “Don’t just stand there gawking you idiots! Get him!” He cried.
In the confusion, Draco had dropped the three wands he’d collected from their captives. The wands of the others were sitting on a desk to the side.
Hermione lunged for the three fallen wands, grabbing hers, before turning and tossing the other two at her friends, who caught them as she fired off two stunners and downed both Crabbe and Goyle who were holding them, while Nott and Bulstrode dived to the side and under some desks to get cover, as they raised their own wands and aimed them at Harry.
Hermione then moved and took up a defensive position in front of the bound captives, with Susan and Daphne to her right, and she quickly surveyed the room. The fact that all three of them were now topless momentarily forgotten.
All the bound captives were huddled in the Northernmost corner while the door, or what was left of it, was on the South wall. Nott and Bulstrode had moved to the East and West sides of the room and taken up flanking positions, with Parkinson on the floor next to Draco, who was trying to take cover behind a desk of his own, unfortunately, he couldn’t do much, as he quickly realised there was a good chance he’d get caught in a cross-fire.
Draco's wand switched from her, then to Susan and Daphne, who had quickly moved to position themselves between Draco and his captives. Then his panicked, wild eyes glinted with vindictive spite. He grinned cruelly and snarled an incantation she recognised, and her eyes went wide in horror as her gaze tracked his aim to his target.
“Protego!” She cried, erecting a shield over herself, Susan, Daphne and the captive students.
“aspazesthai arpuias!”
The spell shot from Draco's wand and impacted the shield, which flared briefly for a second, then shattered, as the spell passed through it and hit Hermione, Daphne and Susan.
A surprised look crossed the faces of both Daphne and Susan, who began to sink to the floor as they passed out, Hermione quickly grabbing Susan's arm to stop her fall, her eyes wide with horror.
‘It…it went right through the shield…’
Daphne hit the floor with a thud, Susan was down to one knee as she struggled to raise her wand, and aimed it at Draco, who looked momentarily surprised that she was still conscious, and that was all the time Susan needed.
“facies genitalis!” She growled, sending a spell at him just as she passed out and became dead weight in Hermione’s grip.
Draco didn’t have time to dodge, so took the shot in the face, knocking him back.
When he straightened up, everyone paused, even Harry, who had been in the process of raising his wand to fire a stunner from his position to the left of the door, behind a table.
“Whapf? Whapf awe you all loosin’ apf? Waipf my voissff…” he said, his speech now distorted by a heavy lisp. His free hand went to his face and he ran his fingers over where his lips and nose had once been. Now however, he had a physically accurate representation of a human vulva where his lips and nose had been. He still had a jaw, teeth and tongue, though his gums had been fused together except at the front, so his molars were now covered, making it difficult for him to talk, but enough space was left at the front to form a sort of circular orifice which they could see through the now vertical slit.
“Oh, Merlin! I don’t know if I should laugh or throw up. That just looks wrong.” Neville said; Hannah giggled, despite the fear and rage she felt over what she’d just seen happening to her housemate.
“Hey Draco! How’s it feel having a pussy stuck to your face!” she called.
“WHAPF?!” Malfoy screamed in horror, as his fingers carefully explored his new facial features, and his eyes widened as he discovered he did indeed now have a vagina on his face. His horrified expression turned homicidal as his cold baleful eyes fixed on the now unconscious redhead on the floor.
“You’rf DFAFD BIPFCH!” He roared, raising his wand to cast on her, but Hermione raised herself up until she got a clear shot on him and fired.
“auxane mastous!”
Draco stumbled back again, just as Harry snarled “Expelliarmus!” And Draco’s wand went flying. Draco couldn’t care less about his now wayward wand, oh no, because now, not only did he have a vagina on his face, but he was now staring down, in wide-eyed shock as his chest started to grow.
“Breast-Enlargement curse, apparently also works on males, and actually gives them breasts. I don’t know if these will explode though…” Hermione said, almost casually.
Draco stared down at his rapidly expanding chest with a look of utter horror on his face. Fortunately, the fact that Draco was wearing a vest under his shirt meant that, as it started to stretch, they were all spared the mental scaring of seeing a pair of now large DD breasts on the front of his chest. And they were still expanding, though at a slower rate.
He then looked back up at Hermione, his expression twisting with rage, as much as it could, anyway. His eyes went cold, filling with a murderous intent she hadn’t seen before, not even on the Troll back in first year.
"I'LL KILLTH YOU!” He howled, as he went for his wand, picked it up and trained it on Hermione.
“Avafa Kafavvra” he yelled, Harry felt his blood freeze as the green light of the Killing Curse left the tip of Draco’s wand. Time seemed to slow down for Harry as he saw the energy bolt lance towards his girlfriend, who, wide-eyed, jabbed her wand against the table she was using as cover, and her magic reacted to her will, and the table leaped into the air and intercepted the curse in a shower of sparks and smoke. When it landed with a crash, there was a round black scorch mark in the polished wood.
“Diffindo!” Harry yelled, as he jumped out of cover, adrenalin and rage coursing through him, he moved closer to the wall to get a better angle on Draco, dodging a stunner being sent his way by Bulstrode. The red bolt of the cutting charm left his wand and caught Draco's wand arm, slicing cleanly through to the bone and out the other side. His wand hand, and half of his forearm, dropped to the floor with a thud and a spray of blood.
“GAAAARRRGH!”
Draco screamed as a fountain of blood erupted from his arm, staring down at the stump, he dropped to his knees, screaming in pain and shock as he tried desperately to press his left hand into the wound to stop the bleeding, but it was no use and the contact just made him scream more.
Harry took that moment to drop him with a Stupefy , that just left Bulstrode and Nott.
Harry’s wand was already moving, as was Hermione’s, and he fired a Petrificus Totalus that lanced through the air and hit Theodore Nott, dropping him, his body as stiff and straight as a wooden board, while Hermione turned her wand on Bulstrode, and fired off another spell.
Millicent tried to dodge down behind a desk, but didn’t quite manage it, and Hermione’s spell hit her.
She knelt behind the desk and chair, using them as cover as she looked up and took a shot at Harry, firing a leg-locking jinx at him, which he side-stepped.
She looked down at herself and snorted. She had no idea what Granger had said, as she didn’t recognise the incantation used, but she felt fine, it apparently hadn’t done anything. Then she spied the others tied up, and the two prone forms of Greengrass and Bones still laying on the floor, she smirked and moved to get a free shot on them, then paused as her leg movement revealed the presence of something… odd .
“What the hell?” She yelped, as her hand went to her crotch and felt something that definitely did not belong there.
‘Did the mudblood just give me a cock?!’ she mentally cried. She looked up over the table and glared at Granger, who had also taken cover behind a desk.
“What the hell did you just do to me Granger?!” She yelled.
Hermione chuckled as she looked over her own improvised cover.
“You didn’t think I wouldn’t copy some pages from that book Daphne ‘ borrowed’ from Draco did you? There is a spell among the copied pages that gives a wizard a temporary second penis, might try it on Harry at some point. Apparently, if your reaction is any indication, if cast on a witch, it turns her clit into a penis. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s temporary.” Hermione said.
“How the hell does that work?” Bulstrode snarled, not sure if she believed what the mudblood had said, though the physical evidence now between her legs seemed to back it up. She reached out from behind her cover and took a shot at Hermione.
“Simple!” Hermione said as she ducked the incoming spell fire.
“Every human embryo is female when it starts developing in the womb. The cells that eventually form the clitoris and labia become the penis and scrotum if the embryo becomes male. Sometimes, the process doesn’t happen all the way, and you get children born with the condition known as Hermaphroditism, resulting in the baby having both male and female external genitals, instances of which are rare though. I've never read of it happening in magical society.”
“Urm, Hermione? Dear? Is now really the time for a biology lesson?!” Harry cried as he fired off a stunner at Bulstrode from his position behind cover, but she dodged it.
“Well—” Hermione began as she ducked behind her table, avoiding the bone-breaker Bulstrode had fired at her head with a snarl of fury. “She did ask!”
“I’LL KILL YOU!” Bulstrode roared, bringing up her wand and aiming it at Hermione, pure malice burning in her eyes as she bared her teeth and focused.
“AVADA KED—”
“Diffindo!” Harry cried again, sending a cutting charm at Bulstrode, slicing clean through her wand, severing it.
The severed half of her wand landed next to the desk she’d been using as cover and she stared wide-eyed at the perfect diagonal cut halfway up the shaft, as a thought suddenly hit her like a Bludger. Potter could have easily taken off her hand or arm with that spell, but he hadn’t. she turned to look at him, the hostile look in her eyes giving way to a slight edge of fear as she saw the cold rage in his emerald orbs, his wand leveled at her.
“Try that ever again Bulstrode, and next time, it'll cost you your HEAD! ” He snarled, then with a muttered spell, he conjured some ropes and bound her hands behind her back.
Next, Harry turned his wand on Parkinson and restrained her with some more rope, even though she hadn’t really participated in the fight, due to the piece of wood in her bleeding shoulder.
A groan caught their attention, and they turned to see Malfoy curled up on the floor, a large pool of blood under him, his chest so expanded now, that his shirt was being visibly strained. Scowling, Harry stalked forward and kicked Draco in the groin as hard as he could.
His scream of pain drew Hermione's attention as she’d been checking on Susan, and she turned just in time to see Harry lean over the prone Slytherin and start to rain punches down on his face.
After the ninth or tenth punch, Hermione decided that was enough, and she stood, stepped forward, and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry that's enough! He’s done!"
Harry froze, one hand raised in a fist, knuckles bruised, ready to descend again. His other was holding the bloodied Draco down. Not that he needed to as the ferret had fallen unconscious. Slowly he looked up at her face. Hermione sent all the reassurance, love and gratitude that she felt that she could through her her connection to him, though she was shaking from adrenaline and fear of how close she’d just come to being raped, and with a groan Harry lunged for her, his arms wrapping around her in the tightest hug she'd ever had. A sappy grin formed on her face as she returned the hug. Both were momentarily oblivious to the on-lookers, but Harry opened his eyes and saw Neville grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up, though his arms were still bound at his sides.
He pulled back from Hermione, taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes, through the empathic link that had started forming, he sensed her relief and joy, but also her worry about Susan and Daphne.
He then ran his gaze over her body, taking in the fact that she was now mostly naked, save for her knickers, socks and shoes, and that her shirt and skirt were in ruins, and that Susan and Daphne were both in similar states, though thankfully still had their skirts on.
Turning, he eyed the restrained students, finally taking note of who was tied up, and with a few flicks of his wand, their bindings were released, and with another few flicks, those same bindings were secured around the wrists of the downed Slytherins.
“Daph!” the small dark-haired girl, who Harry noted looked like a younger version of Daphne, cried and lept forward, alongside the raven-haired Tracey Davis, as both girls knelt next to Daphne's prone form, the younger girl taking her sister’s head into her lap and started shaking her.
“Wake up Daph! Wake up! Please!” Astoria, if he remembered correctly, started crying as she failed to get any response from her sister. Tracey moved next to her and put an arm around the younger girl, as she gently reached for Daphne's neck, checking for a pulse.
“She’s alive Astoria, she’s alive, she’ll be okay.”
Next to Susan, who was now being cradled by Hermione and Hannah, Luna knelt, also checking for a pulse. She looked up at Harry, though there was worry in her silver eyes. Hannah spoke up, “She’s breathing, but unconscious. I didn’t recognise the incantation Draco used though.”
“I did.” Hermione said, her voice heavy with resignation and sense of dread. Neville chuckled as he patted Hermione on the shoulder.
“Nice spell work there Hermione. Though I wish I could get a free Obliviate after this. Draco Malfoy running around with female body parts on display is not something I want to remember tomorrow.”
Hannah snorted, smiled then leaned into his ear, and whispered, just loud enough for Hermione to hear, “Don’t worry luv, I’ll make sure you get a good long look at all of my parts tonight to help purge that memory…” she turned and winked at Hermione, as Neville’s face turned as red as Susan's hair.
“Nev, go get McGonagall.” Harry said, keeping his wand trained on Malfoy and the stunned Slytherins. The other boy nodded and quickly made his exit after grabbing his wand.
He then moved and knelt next to Daphne and Susan, who were still out cold, but breathing and seemed stable, doing his best to ignore the fact they were both topless. He then waved his wand, and conjured a blanket for each of them. Hermione had a worried look on her face as she did her best to try and comfort the upset Second-Year with the help of Daphne's other friend, Tracey.
“Nice spell-work by the way.” He said, grinning.
“Thanks, glad I finally got a use for some of those curses I found.” Hermione said, as she looked over at Draco's prone form, his face bloody, his chest now a small mountain, and apparently still expanding, though slowly. There was even they sound of fabric being strained.
“Uh, they’re not gonna keep growing are they?” Harry asked, trying not to think about what a wizard with watermelon-sized breasts would look like.
Hermione shuddered, obviously having the same thought. “Uhm, I don’t know…the curse said they’d keep going until they exploded from blood pressure. I mean, eventually, they’ll get too big for his skin to contain, at which point, they will explode, the shock of which would probably kill him, if the blood-loss from this arm wound doesn’t first.”
Harry nodded and looked down at the two prone forms of Hermione's friends.
He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what curse Malfoy had used, though the incantation had been so fast he hadn’t quite caught it.
He hoped he was wrong about what spell it had been, because if that had hit Astoria…he didn’t want to think about it.
Though he had been surprised that it had passed through Hermione's shield, which seemed to imply that, even if they’d used a shield when Malfoy first cursed them, it wouldn’t have helped. He sucked in a breath and steadied himself. A spell that shields couldn’t stop was not good. Oddly enough, he couldn’t remember either of the books they read mentioned that little detail.
A few moments later, the sound of running footsteps were heard, and Neville came back into the classroom, panting, followed by a red-faced McGonagall behind him, and behind her, Ron.
McGonagall looked around at all the prone bodies on the floor, taking note of Daphne and Susan, and the students hovering around them. Her hard gaze then fixed on Harry and Hermione, her eyes flashing with rage at the almost-naked state of her favorite student.
“What. Happened.” She growled.
Harry pointed at Draco, who was still out cold, his skin a few shade’s paler from the blood loss. “He did. He decided to have a little ‘fun’ with Hermione, Susan and Daphne, with the others as witnesses.”
McGonagall’s lips thinned, she looked like she was about to explode, but managed to keep it in.
After giving all the Slytherins looks that could kill, minus Astoria and Tracey, she turned and flicked her wand, and a silvery tabby cat appeared on the floor.
“Poppy. Ready some beds, I’m bringing in several wounded. There has been an altercation, I will explain when I get there. Pomona, one of your students has been injured in an attack on the third floor, I’m having them sent to Poppy now, I’ll meet you there.” And with that, she flicked her wand and the cat ran off. Harry raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t know you could send massages with them.”
“Indeed Mister Potter, Lupin did not tell you?” she replied as she waved her wand over Draco, placing a stasis charm on him to stop the bleeding, and a second flick of her wand vanished the pool of blood on the floor, but not the blood staining his clothes. She then levitated his severed arm and laid it to rest on his chest. Harry shook his head. She pursed her lips.
“Dobby! Winky!” she called. With a pop, the two elves appeared, looking around, their eyes widened in surprise.
“Dobby, Winky, I have several injured students here who need to to be taken to the Hospital Wing, can you two do that for me?”
The two elves looked around at the various injured and bound students, Dobby in particular glared at Draco, but then when he turned to survey the others, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the state of Hermione, Daphne and Susan. He blushed fiercely, before snapping his fingers, and Hermione gasped as a fine silk robe, like a dressing gown, materialised over her body, identical gowns appeared on Daphne’s and Susan’s prone forms.
“Thanks Dobby.” Hermione said, smiling at the elf, who grinned back at her, before he turned to his downed former master’s spawn, and with a scowl, snapped his fingers and vanished, taking Draco with him.
Winky disappeared a moment later with Daphne, Susan, Astoria and Tracey, only to return a few seconds later for Hannah, Ginny, Ron and Luna, while Dobby took care of the rest of the downed attackers.
McGonagall cast another Patronus , and sent another message, this one for Flitwick and Snape, then finally for Dumbledore. The message she sent for the Headmaster was more of a snarling growl than an actual message, at least, that’s what it seemed like to Harry.
Then, she turned to him and Hermione, gesturing for them to follow her as she started to lead them to the Hospital wing, summoning the various wands with a flick of her own.
“Now, tell me everything.”
So Hermione did, with Harry filling it bits along the way, of how he’d ‘ sensed’ that Hermione was in trouble, and McGonagall theorised that their empathic bond had started to strengthen, far sooner than she’d expected.
Hermione also took the opportunity to mention that she’d started producing the day before. This had caused McGonagall to pause as they walked, briefly, as she mentally reviewed what would need to happen next for the two of them. And judging by the prone forms of Daphne and Susan before Winky had whisked them away, if she’d have to make some modifications to the Gryffindor Private Quarters.
When they eventually reached the Hospital wing, most of the students who had been tied up where clumped together while Pomfrey ran her wand over them, while another house elf, Harry didn’t know who, handed out potion vials.
Ron was too distracted to notice though, even too distracted to notice his own sister, since he was staring in shock and revulsion at Malfoy’s condition as he was being levitated towards an area of the ward meant for isolation, where they could already see Parkinson and Bulstrode, though Ron looked to the rest of the students like he was about to either howl with laughter or scream in horror, or violently throw up.
Maybe all three.
“Merlin… That’s just not right.” He shuddered. “My first sight of boobs and snatch shouldn’t be on Malfoy!” Ginny, Neville and Hannah snorted, as did the Slytherins that weren’t stunned.
Pomfrey was busy waking them, as McGonagall turned to her. “Poppy, I need to use your fireplace.” And with that, she marched into Poppy’s office to make a call she honest hoped she’d never have to.
When she returned, she levelled a furious glare at most of the Slytherins.
“I hope you all realise there is a good chance most of you will be expelled. Especially him.” She gestured at Draco, “And you , Miss Bulstrode.”
Bulstrode opened her mouth, probably to try and defend herself.
“Silence.” Minerva hissed, her eyes narrowing, alight in fury. “You attempted to use the Killing Curse on a fellow student. If you had, you’d be on your way to Azkaban by Curfew tonight! As it is, you never managed to complete the incantation, and your wand was destroyed, though you will most likely still face Expulsion if you aren’t arrested. You are incredibly lucky that Mister Potter here is a crack shot with his wand. Him on the other hand…” she trailed off, sending a glare at Draco's still form.
“To be fair, I did tell her that if she ever tried that again, I’d take her head off.” Harry said, scratching his head nervously. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at him, a slight smile, though a cold one, curling her lips.
“Well then, let us hope you’re never in a position where you have to follow through on that. And if I may suggest Mister Potter, I would not mention that little detail to Director Bones, when she arrives, if I were you.”
He gulped and nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nott’s face pale at the mention of Susan's aunt.
McGonagall took a moment to the unconscious form of Draco on his bed, his arm currently being re-attached by Pomfrey. ‘Albus...you could have prevented this had you done something after he cursed Harry and Hermione. But you did nothing, now he’s lucky to be alive, and he’ll probably end up in Azkaban for a long time.’ She thought.
“Now, as for you Mister Potter, Miss Granger. I am immensely proud of both of you for handling this situation the best you could under the circumstances. To that effect, I’m awarding 500 points apiece to Gryffindor for your efforts. As well as 100 to Hufflepuff for Miss Bones’ actions in stepping in to protect her fellow students.”
She then turned and glared at the Slytherins who were laying on the beds. “And I’m taking 500 points each from you lot, for your actions here.” She then turned and regarded the unconscious form of Daphne on a bed, and the two Slytherin girls still leaning over her.
“And although I should award points to Miss Greengrass for protecting the two of you, I do not feel there would be much point, since I suspect she will not be in Slytherin this time tomorrow.”
Astoria looked up at her, her tear-filled eyes wide with fear, and a small amount of accusation.
“You’re going to expel her?!” she demanded.
McGonagall’s face softened, even though under normal circumstances, it would do the opposite when being spoken to in such a manner.
“No, Miss Greengrass, I’m simply saying that your sister will be presented with the opportunity to transfer to a different house should she wish to. For her own safety, as it is clear she is not safe among her own house-mates.”
Tracey looked thoughtful. “If you’re going to transfer Daphne, you might as well take Tori too. Daphne won’t leave her in Slytherin alone.”
“I have friends there, I don’t want to leave them behind.” Astoria replied.
At that moment, the door opened, as a frantic Sprout, a worried Flitwick, a scowling Snape and a perturbed Dumbledore entered the Hospital wing.
“Minerva? What in Merlin’s name happened here?” Sprout asked as she stepped towards Susan and Hannah.
“As I said in the message, an altercation, I will explain in a moment.” Minerva said as she turned back to Astoria and Tracey. “If you wish to stay in Slytherin Miss Greengrass, that is your choice, but the offer I will be presenting to your sister when she wakes up, I will leave open for you.” She then looked at Tracey “Both of you.” Tracey smiled shyly in thanks.
“What offer? ” Snape growled. “Why are several of my students bound or unconscious?”
-=-=-=-
When Daphne Greengrass opened her eyes, she groaned. She felt…drained.
The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes, was that it was late afternoon, judging by the sunlight coming in through the windows. She also noticed Astoria sitting next to her, looking worried sick. Next to her was Tracey who had a hand on the girl’s shoulder comfortingly. She raised an eyebrow slightly at the large ball of orange purring fur in her sister’s lap.
What was Hermione's cat doing in her sister’s lap? And where was she? Last thing she remembered was… Draco!
With a gasp, she sat up, drawing the attention of her sister who gasped as well, a huge smile of joy crossing her face.
“Daph!” she cried, gently letting Crookshanks jump down then she threw herself at her sister.
“Ooof! Tori! Air! ” Daphne complained as she hugged her sister back. Astoria pulled back, her face bright with a happy smile, her eyes red from crying, wet streaks down her cheeks.
“I was so worried! You’ve been out for nearly half an hour! You and Susan.” She said.
‘Susan?’ Daphne thought, as she turned to her right, seeing her friend sitting up, with her house-mate and other friend, Hannah Abbott and her boyfriend, Neville Longbottom, sitting on her right side, with Luna sat on Susan’s left, between their beds.
“Sues, you okay?” she asked, finally taking notice of the rather fine-looking robes that she and Susan seemed to be wearing.
“Ugh…yeah, but I feel…exhausted. like I haven’t slept, also feel a little hungry too. Where are we? What happened?”
“Well, I’m guessing we’re in the Hospital Wing, as for what happened, I don’t remember much, I know Draco fired a spell at us after we stepped in front of the others…then I blacked out. Didn’t Hermione raise a shield?”
“Yeah, she did, but the spell went right through it. After we got hit, you went down almost immediately, but I managed to stay conscious long enough to get a hit off myself. Don’t know if I hit him though.” Susan said, sounding tired.
“Oh, you hit him alright.” Hannah grinned, then she pulled a face and shuddered. “That was just plain wrong . A human face is just not meant to have that kind of anatomical feature. Especially on a boy.”
“What happened?” Daphne asked. Astoria giggled.
“She gave his face a fanny!”
Daphne blinked, not sure if she’d heard her sister right.
“What?” she asked.
“Yeah, she did.” Neville said, before he shuddered. “It looked so hilarious, and yet, so wrong at the same time. Gave him a lisp too. Then he tried to curse Susan while she was out on the floor, but Hermione hit him with another curse, one that she called a Breast Enlargement Curse. Apparently works on blokes too.”
“Oh Merlin! ” despite herself, Daphne started to laugh, as the mental image, disturbing as it was, passed through her head.
“Oh yeah, and they kept growing too, though he did try to hit Hermione with the Killing Curse, so Harry cut off his arm with a Diffindo , he lost a lot of blood, didn’t stop until McGonagall put a stasis charm on him.” Neville said.
“Oh boy…you mean he ended up with Bludgers on his chest?” Daphne asked. Neville shook his head with a grin.
“Nope. Watermelons. Big ones. I feel bad for Ron though, first female body parts he’s ever seen, and they’re attached to Draco, well, besides you, Susan and Hermione.”
Daphne shuddered, remembering that humiliating experience, but then the mental image of what they’d just described happening to Draco formed in her mind, and she laughed. She laughed so hard she had tears pouring down her cheeks, Susan wasn’t much better off. Once they had calmed down, Daphne wiped her eyes and started fussing the orange Half-Kneazle who had jumped up on her bed.
“What was Weasley doing there anyway?” Daphne asked. Neville shrugged.
“McGonagall and I ran into him on our way back to the classroom, said he wanted to help, so he got brought here with his sister by a couple of house elves. He’s with her now.”
“So where is Draco now?” Susan asked.
Neville pointed towards a door at the other end of the room.
“Isolation ward. Parkinson is in there too, she got a piece of wood in her shoulder from the door, Bulstrode is also in there. Harry and Hermione are in Pomfrey’s office with the Professors, Crabbe, Goyle and Nott are in there too I think. Hermione also hit Bulstrode with a spell that…uh…” he looked at Astoria, his face blushing, wondering what he should say. Next to Astoria, Tracey chuckled.
“She hit Bulstrode with a spell that gave her a penis.”
Daphne blinked and shared a look with a slightly disgusted looking Susan.
“That’s…just cold. I approve.” Susan said. Daphne nodded. She’d never liked Bulstrode. The girl had always come off as stand-offish and aggressive.
“So what happens now?” she asked. Hannah gestured to Pomfrey’s office, where they could see several figures silhouetted in the room. They couldn’t hear what was being said, privacy charms most likely.
“They’re deciding that now I think. We already gave our statements, so I’m not sure why Harry and Hermione are still in there.” Luna said.
The door suddenly opened, and Harry and Hermione stepped out. Followed by Professors McGonagall, who looked furious but resigned, Sprout, who looked angry, but her expression softened when she saw them watching. Next was Pomfrey, who quickly moved to start checking on the two girls. Next was a woman who looked a lot like Susan, just older, sterner, and who exuded an aura of authority. It was impossible to look at her and not recognise Amelia Susanne Bones, Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. Someone you did not mess with. Ever. And right at that moment, everything about her posture and body language screamed that she was pissed off. Under one arm she held a large book bound in black leather. Daphne couldn’t see the spine or the cover, so couldn’t see the name, but she had a fair idea which book it was.
The next two people to emerge from Pomfrey’s office made Daphne's heart nearly stop.
Her parents.
Eleanor and Erikson Greengrass.
And they both looked ready to kill.
However, their expressions brightened somewhat when they saw their eldest daughter was awake, and they quickly approached, hugging her tightly, her mother buried her face in her hair and started to cry. Her father smiled at her, a look of pride on his face, but she could clearly see the barely restrained rage burning in his eyes, especially when he glanced over his shoulder at the locked door to the Isolation Ward.
The last two people to emerge from Pomfrey’s office, were Snape and Dumbledore. Snape was wearing his usual scowl, which turned to a look of hate when his eyes fixed on Harry and Hermione, and when they drifted to her, they turned hostile, but his temper was quickly subdued thanks to the withering death glares he received from pretty much every other adult in the room, bar Dumbledore.
Speaking of the Headmaster, he looked tired, he also looked conflicted, frustrated, yet resigned. Clearly he’d tried to stop whatever her parents and Madam Bones had wanted to do, but had been outvoted. Or threatened.
“Are you okay my little Valkyrie?” her mother asked in a quiet, gentle tone.
“Uh, yeah mum, I’m okay, me and Susan are okay, so is Tori.” Daphne said, hugging her mother back as tears started to fall.
Before anyone could say anything, Pomfrey turned and went to the locked door and went inside, re-emerging soon after with Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode in tow. Draco's arm had been healed, though he still looked pale, and the effects of the two curses he’d been under had, thankfully, been reversed.
Draco's expression twisted into a look of pure loathing when he saw them, especially when his eyes fixed on Harry and Hermione, though he hadn’t seemed to have noticed Madam Bones or the Greengrass elders yet.
“Potter! You’ll pay for this! You think you can get away with shedding the blood of your betters?! When my father hears about this, he’ll have you expelled!”
“I doubt that.” Amelia growled as the door to Pomfrey’s office opened again, and several wizards and witches in red robes walked out, wands drawn.
Aurors.
And they were escorting several students who were bound in cuffs. Nott, Crabbe and Goyle.
Malfoy paled, as did Bulstrode and Parkinson.
“Draco Malfoy. Pansy Parkinson. Millicent Bulstrode. You are under arrest. You are formally charged with 9 counts of kidnapping, 4 counts of assault, harassment, 3 count of sexual assault, 1 count of conspiracy to commit Line Assassination, 2 count of Attempted Line Assassination, 4 counts of using a borderline Unforgivable for you Mister Malfoy, 1 count of using an Unforgivable for both you Mister Malfoy, and you, Miss Bulstrode. Your associates Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Theodore Nott are also facing charges of 9 counts of Kidnapping. More charges could be laid against you pending further investigation. Do you have anything to say in your defence?”
Draco's expression morphed several times, going from confused to outraged to defiant to smug.
“You’ll never make it stick.” He gloated, his voice dripping with scorn as he glared at Amelia, who sent it right back at him. “My father will get me out. Mark my words!”
“I don’t think so.” Erikson Greengrass growled, stepping forward, his fists clenched. Draco met his glare arrogantly, which only seemed to make Mr Greengrass angrier.
“We’ll see if your father will be so willing to help you once he finds out your actions have led to a Blood Feud between Houses Greengrass and Malfoy!” The man growled, his anger barely contained. He knew his own father Lord Henrikson was the head of the Greengrass Family, and he was sure the man would send a Letter of Declaration to Lucius before the day was done.
Draco’s eyes went wide. That…was not good. His father would certainly not be pleased.
Two of the Aurors, a dark-skinned bald man with gold earrings, and a young woman who looked to be in her late teens, early 20s with bubble-gum pink hair wearing the light blue robes of an Auror Cadet stepped forward, reaching into their robes they each pulled out a pair of cuffs and snapped them on Draco, Pansy and Millicent.
To his credit, Draco didn’t try to resist, he just turned and fixed Harry, Hermione, Susan and Daphne with loathing glares.
“I’ll be back.” He snarled, as he and the other two girls were led out the room. Daphne briefly caught a glimpse of the others outside.
As soon as the door closed, Snape rounded on Harry, glaring at him. “You should be going with them Potter! Or at the very least, be expelled!”
“Fuck you, Snivelus.” Harry snapped, glaring at the man he hated as much as Voldemort. Which only seemed to infuriate Snape even more.
“Harry!” Dumbledore said, taken aback at the coarse language.
“Over my dead body Serverus!” McGonagall snarled, stepping between Snape and Harry.
“The only reason I did not charge Mister Potter with anything, is because he acted in self defence and the defence of his friends. He also did not use any dark magic, unlike Mister Malfoy and Miss Bulstrode. Both his and Malfoy’s wands were tested. I am also not charging Miss Granger or Susan with using dark curses because their effects were quickly and easily reversed, and there does not appear to be any lasting damage to either Miss Bulstrode or Mister Malfoy.” Amelia said, getting the attention of both Professors. “There are also the bylaws to consider.”
“What bylaws?” Snape growled.
“The bylaws that protect Triwizard Champions from any form of legal prosecution or arrest for the entire duration of the Tournament. So I couldn’t touch Mister Potter even if I wanted to.” Amelia said, her hard eyes then locked on Dumbledore.
“And I can’t go after the Headmasters or Headmistresses of the participating schools either, they are also protected by these same bylaws.”
‘That doesn’t mean I can’t launch an investigation though.’ She thought.
Dumbledore did not say anything, his expression now unreadable. Amelia’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you hiding old man?’
“You should have contacted me after Draco’s first usage of that curse, considering it was an attempt at Line Assassination, that alone will likely get him ten years, though they might reduce his sentence because of his age, then again, they might not. And that’s not eve taking int account how many he’ll get for everything else being thrown at him. He could easily be looking at a life sentence.”
“I did not feel it was necessary, I felt we could handle the situation ourselves.” He replied, silently thinking, ‘ And I didn’t want any unwanted attention during the Tournament. Hogwarts does not need the bad publicity.’ He didn’t say this out loud, because he knew it wouldn’t go well.
“Clearly you did not.” She growled.
Dumbledore then turned disapproving eyes on Harry and Hermione.
“Though I must say again Harry, I am disappointed that you felt it necessary to resort to shedding blood when a body-bind or stunner would have been just as effective.” He said, trying to portray the guise of a disappointed grandfather, though on the inside, he was slightly worried. Harry had resorted to the cutting curse far too readily.
Harry just shrugged. “And as I said, Headmaster, he tried to kill my girlfriend, I wasn’t about to let that stand. A show of force was required.”
Snape was now fuming, teeth grinding in rage, “Then I insist that the brat serves detentions with me for the rest of the school year for maiming Draco and almost hurting Bulstrode, and that he be barred from attending the Ball.”
“He can’t be. As one of the Champions, he has to make an appearance.” McGonagall said. “As for him serving those detentions with you, again, the answer is ‘No’. He did not use a dark spell, he did not aim for anything vital like Draco's head or neck, and there was no lasting damage. If you insist that he serve some detentions, he can serve them with me.”
Snape glowered for a moment, before he turned with a growled “Fine!” and left the Hospital Wing in a huff, robes billowing, but when he reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder. “1000 points from Gryffindor.” Then he was gone.
Daphne sighed, she was glad Snape was gone, along with Draco, there was something about the way he’d looked at her that she hadn’t liked.
“I honestly don’t know how he thought he could get away with it.” Eleanor said quietly.
“Because he’s arrogant to the bone.” Tracey said, “He believes he’s untouchable. That his dad will help him out of any scrape he gets into. A few years in Azkaban should cure him of that notion. Ever since our first few months at Hogwarts, he’s been strutting around the Snake Pit like he owns it. He’s not been behaving like a traditional Slytherin at all, he’s been behaving more like, well…” she cast an apologetic look to Harry, Hermione and Neville “Like a typical Gryffindor. No offense.”
“None taken.” Harry said, a slight smile lighting his face. Then he sighed “Ron, me and Hermione seem to be his favorite targets, though Ron seems to rise to him and antagonize him more often than not.”
Daphne nodded. “Yeah, he always went on about how he loved to wind Weasley up. Though now, I doubt he’ll be so happy. And I think he’ll be in for a nasty shock when his dad basically tells him he’s on his own. I’ll be very surprised if Lucius tries to help him out of this one.”
Hermione looked at McGonagall worriedly, as did Harry. “You’re not really going to give Harry detention, are you Professor?” she asked.
Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something, but McGonagall cut him off, causing him to frown at her.
“In a way.” McGonagall said, smiling ever so slightly, before turning to Harry. “Mister Potter, I’m going to assume that by now, you already have a date for the Yule Ball?” ‘ And if not, what’s taking you so long to ask her!’
Harry blushed, looked at Hermione, who also blushed, and nodded.
“Good. Now, do you, any of you, know how to dance?”
Harry blinked and shook his head, Hermione and the others all nodded, Hermione spoke up, “I do, but I only know a few basic moves.”
“Well in that case Mister Potter, you will be having detention with me three times a week, starting next Monday, for two hours a piece, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, where I will be teaching you dancing lessons until December 23rd, or until I’m satisfied with what you’ve learned if you pick it up quickly enough. Miss Granger, you may also attend if you wish. I’ll set a classroom aside on Monday and tell you the room number.”
She then turned to Dumbledore “Will that suffice Albus?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Dumbledore paused, the protest that had been sitting on his tongue, that this ‘detention’ didn’t really qualify, was forcibly discarded, and he nodded.
“Now that unpleasantness is over with, lets get back to our current issue. First, Miss Greengrass, Miss Bones, how do you both feel?” Pomfrey asked, raising her wand to start casting diagnostic spells on them both.
It was then that Daphne and Susan both noticed that Hermione and Harry weren’t looking at them. Harry looked uncomfortable, almost embarrassed, and Hermione looked, well, neither girl could place it. Tracey meanwhile, placed a comforting arm around Astoria’s shoulders and gave her friend a smile, though there was worry in her eyes.
“Guys? What’s wrong?” Susan asked.
“How do you feel Susan?” her aunt asked, addressing her for the first time.
“Uh…I feel fine, a little tired maybe, a little hungry…” Susan said, her face darkening with a faint blush as she looked at Harry, then at Hermione.
Daphne raised an eyebrow, she too felt fine, apart from the slight tiredness and hunger and…her eyes widened slightly as she felt her face warm in a slight blush as she looked at Harry, really looked at him, and Hermione, and she suddenly realized how… beautiful Hermione looked, and how… gorgeous Harry was. Her thoughts went back to earlier in the week, when she’d cornered Harry, and she felt her blush deepen, as her lips pulled into a grin, a tingling feeling started between her legs, and she also felt her nipples start to pebble.
‘What the…?!’ she thought, a quick look at her Hufflepuff friend showed the same shocked look on Susan's face. No, not just shocked…she almost looked…
Aroused .
‘Oh Merlin, please no…’ a sinking feeling settled in her stomach, just as an icy chill went down her spine, that was surprisingly enough to dampen the lust she felt simmering in her body. Dampen it, but not snuff it out.
She quickly looked at the others, and the sinking feeling started to turn to abject panic.
The resigned looks on their faces…the fury in her parents’ eyes…the way Harry and Hermione refused to meet her or Susan's eyes.
McGonagall sighed. “I believe, Miss Greengrass, Miss Bones, that it may be necessary move you both into Gryffindor House. Not only because we believe it is no longer safe for you there, even with Draco and his associates now gone, but because there are other factors in play.”
“Why?” Daphne asked, as her panic started to climb even higher, and that feeling of dread she had got worse.
Pomfrey looked resigned, like she was about to deliver a terminal diagnosis. In a way, she reasoned, she was.
“I am sorry Miss Greengrass, Miss Bones, but my tests were conclusive, you’re both exhibiting the symptoms.”
“Of what?!” Susan cried, her face going pale.
“It seems the spell Draco hit you both with, even through Miss Granger’s shield…was the same one he used before on them.”
Daphne's eyes went wide as she felt the blood drain from her face as she started to sweat, and she started to shake her head, her lower lip trembling. “No…”
“I’m sorry Miss Greengrass, but the results are clear. You and Miss Bones have both been cursed…with the Gift of Aphrodite.”
-=-=-=-
Notes:
Translations for the spells used and Fleur's rant:
"I can't believe the guts of this whore! If I catch that poor excuse of a cockroach and her 2 bits journalism, I'll make her choke on her sunday paper! I'll shove her feather up her bitch's ass! At least the whore will have some style this way!"
Spells:
aptesthai arpuias = touch of the harpy (Greek)
facies genitalis = face of the whore (Latin)
auxane mastous = grow breasts (roughly) (Greek)
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Chapter 14: Additions and a History lesson
Notes:
Okay, I know it has been a LONG time since I updated, but I have good reason for taking so long. As some of you will know, my girlfriend had to go in for emergency surgery about a month ago, surgery she needed since late last year, but because of 'reasons', she couldn't get it until January. Thankfully, she's doing much better now, and is improving each day, so the next chapter shouldn't take as long to write. *knocks on the table*
There is also a *lot* of french-accent dialogue in this chapter, so if that bothers any of you, then i'm sorry, i just tend to find it more authentic when a french character who hasn't been said to be proficient with English, struggles with it, and have that reflected in the dialogue. I spoke to a native french speaker who helped me with most of it. I will try to have Fleur learn better english as the story goes on.
I also remember one of my early reviewers said he expected this fic to reach 200k, well, only another 9k or so to go :P
I am also borrowing HEAVILY from VelvetInferno's amazing and HOT story "Apex Predator" (I have his permission) in regards to Veela, their culture, physiology and psychology, which I will be expanding more on in this story in the coming chapters (including diving into their rivalry with Merpeople a bit more), so don't be surprised if certain parts of my story start to more closely resemble his. If you haven't read Apex Predator yet, go do so.
And this fic has passed the 1000 kudos mark (by 26), thanks guys (and girls)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Saturday, December 2nd, 1994.
Hospital Wing.
“I’m sorry Miss Greengrass, but the results are clear. You and Miss Bones have both been cursed…with the Gift of Aphrodite.”
Daphne blinked in a stupor as those words rattled around inside her head.
She started to shake her head, eyes widening in muted horror.
Sure, she’d enjoyed the brief tryst with Harry in the Hospital wing the other day, but that had been a one-off, she’d never intended to go back for seconds, she certainly didn’t want to step on Hermione’s territory.
But now…
“I’m sorry.”
She blinked, her gaze, and everyone else’s, going to Harry, who wouldn’t meet her eyes, or those of her parents, Susan or her aunt.
“What do you mean? It wasn’t your fault.” Hermione said.
“It was. I could have…should have decapitated Malfoy the second I destroyed that door, but I didn’t until after he cursed you guys.”
“Harry!” Dumbledore admonished, a look of shock crossing his face.
“It’s a good thing you did not, Mister Potter. While personally, and off the record, I can sympathize with such a thought, my position as Head of the DMLE would demand that I arrest you for murder had you actually done that. Not to mention that Lucius would have had his puppet Fudge demand that I arrest you. Which I would have to do.” Amelia said, giving him a firm look.
“Which also wouldn’t be good for our health.” Susan added, giving him a meaningful look, which rapidly turned to a look of lust and hunger, before she tore her eyes aware from him and blushed fiercely.
Hermione gave her a sympathetic look. While she was still dealing with the elevated levels of lust and arousal, she’d gotten fairly used to it now, so she was mostly able to block it out, as long as she didn’t go too long between feedings.
Speaking of which…there was no way Daphne or Susan would be willing to wait as long as she and Harry did, to do so would be selfish, unfair, reckless and dangerous.
Which, she realized as she worried her bottom lip, that within at least several hours, definitely before the end of the day, she would more than likely be engaging in her very first, but certainly not the last threesome at least, foursome at most.
Then another thought came to her…the possibility that she would end up engaging in lesbian sex with either or both of her friends was now very high. Almost a certainty. She didn’t really count the session in the Hospital wing on Thursday, sure, she’d admired Daphne’s body, maybe even made some silent comparisons, and admitted that the blonde looked good, and shared her boyfriend with her, but Hermione hadn’t actually touched Daphne in a sexual way.
And if she was completely honest with herself…
She wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation. She wasn’t into girls, she knew that much, but she was starting to resign herself to the fact that, even the new situation they were all now in, she likely would be, eventually.
‘I guess we cross that Gorge of Eternal Peril when we come to it.’ She thought, she just hoped it wouldn’t be until she was ready.
“He could swear a Blood Feud against Malfoy.” Astoria pointed out, Harry shook his head,
“From what Luna told me, I can’t, I haven’t taken my lordship yet, and even if I did, I couldn’t touch Draco.”
Erikson nodded, “Aye, that is an unfortunate technicality. But you don’t have to worry about that, my father and I’ll be handling that front. Though to be honest, the whole ‘Lord’ thing doesn’t really mean much anyway beyond certain traditions most families don’t bother with, may families don’t use the title anymore, actually, but they still have and use the family rings. The only time the ‘Lord’ title is really observed these days is at functions and parties hosted at the residence of a pure-blood family, particularly if they’re ether Ancient, Noble, Most Ancient, or an assortment of the three.” He then turned and looked at his wife, “I guess this means we’ve officially picked a side m’lady, father is going to love this…”
Eleanor simply smiled and took her husband’s hand, “It is alright, I’m sure he’ll more than understand your reasons.” She then turned and looked at Daphne with a kind, loving but firm look.
“Daphne, your father and I, and Madam Bones, had the situation explained to us by Professor McGonagall, Mister Potter, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood, well, Miss Granger, Professor McGonagall and Miss Lovegood did most of the talking. Mister Potter was too busy pretending he didn’t exist.” She finished, giving Harry a brief, but amused smile.
“While your father and I are not…happy with this arrangement, this certainly wasn’t how we envisioned learning of you having a boy in your life, let alone the specifics…from what we understand, whats done is done. Though your father and I will be doing our own research for any information we can find on a cure.”
“As will I.” Amelia said.
“Also, while we are not adversed to the idea of grandchildren.” At this, Eleanor gave her a look that Harry found rather odd, a mixture of hope but also a hint of warning, “We don’t want them yet. So if you and Mister Potter, Harry, wish to Bond, then you have our blessing, just please remember to be careful when the time comes.” She then stepped forward and leaned over, planting a kiss on Daphne’s forehead. Daphne’s arms immediately went up and around her mother, hugging her tightly as she buried her face in the older woman’s neck, a shiver of trepidation running through her.
“You’ll be okay, my little Valkyrie.” She whispered, then she pulled back and turned to Harry, giving him the kindest, yet sternest look she could manage.
“Harry Potter, I’m entrusting my daughter’s wellbeing, safety and…needs, to you. Do not let us down. Look after my daughters.”
Harry gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. “I will.”
“Very well then, I believe we should get going. Professor McGonagall, I think it would be best if we took Astoria home for the rest of the weekend.” Erikson said.
“What? But I’m fine!” Astoria protested.
“Tori…” Daphne began, sitting up, getting ready to stand, but stopping for a moment, only just suppressing a hiss and shiver as she felt her knickers brush against her now hard clit, and she realized with a flush of embarrassment, that she was soaking. Her breasts were very sensitive too, and her nipples were two hard small points pressing against her bra almost painfully. A quick glance over at Susan showed her friend was in a similar state from the way she was blushing as she sat up.
Oh Morgana! This was going to be so awkward!
“Astoria.” Their mother said in that tone. The tone that meant ‘no back talking’. “You’ve been through quite the ordeal, your father and I do not feel leaving you here right now would be a good idea, you can return in time for classes Monday morning, but for the rest of the today, and tomorrow, your father and I feel it best you come home with us.”
“But mum!” Astoria protested, eyes wide.
“Your mother is right, sweetheart.” Erikson said gently, placing his hands on his youngest daughter’s shoulders. “Tracey told us of the animosity your house displayed towards your sister over the past couple of days, we honestly don’t feel comfortable leaving you here to be left at their mercy. I’m sure miss Davis would do all she could to look after you, but you don’t take the same classes, you aren’t in the same year, and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in the Second year Dorms.”
Astoria looked like she was going to protest, but eventually sighed and bowed her head in acceptance.
“Okay dad.” She said quietly. She then turned and approached Daphne and flung herself at her sister again, but this time, Daphne was ready for it.
“I’ll be okay Tori. I’ve got Susan, Hermione, and the Boy-Who-Lived looking after me.” She said, noting Harry’s wince out of the corner of her eye at that moniker he hated so much. She winked at him and mouthed ‘Sorry!’ he simply smiled and shrugged in return.
Once Astoria pulled away and rejoined her parents, heading into the embrace of her mother, Erikson stepped up to McGonagall and leaned forward, speaking just loud enough to be heard by the 4th years.
“Minerva, I’m also trusting you to keep an eye on both of my daughters. Should the need ever arise, I want Astoria in Gryffindor with her sister.” He said, then paused for a moment, rolling his eyes with a slight smile. “Honestly never thought I’d ever say those words.”
McGonagall also smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping close tabs on both of them.”
Satisfied, Erikson stepped forward and embraced Daphne, whispering quick words of endearment to her, then he pulled back and turned to Harry. “I know my wife already said this, but…look after my daughters Mister Potter, and treat Daphne and her friends well, as long as you do that, you will be welcome within our house.” He raised his hand, which Harry awkwardly took, and they shook. Erikson smiled, nodded once to Harry, Amelia, Pomfrey, McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout, before he turned and followed his wife and younger daughter out of the room. It didn’t escape anyone’s notice that he’d ignored Dumbledore.
Now it was Amelia’s turn to step forward and embrace Susan, hugging her tightly, her normally tern expression cracking.
“This isn’t how I pictured you getting a boyfriend Sue, but…I don’t think you could have done better. Just remember, I’m in no hurry to be a Grand Aunt.” She said with a smile.
“Auntie…” Susan moaned in embarrassment as she hugged her aunt back, wishing she’d called her in sooner, then all of this might have been avoided.
Amelia then stood up and turned to the rest of the professors, “As for you lot, I’ll be keeping my eye on all of you, and what is happening here, a lot more closely from now on. By all rights, I should be hauling at least two of you in, namely you Dumbledore, and you Snape. Fortunately for you, the Triwizard bylaws are protecting you. For now. If I ever hear of this curse being used within these walls again, I may have to start bringing you in for questioning. As it stands, I’m taking the book Draco used as evidence, and thoroughly examining it.”
“Fine.” Snape growled, before he turned marched out, his cloak billowing.
“Alright, Miss Davis, Miss Lovegood, Mister Longbottom, Miss Abbott, Mister Weasley, lets get you back to your dorms.” Flitwick said, as he started to herd the students who didn’t need to be there out of the room.
“Don’t worry guys, Ron and I’ll keep quiet, right Ron?” Neville asked as he was herded towards the door.
Ron blinked and nodded, “Uh, yeah, sure.” He honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about a Slytherin joining Gryffindor, but…he figured there was nothing he could do about it.
He internally winced at the realization that Harry now had three girls with him now. That was three girls giving him a blowjob several times a day! That was anywhere up to twelve blowjobs a day! And three fannies and three arses! And SIX boobs!
Part of him wondered if he’d have the stamina to keep up with that if he were in Harry’s position, but that question as soon drowned by the surge of jealousy that flooded him.
It just wasn’t FAIR!
Harry go the money, he got the fame, he got the girl! Worse, he now had three girls!
‘Still…’ he reasoned as the group walked back towards Gryffindor tower. ‘I might still have a chance with Hermione, then there was that bet I made with Dean and Seamus on whether or not I can ask Fleur. Pfft! Three girls? One Veela beats an entire Quidditch team of regular girls.’ Then his thoughts went to what had happened to Draco, and he shuddered.
Part of him really wanted to rail on Hermione for traumatizing him like that.
As they approached the Fat Lady, who swung open when she saw them approaching, Hannah gave Neville a quick hug and kiss, saying she’d see him later, and he and Ginny stepped through the portrait hole.
“Oi, Nev, what’s with you and Hannah?” Ron asked as he moved to sit down at the table where he’d set up a chess game earlier in the day, before he’d gone to get something, only to run into Neville and McGonagall.
“What do you mean?” Neville asked, raising an eyebrow as he too sat down.
“Since when is she all over you?” Ron asked.
“Since a few weeks ago? Why?” Neville asked, a little suspiciously.
Ron just stared at him. Everyone around him seemed to be getting a girlfriend lately, hell, even the twins had managed to nab themselves a girl each. He wasn’t sure about Dean, Seamus, Lee, Colin or Denis, though he’d heard Colin was gay so…
He really had some catching up to do.
-=-=-=-
Back in the Hospital Wing, Amelia continued her instructions to everyone still present, “Now, Miss Granger mentioned a second book, which from what I’ve been told contains spells of a similar, but lighter nature. I’m going to let her keep custody of this book.” She then turned and looked Hermione in the eye, fixing the girl with her ‘I’m the head of the DMLE, so don’t ever fuck with me’ look.
Hermione gulped, eyes widening as she suddenly felt like she was back in First year, in that bathroom, staring down that mountain troll all over again.
“Provided that you do not use any spells within that could be dangerous. And any spells you do use, I want your word you’ll keep your Head of House and Madam Pomfrey informed.” She said.
“Uh, y-yes…ma’am.” Hermione said, face a few shades paler than normal.
“Good.” She then turned to Harry, and fixed him with a similar look to the one Hermione had got. “As for you Mister Potter, all I want from you is your word that you will make sure my Susan is taken care of, in all respects.” Harry swallowed then nodded.
“Good.” She then turned and smiled at Susan again, “I’ll be in touch Susan, and please keep me informed of the goings on around here.” And with that, she hefted the black book in her arms, before turning to leave.
Once she was gone, McGonagall turned to Sprout, giving her a rueful smile, “Sorry to poach one of your best Badgers, Pomona.”
Pomona shrugged, “I know you’ll take good care of her Minnie.”
She then turned to head out the door as it opened again, and Moody hobbled in, his magical eye surveying the room, before they settled on the four teens.
“Where have you been Alastor?” Dumbledore asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.
“Helping the others deal with Draco and his lot. Saw Snape following us, but I took a moment to tell him to bugger off.” He then looked at the teens, his eye easily detecting the magical aura that he’d first detected weeks ago, now covering Daphne and Susan, he also noticed a faint ‘string’ of magic connecting Hermione and Harry, clear evidence they were already Bonding.
“Potter, Granger, Greengrass, Bones, starting Monday, you’ll be having private self defense lessons with me, twice a week, after dinner.”
“I’m afraid that will not be possible Alastor, Mister Potter and Miss Granger will be taking Dancing lessons with me 3 times a week, starting on Monday, then Wednesday and Friday, up until the Yule ball, or until I’m satisfied on how much they’ve learned.” McGonagall said.
“Mm.” Moody grunted, “Fine. Tuesday and Thursday, after dinner, DA class room. All four of you.” And with that, he turned and hobbled out.
-=-=-=-
Once Flitwick, Sprout and Moody had left with the others, Minerva turned to Pomfrey and Dumbledore.
“Poppy, do you need to keep them any longer or can I take them and get them settled in?”
Pomfrey waved her wand over the four in question, pausing for a moment to check the readouts, then nodded. She then turned and walked towards her medicine cabinet, then came back with several vials.
“These are for later.” She said, handing them to Hermione. She looked down at them. Calming droughts, stamina potions, and re-hydration potions by the look of them. She looked up at the mediwitch questioningly.
“To help you relax.” She said, smiling. Hermione felt her cheeks flush, wondering if they’d really be needed, then again, considering what they’d just gone through, and what they would likely have to do very soon, which would normally be the last think on anyones mind after a near-miss like they just had, these potions were probably going to be needed.
“Alright, they can go Minerva.”
“Just a moment, I would wish to have a moment with Harry.” Dumbledore spoke up, getting everyone’s attention. Minerva sighed.
“Very well, if you three girls will wait here with Harry, I need to make some alterations to the private quarters, and tell the rest of Gryffindor they’re getting two new additions.”
Once she’d left, Dumbledore turned to give Poppy a look and she rolled her eyes and stepped away, pulling the girls with her as he erected a privacy charm.
“Harry my boy, I must say I’m profoundly disappointed in you. You could have defused that situation without resorting to bloodshed.” The old man chastised, projecting the air of a disappointed grandparent.
“What would you have expected me to do? Draco is lucky I showed as much restraint as I did. I could have easily dropped him, permanently, the moment I walked in that door.”
“And if you had, you’d be on your way to a Ministry Holding Cell by now, given your…condition, I doubt you would have lasted long.” The old man replied.
“Maybe if you’d actually done something about Draco, instead of waiting for him to ‘see the light’, after he first cast that curse, then maybe I wouldn’t have had to escalate things.” Harry growled.
Dumbledore opened his mouth to reply, but Harry cut him off.
“What if that curse had hit Astoria? Or if he’d used it on a First year and a member of staff like say, Professor McGonagall or Sinistra when he first used it, instead of me and Hermione?”
Dumbledore paused, and winced. Yes, that certainly would have created a situation that would have caused a lot of issues.
“The fact is, you got lucky with Susan and Daphne taking that hit, a hit that was meant for others. Now Draco is out of the picture, and I hope he stays out. Because next time, if there ever is one, I may not show such restraint as I did this time. So go ahead, be disappointed in me, I’ve got other things to worry about now, like making sure I have enough reserves to keep not one, but three girls alive.”
Harry then turned and stepped away from Dumbledore, seemingly done with the discussion.
Dumbledore sighed mentally. There was nothing he could do for Draco now, the boy had sealed his own fate casting that curse and casting an Unforgivable.
This would also reflect badly on the school, which was the last thing he wanted right now. They already had enough scrutiny because of the tournament as it was.
-=-=-=-
As Daphne and Susan stepped through the portrait hole into Gryffindor tower, they paused as the eyes of every person in the common room turned to look at them. It looked like the entire house was present.
“As I told you, these are the new students joining us, I’m sure some of you have had interactions with them before, but from now on, they will be part of this house, I want you to treat the two of them as you would any other member of this house. Though again, I will not say why they are joining us, but…I’m sure you’ll probably see it in the Prophet soon enough. If I hear that anyone has been giving them a difficult time, because of their prior house affiliation, there will be consequences.” McGonagall said, levying a meaningful look at Ron, and several other boys.
She then turned to address the four teens.
“The private quarters are this way. For a time, they were the Head Boy’s quarters, but at one time, they were private quarters for the Head of House, and for the rare occasion when Gryffindor Students would marry while still attending Hogwarts.”
“Hufflepuff doesn’t have that I think.” Susan said, McGonagall shrugged.
“All houses have them, but since the teachers have their own quarters separate from their houses, these quarters generally are no longer used. Now, I need to go in there and make some modifications to the arrangements. And as I said to Harry and Hermione, I expect you to mingle with your house-mates from time to time.” They nodded their ascent, then she turned and headed into the private quarters.
Daphne and Susan looked at each other and then moved to sit on one of the sofas, then the others moved closer, and started to introduce themselves.
During the introductions, Harry found himself being stared at with various looks of awe, jealousy and envy. The twins even gave him a thumbs-up each.
“So what happened guys? One of the Portraits on the third floor said something about Aurors being called to the school.” Parvati asked.
“Short answer: Draco and his lackeys won’t be at Hogwarts for a while.” Harry said with a shrug.
Parvati’s eyes moved to Daphne and Susan, and seemed to scrutinize both girls, before they widened and she looked back at Harry.
“He didn’t.”
“He did.” Hermione said, nodding.
Now some of the envious looks Harry was getting turned to sympathetic, but not many.
“And he threw in a AK for free, fortunately it didn’t hit anything more important than a table. Then I cut his arm off.” Harry said.
“Then Hermione and I hit him and Bulstrode with body modification curses.” Daphne grinned.
“Oh? This we gotta hear.” Fred, or George, piped up.
“Don’t remind me, please!” Ron cried from one of the chairs, putting his hands over his ears. Ginny giggled, and Neville rolled his eyes.
“I hit him with a curse that turned his mouth and nose into an accurate representation of what’s between a girl’s legs, and Hermione hit him with a breast enlargement curse.” Susan said.
“Why?! Why did you remind me!” Ron moaned.
“Then I gave Bulstrode a second ‘wand’.” Hermione smirked, mindful of the younger students present.
The students exchanged looks that ranged from barely contained hysteria to horror.
“Pro tip Harry, don’t ever make any of these three mad at you.” One of the older boys said, grinning. Harry snorted, rolling his eyes.
“Hey Fred, George, Ron might need your help, he saw some things today that can’t be unseen.” Harry grinned, Hermione, Daphne and Susan snorted, as did several of the others, Ron just moaned.
“Don’t worry Harry, we’ll take care of ‘ittle Ronnikins.” Fred, or was it George? grinned in in his younger brother’s direction.
Sally-Anne smiled and invited to two new Gryffindors to sit at the table she and Lavender were sat at.
Harry smiled as he took a seat in an arm-chair, turned and looked into the fireplace as it warmly burned in the hearth.
-=-=-=-
Later, as they entered the Great Hall for lunch, things were a bit unruly, with several students clearly agitated, talking animatedly among themselves, at least, most that weren’t the Slytherins, who were looking around confused, having taken notice that several of their house-mates were missing.
Soon, as the students filed in and settled down, Harry, Hermione, and now Susan and Daphne, settled in and took notice of what was going on. Several students were looking in their direction and pointing, some wondering why Daphne and Susan were sat with Gryffindors, and others giving Harry suspicious, envious, and in one or two cases, sympathetic looks.
Dumbledore stood and made an announcement, saying there had been an altercation between several students, and that, regrettably, several had been arrested by the DMLE, though he assured the students that it was all just a misunderstanding and that those in question would return soon.
Harry raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the Head Table.
“Not bloody likely. Not if Malfoy wants to keep breathing.” Harry muttered. Dumbledore’s statement had also apparently riled up Daphne, Susan and Hermione, who had almost stood up to counter the professor’s claims, but a reassuring gesture from Harry had stayed them.
Harry felt eyes on him and looked up, meeting the venomous glare of Snape, Harry new better than to hold that glare, as it would be seen as provocation, so he returned to his lunch.
His mind still wracked with emotion over the fight with Draco. One one hand, he was pissed off that it had had to come to this in order for something to finally be done, and on the other, he wished he’d taken off Draco’s hand sooner. He looked around the table, Hannah was once again sat next to Neville, leaning into him, his friend was blushing a little, but definitely seemed to be more confident. Evidently Bonding with his girlfriend was having a positive effect on his self esteem.
Harry could relate.
‘Well, good for them.’ He thought with a smile.
He looked at Daphne and Susan, who were sat to his left, eating their lunches while talking to to their new house-mates.
They seemed to be settling in well, that was good, though Ron was still giving Daphne suspicious looks, though he was alternating between that, shoveling pounds of food down his gullet, at least until his gaze inevitably drifted over the Ravenclaw table where Fleur was sat, and all semblance of intelligent left Ron’s face.
Harry just shook his head. Sure, the Veela was attractive, and her allure certainly affected him, he was just unusually good at resisting it.
-=-
Mufasa smiled as he turned and looked at the blonde and redhead, “Ah, growing your Pride already I see young lion. I had a feeling you might.”
“Pride? We’re not lions.” Susan said, arching an eyebrow as she stood watching the painting dubiously. Mufasa shrugged.
“Perhaps not literally no, but every alpha needs a Pride to be truly strong, as it is a demonstration of his true capability as a protector and leader, and eventually, a father.” Mufasa replied.
“Don’t the females do all the hunting though?” Daphne raised a brow, as she tried to ignore the last part of that statement. Harry meanwhile had turned red.
McGonagall stepped forward, “Alright, you old cat, open up and let them in already.” She said, slightly smiling.
Once the four entered the common room, they looked around at the space which seemed to have been remodeled a little, there was an extra two-seat sofa, an extra armchair, as well as some more cushions, and a bigger table.
“I also took the liberty of remodeling your bathroom. I think you’ll be rather impressed.” McGonagall said, “I also had your things moved from your respective dorms, Miss Greengrass, Miss Bones, and remember, I expect you to mingle with your new house-mates.”
After leaving several more vials of potion on the table for them, saying they were for ‘later tonight’, they followed her back out into the main common room, and there she gave her house one last talk, then left.
Sunday, December 4th, 1994
At dinner, in the Great Hall, Susan sat with her friends enjoying the roast chicken, mashed potato, gravy, peas and carrots, casually talking to her new house-mates when the Sunday edition of the Prophet arrived, and she got a sinking feeling about what was going to be in it, if Friday’s edition was anything to go by. Bracing herself, she took the folded up paper and unfurled it, hoping it wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.
Bloodbath in the classroom!
By Rita Skeeter
She sighed as she read the article, rolling her eyes at the blatant portrayal of boot-licking. Sheeter was doing all she could to paint Harry as a violent instigator who had crashed a “Inter-House meeting” and attacked Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Bulstrode without provocation.
Though Skeeter apparently couldn’t get round, or gloss over the fact, that Draco had also cast an Unforgivable, but not at Harry. And that he’d also cast the same spell that he’d used on Harry and Hermione, aimed it at Astoria, Neville and Hannah, only for Daphne and herself to jump in and take the hit.
She paused…that was…odd.
“How does she know what happened? There’s no way Auntie would let her have that kind of information, and I know she didn’t talk to any of the witnesses…and how does she know for sure it was the same curse?”
“Its almost like she was in the room with us.” Daphne said, reading her own copy as murmuring started to circulate around the hall.
“But she clearly wasn’t.” Neville pointed out. “And we sure as hell didn’t talk to her.” A round of shaking heads told them no-one sat at the table had spoken to her.
“So what could he be looking at?” Lee Jordan asked.
“Well, I’m not sure about Parkinson, Bulstrode, and the rest, but if convicted, I doubt we’ll ever hear or see Draco again.”
Deciding she didn’t want to talk anymore on the subject, lest she lose her appetite, she folded up the paper and cast it aside, then returned to her food.
-=-
Lucius’s face twisted into an expression of fury as he screwed up the paper and hurled it into the fireplace.
This was not how he wanted his week to start. First he’d received an emergency summons from the DMLE late yesterday afternoon, informing him that his son had been arrested, along with several classmates. He’d arrived, to be greeted by his friends Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Nott and Bulstrode. That had at least told him who else had been arrested.
A howler he’d received later on in the evening from Henrikson Greengrass had informed him, rather bluntly, that there was now a Blood Feud between their two Houses and their allies, and, he reasoned with a growl, that soon, that was also likely to include Houses Bones and Potter also, though that last one was still unknown, as the Potter brat hadn’t taken up his Lordship yet, even if the title didn’t really mean anything these days.
He scowled again as he thought of Draco. His idiot son, who was far too brash and reckless for his own good, relying on his father’s money and influence to get him what he wanted and get him out of trouble. Well, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to help his son this time, not now that Amelia already had her hands on him.
And he’d already tried to get his son out of there. It was a wonder he’d been allowed to walk out of her office not in cuffs himself considering the way Amelia had glared at him as she’d listed the charges Draco and his friends now faced, including use of the Killing Curse, and an ancient sexual slavery curse on, apparently, Amelia’s niece and the eldest Greengrass daughter, hence the howler he’d got. It was the same curse he’d hit Potter and the Mudblood with that the Prophet had mentioned on Friday.
Henrikson Greengrass had not been there, which was probably fortunate for both of them, since they were now apparently in a Blood Feud, and declaring those in person was not considered to be a good idea, as the moment the status was officially declared, that basically would have given both men a free shot at the other the moment their back turned, which is why declarations such as that were done via Owl Post or public statement, though he expected there would probably be some mention of it in a future issue of the Prophet.
The best he could possibly try to do was push for a mistrial, or go for a settlement out of court, which would be expensive, and without the funds of the Black Estate to augment his own, it would severely diminish their finances, but if it kept his son away from those wraiths…
He needed to limit any possible information that they could get out of Draco. They had needed his consent to use Veritaserum for Draco’s interrogations, so of course, he had not given it, even if information extracted under Veritaserum wasn’t really reliable or usable in a trial, Draco was still privy to a lot of sensitive information that Lucius did not want in Amelia’s hands.
He was starting to regret telling Draco about that book, which was now sat on Amelia’s desk.
He just hoped his son wasn’t stupid or arrogant enough to brag about what he’d done, or what he knew. Fudge, that incompetent oaf, had promised Draco would be released soon, and Potter brought up on charges, but Lucius doubted that would happen now.
-=-=-=-
In the kitchen of Malfoy Manor, Narcissa held her own copy of the Prophet with shaking hands.
Her son, her little dragon, the only good thing she’d ever accomplished in her life since marrying Lucius, was now in DMLE custody, and probably facing a lengthy spell in Azkaban.
‘Is my bloodline cursed?’ She thought solemnly, ‘First Bella, then Regulus and Sirius, now my Draco…’
She’d read Friday’s copy of the paper of course, and while she did not know the curse that Draco had used, from it’s effects, it seemed to be some sort of sexual slavery curse, which was bad enough, but the fact he’d used it twice, and two of the victims had been Pure-bloods, well, she silently wondered what else he’d done.
A silent tear started to roll down her cheek as she thought of the son she hadn’t realized she’d lost.
-=-=-=-
Gringotts, Diagon Alley.
Remus looked around the foyer of the Goblin Bank, the black dog that stood next to him tense as several people milled about, though it was the weekend, the Bank was still open for business.
He spotted the teller, and the small group of people standing in line. This was going to be a tad difficult. The goblin teller likely wouldn’t let him see the Black Account Manager, Sirius had to be the one to do that, but if people saw Sirius here, there could be a panic, plus it would blow Sirius’ secret of being an unregistered Animagus, even if Gringotts was ‘neutral ground’, word would spread that he had been seen, and that is what they were trying to avoid, depending on how long they were here, if he was seen, then in all likelihood, there would be a squad of Aurors waiting for them outside by the time they finished.
Eventually, another line thinned out, and Remus moved forward, the dog at his heel. He remembered Sirius’ furious rant that morning following the arrival of the Prophet, it had taken Remus all the skill he had stop Sirius from marching into the Ministry to hunt down his cousin’s son. So instead, Sirius had demanded that Remus escort him to Gringotts.
Sirius had been planning to go there anyway, but not this soon.
But now, here they were.
As they approached the teller, Sirius transformed, donning a hood to hide his face as he straighted himself up.
The goblin sat at the kiosk raised an eyebrow, but apart from that, didn’t react.
“Um, hi, I’m…I’m Sirius Black, I’m here to see my Account Manager.”
The pointy-eared, white-haired goblin looked up at him, gave him a cursory once-over, then turned to his ledger and started leafing through it.
“Ah yes…one moment.” He said, then pressed a small stone on his desk, which lit up with a rune that Sirius couldn’t quite make out, then started speaking in the gravely, guttural sound of their native language. Sirius had tried to learn it, but he’d always struggled.
“Account Manager Sawtooth will be here momentarily.”
The teller then turned his attention to Remus, who shuffled a little awkwardly.
“I was just here to bring him, to make sure no-one attacked him.” Remus supplied.
The goblin made a dismissive grunt, then muttered something in gobbledygook. After a few minutes of waiting, a goblin dressed in the usual garb of an Account Manager walked in through a side door.
“Sirius Black, I am Sawtooth, the Account Manager for the Black Family Vault, Estate, Accounts and Holdings, please, come to my office.” And with that, he turned and headed back the way he’d come, Sirius took a moment to get his bearings, then followed.
Once he and Remus were in the office, he sat down and regarded the Goblin before him.
“Now, what business do you have with Gringotts today Mister Black?” Sawtooth asked.
“I’d like to get a full overview of my account, it’s…been a while. I’d also like to update my Will.” Sirius replied.
-=-=-=-
Office of DMLE Director.
Amelia Bones sighed as she looked down at the sheets of parchment in front of her.
Each one was a separate list of charges leveled against each of the students brought in from Hogwarts, and she had a feeling several of them would get longer.
Off to the side, there was also a list with Dumbledore’s name on it, as well as one for Severus Snape.
She picked up the sheet that had the least amount of charges on it. Pansy Parkinson.
She hadn’t participated in the fight that had led to her arrest, due to being injured when Potter hand made his entrance, but still, she had participated in the kidnappings, and she did help destroy Hermione’s shirt, so that was at least assault with intent, conspiracy, kidnapping, and there was no doubt there would be more when the interrogations really got underway.
That did prevent an issue however. Using Veritaserum on a minor required parental or guardian consent. And none of the parents who she had spoken to, namely the fathers, had consented. She snorted to herself, who was she kidding? There was NO way Malfoy would ever let Draco get dosed with that stuff.
Then again, if Narcissa came to her and OK’d it, then she could potentially get all the information she needed to put the little bastard away for life and bury him.
The problem, she reasoned, was that Veritaserum was inadmissible in court, as it wasn’t 100% reliable. Some could naturally resist it, and if someone slipped a suspect who was about to be interrogate the antidote before hand, that could skew the results. Or some could contest that the Veritaserum was contaminated, invalidating any testimony gained. And those who were particularly strong Occlumens, with strong mental defenses could resist Veritaserum to some degree.
She sighed, and turned to look at the book, remembering what she’d been told by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Madame Pomfrey and Minerva; and what she had been told about what had just been done to the last member of her family. Well, there was her brother, but he was in the Muggle world, being a squib, on the magical side, Susan was all she had left. Susan, who was now condemned to a life of near sexual slavery and borderline sexual vampirism, being utterly dependent on others for survival. That the curse basically forced an even trade in that matter, that was small consolation.
She had always hoped that Susan would one day find a boy that she liked, and let things develop from there. This was not how she’d envisioned it happening.
‘Still…at least it’s Potter. She could have done far worse.’ Amelia thought as she opened the book at the page miss Granger had marked, and started to read.
A knock at her door drew her attention and she looked up.
“Enter!” she called.
Her already cloudy mood turned decidedly drizzly when one of the three people she hated the most waltzed in as if they owned the place.
Dolores Jane Umbridge.
Amelia silently grit her teeth. She did not want to deal with this right now.
“Ah, Amelia, glad I caught you.” The toadish woman said, in her usual pink cardigan. It looked hideous.
“Madam Under-Secretary, what can I do for you?” Amelia asked in a clipped tone, face neutral.
“I’m here about the Potter Incident. I want to know what you intend to do about him.”
“Do?”
“Yes.” Dolores said, in a sickly sweet tone that made Amelia’s skin crawl.
“What exactly, are you referring to?” Amelia said, wondering what the woman was getting at. Anyone else, with a lesser-trained eye might have missed the barely perceptible narrowing of Umbridge’s eyes, or the fractional tightening of her faux smile.
But she did not.
“Why, his brutal and quite frankly, rather extreme treatment of his fellow students of course. You aren’t going to arrest and prosecute him for maiming a fellow student? For destroying another’s wand and injuring a third before this…altercation even began? He showed an excessive amount of force when simple body-binds and stunners would have been more than sufficient.”
“I’m not going to do anything.” Amelia replied. Dolores opened her mouth to protest, but Amelia cut her off. “And even if I wanted to, I can’t. He’s protected by his position as a Triwizard Champion.”
Now Umbridge scowled. Her face twisting into a rather ugly visage, and her next words were laced with so much venom, Amelia wondered if the very air she was breathing had just been poisoned.
“A position he only got be cheating!”
“That has not been proven! And from what I have been told is still being investigated. Besides, it’s a moot point now. He has to compete or lose his magic. I certainly won’t be the one to tell the world that The-Boy-Who-Lived has been rendered a squib because he was forcibly removed from the Tournament.”
Dolores’ nostrils flared as she inhaled, her chin and jowls moving in a way that to Amelia, made it look like the woman was about to croak like a frog, or a toad.
“Well…that protection does have an expiry date. Do you intend to pursue justice once that date has passed?” Dolores said after a moment of collecting her thoughts and getting her anger under control.
“That depends on the outcome of the trials.”
“What about young Mister Malfoy? And his associates?” Dolores suddenly spoke up.
Now it was Amelia who narrowed her eyes and tightened her features as she sat up straight to stare at the woman head-on.
“What about them?”
“You’re going to just leave them in Azkaban?” Dolores said, sounding genuinely confused.
Amelia raised an eye-brow. “They’re in youth wing under human guard. It’s not MAXSEC so there won’t be Dementors anywhere near them, they’ll be under Auror guard until their trial date, which has yet to be determined.”
“They are children!” Dolores snapped. “And what about their trial? You can’t just send them to Azkaban without setting a trial date to prove their innocence. After all, it was only—”
“It was only what Dolores?” Amelia snapped, finally losing what little patience she had for the woman. “And as for their trial, they’ll get them, it’s just arranging a date that’s the more difficult thing. Out of all of them, Parkinson is looking at the least number of charges, but still serous ones. Meanwhile Malfoy is looking at a life sentence!”
She looked back at the sheets of parchment. “As for the others…” she trailed off, a faint sliver of anger leaking into her voice. This was where things got ‘complicated’. She was the head of the DMLE, which meant, she was the one heading the whole mess, but, there was a little annoying matter of her niece being one of his victims. Which meant a little something called…
Conflict of Interest.
The one thing that had the most potential of derailing this whole thing more than anything else, and that included potential meddling by Fudge, Malfoy or Umbridge. Amelia mentally sighed as she contemplated the likelihood of having to turn this case over to Scrimgeour.
“Why are you really here Dolores? I’ve already had Fudge come waddling in here protesting Draco’s innocence, as well as Lucius making similar protestations, despite the fact that Draco Malfoy has not only used an Unforgivable in front of witnesses, which carries a life sentence if convicted by the way, but he also cast a curse on four other students, three of which are the heirs of their respective families, and two of those are the last children of their line, so that’s at least two counts of attempted Line Assassination, which as you know, carries a statutory 10 year sentence per count. So even if he hadn’t cast that Unforgivable, he’d still be looking at 20 years at least. And that’s not counting the other charges he’s facing: conspiracy, assault with intent, kidnapping, attempted rape, and molestation. And I’m certain other charges may follow. So I find myself asking, why are you here?”
“As I have said, I’m here to find out what you intend to do about Potter. His use of excessive force in a duel and his willingness to shed blood is most concerning. I personally fear for the safety and security of the other students, in particular, the eldest Greengrass daughter and your own niece. Are you really expecting me to believe you’re comfortable with either of them associating with such a violent degenerate, considering his, quite frankly, scandalous lack of decency when it comes to public displays? I read Friday’s paper, and quite frankly, I’m appalled that standards in that school have slipped so much as to allow such a thing.”
Amelia grit her teeth in fury and loathing as this…thing before her dared question her feelings regarding her niece’s…condition.
“First of all Under-Secretary, who my niece associates with or does not, is her prerogative, and none of your business. I trust her judgment. I always have. And besides, it’s not like she has a choice associating with Potter now. And considering that Miss Greengrass and my niece took a hit that was meant for two, possibly three others, among whom was Greengrass’s own younger sister, who is a second year, well, if she had been hit, I doubt Malfoy would have left that classroom alive. Daphne probably would have killed him as soon as she got the chance, if not her, then their father would have the instant he declared that Blood Feud. And as for Mister Potter himself, he’s not the one who committed enough crimes to earn himself at least 30-50 years in Azkaban, not counting the life sentence.”
Dolores opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but Amelia cut her off again, “I read that paper also, and quite frankly, I’m more disturbed that the Prophet felt it was necessary to paint the most intimate details of a young couple’s private life all over a publicly available medium than I am about the contents of that article.”
“And what of this curse?” Dolores asked, looking down at the black book. Amelia didn’t miss the look of hungry curiosity that flashed in the other woman’s eyes.
‘I’m not letting you near this book Dolores. I don’t care what position you hold. You’re not getting your hands on it.’
“From what we’ve been told, it seems to be some form of sex magic that was created a long time ago, and it’s creators apparently fucked up somehow, making it irreversible. I’ve already asked the Unspeakables to dig through the archives and bring me anything they find on it. But they told me there likely isn’t much. Honestly, I’m surprised this book even managed to make it’s way to Hogwarts, and that it wasn’t found sooner.”
‘I’m still not okay with them keeping the other book, but the spells in that one seem to be more benign.’ She thought.
“What sort of sex magic? The students are aware that most sex magic is considered Dark by the Ministry.” Dolores asked.
“Apparently, it’s supposed to be a spell intended to help the Bonding process.” Amelia replied.
“Ah, I see. I never cared for that myself.” Dolores said dismissively.
‘Translation: You could never find any boys desperate or dumb enough to risk sticking their dicks in your mouth. And no girls probably wanted to do you either.’ Amelia thought.
“Should that book not be in the archives by now?” Dolores asked.
“It is evidence.”
“I’m assuming that this book is also where your niece and Potter’s…paramour found the three curses they used to horribly disfigure Malfoy and miss Bulstrode?” Dolores asked. Amelia raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
“How do you know about that?” Amelia asked, suddenly on-guard. As far as she knew, those three curses had been relatively easy for Pomfrey to reverse, well, two of them had been. The facial modification had taken a bit longer. Though in her own personal opinion, Draco deserved to have that modification to his face made permanent, but she’d never say that out loud.
But she and her Aurors hadn’t arrived until after those curses had been reversed.
So how did Dolores know? Malfoy and his friends had spent Saturday night in the Holding Cells, and had been transfered to Azkaban pending arrangement of their trials first thing that morning.
Which meant that the group had either bragged or otherwise spoken to their Auror guards, and one of them had spoke to Dolores, or Dolores herself had spoken to the prisoners, or maybe Snape or Malfoy had said something. The only question then was, why? What interest would Dolores have in the children of several former — and in Amelia’s own opinion, still active — Death Eaters?
“It does not matter how I know, what I want to know is what is to be done about that.”
“In what respect?”
“Body modification curses like that are—”
“Hardly worth getting arrested over. And certainly not worth getting suspended or expelled over, not when the ‘condition’ of the two casters is considered. Besides, when there are jinxes and hexes that can make you sprout antlers or rabbit ears, I hardly see what was so criminal about the modification spells used on those Slytherins. So no, I’m not going to do anything about that.”
“I see.” Dolores huffed, as she straightened up. When her eyes once again flicked to the black book, Amelia scowled and picked it up, opened her desk draw with a flick of her wand, and dropped it in, then with another flick, closed it. Then she pressed her left index finger tip to the small white crystal on the handle, which then turned red, signifying the locking ward was in place.
When she looked back up and saw the thinly veiled fury on the toad’s face, she inwardly smirked. There was no way Dolores would be able to get through the blood-ward on that draw, not easily anyway, and they both knew it.
“Well, clearly I’m not going to make any progress here. Good day, Director.” And with that, the toad-like woman walked out. Amelia didn’t even bother to reply.
-=-=-=-
Monday, December 5th, 1994.
The chaos of the weekend’s events hadn’t settled down by Monday, not that Harry or any of the girls he now found himself living with really expected it to. The article about Draco’s arrest was still in the Prophet, and surprisingly was still on the front page, though it had been side-lined by an article that described a sighting of Sirius Black at Gringotts, accompanied by a as yet unidentified man, there were some speculations that it was someone under the Imperious, something Harry and Hermione found laughable.
Harry sighed as he sat between Hermione and Susan, with Daphne on Hermione’s left. Several of Gryffindor house were still giving the two new-comers odd or suspicious looks, at least in Daphne’s case, but they kept it to a minimum.
Susan’s and Daphne’s new timetables had arrived, unsurprisingly, their class schedules hadn’t changed all that much: Daphne knew she would still have Potions with what was left of Slytherin's Fourth year, namely Tracey, the Sallow twins, who she hadn't interacted with much, Priscilla Wakefield and Grace Pinch-Smedley. As for Susan, she now had Care of Magical Creatures and Potions with the Slytherins, were as before it had been Ravenclaw for both, and of course, the shared classes, such as Ancient Runes and Divination, the former being the only class Hermione still took.
“It’s going to be weird sat with the Slytherins in Potions…” Susan said, looking at the entry on the parchment sheet under Tuesday for later afternoon. Double-period. She winced.
“Is Snape as bad with the Claws and Puffs as he is with us Gruffs?” Fred asked. Susan shrugged.
“I don’t know, why? How bad is he with you guys?”
“You mean he doesn’t make comparisons? He almost never docks points from Slytherin, and when he does, he’s quick to restore them. He goes after Gryffindor almost religiously, singling out me, Harry and Ron the most, at least in our year. Not sure what he’s like with higher or lower years.” Neville said.
“It’s usually us he has a go at, and Jordan, for some reason.” Fred answered. “Probably because he always calls them cheats during matches.”
Daphne winced too. She’d heard those accusations of cheating during the Slytherin/Gryffindor matches, Draco had clearly ranted about it enough. She was not looking forward to spending 2 hours with Snape on Friday, and at least an single session on Tuesday after lunch so soon after getting a good chunk of them arrested. She knew that wasn’t her fault of course, but she knew her former house-mates, they’d still blame her. Even now, those that remained were sat at the table giving her rather unfriendly looks, at least the older ones. The younger ones, and the remaining girls looked rather relieved.
She didn’t dare look up at the Head Table, sure she’d see Snape glaring in their direction.
“We’ve got Herbology with Hufflepuff, then Care with Slytherin though, just before lunch.” Harry pointed out, as he worked his way through his breakfast.
“Well, after lunch, we’ve got Arithmancy with Hermione.” Susan replied.
“But first, Herbology with Hufflepuff.” Daphne sighed. She then looked over to the Slytherin table again, and spied her sister sitting next to Tracey, she smiled, it looked like things were going well for Tracey and Astoria, the students seemed to be giving her sister some space, no doubt afraid of incurring Harry’s wrath if they hassled her, though she would have probably neutered anyone who tried to lay a hand on her sister first.
“At least Wednesday is mostly clear. There’s only Charms second period, rest of the day we’ve got free.” Susan said, “We should probably use that time to figure things out,” she gave her friends meaningful looks.
“I’m still trying to figure out how the hell Rita managed to get all of that information, it was like she was in the room with us, but thats impossible, right?” Neville spoke up from further down, the others looked at him, he blushed, “I mean, think about it for a second, that article on the fight with Draco reads like she was actually there, and saw everything. But she wasn’t in the room.”
“Invisibility cloak maybe?” Fred asked. Hermione shook her head.
“Those are really expensive, costing a small fortune, and on a reporters salary?” Hermione shook her head as she continued eating her breakfast.
“I guess we’ll find out eventually, although after her last couple of articles, I might just strangle her on sight.” Harry muttered. Thankfully, no-one brought up the uncomfortably detailed article she’d written about him and Hermione that had come out on Friday. He was definitely sure that for some of those instances she described, the two of them had been alone; no ghosts, no paintings, no living witnesses.
So how the hell had she got all those details right?
-=-=-
Their classes that day happened mostly without incident. The Hufflepuffs in Herbology gave Susan concerned looks, but were mainly supportive, then afterwards, the Slytherins spent all their time glaring at Daphne, Susan, Harry and Hermione during Care, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the weather was miserable, cold and raining, and on top of that, Harry’s favorite fiction writer decided to show herself.
Hagrid, Harry noticed, was keeping Madame Maxime’s horses well provided with their preferred drink of single-malt whiskey; the fumes wafting from the trough in the corner of their paddock was enough to make the entire Care of Magical Creatures class light-headed. This was unhelpful, as they were still tending the horrible Skrewts and needed their wits about them.
“I’m not sure whether they hibernate or not,” Hagrid told the shivering class as they stood in the windy pumpkin patch. “Thought we’d jus’ try an’ see if they fancied a kip… we’ll jus’ settle ’em down in these boxes…”
There were now only ten skrewts left; apparently their penchant for killing each another had not faded. Each of the grotesque abominations was now approaching six feet in length. Their thick gray armor; their powerful, scuttling legs; their fire-blasting back ends; their stings and their suckers, combined to make the skrewts the most repulsive things Harry and his friends had ever seen. The class looked uncertainly at the enormous boxes Hagrid had brought out, all lined with pillows and fluffy blankets.
“We’ll jus’ lead ’em in here,” Hagrid said, “’en put the lids on, and we’ll see what happens.”
But the skrewts, as it turned out, did not hibernate, and did not appreciate being forced into pillow-lined boxes and nailed in. Harry could relate, for a very brief moment, he found himself sympathizing with the creatures, but that didn’t last. Hagrid was soon yelling, “Don’ panic, now, don’ panic!” while the skrewts rampaged around the pumpkin patch, now strewn with the smoldering wreckage of the boxes. Most of the class had fled into Hagrid’s cabin through the back door and barricaded themselves in; Harry, Ron, Susan, Daphne and Hermione, however, were among those who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. Together they managed to restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts, though at the cost of numerous burns and cuts; finally, only one skrewt was left.
“Don’ frighten him, now!” Hagrid shouted as Daphne and Harry used their wands to shoot jets of fiery sparks at the skrewt, which was advancing menacingly on them, its stinger arched, quivering, over its back. “Jus’ try an’ slip the rope ’round his stinger, so he won’ hurt any o’ the others!”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that!” Ron shouted angrily as he, Daphne and Harry backed into the wall of Hagrid’s cabin, still holding the skrewt off with their sparks.
“Well, well, well…this does look like fun.”
Rita Skeeter was leaning on Hagrid’s garden fence, looking in at the mayhem. She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar, and her crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm.
Hagrid launched himself forward on top of the skrewt that was cornering Harry, Daphne and Ron, flattening it; a blast of fire shot out of its back end, withering the pumpkin plants nearby.
“Who’re you?” Hagrid asked Rita as he slipped a loop of rope around the skrewt’s sting and tightened it.
“Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter,” Rita replied, beaming at him. Her gold teeth glinted.
“Not to mention Grade A bitch!” said Hermione under her breathe, as she glared at the woman with a look that clearly telegraphed the fact she was contemplating murder, but Skeeter either chose to ignore the glare, or wasn’t even paying attention, instead she was focused on Hagrid as he got off the slightly squashed skrewt and started tugging it over to its fellows.
Harry was also glaring at Rita, it was taking all of his willpower not to kill the woman now standing before them, though if he were honest with himself, he’d rather just toss a skrewt at her, and found himself idly wondering if he did, would it either maul her, eat her or mount her?
“What are these fascinating creatures called?” she asked, beaming widely.
“Blast-Ended Skrewts,” grunted Hagrid.
“Really?” said Rita, apparently full of lively interest. “I’ve never heard of them before… where do they come from?”
Harry noticed a dull red flush rising up out of Hagrid’s wild black beard, and his heart sank. Where had Hagrid got the skrewts from, anyway? Hermione, who seemed to be thinking along these lines, said quickly, “They’re very interesting, aren’t they? Aren’t they, Harry?” while she did her best not have an expression on her face that was giving away her murderous thoughts.
“What? Oh yeah…ouch…interesting,” said Harry as she stepped on his foot.
“Ah, you’re here, Harry!” said Rita Skeeter as she looked around, the fake smile on her face seemed to grown, it was honestly starting to look rather creepy. “So you like Care of Magical Creatures, do you? One of your favorite lessons?”
“Yes,” said Harry stoutly. Hagrid beamed at him. ‘Though it would be a lot nicer if there weren’t any talentless muck-raking hacks loitering around.’
“Lovely,” said Rita. “Really lovely. Been teaching long?” she added to Hagrid.
Harry noticed her eyes travel over Dean, who had a nasty cut across one cheek, Lavender, whose robes were badly singed, Seamus who was nursing several burnt fingers, and then to the cabin windows, where most of the class stood, their noses pressed against the glass waiting to see if the coast was clear.
“This is on’y me second year,” said Hagrid.
“Lovely. I don’t suppose you’d like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experience of magical creatures? The Prophet does a zoological column every Wednesday, as I’m sure you know. We could feature these — er — Bang-Ended Scoots.”
“Blast-Ended Skrewts,” Hagrid said eagerly. “Er — yeah, why not?”
Harry had a very bad feeling about this, but there was no way of communicating it to Hagrid without Rita Skeeter seeing, so he had to stand and watch in silence as Hagrid and Rita Skeeter made arrangements to meet in the Three Broomsticks for a good long interview later that week. Then the bell rang up at the castle, signaling the end of the lesson.
“Well, goodbye, Harry!” Rita Skeeter called merrily to him as he set off with Daphne, Susan and Hermione. “Until Friday night, then, Hagrid!”
“She’ll twist everything he says,” Harry said under his breath.
“Just as long as he didn’t import those skrewts illegally or anything,” said Hermione desperately. They looked at one another — it was exactly the sort of thing Hagrid might do.
“Well, hopefully, Dumbledore won’t be forced to fire him.” Susan replied. “Worst that can happen is Hagrid’ll have to get rid of the skrewts. Sorry. Did I say worst? I meant best.”
Harry and Hermione laughed, and, feeling slightly more cheerful, went off to lunch.
They had soon discovered though that their now usual method of ‘grabbing a quickie’ right after a meal wasn’t as practical when there were now two extra mouths to ‘feed’. Fortunately, after locking themselves in a disused classroom, they quickly worked out an arrangement, that mainly involved Harry laying on the floor, on a hastily conjured mattress, while Hermione straddled his face, and Susan and Daphne sat on either side of him, each gently suckling at one of her breasts, then Hermione had fed from Harry. She still wasn’t comfortable licking either of them, despite her attempts in the bath, and using the Lust Potions McGonagall had provided, and while she was still weirded out by them suckling, Saturday night in the bath and the previous day had been very weird for her, but she knew they had no other choice, it was quicker and more convenient when they were in a hurry to grab for one of her breasts, though Daphne seemed to favor going for Harry more than Hermione. And she knew it would only be a matter of weeks before they started producing milk of their own.
Though it also became clear that even this wasn’t a permanent solution, they’d have to keep trying to find new ways to accommodate each other.
-=-=-=-
As Harry and Hermione entered the old classroom Minerva had set asides for their dancing lessons, they took note of the small desk next to their professor, who stood next to it. On the desk was what looked to Harry like one of those old phonographs, an old radio with a brass trumpet like funnel on it.
“Ah good, you’re here. Now, before we begin, do either of you know anything about dancing?” McGonagall asked.
“I’ve had some experience over the years, though I prefer slow dancing or waltz.” Hermione replied.
Harry shrugged, “Pretty much nothing.”
McGonagall nodded, pointed her wand at the radio, and violin music which Hermione recognized as Mozart, or maybe Beethoven.
To say that Harry’s first dancing lesson did not go well would have been an understatement. He stepped on Hermione’s feet three times, and almost tripped once.
Hermione had even asked how someone with the reflexes of a Seeker could voe so uncoordinated on his feet. Harry had just snorted and rolled his eyes.
By the end of the hour, they had made some progress, but McGonagall was far from satisfied, but they were out of time for the night.
“Well, that could have been better, you’ve got eight more opportunities to improve Mister Potter, now, before you go, there is something I need to talk with you about.”
The two shared a look, before turning to their Head of House.
“Now, Miss Granger, have you sent a letter to your parents yet, telling them what has been going on?”
Hermione blinked, then shook her head. “Not yet, I…with everything that’s been going on, I haven’t had the time.”
“I see, well, I’m assuming you plan to. Well, this might be a moot point now, but I was concerned about your welfare during the summer months, about how the two of you would cope so…” then she reached into her robes and pulled out two glass vials, each filled with a clear liquid and held them out to the teens.
Sharing another curious look, the teens stepped forward and took the vials. Harry shook his a couple of times while Hermione tilted hers this way and that, studying them.
“Is this water?” Harry asked.
“Mostly.” McGonagall said, not meeting his eye, or Hermione’s, the look of…was that embarrassment he saw on her face?
Shrugging, Harry uncorked the vial and took a sip, only to freeze when the taste of Treacle Tart registered on his tongue. His eyes going wide, he lowered the vial and turned to look at Hermione, who was eying him curiously, while studding the vial she held. He then looked back at his professor as his mind processed what his taste buds had registered.
“Uh…Professor…is this…was this…did you…?”
“Yes Mister Potter…Harry. That’s…that’s mine.” She replied, finally meeting his eyes, though a blush did color her cheeks.
Harry looked back at Hermione, her wide eyes meeting his, clearly she’d realized the same thing he had, and their Processor’s words had clinched it.
“Just how did you plan to make that work?” Hermione asked, trying not to picture what her favorite Professor had done to make the contents of these two vials.
“Well, in the event that you and Mister Potter could not arrange alternate accommodation that would allow the two of you to meet daily, I was forced to come up with an alternate method. Supplying the two of you with these vials, via owl post, each day.”
Harry cringed, as he tried, but utterly failed to not think of just what she would have to do to make those vials, and how often. A light cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
‘Oh god…I think I need to be Obliviated.’ He thought.
In his head, he heard Hermione snort, ‘Honestly Harry, me, Daphne and Susan are going to be her age one day, and so will you.’
‘True, but that doesn’t mean I want to think about our Head of House masturbating!’ he replied. Hermione blinked then also cringed, then smirked.
‘Don’t worry, I’m sure Daph, Sue and I will be able to permanently drive that image from your mind later.’ Then, to her professor, she added, “We…appreciate the thought Professor, but I don’t think it will be needed.”
The look of relief that briefly flashed across McGonagall’s face almost made Harry smile in sympathy.
“We…uh…appreciate the offer Professor, but it won’t be necessary, I’ll make sure Harry will be staying with me, and there is a good chance Susan and Daphne might be joining us. Oh boy, telling my mum and dad I’ll be bringing three guests home for the summer…they’re gonna want to have a chat with me when we get home I bet.”
“I suspect they will, even if you send them a letter, which I think you should do if you haven’t already.” McGonagall replied, then, to herself, added, ‘Speaking of which, I need to figure out how to write the one I need to send.’ Then she looked at them both.
“Alright, we managed to make some progress tonight, but you need to do better Mister Potter, I encourage you to try and get some practice before Wednesday if you can, but if you can’t, then don’t worry, I’m sure Miss Granger, Greengrass or Bones will be willing to help you in these lessons. Have either of you picked out what you’re going to wear to the Ball yet?”
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, before shaking their heads. McGonagall smiled, “Well, you’re in luck, there are two more Hogsmeade Weekends, this weekend then on the 17th and 18th, I will be making an official announcement tomorrow at breakfast informing everyone that if they still haven’t done so yet, then they still have two weeks to arrange appropriate attire for the event.”
The two thanked her then left, making their way back to their quarters.
-=-=-
Tuesday followed pretty much the same as Monday had, McGonagall’s announcement had caused a excited stir, along with Dumbledore’s reminder about the upcoming Yule Ball, and that all the Champions would be required to take part in the first dance, and were required to have a date for the night. Students Fourth year and above were allowed to attend, Third years were also allowed to attend, but they would require a date. The students planning to attend the Ball were also informed that the upcoming weekend would be an extra Hogsmeade weekend, allowing those attending the Ball to arrange acquisition of appropriate attire, before collecting it the following week.
Harry smirked, that would be perfect. Though he didn’t fancy the idea of being in what was referred to as a Monkey Suit, it would give him the opportunity to look for Christmas presents for Hermione and the others. And also talk to the Editor in Chief at the Daily Prophet about his most ‘lucrative’ employee.
Using the map to trap her was no use, there was no way of knowing when she was on the grounds, and there was no way he hell he was going to let her know he had something like that in his possession. The last thing he needed was details of the Map getting revealed to the entire country. He hadn’t looked at the map since he’d saved the girls from Draco, and with said Slytherin and his main supporters out of the castle, he didn’t really feel the need to look at it anymore.
Later that day, in Potions, Snape was as grueling and as antagonistic as they expected him to be; his usually limited tolerance for Gryffindors seemed to be on a hair-trigger now.
By the end of the lesson, Gryffindor were down 120 points, which Susan had quickly pointed out was unfair, but Harry had just shrugged. Though the fact Snape had spent almost as much time glaring at Daphne as he usually did at Harry was definitely a change.
“I honestly never realized how blatantly biased and bad he is as a teacher until I was on the receiving end of that mess,” she commented as they left. Harry shrugged.
“You get used to it.”
Later that night
Luna blinked as she slowly opened her eyes, noting several things were off as she came awake with a start, her body shivering as she winced, her back muscles seizing with the cold of the hallway floor she lay on. Blinking in confusion, she sat up and looked around, she was in front of the Ravenclaw Dorm entrance, which was sealed. She then looked down at herself, realizing that she was both naked and wand-less.
Usually it was just her shoes, or socks, or bottle cap necklace that disappeared for a few days, but this was the first time she’d been stripped naked and left without her wand.
She thought back to that day in the library when she mentioned to Hermione, Susan and Daphne that she’d named several of her house-mates for bullying her, though she hadn’t said anything specific. It usually just consisted of them calling her ‘Loony’ because they did not believe in the animals she saw.
She’d tried talking to one of the older students or Prefects after the first few incidents of her possessions vanishing, positive Nargles were responsible and they had quickly been found and recovered but it hadn’t seemed to solve anything, if anything, it had made it worse. Evidently Cho hadn’t appreciated her talking to Cedric the other day; she’d approached him and asked him to speak with his girlfriend and ask her to stop with the bullying and name-calling. Nargles and Wrackspurts did exist, the fact that her possessions kept vanishing, and now she was naked and wand-less was a clear indicator of a severe Nargle infestation.
Apparently, Cho had taken such a thing as a personal insult of some sort. Not that she really minded being naked, she spent a lot of time naked at home after all. The only reason she slept in a night-gown in her dorm was she had a room-mate, even if the girl generally ignored her. She shakily stood, wrapping her arms round herself in a vain attempt to stave off the cold.
She turned to face the statue of the raven above the door.
“Edgar, could you open the door please?” she asked.
“Nevermore” the raven croaked, it’s voice scratchy and brittle, like a raven’s or crow’s usually was. That was odd. It usually asked a riddle.
The riddles usually got more complex the older the students got. The Raven would never ask a First Year something only a Seventh Year would be able to figure out.
Although the Raven seemed to be charmed to forgo that particular security measure in an emergency, it never said random words like this, not to her knowledge.
Raising a brow, Luna tilted her head and tried again. “Edgar, could you please open the door? It’s late, I’m cold, I need to find my clothes and wand.”
“Nevermore”
Frowning, Luna turned away from the door and started walking, wincing as she walked on the cold stone floor. Her skin prickled with goosebumps as she started to rub her arms, trying to generate a bit of warmth. Then she paused, an idea coming to mind. If the door had been charmed to keep her out, then maybe…
“Hello? Can I get some help please?” she asked the empty corridor.
Nothing.
‘Odd. That usually works.’
Night time was usually when the castle’s House Elf population was most active, doing cleaning and such, usually all you had to do was call out for assistance and one of them would answer. They had before.
But now, they seemed to be ignoring her.
Deciding to give the door one last try, Luna turned back to face it, and in a rare moment, rare for her at least, her dreamy expression vanished, and her eyes flashed with hardened determination that no-one else in the castle hardly ever saw.
“Edgar Allan Poe, open this door! Right now! This is an emergency!”
“Nevermore”
Huffing with irritation and resignation, Luna turned away from the door finally, and started making her way through the dark halls. She had no idea what time it was, all the lamps were out, all of the Prefects and Teachers were likely already in bed, she wasn’t sure when the Elves slept, or even if they did, but the fact that they seemed to be ignoring her seemed to indicate they too were asleep, though as far as she was aware, a House Elf would wake up the moment someone summoned them. The only time that wouldn’t work would be if they were comatose.
And somehow, she doubted that.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her teeth started to chatter. The cold was really starting to bite, at night, the only rooms in the castle that were heated were the sleeping areas, though she wasn’t sure why, it wasn’t like the Headmaster had to pay any heating bills.
Eventually she found her way to one of the corridors that had windows, allowing her to look outside onto the Quidditch pitch, or where it usually was. She pressed her hands to the ice-cold glass and winced, her breath steaming the window as she looked outside at the fresh snow that was falling, and the icicles that were already starting to form.
It was beautiful. It really was.
But it wasn’t improving her current situation.
She turned away from the window, shivering as she hugged herself. She continued on, wondering how Edgar could have been affected by Wrackspurts, and if the Elves had been affected also.
After trying a few more times to call for help, and getting no response, she found herself wandering towards Gryffindor Tower. A memory suddenly came to the surface, something Harry had told her about shortly after the incident with Draco and his friends, before Daphne and Susan woke up. She smiled as she finally made it to the seventh floor, and quickly found the tapestry with the dancing Trolls.
With shuddering breathes, she paced back and fourth three times, then when the door appeared, she almost threw herself against it, pushing it open. She nearly laughed when she saw her room in Ravenclaw tower beyond, and she stepped inside. Moving quickly to her trunk, she opened it and pulled out some fresh clothes, sighing with relief as the soft fabric covered her. Now, there was just the issue of finding her wand and necklace, and her missing clothes. She looked over to her room-mate, who was sleeping soundly in her bed. Though she and her room-mate weren’t really on speaking terms much, she was fairly sure the other girl wasn’t party to her possessions disappearing.
For a brief, startling moment, she wondered if this was actually real, if the Room hadn’t somehow misinterpreted her request and instead of taking her back to her actual room, had instead created a replica. She looked back to the door she’d come through, finding it closed, in place of the dorm room’s main door. In the darkness, she couldn’t really tell if there was any difference. Closing her eyes, she focused and asked the Room to create something naughty.
Nothing happened.
Smiling and sighing, she sat down on her bed, she’d ask her room-mate to help her look for her wand and necklace in the morning. Pulling the curtains closed, she curled up under the covers, still shivering, but less so now she was in a relatively warm room, and under thick blankets. Though part of her did acknowledge something would have to change. Maybe she’d talk to Professor Flitwick after her next Charms lesson.
She just hoped that the Nargles would wait a while before they took any of her things again.
-=-=-=-
Wednesday, December 7
Azkaban, LOWSEC Junior Wing.
Draco scowled as he sat on the cold threadbare mattress, glaring at the equally cold floor as he sat alone in his cell.
His arm still twinged with phantom pain, even though he knew it shouldn’t, since Pomfrey had re-attached it. He flexed his fingers, wishing he still had his wand.
He’d been sat here since Sunday morning, and he was starting to wonder what was taking his father so long to get him out. Surely, it wouldn’t be that hard to get him out.
He hadn’t seen the Prophet yet, but he suspected he knew what he’d see. Him and his friends being mocked, Potter being praised, and his three whores being propped up. He tried not to think about what those two blood traitors, Bones and Greengrass, were now likely doing. No doubt drooling and slobbering over Potter’s small cock.
Daphne was meant to service him, not Potter! Well, at least there was a silver lining, at least now, she really was a cock-sucking slut, just like the other two.
He looked up across to the cell opposite his, at Pansy, who was sitting on her bed, looking miserable, her dark brown hair, which looked black in the low light, was disheveled, eyes dark, clearly she hadn’t been sleeping well, then again, neither had he. These cots were not really designed to be comfortable. He couldn’t see where the others were, but he could tell they were in the adjacent cells.
A momentary pang of longing shot through him as he looked at her. Sure, Daphne was his favorite slut, but Parkinson had been by his side from almost the start. Thanks to his family’s connections, he’d known her since even before Hogwarts. His father had even drawn up a marriage contract with Pansy’s father.
Now though…
Now, the odds of his father bailing him out were low. Yes his father had a lot of connections, and a lot of sway with the Governors and the Minister, though he doubted how much weight could really be put behind the Minister. If his father had ended up in here, he might have been able to get out through the Minister, but him?
He wasn’t sure, considering he’d brought a Blood Feud down on his family.
Sure, his family had more political weight behind it, more connections to the more dark aligned block in the Wizengamot, but he doubted that would help him in the short run. The curses he’d used on Potter and his sluts carried a Line Assassination charge, he’d been told while being Processed at the DMLE, which he knew carried a 10 year minimum sentence a piece. And the Unforgivable on top of that…
They had tried to interrogate him several times, even offered leniency in exchange for information, but he’d not caved. He wasn’t an idiot; he knew Bones would never allow leniency, not for using the Killing Curse, or the other one he’d hit Potter and the Mudblood with. No, he knew he wasn’t getting out of here any time soon, not unless certain people within the Ministry who favored his family took charge.
Now all he could do was wait. He knew the Dementors weren’t very close, as this wasn’t the Maximum Security Wing, but he could still faintly feel their presence. Occasionally an Auror patrolled up and down the halls, but he never talked to them.
Yes, now, all he could do was wait. He would get out, he’d just have to be patient.
-=-=-=-
Friday, December 9th, 1994
Hermione strolled into the main entrance hall, then took a right, headed for the stairs, headed for Gryffindor Tower, dinner had just let out and Harry had gone on ahead. Double Potions with the Slytherins had been as bad as they’d expected it to be, just like Tuesday had been. At this rate, it was going to get unbearable. Idly she wondered how Hagrid’s interview with that…woman had gone.
A growl of frustration started in her throat. While Snape hadn’t taken any more points, a private word with Professor McGonagall on Wednesday had seen to the majority of the deducted points getting returned, and clearly the woman had had a go at him, so he’d toned down his harassment of Harry in the double session, but the looks hadn’t stopped.
God, she needed to cum, if only to improve her mood. A slight smile of anticipation spread across her face as she picked up her pace, barely noticing the sound of footsteps coming up behind her until she heard the voice that promptly made that smile vanish.
“Hey! Hermione!” Ron’s voice called out.
-=-=-=-
Harry had just sat down in front of the fireplace of their private common room when the door suddenly flew open and a raging storm wearing Hermione's face stomped in. Harry stood and moved towards her, but she brushed him off and stalked past him, then started pacing.
“I can’t believe him! That…Insufferable…Miserable…Son of a Half-Troll Rat-eating Munge Bucket!”
Harry blind and raised an eyebrow, wondering who she was furious at. Though he was struggling to hide his laughter at the insult. That was…definitely a new one.
“What happened?” he asked.
“RON!” she huffed angrily as she paced, scowling. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. Their friend, well, he guessed he could say ‘former’ friend now, had been a little weird around them ever since the rest of their house had found out what Malfoy’s curse had done to them, and now that Susan and Daphne had been also cursed, and had joined Gryffindor, Ron’s attitude towards them, and his jealousy of Harry, and seemingly gotten worse.
“What did he say?”
“We were in the entrance hall, and he basically propositioned me.” She huffed, then elaborated. “He was trying to ask me to the Yule Ball, and in return, he offered to ‘help’ me with my condition, but the way he did it made it sound like it was a damn business transaction! Like we were trading! His rationale was that now Daphne and Susan are involved as well, I somehow don’t need to get what I need from you or them.” she stopped pacing and sat down on the couch next to him, and he wrapped her in his arms, hugging her.
“It’s okay Hermione, tact was never something Ron was good at, or thinking before he spoke.” Harry said as he started to stroke her back and shoulders as she leaned into him.
After about 10 or so minutes, a light knock at the door drew their attention, and Hermione sagged, but Harry gave her a gentle squeeze, “It’s okay, I’ll go see who it is.”
When he opened the door, he was somewhat surprised to see Fleur Delacour standing there, looking somewhat nervous, and a little unsure of herself. “Fleur? Is something wrong?” he asked, his irritation at Ron fading.
“I was about to ask you zat, ‘arry. May I come een?”
“Uh, sure, sure, come on in, have a seat.” Harry said, stepping back.
“Merci.” She said, stepping through then taking a seat on one of the other couches.
“Is something wrong Fleur?” Hermione asked. Fleur looked at her oddly, tilting her head, before she sighed.
“I saw your confrontation wiv zat buffoon, and I was curious.”
“About what?” Hermione asked, feeling a little defensive, then suddenly nervous about how many others might have seen or heard that little meeting.
“Ze article een ze paper from last week.” the Veela said, she was struggling a bit with the English words. Hermione sighed and put her face in her hands, before looking up at Fleur.
“A couple of weeks ago…about a week before the First Task, Draco Malfoy, one of the boys who was arrested last Saturday, decided to use a curse on me, but Harry used himself as a shield and took the hit instead, but since he was holding me at the time, the curse still hit me.” She paused and conjured a glass, then used a small jet of water to fill it, then took a sip.
“Go on.” Fleur said, her eyes wide and rapt with attention, though Harry could also see anger burning faintly within them.
“Well, we didn’t know at first what the curse was really doing, we just got really tired as each day passed, and really hungry, no matter how much sleep we got, or how much food we ate.”
Fleur tilted her head, an uneasy feeling entering her gut as she processed what the brunette said, then she asked, “Forgive me for asking zis, but I feel I must know. Zese symptoms, did zey also include a constant state of sexual arousal?”
The two younger teens shared a look, before they both blushed and nodded.
Hermione studied Fleur’s face, taking note when the older girl’s eyes widened ever so slightly, then narrowed, as that faintly burning anger they could see in them turned into raging fury. Harry was surprised to see Fleur’s facial features suddenly sharpen, and looking down, he could have sworn he saw sparks dancing along her fingers as she clenched her fists.
“Fils de pute!” her outburst took them both completely by surprise as she stood and immediately started pacing, muttering, ranting and snarling insults and various obscenities in French.
Harry didn’t have a clue what she was saying, but judging by the amused smirk on Hermione's face, and the blush she was wearing, she did.
“Sorry, sorry…I…forgive me.” Fleur said as she finally stopped pacing and turned to look at them, embarrassed.
“Uh…it’s okay.” Harry said.
“Fleur…do you know the curse Malfoy used?” Hermione asked.
“Oui.” Fleur growled.
“I think he said ‘aptesthai arpuias’ whatever that translates to.” Harry said.
Fleur sucked in a breath, stiffening slightly as a scowl darkened her features.
“Ze Touch of ze ‘Arpy.” she growled, scowling, “Anuzzer name was later given to eet: ‘aspazesthai Aphrodisios’ which means ze ‘Caress’ or ‘Embrace of Aphrodite’. But was later also called ‘didonai Aphrodisios’ or ‘Gift of Aphrodite’.” She said, “It eez an old legend among ze Veela. It ties into our origin as a species. And ze origin of ze custom we know as Bonding.”
“So you know what it does? What we…have to do? The book the curse was in said that we have to feed, or the nutrients we get from the food we eat will be withheld, making us starve.” Harry said, feeling a little awkward. Fleur gave him a sympathetic look, then nodded.
“Oui…I know.” She then looked at them both with sympathy. “He used it on bov of you?”
“He was actually aiming for me, but someone decided to play ‘Human Shield’.” She said, playfully punching Harry in the arm, causing Fleur to snort and roll her eyes.
“Idiot! Zat spell could ‘ave been anysing!”
“Yeah, I know, but I just…reacted.” Harry said, scratching the back of his head.
“So Fleur, what do you know? You say that this curse relates to the origin of the Veela race? And the Bonding ritual? The information we have seems to suggest that it was created as a marital aide to help the Bonding process, or as a method of foreplay that went wrong.” Hermione said.
Fleur tilted her head curiously. “Show me.”
A moment later, she was reading through the red leather-bound tome, her face focused as she did her best to read the English text. Hermione then handed her the copied pages she’d taken from the book the curse had been found in. After a few minutes, she looked up at them.
“Well, I can say for certain zat zese text got some facts right, but a lot wrong.”
“Such as?” Harry asked.
“Zere is no cure, at least, a counter-spell was never created. Zose who created eet did not want to risk ze chance of eet being reversed. Alzough a cure of a sort was discovered, and ties to ze Bonding being completed, zere are some instances where eet will not work. All zis sterilization curse would ‘ave done ‘ad you used it, would have ensured a quick deaf, as all eet would have done eez shut down your sex drives, and made eet impossible for you to feed, but would not ‘ave removed your need to feed.”
“And Harry is the last Potter, hence the Line Assassination charge using this curse now carries.” Hermione said, eyes widening. Fleur nodded.
“Zough ze texts are right about ze curse’s effects on ze Bonding process, and ze detrimental effects of ze curse itself, ze information about eets origin eez incorrect. Eet eez true zat ze required frequency of feedings will diminish after you ‘ave all Bonded, zough I cannot say by ‘ow much. And een rare cases, ‘ave been known to stop all togezzer.”
“Huh…that corroborates what was said in the two books we found that talked about this curse. They say that it greatly accelerates the Bonding, but doesn’t say why. I’m already producing milk, and it’s only been a few weeks.” Hermione said, then she paused, recalling what Fleur had said. “Wait…what you’re telling us doesn’t match with the book we read, it said that the curse started out as a spell designed as a simple method of foreplay, believed to have been created by a priestess of a Sorceress calling herself Aphrodite. But if what you’re saying is true…then the ancient Greek gods were actual gods?”
Fleur nodded.
“Oui.” She paused, taking a sip of water before continuing. “Veela are ze descendants of Aphrodite. Though to what extent, it is now impossible to say, as all records from zat time were lost long ago.”
“Really? What do you mean?” Hermione asked.
“Well…zere are two origin mits for Veela as a species, and zey are bof linked to Aphrodite. Ze problem is, it is impossible to say which is true at zis point. One tells zat we are ze children of Aphrodite and Adonis that are not mentioned in any muggle mits. Ze uzzer claims we are ze children of Hēdonē, ze Goddess of pleasure and granddaughter of Aphrodite. You are familiar wiv ze story of Aphrodite and Adonis, oui?”
“Yes. A human so handsome that it was said he even caught the eye of several goddesses.” Hermione said.
“Oui. If zere ever was a male Veela, it would ‘ave been Adonis. Ze entire Veela race are the progeny of ‘im and Aphrodite, according to one of the mits, zey are just not mentioned in any muggle legends. But Aphrodite was not ze only one to desire ‘im. Persephone, wife of ‘Ades and queen of Erebus wanted ‘im also, so when she found out Aphrodite ‘ad beat ‘er to eet, as you say, she cursed ze first Veela, turning zem into creatures called ‘Arpies. Which eez why we ‘ave zat form.”
“That’s horrible!” Hermione cried, “Especially considering Persephone raised him!”
“Oui. Ze gods are a jealous lot.” Fleur nodded.
After a moment of collecting her thoughts and revising what she knew, she carried on.
“Some of zese newly transformed ‘Arpies, became ze Sirens of Greek mit.”
“Okay, let’s pretend I don’t know the legend of Adonis, ‘cause I kinda don’t.” Harry said.
“Adonis was a mortal man said to have unrivaled beauty. And according to myth, was born of incest, after Aphrodite bewitched his mother to sleep with her father for nine nights, until he caught her and tried to attack her. Aphrodite cursed her because her mother claimed that her daughter’s beauty was greater than Aphrodite’s. And that is never a good thing to do.” Hermione explained.
“That’s…really messed up.” Harry said. Hermione and Fleur nodded.
“Well, we are talking about an ancient pantheon of gods who practiced incest and bestiality as a matter of principle. Hell, prostitution and bestiality were as legal and socially acceptable in ancient Greece as smoking is in the Muggle world today.”
“Zis eez true. ‘Ow do you zink Centaurs were created? Zey did not evolve, zey were born from a union between ‘umans and a now extinct species of magical ‘orse.” Fleur said. The two Gryffindors stared at her in shock.
“What?!” Harry yelped.
“Huh, that does kind of make sense, the centaur species did originate in ancient Greece, and their exact origins aren’t known.” Hermione said.
“And a centaur will never tell you ze origin of zeir race.” Fleur said.
“Then how do you know?” Harry asked.
“An ancient treaty. Our two species exchanged our deepest secrets to one anuzzer.”
“Then technically, you shouldn’t be telling us this, if the information isn’t yours to give, plus we were discussing your origins, not theirs.” Hermione pointed out.
“Zis es true. Do not mention what I ‘ave told you to zem.” Fleur said imploringly, the two nodded.
She paused to take another drink of water, as the door behind them opened and Susan and Daphne walked in.
“Hey guys, hi Fleur.” Susan said, smiling and giving the older blonde a wave. Daphne’s smile was a little more hesitant, but she reminded herself that she wasn’t in Slytherin anymore, so she didn’t have to be so cold.
“Hi.” She said, quietly. Fleur smiled at both girls as they sat down next to Hermione and Harry who took a few moments to bring the two girls up to speed on the discussion.
“Okay, back on topic.” Hermione said.
“Adonis conceived by incest.” Harry said. Fleur nodded.
“Oui, ‘is mozer was transformed into a Myrrh tree. In zis form she gave birf to Adonis, who was taken by Aphrodite to Persephone to be raised, as no mortal was allowed to set foot on Olympus. Once ‘e ‘ad grown into a very attractive young man, bof Aphrodite and Persephone perused ‘im. Aphrodite, Adonis and Persephone were ze ones to create ze Bonding ritual as we know it. Aphrodite started eet first zen once she learned of eet, Persephone used it.”
“Merlin…that is messed up.” Hermione said.
“I bet Hades wasn’t happy.” Harry remarked.
“As you know, ze Bonding requires zat ze female in question consume ze essence of ‘er chosen partner for at least a year, zough zis can be reduced wiv a faster rate of consumption. Overtime, ze two develop a mental and emotional link, binding zeir magic, minds, bodies and souls, ze final act of consummating ze Bonding, as you know, involves a sex based ritual where ze couple must make a declaration of acceptance, declaring zeir acceptance of each uzzer, faults and all, followed by biting each uzzer. Zis is done after penetration but before climax, and it can lead to pregnancy if ze couple choose to let it, although zis eez not strictly required. Ze final act of Bonding also allows ze couple to share a sense of touch. Zey each feel what ze uzzer does to zemselves or zeir partner. ‘Owevair, completing ze Bonding while under ze curse will guarantee a pregnancy, and contraceptives cannot be used. Alzough completing ze Bonding while under ze curse will usually break it.”
“But, that can’t be right, I mean, there are muggle forms of protection, I can’t imagine the curse would bypass those.” Harry added.
“Then we need to be prepared, either have potions on standby for when we’re done, or be damn sure we’re ready to be parents.” Susan said.
“Pomfrey didn’t say anything about this…” Harry said. He honestly wasn’t sure how he felt about this, sure, he wanted to be a dad, its what he wanted more than anything, but at 15? That was way too young.
“That’s why students are required to inform their Head of House when they start Bonding with someone, and again when the witch starts to lactate, so they have time to brew or procure a contraceptive potion that can be taken after the Bonding is finalized, terminating the developing embryo before it gets beyond the size of just a few cells.” Hermione said.
Harry raised an eye brow. “Isn’t that a bit, I dunno, unfair? What about same-sex couples? How do they Bond? How would the curse affect someone in a same-sex relationship?” Harry asked.
“Well, that’s why Bonding is usually discouraged until students are in Sixth year, and by the time they’re ready to finalize it, they’ll have mostly completed their NEWTs and ready to leave Hogwarts. Though just because a Bonding can take up to a year to be ready to finalize, there’s no written rule that says they should consummate it within that year. Couples can wait longer. I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents started Bonding when they started dating, but didn’t finalize it until they were ready to have you, several years after they’d graduated. As for same-sex couples, I’m sure the Bonding ritual is the same; initial genital contact, the speech then the biting.” Hermione pondered. She looked at Daphne when she noticed the other girl hadn’t spoken up, but instead, had a strange look on her face, like she was contemplating something. Hermione almost asked what was bothering her, but something told her now wasn’t the right time.
“Oui, Aphrodite and Adonis, and even Persephone, started ze Bonding process, sparking off ze rivalry zat I mentioned before. Zeir rivalry got so intense zat zey asked Zeus to step in. He decreed zat Adonis ‘ad to spend one sird of ze year wiv Aphrodite, one sird wiv Persephone, and ze final sird wiv a goddess of ‘is choosing.”
“He chose Aphrodite.” Harry said. Fleur nodded.
“Oui. Zey completed ze Bonding ritual, consummating zeir marriage. And from zeir union, ze Veela race was born. According to zat mit.”
“Bet that pissed Persephone off. And I can’t imagine Hades was too happy either, hosting the guy fooling around with his wife.” Harry said. Fleur nodded.
“It did. So much so zat she cursed Aphrodite’s and Adonis’ children, turning zem into ‘Arpies, which ‘ad ze side bonus of giving Veela ze ability to use fire, along wiv reptilian traits. Zese ‘Arpies, zose who did not become Sirens, became extremely violent, and generally attacked any ‘umans on sight, both magical and non-magical.” Fleur said.
“Okay, that’s something that isn’t covered in any of the history books, I don’t think. As far as muggle legend goes, Aphrodite and Adonis had only two children.” Hermione said.
“So…the first Veela were turned into Harpies, but that clearly didn’t last.” Hermione said, wanting to get back on track.
“Oui. Over time we slowly regained our ‘uman-like appearance, wiv each new generation of Veela born, but we were never able to fully shed ze effects of Persephone’s curse, ‘ence why we still ‘ave zat form, can still use fire, and why our ‘Arpy form only emerges when we’re extremely angry, frightened or aroused. And in ze early days, as I said, ze ‘Arpy-Veela were very aggressive, very violent, in every respect, and since zey were still children of a sex goddess, zey were also extremely aggressive and violent with sex, as in zose forms, we are driven more by instinct and our body’s cravings, zan our conscious minds, alzough, we are still capable of some rational sought.”
Her eyes turned down, a haunted look on her face.
“But what zey were was a perversion of what zey were supposed to be. Oui, veela can be passionate, sometimes aggressive, but we are never meant to be violent lovers. Zough for veela, Bonding wiv our chosen mate is a bit more involved zan it is for ‘umans.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.
“It was soon discovered zat een order for a Bonding to fully form between a Veela and ‘er mate, ze veela’s chosen mate must accept all aspects of her, light and dark. Beautiful and monstrous. Zey must mate ‘er in bof ‘er ‘Uman and ‘Arpy forms, een every way possible: oral, vaginal and anal. And as I said, in zose forms, we are very aggressive, in all respects.”
“Huh, the information on Bonding, and what we’ve been told, didn’t mention anal as being part of it.” Hermione said, blushing as she started to imagine what it could feel like to have Harry back there. Sure, he’d used his fingers and tongue, but his dick was thankfully a lot bigger than both. Though something told her that what Fleur had just said wasn’t exactly what she had meant to say, or at least, she was omitting something.
“So anal is still part of the Bonding process for regular humans?” she added after a moments pause.
“Oui.”
“So…if you lost complete control, right here, right now, and you were, well, horny, what would happen?” Harry asked, mildly curious, wondering if it was even a good idea to ask. Fleur gave him a flat, serious look.
“I would change into my ‘arpy form, pounce on you and ravish you. Fucking or sucking you until you literally ‘ad nofing left to give. Nofing. Or until you pass out. And if zat still was not enough, I would turn on ‘Ermione, Daphne and Susan.”
The four stared at her, then looked at each other, exchanging confused and in Hermione’s case, horrified looks. After what she and Daphne had just been through with Draco, she was afraid to think what being on the receiving end of that from a lust-crazed Veela, who she knew were far stronger than humans, physically, would be like. She silently hoped they never found out just how aggressive Fleur could get.
Then she blushed fiercely at the realization that she’d just thought about a possible scenario where they would actually be having sex with her.
‘Where the hell did THAT come from?’ she thought.
“Okay, so…veela gained their harpy form thanks to Persephone, and a group of them became the Sirens, how does that relate to the curse Draco used?” Hermione asked.
“As I ‘ave said, Aphrodite and Adonis created ze Bonding process and used it to sire ze first veela who were then cursed, according to one mit, zough bof origins seem to have a grain of truth in zem, if all aspects of veela are to be considered. Zese first veela believed that zey could break Persephone’s curse by completing ze Bonding process, but the zought of waiting an entire year was unacceptable to zem.”
“They found a way to speed it up, didn’t they.” Hermione asked. Fleur nodded.
“A group of zem got togever to create a spell zat would greatly accelerate ze process, cutting it down from a year to a matter of monfs at most, weeks at least. Zis spell was ze origin of ze cursed used on you four.”
“Let me guess, it didn’t work.” Harry said, leaning back and folding his arms.
“Non, not at first.”
“Why?” Daphne asked.
“Because for ze Bonding to work properly, bof participants must be willing. Zey must genuinely want to Bond. A Bond cannot be forced. And as you can probably imagine, ze men zese veela chose were not exactly willing participants.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked.
“I am guessing you did not get a close-up look at ze veela at ze World Cup? When we change, our skin becomes more reptilian, wiv scales. Our ‘ands become talon-like wiv very sharp claws. Our feet and legs become more like zose of birds of prey, wiv large claws on our toes. Our faces also become very reptilian, wiv a a long muzzle full of very sharp teef. A long tail, and of course, bat or dragon-like wings. Ze only truly ‘’uman’ parts we keep are our…um,” she vaguely gestured to her chest, then pointed down to her lap then made an odd gesture to her back, pointing down. Then she regarded Harry with a look, “Zat is why ze men zey tried to bond wiv were unwilling. Would you want somzing zat looks like it just walked out of Tartarus and into your bedroom sucking or riding your dick?” she asked pointedly.
Harry shook his head slowly, shuddering at the thought. Though a part of him was curious to see what Fleur would look like in that form, the prospect of suddenly waking up and finding one kneeling over him like that was decidedly unappealing.
“Well, that actually explains a few things.” Daphne said, giving Fleur a once-over.
“No kidding. I was at the World Cup, I saw those Veela mascots shift into their Harpy forms, no offense Fleur, but your people look damn scary like that.” Susan said. Fleur smiled, giving her a nod.
“Non taken. I rarely shift, only if I’m very angry or frightened. I 'ave never shifted once while ‘aving sex.”
“Well, woe be it to whoever makes that mistake.” Harry said, chuckling.
The others chuckled as well. Getting back on topic, Fleur continued,
“When approaching men did not work, zey resorted to capturing zem. When zey realized ze Bonding was not taking, zey modified ze spell to create incentives.” Fleur said.
“The taste and smell altering aspects of it.” Hermione breathed, fascinated. Fleur nodded.
“But wait, you just said that a Bonding can’t be forced, or it won’t take,” Susan said, Fleur nodded, Susan continued, “So how could these cursed veela have Bonded if their partners weren’t willing? I can’t imagine the taste alteration would have been a good enough incentive.”
“It was not. Zey also added ze uzzer side-effects, ze lefal ones.”
Hermione’s eyes widened.
“Oh god…it was deliberate…” she murmured in horror.
“What was?” Harry asked, sensing her sudden spike of distress, taking one of her hands and gently squeezing it, sending feelings of reassurance through their link, he was still getting used to this thing.
“The negative side effects. The ‘you die if you don’t feed’ kind, they weren’t a mistake, or an oversight, they were a deliberate attempt to ensure a Bonding.” Hermione said, her voice trembling.
“Oui. And zey did zis by making heir own…essence…addictive. ‘Ighly addictive, along wiv a magical suppressant zat stops ze body absorbing nutriments from consumed food until ze affected individuals swallow what ze ‘ave to.” Fleur said, her voice heavy.
“How did they do that? Changes on that level require permanent alterations to the body, and any change like that would mean changes on a genetic level.
“Not to mention,” Daphne said, denial in her voice and her eyes, “That’s still forcing the Bond, the person would still be unwilling, so the Bonding would fail.”
Fleur looked at her levelly. “You would be surprised ze zings people are willing to do when zeir life depends on it. Ze reason for zis is zat Veela only ovulate when we ‘ave sex. We do not ‘ave a monthly cycle, as our uterine lining does not deteriorate, we are similar to equines in zat respect. Zis gives us some degree of control over our ovulation. As for zeir skill wiv altering zeir own DNA, zese first Veela could do more zan what we can do now, but even zey could not lift ze curse of a Goddess.”
“Merlin…” Susan said, shuddering.
“But zat was only partially successful, it was not until ze ‘arpy-veela also used ze curse on zemselves zat zey started to see some results. Ze children born from zese first Bondings did show less ‘arpy traits, but zey soon realized zat it would take many generations before our normal appearance was restored. And while completing ze Bond did break ze curse for the Veela, eet did not do ze same for zeir mates. Zere was also anuzzer side-effect of creating zis curse; using magic to accelerate ze Bonding altered eets final result, but zat was not realized until much later.”
The others paused, taking that in, wondering what she meant by ‘altered’ in regards to the Bonding.
“Okay, so, I get why the incantation loosely translates to “Touch of the Harpy”, but where does “Gift of Aphrodite” or “Kiss of the Succubus” come from?” Hermione asked. Fleur sighed, taking another sip of water.
“I mentioned zat only some cursed Veela created zis spell and taught it to uzzers, zen zere was ze group who became Sirens, who used illusions to ‘ide zeir true appearances, and lastly, ze remaining cursed Veela split off into two factions…one used magic to forcibly restore zeir appearance, using sex-magic, but doing so cursed them second fold, creating what would come to be ze first Succubi, dependent on sex to live. Over time word started to spread about ze curse, but ze newly born Succubus race was also spreading, and in time, people assumed zey ‘ad created ze curse. ‘ence ze name, ‘Kiss of ze Succubus’.”
“And the second faction?” Hermione asked, wide eyed.
“Zey turned to ze gods for ‘elp. Specifically, Poseidon.”
“The Merpeople.” Hermione breathed in wonder.
“Oui.” Fleur answered, her tone stiff.
“Judging by your tone, I’m guessing there’s some bad history with them also. I can’t imagine you people are too fond of Succubi and Sirens either.” Harry said.
Fleur shook her head. “Out of all of ze groups, ze Sirens were ze smallest, only a few ‘undred or so. Zey embraced zeir new form, and did not try to find a way to reverse it, instead, relying on illusions to ‘ide zeir true apparency from zose zey met. Zey stayed on ze small group of Mediterranean islands they found, luring in sailors to feed on zem.”
Judging by her tone, Susan could tell that the issue of the Merpeople was a touchy subject, so decided to leave it alone for now, but had a feeling it would come up again eventually.
“So what about the Gift of Aphrodite?” Susan asked.
“Zat was a name adopted for ze curse by zose who realized ze Veela created eet, and zat we are daughters of Aphrodite, and drew negative conclusions about us, and our origin from zat realization. When ze old pantheon fell out of favor, even among magical ‘umans, any association wiv ze old pantheons was eventually considered foolish and misguided at best, dangerous or outright Dark at worst. Zat is why we are considered dark creatures in some areas of ze world, and why many women look down on us, and not just because zeir men aren’t as strong-willed as believed.”
“I do have another question.” Harry said, momentarily interrupting her, “Why couldn’t I feed from anyone other than Hermione? I tried this past week, even Daphne…tried to help, but it didn’t work.”
“A restriction of ze curse. To ensure zat zeir captured prey did not escape and find ‘elp from uzzers.”
Letting that sink in, the four students mulled over what the Veela had told them thus far.
“So, why is this spell considered an Unforgivable by only Veela and not the rest of magical society?” Harry asked.
“Pure-Blood politics.” Fleur spat.
“Of course…” Hermione sighed.
“What?” Harry asked.
“Do you really think someone like Malfoy would lobby to have a spell made illegal if it could help create sex-slaves?” Daphne growled.
“Oui, but ze main reason most magical ‘umans do not consider eet Unforgivable, eez because eet does not work on Muggles or Squibs. While muggles and squibs do have some magic, since zey have a soul, eet eez so faint ze curse has no effect. Zen, uzzers learned of ze curse and started using it on innocent women, to create ‘arems. Usually ze targets were Veela.” Fleur said, her tone darkening.
“Ouch…” Daphne said, shuddering as she tried to picture what that would have been like, then a chill went through her as she realized; she didn’t have to imagine.
“First ze Persians, zen furzzer east, into India and ze surrounding territories. Zen to ze west, ze Romans. Eventually, all attempts to find a counter to ze curse were abandoned, and eet was outlawed, and officially classified az ze fourth Unforgivable, at least by Veela communities. Ze punishment for casting ze curse, for a Veela, if it was done wizzout consent, zen the Veela is exiled, and if ze caster was not a Veela, ze punishment can range from imprisonment to castration or execution, depending on ze victim. Eef ze victim eez a Veela, zen ze punishment eez usually one of ze latter.”
“Shit…” Susan said, “That’s…pretty harsh.”
“When ze victim ‘az been condemned to a life of what is basically sexual slavery, zen yes, it eez ‘arsh for a reason.”
“There’s also the issue of Intent. For the Unforgivables, you have to actually want to hurt, control or murder someone to use them. There are spells that can kill, cause pain or maim just as easily as the Killing Curse or Cruciatus, but are not classed the same. Bone Breakers for instance. You could easily kill someone with that by aiming for the head, neck or spine. Same with the bone vanishing spell, like the one Lockhart used on you Harry. I honestly don’t want to think what would happen if someone tried vanishing a person’s skull.” Hermione shuddered.
“So, to recap, there IS a cure, and it relates to the Bonding being completed, but it doesn’t always work and there are side effects?” Harry said, Fleur nodded, unsure how much to say.
“Eet worked for a time, until we regained our ‘Uman appearance, zen eet stopped working. So now, eef a Veela is cursed, she stays cursed, zat is why we consider eet an unofficial Unforgivable. Ze side-effect I mentioned earlier, ze one zat came from creating ze curse to accelerate ze Bonding, was not discovered until ze curse was used on ‘umans.”
“Soo…in order to break this curse, we just have to shag Harry's brains out, complete the Bond.” Susan said.
Fleur nodded, somewhat reluctantly. Harry was getting the impression she wasn’t telling them something, and what ever it was, it was big.
“But we’re not all ready for that yet, plus, we can’t use contraceptives or any sort, and I’m not ready to be a 15 year old mum.” Hermione said, again noticing the odd look Daphne had on her face, she again looked conflicted, Hermione resolved to ask her about that later at some point.
Fleur nodded again. She knew what was coming, what would happen, and she wasn’t sure she should, or even could tell them.
She had some arrangements to make…
-=-=-=-
In the main Gryffindor Common Room, Seamus and Dean sat on the seats, lamenting their choices in life and their coming academic failure.
They had seen Ron’s attempt to not only ask Hermione to the Ball, but his utter joke of an attempt to ask Fleur. Which had failed quite spectacularly. As the two boys had predicted, Ron had made an utter fool of himself in front of the French Champion and several other students, acting as if drunk, and slurring his words, going as far to even drool while talking to her.
Now Ron was sat, dejected and grumpy, in one of the other chairs.
The fact that Fleur hadn’t even spared any of them a look of greeting as she’d stepped through the portal into the Common Room, though neither of them could guess where she got the password from, she’d turned and headed towards Potter’s private quarters about five minutes after they had sat down, and Ron had shuffled in five minutes after her.
Now the two boys sat, dejected, hoping Ron would forget their bet. No such luck.
“Hey guys, so…” Ron said, suddenly perking up and grinning.
“Yeah?” Seamus asked nervously.
“About that bet we made. You guys can start doing my homework on first day of next term.” Ron grinned. Seamus and Dean exchanged looks then stared at him.
“Are you mental?! The bet was if you asked Fleur to the ball—” Dean said incredulously, only for Seamus to cut him off.
“And succeeded. Which you did NOT.”
“THEN we’d do your homework for you, but since you failed so spectacularly, you now have to do ours.” Dean finished. Ron scowled, his ears flushing red in that way they always did when he got mad. He huffed petulantly.
“What’s this then?” Fred and George said as they came in threw the portal, catching the end of the conversation. Ron quickly explained what they were talking about, and the twins exchanged a look, before shaking their heads.
“You have to do it Ron, won’t look good if you go back on your word.” Fred said seriously.
“Are you nuts?! He’ll ruin our OWLs!” Dean yelped.
“Hey! I’m not dumb!” Ron protested.
“You barely do any of your own homework.” Seamus replied.
“Do too!” Ron returned.
“Fine, guess you’ll have to prove it come January then.” Seamus replied, trying to ignore the feeling of his stomach turning, like he was about to throw up.
“Fine then!” Ron snapped.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
Just an additional note, there are a few scenes that I did plan to have in this chapter, but decided to cut because I hadn't finished writing them or I felt they didn't fit with the pace of the chapter (too much happening too soon sorta thing), so those scenes will instead be happening in a couple of chapters (round about the Yule Ball).
And a shout out to those who helped me beta/suggest scene structure for this thing on Discord :) You know who you are.
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If you want to, please follow this Link to reach my Discord Server. If you want to come and chat, there are also links to my other stories as well as stories written by other members :)
Chapter 15: A Bath, a Movie, and a Yule Ball
Notes:
At last! Here is the next update, just in time for Christmas (barely, it's nearly 11:30 pm here in the UK)
I'm sorry this update took so long, a lot happened this year, mainly RL stuff, my girlfriend needed surgery, thankfully it went well, and she's now in the clear.
As a special Christmas gift to you all, I'm including the smut scene that I was forced to cut from the end of the last chapter, as it wasn't finished, but I finally finished it today (about 12 thousand words of smut), got it and the Yule Ball scene put together with everything else i'd already written, all in all, totalling about 35 thousand words, the most i've written for any chapter of this story, and takes this story well over the 200K word count mark.
Unfortunately, I haven't gotten round to writing the post-Yule Ball scene, so that will be next chapter, as will the scene I had planned where Daphne gets her full memories back, and the fallout from that, and hopefully won't take as long.
This chapter has NOT been Beta’d, I just didn’t have time as I wanted to get it up on Christmas Day, so there may be some grammatical/spelling errors, I will correct them asap.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Saturday, December 3rd, 1994.
Dumbledore sank into his chair in his office with a heavy sigh.
Today had not been a good day.
Draco Malfoy, that meddling little self-entitled brat had got himself arrested for using an Unforgivable, along with the same curse that he’d used on Potter and Granger two weeks prior.
He honestly hadn’t known what that curse was, and he still didn’t. All he knew was that it created complications for Harry’s summer arrangements.
Minerva had said that she’d handle things, and while he trusted his Head of Gryffindor, he wasn’t sure exactly what she could do that would ensure Harry spent his summer at Privet Drive.
Well, he had an idea, he just didn’t want to think about it.
Now there was the added issue of Miss Bones and Miss Greengrass to consider, though they were likely less of an issue, as they could easily see one another during the summer months.
Since that talk with Minerva and Molly, he’d spoken to Arabella Figg, who had confirmed what she and Minerva had discussed, and the woman had ranted at him over what Harry had endured, and how she had been unable to help. And that if he returned to his relatives, then he was sure to perish. But Albus had been insistent, Harry had to return to Privet Drive.
Arabella hadn’t liked that, but in the end she’d agreed, under the proviso that she be allowed to do more to help him, Dumbledore had reluctantly agreed.
So after Harry spent a minimum amount of time with his relatives, that left Minerva’s plan to help him, or the Burrow. Though would Molly allow Susan and Daphne to go to the Burrow? Would it be safe for them to travel to the Bones and Greengrass residences? Possibly, but if what he’d suspected and heard whispers of was true, then Tom was indeed still out there, as were his followers. Would the Burrow even have enough space for 4 extra people?
Bill and Charlie had moved out, as had Percy, he believed, so it would possibly be feasible…
No…the safest place for him was Privet Drive. The address was unknown, the wards protecting it were still strong, and as long as he returned there, they would stay strong.
Now, the more pressing and immediate concern: The embarrassment that Draco Malfoy and his friends had wrought on the school. Reviving the Tournament had meant to be something amazing, a chance to bring glory to either Hogwarts, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, but now…
Now the scrutiny of the DMLE was on them, and likely the Ministry as well.
He’d wanted to keep Draco and his friends out of Azkaban and in Hogwarts as much as possible, but the casting of that Unforgivable in front of witnesses, and the fact that the heiresses of two politically powerful families had also been cursed with a seemingly irreversible curse meant that when Amelia and her Aurors came to collect the Slytherins, his hands had been tied.
He was going to get an earful from his senior staff at this rate. He wondered if it was worth temporarily deafening himself.
There was also his plan to cultivate a romantic connection between Miss Granger and Mister Krum…that honestly looked like it was an impossibility now. His passive scans of both their minds revealed that despite his best efforts, the encounter he had fabricated and placed in their minds had not led anywhere. Fortunately, neither of them had started to question the validity of those planted memories. Yet.
Still, that sordid article Skeeter had penned had alluded to something happening between Krum and Granger in the library, but as Dumbledore knew, all that had happened had been the two of them having a friendly conversation, but those who read that article, and believed what ever the Prophet said verbatim, would let their imaginations run wild. Which was fine with him.
He wondered if there was still a way he could work with that, but with the addition of Miss Bones and Miss Greengrass, and the fact that Krum seemed to be now focusing his attention more on his studies, seemed to negate that possibility, though there was still the Second Task, if Miss Granger was Krum’s hostage…
That would just leave the question of who Harry’s hostage would be. His mind instantly jumped to young Ronald, who Harry and Miss Granger had been avoiding of late. If Harry was to be spending the summer months in close quarters with young Ronald, then it would not do to have their friendship fizzle out, it had to be rekindled. Perhaps young Ginevera would be a possibility. He needed to think more on it.
Then he thought of the potions he’d ordered one of the Elves working in the kitchen to lace their food with, he’d noticed over the last few days that the marked level of arousal in both of them had subsided somewhat. He wondered if it was an affect of the curse, or if someone had found out their food was contaminated and had slipped the antidote in. He would have to talk to the elf in question.
He needed to keep control of Harry, especially if the whispers he’d heard about Tom were true.
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
Over his long life, he’d seen the best and the worst of humans, magical and not. And while he did acknowledge that things needed to change in their society, change came slowly, especially in the magical world. The influx of Muggle-borns every year into the school brought new ideas and concepts their society just wasn’t ready for, and change bred fear and uncertainty. Fear of the unknown, fear of losing one’s roots, was a failing common to both sides, and was, sadly, the driving force behind many a Dark Lord and Lady throughout their history.
And unfortunately the Muggle-borns also made a convenient target, as scapegoats for the problems of an old, dare he saying, dying society.
And Tom certainly hadn’t helped things. Both he and Gellert were the product of that dying society.
Yes, he and Gellert had once shared the same views, but those views had not lasted. And while Albus had made overtures to support Muggle-borns over the years, he’d taken steps to make sure they didn’t get too much power.
The status quo had to be maintained.
Then there was the Prophecy. He thought back to that night, when he’d left Harry on his aunt’s doorstep. He hadn’t known for sure what that scar was until many years later, but he’d been right even back then. He could not have removed it, not without killing young Harry in the process.
And he’d only realised for sure what that scar actually was when he’d seen the ruined diary, and sensed the same type of dark magic around it.
No, for what was in that scar to be destroyed, Harry had to die by Voldemort’s hand. But he knew there was no way Harry could be convinced to do so if he was allowed to develop without proper guidance, proper influence. Which was another reason Harry had been placed with the Dursleys, so he would see Dumbledore, and by extension, Hogwarts, as a way out, and would leave him malleable, allowing Dumbledore to mould him as needed.
But now…with Miss Granger, Greengrass and Bones in the picture, all that careful planning was falling apart, and Albus was not sure how to stop it, or adjust his plans to account for it.
The ward on the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to his office suddenly pinged. He had company. Unhappy company.
He sighed and raised his wand, freezing all the portraits on the walls, then unlocked the Gargoyle, sensing Minerva, Pomona, Flitwick and Snape making their way up to his office.
This…was not going to be pleasant.
-=-=-=-
News of what had happened quickly spread through the school. Rumours of a confrontation between Harry, Draco and several other Slytherins made the rounds first, then whispers of Aurors being called in to the Hospital Wing, including Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, and three people reportedly to be Daphne’s parents and Grandfather, the current head of the Greengrass family.
Whatever happened had been serious.
Viktor Krum shook his head as he sat with his friends, laughing and talking about random things, just relaxing. He and his friends where aboard their ship in the Black Lake, as there weren’t many places in Hogwarts for communal gatherings apart from the Library, where Silence Was Law, according to some students, anyway, and he no longer felt like he wanted to be among the Slytherins.
Especially if these rumours were true.
“So, Vik, what do you think of these rumours going around?” one of his friends, Erik Morten, a Norwegian native, asked, switching to Bulgarian. Viktor rolled his eyes.
“If they’re true, then those students are a disgrace. To be honest, I’m not impressed with Hogwarts’ cunning students.”
“Yeah.” Another boy snorted into a mug of coffee. “These idiots wouldn’t last one week at Durmstrang.”
“What do you think of Potter?” a third, Ragnar Jorgenson asked. Viktor paused, considering.
“He has impressed me. His performance with the dragon was certainly something.”
“Shame you got robbed.” Erik said, Viktor shrugged.
“That was my mistake.”
“Figured out the Egg yet?” Ragnar asked, Viktor shook his head, sighing.
“Not yet. Tried prying it open. That was a mistake. There was nothing inside it, but I heard this loud shriek. Almost blasted it to bits.” He chuckled. The other boys also chuckled.
“So, what happened in the Hogwarts Library with you and that Granger girl?” the third member of their group, Ragnar’s brother Einar said.
Viktor paused, remembering back to that encounter in the library, he felt his cheeks flush, and a feeling passed through him that he couldn’t quite place. Loss? Sadness? No…
“I think it’s none of your business Einar.” He growled. Einar held up his hands, trying to placate his friend.
“Hey hey! I’m just asking ‘cause I heard from a few of the girls the other day that they were in the Hogwarts Library too and saw you with her, but all you did was apparently talk, nothing more.”
“What?” Viktor asked, that didn’t make sense…
“Yeah, one of the younger students. I asked her what she saw and she said you two just sat and talked, nothing else. She certainly didn’t…uh…”
“Drag him into the bookcases for some ‘heavy reading’?” Erik grinned. Viktor scowled at his friend, feeling the sudden need to defend Hermione. It still irked him that he couldn’t get her name right. It was so unusual!
“What happened between Potter and that Malfoy boy anyway?” Erik asked.
“He cast an old Greek curse on Harry and his girlfriend. And if some of the rumours I’ve heard from Hogwarts today are true, he also used it again on two other girls, who took the hit meant for two other younger girls.” Viktor growled.
The other boys winced. “Yeah, that’d do it. That’d explain the Auror presence.”
“That still doesn’t explain why that reporter would say you two did something in the library when there’s at least one witness, and I’m sure there are more, who would contradict that claim. I wonder why no-one has.” Ragnar said curiously.
“Isn’t it obvious? Potter isn’t well liked by most of his school right now. Most still think he cheated his way in. I suspect anyone who could contradict what that paper said is keeping quiet. Either out of spite or cowardice.” Viktor said, scowling. It was dishonourable if that was the case.
“So…if there’s a chance nothing happened, why did that reporter make out like something did?” Erik pondered.
‘Because something did happen. At least…I remember it happening…’ Viktor thought, but the more he thought about it, the more something seemed…off. Why would he remember something happening, and clearly Hermione remembered something too, and yet, at least three people had come forward and said nothing did.
“I…I have to go.” He said, excusing himself, he left the common room and headed for his own room. Once he was inside, he locked the door and applied every privacy and security spell he could think of, short of some of the darker, more nasty ones they had started to learn in their Dark Arts lessons, and sat on his bed, closed his eyes, and started to take deep breaths.
He’d found that meditation helped with Occlumency a great deal, as he had been taught by their Mind Magics instructor. While he certainly wasn’t a master of the art by any stretch, he was at least proficient, he just never expected anyone at Hogwarts to be skilled enough to put a false memory in both his head and someone else’s and not be detected, or have a reason to do it.
After several minutes of deep breathing, he cleared his mind of all distractions and brought up that memory, playing it over in his head, looking for any sign of fabrication or alteration. Honestly, this sort of thing was easier with a Pensieve, but those were expensive and took a long time to make, and you needed a Mastery in both Charms and Rune Crafting to make them, so he wasn’t going to be making his own any time soon, he knew their Occlumens instructor had one, but she never let anyone near it, not alone. And there was no way he was letting anyone else see this memory, real or not.
He played the memory over in his head, looking for any indication that it was false, or had been altered.
It started out just as he expected it to: with him approaching Hermione, noticing what she’d been reading, and then taking a seat and talking with her. There was certainly nothing untoward about that.
Then came the part where she seemed to pause, after explaining her situation to him, she asked him for his help, or rather, his permission to get what she needed from him, and that there in the library was good enough.
He stopped reviewing the memory and opened his eyes, his face scrunched up in mild frustration. He couldn’t find anything wrong with the memory, no sign that it had been altered in any way. He suddenly wished his Occlumens professor was here, she’d be able to get a better look at the memory, but she was back in Norway, at Durmstrang.
He’d try again at a later date he decided, for now, he’d go out for a walk, maybe take that damn Egg with him and see if he could figure it out, and maybe find out what happened up in the castle.
-=-=-=-
Neville sighed as he walked with Hannah through the halls, after getting escorted back to their respective common rooms, they had met up again a few hours later and were now wondering through the halls.
“What’s wrong?” Hannah asked.
“I should have taken that hit for Susan and Daphne.”
“You were tied up Nev, we both were, and besides, if you had taken the hit, you’d likely be in the same position Harry is now in. And while I love what you can do to me, I really don’t think I’d have enough for you, though you are welcome to come and snuggle any time you want lover.” She said with a smile and wink.
Neville blushed, which only got worse when he felt his blood flow south, and Hannah’s gorgeous blue eyes seemed to follow it.
Then she chuckled. “Don’t worry Nev, I’m only teasing…for now.” She winked.
“Uh…uh…right. So…how long do you think Malfoy will get?”
Hannah scowled at the mention of the hated Slytherin.
“If we’re lucky? 10 years? Assuming the second count of ALA doesn’t also add an extra ten, on top of how ever many he’ll get for kidnapping, conspiracy and sexual assault and attempted rape? Not counting the life sentence for that Unforgivable, he’s probably looking at at least 75 years, not including the Life Sentence. Though I expect some fiddling to happen at some point, given one of his assault victims is a Muggle-born, and as much as I hate to say it, that would probably work in his favour, at least with the more hard-line Pure-Bloods. But considering he cast an Unforgivable in front of witnesses…I doubt we’ll see him again. Short of an Azkaban breakout, or Fudge going senile and letting him out.”
Neville shuddered.
“So, how are Daphne and Susan settling in?” she asked.
He smiled, “Pretty well I think, they just spent the last few hours getting to know everyone, overall their reception has been friendly, though Ron seemed to be a bit of an out-liner, when he wasn’t spending most of his time moaning about what he saw happen to Malfoy.” He shuddered again.
Hannah also cringed, “Yeah, that spell was one I haven’t seen before, and honestly hope I never see again.” She started casually looking around for a broom-closet, the horrors of what they’d seen earlier still fresh in her mind, and she felt like she needed a distraction.
“How are things in the Set?” Neville asked, jokingly referring to the Hufflepuff dorms.
“Alright for the most part, though there was some confusion as to why Susan’s things disappeared, Sprout explained the situation, and naturally there was some negative reactions. Cedric is pissed. He said that the team is going to hammer the Slytherins next year.”
Neville snorted, the Slytherins were lucky that there wasn’t any Quidditch this year, since they’d just lost their Seeker, and he was sure Crabbe and Goyle would have joined the team next year. Their captain had to be pissed also.
-=-=-=-
Harry stepped into the bathroom, carrying the tray of potions McGonagall had given them earlier. The humidity and heat hit him full in the face, the pool-sized bath with it’s numerous taps was filled to capacity with water, a thick layer of bubbles covered most of the surface, there were two ladders leading down into the water, and even a diving board at the far end of the bath opposite one of the ladders, the second one was next to the board. He briefly wondered how deep the water was at that end. Hermione, Susan and Daphne already waist deep in the water, as they each held a sponge, all three girls blushing furiously as they hesitantly glanced at one-another.
Harry sucked in a breath as he felt his shaft throb almost painfully at the sight.
There was even a large painting on the wall that showed a group of naked mermaids, though according to Hermione, the mermaids depicted in the painting were more human-looking than the ones that lived in the lake. The ones that lived in the lake were referred to as Selkie, and had a more aquatic appearance and preferred cooler waters, over their Mediterranean cousins, who looked more or less human and were the ‘classical’ mermaids depicted in Muggle culture.
And all of them were gigging and waving at him, while caressing either themselves or each other.
Susan had claimed this was a perfect replica of the Prefect Bathroom, but since Harry hadn’t seen that, he had to take her word for it. Though he did wonder how she knew that.
He certainly couldn’t argue about it being an improvement over the large shower though. The shower was nice for him and Hermione, but with multiple people in one cubical? Yeah, the pool was better.
“Well? Come on then. Get your kit off!” Daphne said as she waved for him to join them. He gulped nervously, before he walked over to them then set the tray down next to the edge of the pool, then started to fumble his way out of his robes while all three girls watched him intently as they stepped closer to the edge of the bath, the water coming up to about mid-thigh, and for the first time, Harry could clearly see the patch of dark red hair between Susan’s firm legs.
He felt his face heat in a blush as he saw all three girls eyeing him with looks of both hunger and approval as Susan reached up and cupped the tent in his trousers, as Hermione reached up to pull the zipper down, while Daphne undid his shoes then pulled off his shoes, along with his socks, while he tossed his robes to the side then started to pull off his shirt.
“Mmmm…very nice…” Susan purred as she leaned forward, hooked her fingers into the waistband of his trousers and boxers, pulling both down in one go, allowing his shaft to spring free, her eyes tracking it with a fierce intensity that was, in his opinion, very hot, her own face and chest flushed pink.
“Oh yeah, you haven’t seen it before have you?” Daphne said, grinning. She licked her lips she looked back at Harry, “You’ll love him Sue, he’ll fit so perfectly in your mouth.” she added as the last of his clothes were shed, then she took one of his hands, and guided him down, until he was sitting on the edge of the bath, his feet and legs immersed in the warm water, he then leaned forward as she leaned in and kissed him deeply, a hand going down to gently take hold of his erection and stroke it slowly, sliding his foreskin back, then she looked at her redheaded friend and smirked as she wiggled it, grinning as she watched Susan’s eyes track it.
Then she stepped back and pulled Harry into the water as Hermione grabbed one of the sponges that were laying on the bath side, noticing that the moment she picked it up, a thick layer of soap seemed to ‘grow’ out of it. She took a moment to sniff it, scent of coconut and pine hit her nose.
“So how do we do this?” Hermione asked. She still hadn’t yet come to terms with the fact that there was a very real possibility of having sex with one or both of the girls next to her within the next few hours. While it didn’t have to happen of course, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it happening at all.
She’d tried not to stare at Daphne and Susan as they’d stripped, but she couldn’t help but be curious, at least with Susan, as she’d already seen Daphne more or less naked. A spark of jealousy had made itself known in her when she saw just how big Susan’s breasts were compared to her own. She’d also noticed the patch of red hair that covered Susan’s mons, which seemed to have been trimmed into a lightning bolt shape. That had raised an eyebrow from both her and Daphne. Susan had just shrugged it off, saying that half the girls in school probably had similar styles.
“Well, first I guess we wash ourselves, or each other, and see where it goes? I mean, you’re already…um…leaking, soo…” Daphne said, pointing to the small beads of white that had formed at Hermione’s nipples.
Self conscious, Hermione blushed before ducking her head, her hands coming up to cover her nipples.
“When did you start producing?” Susan asked, “I thought you’d only been doing this about two or so weeks.”
“About two weeks yeah, it started on Friday morning. So, roughly two weeks after we got hit, which means, you and Daphne will probably start in another two weeks, so round about the 17th or 18th or so.”
“Or sooner.” Daphne said.
“Are you two already able to communicate mentally?” Susan asked.
“A little bit, not all the time, not yet, we’re able to get a general feeling of where each of us is, but nothing fully established yet. But at the rate things are going, either by Christmas at least, February at most.” Harry said as he settled in the water, then reached for a large sponge and some soap. He then looked at his three companions, wondering where he’d start.
“Okay soo…who’s first?” he asked.
“Are you two feeling okay? Do you…want to feed first?” Hermione asked, she knew her friends hadn’t fed yet, the sooner they did, the better. Susan and Daphne looked at each other, blushing, then looked at their new…companions?…lovers?
‘Damn…this escalated quickly.’ Daphne thought.
“How about we wash each other then take care of other things?” Susan asked, the others nodded.
“What about those potions?” Harry asked, gesturing to the tray at the side of the bath.
The girls exchanged glances, then giggled, Hermione shook her head, “We don’t need them right now, maybe later.” then the three girls turned to Harry as Hermione moved in front of him and pushed him back until he was up against the edge of the bath, then once he’d sat on it, she spread his legs, her hands disappearing under the water and taking hold of one of his legs, lifting it, she smiled and started to massage his foot, grinning when he wiggled his toes, then she moved her hands up, working the soap into his firm calf.
Daphne took the other, copying Hermione while Harry leaned back giving a blushing Susan the opportunity to move between his legs, leaning forward to explore his chest, humming with approval and mounting desire, giggling as his erect shaft bobbed just short of touching her stomach and breasts.
Smiling, she leaned in to kiss him, moaning into his mouth as her tongue started to duel his, her large breasts pressed into his chest as she began to rub her body against his, feeling his hard shaft against her lower stomach as she lay on him, using her hands to pull herself up and forward as he leaned back fully, until she fully lay on him, her hands cupping his face as they continued to kiss, his hard shaft now sandwiched against her lower abdomen.
Inquisitively, Harry let one hand travel down her back until it caressed her rather ample but firm bum, which he gave a gentle squeeze to, drawing a muffled moan from her. She moaned into his mouth, arching her back, she pushed the firm globes of muscle into that exploring hand, when his fingers slid down between her legs, which parted eagerly. His other hand meanwhile found itself gently caressing her warm, pliant left breast.
They then broke the kiss, both gasping as they pulled apart. Susan’s lips were swollen, her eyes dark with lust and half closed, She then looked down at his chest and started kneading it with the sponge, watching out of the corner of her eye as Daphne and Hermione both reached his thighs, their faces wearing identical smiles. Susan then pushed herself up and back down into the water, then stepped back, her gaze drawn down, and she let out a moan and licked her lips.
The sight of Harry’s shaft standing tall and proud, swaying and bobbing with his pulse, his foreskin slightly retracted, revealing the very tip of his crown which sent a warm tremor of lust through her, and she reached down to gently wrap a hand around it, and started to stroke slowly, feeling its heat in her hand as it throbbed, she licked her lips as she watched the red, flared glans emerge from the foreskin.
“Wow…” she breathed in a husky tone thick with lust.
Her hand was soon joined by two more, the two other girls moved closer, taking the opportunity to push his legs up and back, fully opening him up to them. Daphne gently cupping his balls while Hermione went lower. Hermione looked up at him, smirking when their eyes met, his breathe catching as he felt a finger stroke his perineum before moving further down, circled his entrance a few times which made him tense on reflex until he relaxed, then gently pushed in.
Harry tensed up again for a moment, clamping down around the digit, she stopped, then when he relaxed, she pushed in a little more, their eyes locked, and, with a slight shiver, he nodded for her to continue.
With a smile, Hermione gently pushed her finger in to the first knuckle, then paused, letting him adjust, then, when he nodded again, she slipped in further, until she felt her finger meet his prostate, and she gently pressed. He gasped, letting out a moan as an unfamiliar sensation made itself felt within, and he felt his shaft tingle and twitch, and Susan took the opportunity to give his shaft a squeeze.
“Like that?” Hermione purred.
“Uh huh…” Harry panted.
“What are you doing?” Daphne asked, curious. Hermione grinned at her.
“Prostate massage. It’s the male ‘G-spot’, you can only reach it going in the back way though. I’m surprised you two don’t know about it.” Hermione replied. Susan shrugged.
“We only get told the basics when it comes to sex, all the clinical stuff, even the explanations on Bonding Pomfrey gave don’t really say anything about sticking our fingers in a boy’s backside, then again, most pure-blood boys probably don’t even know about that, and certainly wouldn’t be okay with it.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted as she started to gently work her finger inside him, and he gasped, while Susan continued to stroke his shaft, and Daphne gently stroked his balls.
“I thought…I was…going to wash…you…” Harry said, the strange pleasure Hermione was giving him, combined with the stimulation of the other two girls, causing him to squirm.
“You’ll get your chance, stud, but first, I think it’s time for Susan to have a taste.” Hermione purred with a giggle.
Susan shuffled forward and lowered herself, until she was sat, Hermione to her left, Daphne to her right. Lifting her other hand, which held the sponge, she pressed it to his shaft then wrapped the sponge around it. Foam and suds spread out from the point of contact, as she started to gently run it up and down the hard stem.
“Self-soaping sponges. Really handy.” Daphne giggled at Harry’s confused look, as he was mid-reach for a bar of soap.
Harry then gasped as he felt a warm tingling sensation in his shaft. It wasn’t unpleasant or painful, but it was definitely distracting. And it tickled like hell. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to start laughing like a madman.
He noticed with curiosity that the soap seemed to be the cause as Susan drew her sponge up over the exposed head of his shaft, while Daphne brought her own sponge up and started soaping his balls, which soon were also awash with that odd, yet warm tingling feeling.
“What’s so funny?” Hermione asked, noticing Harry’s grin that he seemed to be struggling to hold, and she quickly realised he was trying to stop himself from laughing.
“It tickles!” He said.
“What does?” Susan asked, stroking the sponge down the base of his dick.
“The soap! Where did you get those sponges?” Harry asked. The girls paused, and looked at each other then down at the self-soaping sponges they each held.
“They were already here when we arrived, Professor McGonagall must have left them.” Hermione said, withdrawing her fingers from Harry.
Curiously, Hermione lifted the sponge she held to her breasts and started to rub. At first, she didn’t really feel anything out of the ordinary, though the self-soaping feature was a nice touch. Then she felt it; a warm tingle that spread over her skin where-ever the soap came into contact with it.
That tingling sensation then seemed to sink down into her breasts, her nipples hardened and peaked as she watched, and her chest flushed pink, a jolt of arousal shot through her as her eyes fell closed, and a sensual moan passed her parted lips. A gasp from Daphne drew her attention. Opening her eyes and turning to look, she noticed the blonde had stood, the water coming to just below the junction of her thighs, where she now worked her own sponge, her face flushing, head tilting back, eyes closing as her mouth opened in a deep moan.
“Oohhhh…fuuuuck!”
“Wow this feels…weird.” Susan said with a breathy pant, steadily working her own sponge between her firm thighs.
Harry sat back and watched, enraptured as all three beautiful girls start to massage themselves. As Hermione’s hand moved down to her lips, she opened her eyes, which were dark with lust as they focused on him, or, more accurately, his hard shaft as his own hand moved towards it.
“No!” she growled forcefully, her face taking on an expression that looked odd on her. “Don’t you dare touch that dick.” While her words were directed at him, her gaze never left his shaft, which twitched along with his pulse. “Hands by your side Potter. That’s an order.”
Harry froze, unsure what to do next, yet eager to see where this would go. Susan paused, regarding the soap coated shaft in her hand. She leaned forward and sniffed, eyes widening as she smelt something familiar, then, cautiously, she closed the distance and gave his covered tip an experimental lick.
“What are you doing?” Hermione asked, ignoring Harry’s sharp intake of breath.
Susan blinked as she licked her lips in surprise, then opened her mouth and lowered her head, taking his glans between her lips and sucking the soap off with a slurp. She swirled it around her mouth for a moment then swallowed.
“Who…how can you make edible soap?!” she asked, straightening up and looked at her friends in surprise.
“What?” Daphne asked, before eyeing the soap on her sponge, then at the heavy, smooth pair of testicles she’d just finished soaping up, before giving a little shrug and lowered herself into the water, then leaned in, before giving the right one an experimental lick, her eyes widening as that same strange tingling sensation that had shot through her body as she’d soaped herself up now spread along her tongue, along with a honey-like flavour. Before she realised what she was doing, she was eagerly licking his balls, before pulling one into her mouth and sucking on it gently, she felt Harry tense and moan, as her own eyes closed and she moaned with him.
Susan looked at a wide-eyed Hermione, who’s face, neck and chest were flushed red, and not just from the heat of the room and water.
“Edible soap.” She repeated, her tone conveying her disbelief. “It’s an Aphrodisiac and it’s edible.”
“Some how, with the way our lives have been of late, I’m not surprised. Well then…” Hermione said, using her sponge to cover Harry’s shaft with another layer of suds. “Time for your first shot of Vitamin P.” The brunette grinned saucily. Susan rolled her eyes.
“That’s terrible Granger.” Susan replied, before she leaned forward, and started kissing and licking her way up the length of Harry’s shaft, starting from the remaining free testicle, and working her way up. When she reached the glans, which had been exposed thanks to Hermione pulling back the foreskin and keeping it pinned under her fingers, which felt like they were starting to turn numb from the effects of the soap, Susan circled her tongue around it several times, diligently licking every bit of red skin her tongue could reach, humming in approval at the sweet taste she was getting.
She never in her life would have imagined that someone would invent edible soap. But any questions to that effect were put aside as drew back, staring hungrily at the swollen glans, before puckering her lips and leaning forward, she planted a kiss right on the tip, then slowly licked the little slit, as a bead of clear liquid appears just in time for her tongue to catch it.
“Mmm…” she hummed, licking her lips as she then opened her mouth again and leaned back in, this time sliding her lips over the crown, while looking up at Harry, smiling as she made a show of slowly taking in his head, her lips sealing around the flared ridge with a slurp.
Harry moaned as his arms gave out and he felt back on the side of the bath as the sublime feeling of Susan’s experimental sucking and licking that she was treating him to, then she started to lower her head, her cheeks hollowing as she looked up at him, her eyes bright with excitement, trust and affection.
As her head slowly descended, Hermione leaned in with a smile, and hesitantly placed a kiss to Susan’s cheek before she moved down and started licking and kissing the last of his organs left unattended, while she brought the sponge up to his ass, and started working it over his firm globes, then between them as she looked up at him, smiling with a wink as she started to suck on the acorn-sized organ she delicately held in her mouth.
“Oh fuck…!” Harry gasped, letting his head fall to the side before he looked down to see three beautiful faces looking back up at him.
It truly amazed him how fast his life had changed since Halloween. He’d gone from being one of the most hated students in school — again — isolated, alone and mistrusted — again — with only one person really believing in him, well, 2 if he counted Hagrid, to having not one, but three beautiful girls showering him with affection and pleasure.
Yes, it might have started out as a case of them needing to do it to stay alive, but he was getting the impression from all of them, surprisingly, that they genuinely wanted to do it.
“Yes we do.” Hermione said, stoning her licking briefly to smile up at him. Daphne stopped what she was doing to give her friend a curious look.
“Oh nothing, he was just thinking about how ‘amazing’ it is that his life has changed so quickly. He’s gone from being a social pariah to having three naked girls sucking and licking his balls and dick in two weeks.”
“Guess you should thank the Ferret next time you see him.” Susan said, coming off of his erection just long enough to say that before engulfing it again, even if his glans never actually left her mouth.
“Heh…I just might, if for no other reason than to watch him have an stroke.” Harry said as he watched the girls resume their efforts, the link between him and Hermione easily telegraphing the awe he felt that they’d be actually be eager to do it. He noticed Hermione frown as she pulled back and looked up at him, her expression telegraphic her sudden change in mood.
“Harry, we’ve been over this. This might come as a surprise to you, but yes, I actually do enjoy sucking you off. I’ve really grown to like it, and yes, even if the curse wasn’t a factor, I’d still want your willy in my mouth. And I’d still want your tongue in both my fanny and my bum.”
“Speaking of which…” Daphne said, grinning up at Harry then turning to wink at Susan. “I can’t wait to see the look on Sue’s face when you use that Magic Tongue of yours on her plump arse.”
“Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean Miss Bean-stalk!” Susan scoffed, pulling back and glaring with mock offence at her friend, Daphne grinned at her.
“Oh come on Sue! You’ve been waiting for Harry to eat you for days now!” She then looked up and smiled at Harry conspiratorially. “Susan might deny it, but she has actually been wanting to do this for a while now. Truth is, Harry, she’s always liked you, she was just too shy to say it, and too nervous about trespassing on Hermione’s territory. But now…” her look turned hungry, almost predatory as she grinned up at him. “Now…we feast…”
Sharing identical grins, the two girls nodded to one another then turned to look up at Harry as they leaned forward, and started to nuzzle his crotch.
Starting with his balls, the two girls started gently rubbing their noses, mouths and cheeks against his heavy orbs, cooing, sighing, lightly giggling as they nuzzled, kissed and licked his testicles with extreme gentleness.
Then they moved up to his shaft, Daphne watched for a second as Susan started to plant gentle, open-mouthed kisses and slow licks along the length of his shaft, before she leaned in and joined in. When they reached his crown, the two smiled at one another as they closed the distance, his glans disappearing as their lips met in a gentle yet passionate kiss, their tongues interlocking and dancing over and around his glans, treating it, and it’s owner, to the most wonderful sensations as they lavished it with loving attention.
“Oh…god…” Harry gasped, his legs almost giving out at the sudden onrush of sensation he was being subjected to. Off to the side, Hermione watched the duo work with a smirk on her face, then she nodded to herself.
“I’ve got a better idea.” Hermione said as she reached for her wand, then she gently nudged the two girls out of the way long enough to reveal his crown, then she held the tip of her wand against his tip.
“Diphallasparatus.”
A warmth enveloped his shaft, that felt nothing like Susan’s, Daphne’s or Hermione’s mouth, then a gold light obscured his shaft, blinding all of them and making them look away, and Harry felt something that he could have sworn felt like a zipper moving slowly down the length of his shaft, both top and bottom, from his urethra to the root, then the tingling faded, as did the gold light, and he stared down in shock, barely registering the gasps from Susan and Daphne as they stared at this crotch.
And the two erections he now sported.
“Morgana’s saggy tits…where did you find that?!” Daphne asked, staring at the bobing organs with amazement, and a not small amount of lust.
“The same book that describes what Harry can do with his Parseltongue.” Hermione replied.
“Uh…how long will this last? Not sure how I’d be able to stash two of these in my trousers.” Harry asked nervously.
Hermione smiled up at him as she put her wand down. “It can be cancelled with a finite. Have at him girls.”
Hermione then sat back as Susan and Daphne exchanged looks, grinned, then looked up at Harry and leaned in again, each taking hold of him and rolling back the foreskin covering each tip, they each planted a gentle kiss to the head of the shaft they held, before slowly taking them in.
Harry stiffened then groaned, panting at the surreal sensation of getting two blowjobs at once. From two different angles.
Part of him started to think it probably wouldn’t be so bad to walk around with two cocks.
Hermione giggled as she stood and kissed him, then reached for a sponge and once again started soaping her breasts, and he found it difficult to chose where to look; at his girlfriend’s beautiful face, her enticing bosom, or the gently boning heads of the blonde and redhead kneeling before him. Seeming amused by his state, Hermione made the decision for him by taking one of his hands and guiding it down between her legs, staring into his eyes, her own lidded and dark with excitement and lust as she pushed his fingers into her hot, wet embrace. “Well? What do you think?”
“Ah…Heh…um…oh Merlin…wow this feels…” he stammered.
“Good?” she quizzed, smirking.
“Good…” he moaned as both Daphne and Susan bottomed out, and started to essentially compete with one another, Susan coughing a little as the glans of the shaft she was devouring reached the back of her throat and she reflexively swallowed. Peaking out of the corner of her eye, Daphne smirked around the shaft she was sucking and pushed a little further, taking the head into her own throat, moaning as she did so, one her hands going up to firmly grip Harry’s arse while a hand that she quickly realised belonged to the redhead next to her snaked between her legs, so Daphne quickly returned the favour.
Hermione then brought a hand up to cradle the back of his head, coaxing him down, while the other cupped and raised one of her breasts. Harry hesitated a little, but leaned in and gave her erect nipple an experimental lick, blinking in surprise as he tasted chocolate mint on his tongue, before Hermione pulled his head flush with her breast and he started to suck on reflex, his mouth soon filling with warm milk, which he hungrily swallowed. He barely registered Hermione’s hands sliding down his back, dragging the sponge with them, down to his butt, where they met the hands of the other two girls.
Harry moaned into her breast as he started to suckle, the pleasure from the soap being plied to his back and the double blowjob he was getting, were quickly overwhelming him as he started to gently thrust his hips forward, to the encouraging moans of the two girls working him over while one of Hermione’s hands went back up to his head to cradle it against her, leaning down, she gently kissed the top of his head through his mass of messy hair.
Susan moaned as she explored the shaft in her mouth with her tongue, sucking eagerly as she drew back, until she flicked her tongue over the tip, collecting some pre, she felt her pussy pulse with need, her clit throbbed with arousal as she looked up at Harry as he hungrily suckled from Hermione. She looked to her side at Daphne, who was slowly gliding her head along the shaft she was working on. Sue then pulled back, taking hold of the shaft she started to stroke it while looking up at Harry, his hips started to thrust as she stuck out her tongue and started to flick it against the tip.
“Come on Harry, give us all you got.” She purred huskily, panting as she felt Daphne’s fingers between her legs gently squeeze her clit, a move Susan was quick to return. Daphne pulled back then started to kiss the shaft she’d been working on, taking a deep breath when she felt Susan’s fingers within her hit a particularly sensitive spot. She then looked up at Harry and seemed to pause for a moment, her eyes momentarily widening, and, for a brief second, Susan could have sworn she saw a look of shock and fear flash in her friend’s eyes, but it was gone so fast, she wasn’t sure.
“You okay Daph?” she asked.
“Sure, sure, just hungry, come on stud, don’t hold out on us. Give us what we want.” The blonde said as she took the shaft she’d be sucking deep into her mouth. Trying to forget the rather strange thing she’d just had happen to her. When she’d just looked up at Harry, she’d felt a spike of revulsion shoot through her, a sense that what she was doing was wrong, that she didn’t want to do it, and for a very brief moment, she thought his hair was blonde, and instead of looking down at her with fascination and affection, all she’d seen was a cruel leer, but she’d blinked, and the image had gone, but she’d still felt a surge of revulsion and a sudden urge to either bite what she had in her mouth or pull back and throw up.
‘Probably just my mind playing over what Draco tried to do, just forget him Daphne. Potter is a far better boy and actually has a nice dick.’ She told herself.
As she redoubled her efforts, she felt Harry stiffen and thought for a second he was about to cum, but a quick investigation with her hand soon disproved that as she found one of Hermione’s exploring his back door, while her other hand came down and around to gently cup his balls.
“Come on Harry, don’t hold back…” Hermione whispered.
Daphne felt Harry thrust his hips erratically a few more times and she and Susan both pulled back, until each of them was just sucking on the head of the shaft they held, as with a muffled groan and a jerk of his hips, the two shafts pulsed, and Daphne’s mouth was filled with a thick, viscous liquid, her eyes widening as the taste of chocolate gateau filled her mouth and she moaned, sucking even harder on the shaft.
Susan meanwhile was savouring her first taste of Harry; home-made apple pie had always been one of her favourite dishes, and she closed her eyes and hummed in pleasure as the taste of her favourite desert splashed on her busy tongue, filling her mouth with several spurts.
As she pulled back, she explored the contents of her mouth with her tongue, getting a feel for it, loving the taste and texture. There was quite a lot of it, more than she thought a boy could produce. She turned to Daphne, and saw her friend was also exploring the taste and texture of what she held in her mouth. Susan reached up and gently turned the blonde’s head to face her, she winked, then looked up at Harry as he panted, head resting on Hermione’s shoulder as the two other teens looked down at the kneeling girls as both the blonde and redhead smiled and opened their mouths.
Harry shuddered and panted as he watched in amazement as Susan and Daphne both showed him his own cum, the turned to face one another then Susan brought Daphne’s face in for a deep kiss, each of their hands going to the other’s breasts, then the girls hugged as they kissed, raising a little out of the water to get as much skin contact as they could.
Daphne and Susan both moaned into the deep kiss, looking into each other’s eyes as their tongues danced, and sperm flowed from one mouth to another multiple times, then the two girls gulped, all the while still kissing.
“Oh god…” Harry moaned as he felt his legs start to give out.
“Wow…that’s actually kinda hot.” Hermione said breathlessly.
“Didn’t know you two were so into girls.” Harry added as he sank into the water, sighing at the temperature, Hermione joining him.
Finally breaking the kiss, the redhead and blonde smiled at each other, then at their partners.
“Uh…funnily enough, this is actually our first time…with another girl. At least mine. I’m not counting that session in the Hospital Wing.” Daphne said, blushing.
“Guess this is a night of firsts for most of us.” Hermione said with a wink at her friends. “So, who goes first?”
The blonde and redhead exchanged looks, both blushing fiercely before making a decision.
“Uh, how about Susan goes first? This is her first time with him.” Daphne said. Harry smiled at them as Susan stood up, the water and bubbles from the foam sliding off her as he reached for one of the self-soaping sponges.
“Remember, this stuff is apparently edible, so don’t worry about washing it off her…lick it off.” Hermione whispered to him as he also stood before the furiously blushing girl, his own face dark red.
Forging ahead, Harry got to work, starting with Susan’s generous breasts, he gently started massaging them, working the sponge over her chest gently, his focused gaze taking in her aroused features as she arched her back and pushed her chest out, and he idly wondered how much bigger they’d get once she started producing, Hermione’s own chest had swelled a little thanks to her own production, but after only two or so weeks, he still couldn’t call himself an expert on chest sizes, if he ever would be.
Once her breasts were sufficiently covered, he moved his hands down, while she brought her own hands up to start soaping his chest, while Daphne and Hermione started working shampoo into his hair. Both he and Susan were soon moaning openly again as the aphrodisiac effects of the soap once again started to kick in, and soon, he found himself embracing the buxom redhead as they kissed passionately, their hands roaming over each other. When he took advantage of the position to soap up her back, she did his arms, but when his hands moved down to grip the firm cheeks of her arse, she quickly used a hand to press both of his errections together then quickly stepped forward, trapping both between her thighs, against her pussy, causing both of them to moan as he started to knead and massage her arse.
Harry drew back a little to look at Susan’s flushed face as she panted and stared back at him, then, with a smirk, he leaned forward and started to eagerly do as Hermione had suggested, and started to clean Susan’s breasts with his tongue. In response, she moaned and brought one hand up to his head, while gripping his hips with the other, she started to thrust.
“He’s still hard…” Daphne breathed as she shamelessly ogled the pair as Hermione embraced them from behind Harry, then reached down to grip his hips, and winking at a wide-eyed Susan, she started to thrust her own mons against his arse in time with Susan.
“Effect of the curse, his willy never goes soft, neither do my clit or nipples, and now, neither will yours.” Hermione said, a vivacious grin spreading across her face as she started to grind more instantly against her boyfriend as he started to push back to meet her.
Daphne watched the three of them for a few moments, her gaze flicking this way and that, moving down to the redhead’s bum, where Harry’s dual appendages emerged just beneath it, between her firm legs, then up to where Harry was still licking and sucking Susan’s ample bosom, to Hermione’s lustful smile as she leaned in to kiss and lick Harry’s neck from behind.
“You haven’t fed yet have you Hermione? How about I take over and you have a turn, Sue, turn round, so she can do both you and Harry.” Daphne directed. Panting with excitement, and the heat of the water, Susan pulled back, briefly sharing a passionate kiss with Harry, before turning around, reaching down with her hand to position both of his erections flush against her labia.
“Ya know, I bet these would feel wonderful in my fanny and bum.” The amorous redhead purred as Daphne and Hermione swapped places. “Mmmm…oh Morgana, that feels nice…” she breathed as she pressed her thighs together, while using a hand to press both of Harry’s shafts against her pussy while Hermione stepped in front of her and looked down, blushing heavily.
“The alignment isn’t quite right, you’d have to sit on his hips at a 90 degree angle to get it comfortably right.” Hermione pointed out.
“Don’t care. Less talk. More sex!” Susan growled as she started to stare hungrily at Hermione’s swollen breasts, beads of white already peaking each nipple. She then clamped her legs together around the two penises pressed against her pussy, grunting as Harry started to thrust, and with a grunt, Susan started pushing back against him, her ass meeting his crotch in delicious meaty slaps. Before Hermione could react, Susan reached up and firmly grasped one of them, before leaning in and sealing her lips around the areola and nipple, then she started to suck.
Hermione gasped, eyes going wide as she arched her back, reflexively pushing her chest forward, causing her friend to moan as warm milk started to fill her mouth.
Harry meanwhile was humming and kissing Susan’s shoulders and the back of her neck as he reached down with one hand to gently start working her with his fingers while he also started to gently thrust against her, the meaty slap, while using his other hand to massage one of her plump breasts, while he felt Daphne start to massage his back as she slowly kissed and licked her way down, making him squirm, smiling into Susan’s fair skin as Daphne giggled at his movements.
“Ticklish?” she cooed at him as she started to lick her way down his spine, until she reached the small of his back. Harry paused his thrusts, wandering what she was going to try and do next, he was prepared for her to use a finger on him, as Hermione had done. Then he felt something soft brush against his left cheek and he blinked, pausing his own doting on Susan’s right shoulder as he then felt something soft, warm and wet brush over his right cheek and his eyes widened as he realised what she was doing.
And what she was probably about to do.
“Mmm…damn Harry, all these years of playing Quidditch and running round this castle have really given you a sexy backside.” She cooed, before leaning in and delivering more kisses and licks to both of his firm cheeks. She used her thumbs to spread them, stuck out her tongue, and leaned in, feeling Harry tense up and gasp, making him jerk his hips forward, which pressed his hard shafts forward, grinding firmly against Susan’s inflamed clitoris.
“Ah! Aah! Uh…oh man…uh…” Harry gasped as he felt Daphne’s questing tongue start to circle and lick the soap from his tensing ring of muscle.
“You okay?” Hermione asked the blushing boy.
“Uh…yeah, just…wasn’t expecting her to do that…” he stammered.
“And why not?” Daphne said, pulling back just enough to talk, her warm breath washing over him, “You did it to me, and I know you’ve done it to Hermione, and I’m sure Susan will get a turn before we’re done here, the only one of us who hasn’t gotten it is you. This is supposed to be an equal partnership of sharing everything. So you better get used to it.” Then she leaned in and resumed licking.
Hermione for her part was still processing the fact that another girl was drinking from her breast. She honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about that, in truth, she felt a little weirded out at the concept, since she wasn’t into girls that way. But…she knew now that Daphne and Susan were part of the arrangement, the odds of her having sex with them alone rather than also with Harry were a lot higher than they’d been a few days ago. Her mind went back to when she’d ambushed Susan in a lust fuelled daze and basically molested her, maybe this was Susan’s payback?
When Susan had finished, she pulled back and swallowed, locking eyes with Hermione, lust and hunger written clearly all over her face as she still ground back against Harry. Hermione blinked as she stared at her friend, recognising the expression as one she’d seen on her own face more than a few times in the mirror.
Susan looked down at Hermione’s right breast, still heavy and full of milk. Gently taking hold of it, she gave it a gentle squeeze, a small bead of white appearing at the nipple, tempted to drain it, but she let it go, deciding to leave that one for Daphne.
“Your turn Hermione.”
“Huh?” Hermione said, seemingly a bit dazed.
“It’s your turn.” Susan grinned as she stopped grinding her hips and held still. Hermione blinked before looking down at Susan’s breasts, mentally trying to gauge their size compared to her own, then further down, over her friend’s flat yet toned stomach, then further down to the patch of dark red hair just above the smooth lips which were swollen and dark with arousal, through which she could see the glans of Susan’s clitoris. And just below the lips, the two exposed crowns of her boyfriend’s temporary dual shafts. Though if Hermione were perfectly honest with herself, she wouldn’t mind letting him keep the second.
‘I’m not into girls. I’m not into girls. I’m not into girls.’ Hermione chanted in her head as she looked back up at Susan’s nipples, which were as erect and swollen as her own, the only difference being Susan’s chest wasn’t full of milk. Yet.
But if her own development was any indication, it could be as soon as the Yule Ball, or as late as October next year. Hermione then looked back up at Susan’s face, which was flushed pink, and not just from the heat of the bath.
‘I’m not into girls…but I suppose a repeat of the other day couldn’t hurt…right?’
Hermione answered her own question by bringing her hands up to gently cup Susan’s face, gently running a thumb across Susan’s parted lips as the girl panted, her blue eyes widening slightly as she realised what Hermione intended, the blush on her face deepening.
Holding her breath, Hermione slowly leaned in, not really paying attention to how quiet the room had suddenly gotten. When their lips met, a shiver shot through her, and she moaned into the redhead’s mouth, Susan’s arms folded round her and pulled her in, pressing their bodies together.
Hermione reacted purely on reflex when she felt a tongue brush over her lips then push gently into her mouth. Hermione moaned, her eyes closing as she lost herself in her first real kiss with another girl, since she personally didn’t count the lust fuelled snog she’d ambushed her friend with in that corridor. She felt a second set of hands on her waist, and knew that it was Harry hugging both of them, while Daphne hugged him and Susan, her arms not long enough to reach around all three of them.
When Hermione pulled back, opening her eyes, she met Susan’s gaze with her own; her blue eyes were lidded, dark with lust and hunger as she leaned in again, this time kissing Susan’s neck a little hesitantly, the other girl tilting her head to the side and sighing as she silently encouraged the brunette to go further, down to, then over her collarbone.
Soon, Hermione’s lips were at the redhead’s full and firm breasts, which she curiously yet hungrily started to explore, bringing a hand up to cup the one she wasn’t currently examining with her mouth.
Feeling a hand suddenly grasp the breast Susan hadn’t fed from, followed by a pair of lips, an exploring tongue and a curious, yet eager sucking mouth, Hermione’s eyes opened and moved to the side, to see Daphne had taken up position next to them, and was now eagerly draining her other breast. Clearly Harry hadn’t taken much, if any of her milk. She’d have to have a word with him privately about that. Again.
Hermione moaned into Susan’s breast as she felt Daphne suckle eagerly on her own, suddenly sucking in a sharp breath as she felt a hand, that she was sure wasn’t Susan’s, brush her thigh then move up, only to then feel one of Susan’s hands reach down and join it, but not before reaching round to give her own bum a gentle stroke and squeeze.
Soon, Daphne pulled back, smiled at her then slowly sank to her knees, the water coming up to their mid-thighs and, in her current position, Daphne’s own shoulders. From this angle, she was able to get a somewhat good view of the other two girls’ vulvae and the two shafts pressed against Susan.
After several minutes of licking and sucking on the hard nipple, Hermione pulled back, panting with arousal, moved to switch to the other breast, though she still was a little unsure of herself as she then looked down at the blonde shamelessly ogling all three of them.
It wouldn’t take much manoeuvring to let Daphne get into licking range, and Hermione honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about that prospect. Snogging and suckling was one thing, but letting another girl lick her pussy? Or her arse, since Daphne had clearly shown that was also on the table for her?
“You…okay?” Susan asked breathlessly, noting her friend’s hesitation.
“It’s just…well, this is my first time…with a girl, I mean, Daphne and I didn’t really do anything to each other when we helped Harry, we focused more on him.”
“And you’re not really comfortable.” Susan said, a slightly sympathetic yet understanding look on her face.
“You want one of the vials?” Daphne asked, gesturing to the tray of potion vials, before reaching for one, popping the stopper. Hermione blinked, how had she forgot about those so quickly?
“If you don’t want to, or you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to lick me, I’ll move and you can have Harry all to yourself.” Susan said with a smile.
“No, no…I need to try it at least once. There’s a good chance we’re gonna end up having sex with each other eventually, not just with Harry, so I need to practice.” Hermione said, taking one of the vials Daphne was offering, before handing the other two to Susan and Harry.
Hermione smiled nervously. “Cheers.”
They drank together. The Lust potion went down easily, no more than watery in feeling. Hermione was just lowering the vial, idly wondering when it would kick in, when a shiver ran through her. The bathroom seemed to get even hotter in an instant, the water more tepid, within seconds, she was sweating from more than just the humidity and temperature of the water.
She gasped when it felt like she'd been kicked in the gut, causing her to drop the vial with a splash. Her heart began to race, her breathes drew short, and she leaned her head forward, resting her forehead against Susan’s mons a she panted. Her vagina throbbed almost painfully, causing her to gasp as her clitoris seemed to grow even harder than it already was, a spike of pleasure shooting through it as it extended out a little from under it’s protective hood, and she moaned as she pulled her head back and looked up Susan, who had just dropped her own empty vial, and was staring down at her with gorgeous blue eyes.
She froze as she looked at the red-haired beauty before her. Wide, expressive eyes above a full, perfectly kissable mouth, the lips slightly parted as the other girl panted with her own rising desire. Her smooth cheeks were slightly flushed, providing a backdrop for her blazing hair that hung down and flowed over her shoulders, hanging down to mid back and around the swell of her large, perfectly proportioned breasts. Breasts that, to Hermione, looked like they’d been sculpted by a master craftsman, the nipples hard points that Hermione suddenly had the urge to stand and feast on.
Below that enthralling view her waist was a smooth, shallow concave curve before flaring out into a generous set of hips. Hips that Hermione wanted to hold over her face as she lowered the other girl down onto her waiting mouth, hips that she wanted to see interlocked with her own, hips that she wanted to see grinding on top of Harry…
Her eyes then moved down to the swollen, red and enflamed lips of Susan’s labia, the clitoris between then, and the two glans pressed against them, peeking out at her from between those firm, beautiful legs she suddenly found herself wishing were squeezing her head instead.
Before she’d drank the potion, Susan’s vagina had looked nice, but not really something that she felt all that comfortable exploring, but now…now she wanted to bury her face in those lips, feast on them, the clitoris, and the two shafts just below it, not particularly caring which one of them she brought off first.
If Hermione had the capacity to think rationally, she would have drawn comparisons between how she was feeling at that moment, and how she felt while on her last period, and would have been surprised, perhaps even alarmed, at the similarities in what she was feeling, physically, emotionally and mentally.
But she wasn’t thinking rationally. All she could think of was that there was a veritable feast of warm, living, wet, delicious sexual flesh before her, and she suddenly found herself feeling ravenous.
Gasping, Hermione forcibly turned her head away, shocked at her thoughts. Sadly, her eyes landed on Daphne, and once more her breath was stolen away.
The blonde's body was a slim ensemble of smooth curves that ran into each other without pause or hesitation. Her limbs were elegant and fine boned; the fingers delicate and so smooth. Her pert breasts firm and glistening with the edible soap that still covered them, a pink areola and stiff nipple capping each one. Hermione’s gaze moved up, taking in an elegant, pale neck that led to a fine, narrow chin that formed the lower boundary for an elfin face. There was a delicacy to her features that was stunning. A couple of loose tresses of blonde hair down her forehead, drawing the eye to other girl’s own, seemingly large and liquid in her face. To sleep with such a beauty, to caress that porcelain skin…
Breathing hard, Hermione forced herself to look away from Daphne’s face, by looking down, not really intending to look lower than the blonde’s flat, perfectly sculpted abdomen, but her gaze inevitably moved down to the slightly flared hips, not as wide as Susan’s, but still noticeable, to the smooth mon and below that, the equally smooth, swollen and dark lips of Daphne’s beautiful flesh, and just below that, a pair of firm smooth thighs that Hermione wanted to sink her teeth into.
Both Susan and Daphne let out deep, sensual moans as they looked down at the gorgeous creature kneeling before them, the water coming up to her perfect breasts. Their brave, brilliant friend had become a vision of beauty. Her body was now a lithe, well proportioned form, made of sweeping curves that hinted at her femininity, forming an alluring mystery. Her hair was wild and unbridled, wanton, partially wet from the water, now matted against her shoulders. Her eyes were sparkling brown jewels set in a face that was shedding the last of her youth fat to reveal the fine boned elegant beauty that lay underneath. But it wasn't just her classic beauty that made Hermione attractive and sexy. Susan and Daphne both knew who she was as well, and it was that unbending, indomitable spirit that truly tugged at them, made them both want to pull her to her feet and hug her from both sides, and ravish her thoroughly.
Susan also shuddered as she also became aware of the aroused, fit, muscular and downright sexy male pressed up against her back, and the two shafts between her thigh's. Shafts that she suddenly wanted to bury in both of her passages, timing be damned. God… she wanted the male behind her to fucking shag her brains out!
Harry, for his part, gulped as the three naked and glistening girls became naked glistening goddesses.
And he was currently pressed up against the back of one of them. He gasped as Susan arched her back and pushed her gorgeous rump back into his hips, his hands tightening on her equally beautiful, firm breasts, breasts that were wet from sweat, the humidity and the traces of his tongue. He wanted to get down on his knees and berry his face between those firm globes of muscle, and explore her, the way he had Hermione in that corridor, this time comfortable in the knowledge that the only witnesses would be two other girls just as eager for him to do it to them.
With a growl of desire, he pressed his hips forward while squeezing Susan’s tits rather aggressively, which caused her to moan and push back against him again, tilting her head back and to the side, exposing her rather nice looking neck, and Harry wasted no time leaning in to kiss, lick and even bite it gently. The bite got the most reaction out of her as she turned her head, bringing a hand up to raise his as she tried to lock her mouth to his, the look in her eyes suddenly made him feel like he was staring into the eyes of a ravenous predator that wanted to eat him. Their moans were silenced as their lips met, and her tongue forced its way into his mouth, and he accepted it willingly, then he groaned as he felt a mouth close over the heads of his two cocks and suck. Hard.
Hermione panted as she reached up to grip Susan’s hips, before leaning in and planting an recessive, sucking kiss to both of the shafts then moved up, sealing her mouth around both the shafts and Susan’s labia, and she sucked.
Susan gasped, her hips rocking forward, pressing her labia along the two shafts that lay against them as Hermione’s mouth opened, and she leaned in, her tongue curling over and around the two smooth, sensitive heads then up over them to brush through the labia above them, the two glans sliding under her tongue as she pressed her mouth home, hearing Susan and Harry both moan, both of their hips moving forward to meet her as she closed her eyes, fought past her own sense of comfortableness and started to suck.
Her techniques were awkward and unrefined, but she forged ahead, focusing on the small grove between Susan’s inner and outer lips, knowing from her own experience how good that felt, and gave the shafts under her tongue an extra strong suck as the taste of cauldron cake flowed over her tongue as the redhead ground her hips forward.
Daphne in the meantime, who had been caught off guard by the two gorgeous naked girls next to her, and the utterly delicious looking boy, had honestly struggled to decide which to do first: get down in the water and help Hermione, or get back behind Harry and eat that fine piece of rump steak — that all that running around the castle had produced, in her humble opinion — but in the end, she decided that if he had a hand free, he might as well put it to good use. And her own fanny was throbbing painfully, demanding attention. Reaching up, she claimed Harry’s left hand while he massaged her breasts with his right hand, she guided his left between her legs and started to grind against his palm, then leaned into his side and growled huskily into his ear as she used her fingers to push his thumb into her wet, clenching pussy.
“Stick your fingers and thumb in me Potter. Yeah, that’s it, lets see if you can find the Golden Snitch…uuh…Mmm yeah…that's nice…” the blonde panted. “Or better yet…Mmm…one of those gorgeous…dicks…” she breathed right into his ear, Harry shuddered as a tremor of pleasure flowed through him, the combined effects of Susan’s legs, her pussy, Hermione’s tongue and mouth, and Daphne’s words had the desired effect, and with a grunt, he released into Hermione’s mouth, who hummed in approval as she sucked on the two shafts and hard clit, drawing a gasp from Susan as she jerked her hips forward, tilting her head back onto Harry’s shoulder as she cried out her own mounting pleasure, her climax very close now.
Daphne grunted as she reached down and grabbed Harry’s hand, holding it firm as she started to thrust her hips back and forth, forcing Harry’s fingers and thumb deeper into her vagina and anus, while her erect clitoris ground against the heel of his palm.
“And once Susan’s cum grinding on your wands and Hermione’s tongue, you’re going to eat all three of us out with that magic tongue of yours, our fannies and our bums. Aren’t you, stud.”
That wasn’t a question, it was a command, one that Harry barely acknowledged through the cloud of lust and pleasure fogging his brain. As he fingered the blonde goddess draped against his left side, and the buxom redhead grinding her wet slit against his shafts, while his brunette best friend hungrily sucked his two crowns and Susan’s pussy. He grunted as his balls started to tighten, his second climax approaching, he then felt a hand gently curl around them, and he turned his head away from Susan, only for his lips to meet Daphne’s tongue as she kissed him hungrily, using her fingers to gently press the back of his sac, and Harry’s hips jerked, his two cocks and balls pulsing. He stiffened and moaned into the blonde’s mouth as thick white cream shot up both the shafts and into Hermione’s hungry, salivating mouth.
Susan also cried out as her own climax hit her and she thrust her pussy against Hermione’s mouth, while Daphne moaned into the kiss, as she aggressively ground her hips against his had as her own climax finally hit her.
Finally, after all four of them had come down, Susan slid forward into the water, then fell forward, barely avoiding Hermione who slipped to the side. Susan swam into the deeper end of the bath, before rolling over onto her back and just let herself float as she sighed, she was soon joined by the others, Harry being the only one who stayed on his feet, the water coming up to his neck. Smiling, he stepped up to Hermione helped her back to her feet where she threw her arms and legs round him, kissing him fiercely. He then started to walk backwards, into the shallower end, then, when the water was down to their waists, he lowered himself down until he knelt in the water, holding her hips steady, then, licking his lips, he leaned in and started to work her over.
Hermione sighed, then reluctantly, stepped back and moved back into the deeper end of the bath, Daphne and Susan moving with her, then she turned and whispered to them both, the three giggled, then Hermione seemed to sink into the water, only to rise up, supported by both Susan and Daphne, who gently tilted her back, until she was laying on her back, then, reaching down, she pulled her knees up and back, exposing her slit and the parted cheeks of her bum to his burning green eyes, her pink ring just above the water as Susan passed him her self-soaping sponge, and he took the opportunity to cover her cheeks, her rosebud and her smooth slit with a thin sheen of edible soap, smiling to himself as he watched her shudder at the warm tingling effect it had, which also made her lips and the valley between her cheeks flare dark pink, in a way that made him drool with hunger.
“How about this position?” Susan purred, grinning at Harry, who stepped forward until he was right under Hermione’s hips, then, reaching up, he took hold of her hips to help support her weight, then leaned back in, and started to feast on his girlfriend. With hot blood pumping through his veins, his two shafts still rock yard after two climaxes, he didn’t hesitate. Leaning in, and started to lick, kiss and bite the firm flesh of Hermione’s left cheek, smiling to himself as she moaned in approval, then, he moved to the right one, not caring that he was occasionally getting water in his mouth, then he started to link from her lower back, up towards her lips, pausing a moment to work his tongue into the winking ring of muscle as he brushed over it again and again, then he moved up and fastened his mouth over her lips, and started to worship her. They couldn’t hear him using Parseltongue, but Hermione felt it.
She started to thrash almost immediately, as much as she could at least, bucking her hips up into his face as he and the two other girls held her steady. The combination of their previous activities, the curse, and the lust potion coursing through her system meant that it didn’t take long for Harry to get his first ‘helping’ of the evening while Hermione screamed her approval loud enough that the others in the dorm probably heard her. Again.
Once Harry had drunk his fill, he didn’t stop, moving away from her over-sensitive lips and clit, he moved down to her anus and attacked it with all the enthusiasm of a man possessed. It didn’t take long for Hermione to reach her second peak, she seemed to be on a hair-trigger now after drinking that potion. Had Harry been able to think more rationally, he would have questioned the strength of those potions, but he was not thinking rationally, all he could think about was the three beautiful goddesses in the bath with him, and how he needed to make all three of them scream.
And that is exactly what he was damn well going to do.
After she came down from her second high, only half conscious, Susan and Daphne helped Hermione to the shallow end of the bath, where she promptly took a seat in the water, catching her breathe.
It was Susan’s turn next, it took a bit more work, but he and Daphne were able to get her into a similar position as Hermione, this time with her shoulders and head supported on the side of the bath, as the water came up to just about level with the rim of it.
When he was presented with Susan’s rather delectable assets, Harry decided that he would take his time with her, as it was likely her first time with a boy, and he wanted to make it good for her. Despite what his raging libido was telling him, he took it slowly, gently. He began with her thighs, working the soap over them, then down to the cheeks of her rather firm, yet generous rump, taking the time to massage each globe of muscle with his hands and the sponge, smiling to himself as he listened to Susan’s moans. He noticed how there was no hair on her lips, or between her cheeks, only on her mons, something he was mildly thankful for. Once she was covered, he leaned in and started to lick.
“Go on Harry, give her the special treatment. Use that magic tongue of yours.” Daphne panted.
“Yes…Harry…please…PleaaaAAAHH!” Susan’s pleas turned into a cry of delight when Harry started to hiss into the firm flesh of her bum as he playfully bit the muscle he was working over with his mouth. Then he moved to the other cheek and repeated the process, smiling at the girl’s passionate moans and cries, then he moved up to her pussy and started to show her what a Parselmouth could really do.
And promptly nearly lost all sense of hearing as Susan shrieked at the top of her lungs, and Harry suddenly found himself hoping the walls and door were sound-proof. Though that thought was knocked aside when Susan reached down and grabbed his head, and pressed his face hard into her womanhood.
“YesyesyesyesyesYESYEYESYES!” Susan chanted as she gasped for breath, eyes wide as plates as she stared down at the boy she held against her crotch. Harry opened his eyes and looked back up at her, telegraphing his own lust and desire for her when burning green met smouldering blue. He moved his tongue down and plunged it as deep as he could into her clenching passage, humming at the delicious taste of treacle tart coating his questing tongue.
Susan’s head rolled back and to the side as her eyes closed, a deep moan escaping her as her body shook from the powerful orgasm still rippling through her, so overwhelmed that she lost track of what he was doing between her legs as that vibrating tongue moved over her swollen nub, then traced along the back of her inner lips, then between them and her outer lips, then one final time over her outer lips, before he moved down, brushing over her perineum, which made her hips tremble in anticipation, then with another gasp, she felt that wonderful tongue circle her tight ring, which twitched in response, then gently pushed inside, causing another keen to escape her open mouth, her eyes had long since rolled into her head and closed, but that didn’t stop her from seeing stars as she revelled in the pleasure her back passage was receiving.
No wonder Hermione had screamed loud enough for all of Gryffindor to hear her. The entire dorm could probably hear them right now.
As Susan’s climax started to abate, Harry dialled down his attention, focusing more on the firm globes of muscle he held in his hands as her panting slowed, and she finally caught her breath, then he lower her into the water and helped her stand up. He barely noticed Daphne’s wand just in front of his mouth as she muttered a brief spell, and a cool breeze filled his mouth, along with the taste of mint, then Susan lunged forward and snogged him.
When she eventually pulled back, she looked exhausted, but happy.
“That was wonderful Harry, we’re definitely doing this again. Right now though, I think I’ll go sit down with Hermione and catch my breath, there’s one last horny nymph that needs your attention though. Give it to her good, stud.”
As Susan half swam, half staggered towards the shallow end of the bath, Daphne moved in, grinning. Enveloping him in a tight hug, their naked fronts pressed together, Daphne leaned in and kissed him roughly as her legs locked round his waist, and she started to grind against his two shafts, humming in approval as she did so. In response, Harry reached down to cup her rather fine arse, his hands gripping it tightly.
“So, Miss Greengrass, how do you want to do this?” he asked in a low tone that he hoped was enticing enough. Daphne looked at him through hooded eyes, her face flushed.
“Well Mister Potter, I’m tempted to take one of those two Firebolts you’re packing for a ride…but, I think I’ll settle for some of what you just gave the Buxom Badger.” Then she moved to the side of the bath and hauled herself out, until she was positioned on her hands and knees, rear facing him, her feet hanging over the edge of the bath. She arched her back and pushed her hips back, spreading her legs. The position opened her up, letting him see everything. “Soap me up, then lick me down.” Daphne giggled in a sing-song voice.
So Harry did just that. Lifting himself out of the water to sit beside her, she sat up, and turned to face him as best she could, and he smiled as he brought the sponge to her pert breasts, and started to work at them, taking the opportunity to massage her as well. The blonde hummed in contentment, closing her eyes and pushing her chest out into his hands. Soon he moved down to her shoulders, under her arms then to her stomach, then she turned away and let him do her back. When he moved to her waist, she stopped him.
“Lick the soap off me first, then do the rest of me.”
“Come ’ere.” He growled, pulling her in, his head lowering to one of her breasts as her arms went round him.
As he diligently suckled and licked her breasts clean, he hummed as one of her hands descended to his crotch, her fingers dancing along the length of both shafts, seemingly undecided about which one to go for. Eventually she settled on one and started to gently stroke it as Harry licked his way up to her shoulders and started cleaning them also. Eventually, she was forced to release her hold on him, which she did with extreme reluctance, as he coaxed her up into a kneeling position, so he could get at her stomach. She squirmed and giggled as he let a bit of his Parseltongue technique into the play when he reached her navel, almost making her fall over as her body started to tremble.
Once he’d got all he could from her front, she turned her back and he repeated the process, holding her steady as she again squirmed and laughed as his tongue tickled it’s way down her spine, just as she had done to him. ‘A little payback.’ He thought with a grin. Finally, once he’d gotten all he could, she moved into position, on her hands and knees again, arching her back and pushing her hips back, while he got down into the water, which was surprisingly still rather warm.
It didn’t take him long to coat her hips, buttocks, vagina, legs and feet. These self-soaping sponges were a god-send. Harry then grinned to himself as he took Daphne’s left foot in his hand.
“Harry? What are — Eeep!” Daphne squeaked as she felt his tongue start to brush over the sole of her foot, sending a tingling spike of sensation up her leg then spine. While Harry usually didn’t pay much attention to Hermione’s feet when they ‘fed’ or played, Daphne had insisted he do all of her.
After a few minutes, he moved on to the firm muscle of her calf, then up to her thigh. Expecting him to move to the main event, she pushed her hips a little further back, reaching back with her hands open herself up for him more, only to groan in disappointment when he only delivered a quick, chaste kiss to her ring before moving on to her right leg, this time starting with her thigh, and working his way down to her foot.
A splash behind him heralded the approach of his other two lovers, and he briefly turned to them, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the white shampoo suds in both of their matted locks of hair, as Hermione reached forward, smiling, a large puddle of shampoo in her palm. Deciding to move this along, sensing that the whole event was coming to a conclusion, Harry decided to finally give Daphne what she was craving as he felt Hormone and Susan both start to work their hands through his messy hair, then he leaned forward, and started licking his blonde lover.
As with Susan, it didn’t take long for Daphne to reach her peak, thanks to the curse, the lust potion and all the buildup she’d had, and soon, she was shaking, struggling to stay upright as she encouraged Harry to feast on her, relishing the feel of his Parseltongue, and finally understanding how he was so good. Harry did his best to hold her hips steady as he worked, enjoying the feel of Hermione and Susan pressing in against his back as he licked Daphne from her clit up to her lower back, then, when he sensed her about to erupt, he closed his mouth over her lower lips as a flood of warm, sweet liquid filled his mouth.
Things soon became a blur of interlocking arms, mouths and legs after that. After he brought Daphne to her peak focusing on her perky rear, as he had done to Susan and Hermione, he helped the limp, barely conscious blond down into the water, where he and the other two washed her hair for her, then did each other.
Above them, on the wall painting, the mermaids watched the activities with keen interest, their hands busily massaging each others breasts, and one or two even letting their hands roam lower on their partners, giggling to themselves as they watched the four humans play.
Then, after a brief rest, they decided to finally call it a night, summarily declaring their first four-way a rousing (and arousing) success. Almost reluctantly, they climbed out of the bath, dried each other with great care and diligence, then headed for their warm, large bed.
Sunday, December 4th, 1994
Harry stirred, feeling wonderfully warm. He was laying in his and Hermione’s bed, Hermione to his left, and two other bodies with them. He blinked as he saw a mop of dark red hair resting on his chest, and a blonde head to his right. All three girls were as naked as he was.
‘So…that hadn’t been a really nice dream…’ he thought to himself. He heard a faint giggle in his head from Hermione.
‘No, lover, it definitely was not a dream. Mmm…this is nice.’
Yes, it was. He wanted to stay in this bed, but he knew they’d have to get up and face the day eventually.
-=-=-=-
Fleur stepped out into the cold of the early December afternoon, Gabrielle at her side, leading the way she guided her sister back towards the Carriage, smiling as they passed the large beautiful horses as they snorted, their muzzles buried in a large trough filled with whisky.
Her sister’s birthday was coming up soon, and she knew that Gabby would want to have their mother there at least.
For a brief moment, she considered taking Gabrielle up to the castle and investigating the special room Harry had told her about, but decided against it, it wouldn’t do to show a curious, and mischievous, young Veela on the cusp of her Awakening a room that could create anything.
Not to mention she didn’t want her little sister getting lost in that castle.
As they approached the Carriage, Fleur went to the hidden entrance that lead directly to her quarters, rather than go in through the main doors.
“Fleur?” Gabrielle asked, looking up at her sister curiously as they entered the warm room, a fire already burning in the fireplace.
“You and I need to have a little chat, don’t worry, you’re not in trouble, I just need to talk to you about that article in the paper the other day, the one about ‘Arry and ‘Ermione’s relationship.” Fleur said in French, sitting on her bed and pulling Gabby up onto her lap.
“Oh, that.” Gabby said, her face colouring in a blush. Fleur grit her teeth as she felt Gabrielle’s allure start to flare up, reaching out in a way Fleur recognised. So Gabrielle had read it.
“Yes. That.”
“That Skeeter lady doesn’t sound very nice.” Gabby spoke up after a moment. Fleur nodded.
“She’s not. She wrote about things that were very private between two people who love each other, things that should not be in a public paper.” Fleur replied firmly. Her sister nodded.
“But people have sex all the time in public back home. Then again, she also insulted you. That I really didn’t like.” The little girl growled, scowling.
“Yes, she did, but I’m a big girl, I can take it. And while it is perfectly normal for veela and their mates and studs to have sex in public back home, here, it is not so accepted.” Fleur said, drawling the younger girl in for a reassuring hug.
As Gabrielle hugged her back, letting out a slight giggle, Fleur’s mind raced, she knew that Gabrielle hadn’t been given ‘the talk’ yet, she wasn’t old enough for that. While her veela physiology had started to manifest, it was rather light at the moment, just her allure making her look ‘cute’. But Fleur knew it wouldn’t be long before she started to notice boys and start to pay more attention to them in a specific sort of ways. And started asking questions.
For the first time, Fleur wondered if it would be best if her mother sent Gabrielle to a proper veela-run school back home, rather than Beauxbatons Academy. It would certainly give her sister a good support base for when her veela physiology fully manifested beyond her allure, and would give her access to more learning resources and classes that Fleur herself never got, as she had attended Beauxbatons, as her mother had.
“Have you figured out your egg yet?” Gabby asked, looking up at her. Fleur sighed and shook her head.
“No. I’ve been too busy focusing on other things at the moment.” The older blonde replied, turning to look at the golden egg, which lay under a pile of discarded blankets. “How have you been anyway? I’ve seen you playing with the Hogwarts First Years.”
Gabrielle nodded, “Uh huh, they’re fun, even if English is hard to speak properly.” The girl snorted. Fleur chuckled, nodding.
-=-=-=-
Thursday December 8th, 1994
Flitwick walked briskly through the corridors, heading back to his office after the evening dinner. He had some paperwork to finish before he turned in for the night. Someone had pranked the First Years by putting a Confundus charm on the entrance to Ravenclaw, making it impossible for them to answer the guardian’s riddles. It had been brought to his attention pretty quickly, and fortunately, he’d been able to undo it relatively easily, but he’d still been rather annoyed.
He’d questioned his students, even tracked down the Weasley Twins and questioned them, though they had alibis.
“What’s the matter Loony? Still can’t find your dumb necklace? Why even bother?” a voice came from around the corner ahead of him. He came to a stop, eyes narrowing. He recognised that voice. Palming his wand, he disillusioned himself, silenced his shoes, then slowly stepped forward until he rounded the corner.
In front of him were three students. Luna Lovegood, Marietta Edgecombe and Margot Smythe.
Luna was on the ground, looking back up at the other two girls owlishly.
“And just what is this?” Filius growled as he revealed himself, glaring at the two standing girls who looked up, their eyes going wide, their faces going white.
He stepped forward, and the girls stepped backward, as Luna steadily got to her feet.
Flitwick’s steely gaze moved over the three girls, before settling on the two aggressors and his gaze hardened. He raised a hand.
“Ladies. Wands.”
Reluctantly, the two older girls surrendered their wands, realising they had little choice in the matter.
“Go to my office and wait for me. If you are not there when I arrive, I will track you both down and carry you to Dumbledore’s office. Now go.” The two older girls mumbled their ascent, then turned and shuffled off. Sighing, Flitwick turned to Luna who smiled at him serenely.
“Thank you Professor.” She said in that airy, calm voice.
“How long has this been going on Miss Lovegood?” Flitwick asked gently.
“Since I started here. They don’t believe me about the things I see, sometimes my passions will go missing, but will eventually turn up. I’m pretty sure it’s Nargles, they like to steal things, you know.”
Filius grit his teeth, suppressing a snarl of rage. Why hadn’t this been brought to his attention by the Prefects? Well, he would soon see to that oversight, and probably have to appoint some new Prefects. Sighing to mask his anger, he turned and smiled kindly at the young girl.
“Miss Lovegood, from now on, if any more of your possessions go missing, or if anyone treats you poorly, no matter who they are or what House they’re in, please come to me, and I will deal with it.”
Luna blinked at him again in that rather odd way, then smiled and nodded. “I will sir.”
“Excellent. Now, run along, I have to go deal with those two, then I need to address the rest of my Ravens, don’t worry, I won’t let them hurt you again.” And with that, he turned and headed for his office, as Luna turned and walked off, heading for Ravenclaw Tower, humming a little tune to herself.
Saturday, December 10th 1994
Diagon Alley
Harry strolled down Diagon, wondering where would be the best place to shop for the girls’ Christmas presents, taking a moment to double check the money he had in his pouch that he kept hidden in his robes. It was the money left over from the school run before the start of term, and he was momentarily glad he’d managed to save that much. Hermione was relatively easy to get for, any rare book would probably go over well with her. Daphne and Susan, and Luna, they were the real challenge.
For a moment, he thought about getting Ron something, at least something to try and bridge the gap that seemed to have formed between them of late. Ever since Daphne and Susan had joined Gryffindor, Ron had become even more distant, barely talking to any of them. Though he wasn’t as cold and hostile to Daphne as he had been right after Malfoy’s attack and arrest, but he was still some what stand-offish, and had been in a funk all morning, likely still moping over his failed ‘attempt’ to ask Fleur to the ball.
The girls had already gone ahead to Malkin’s to get fitted, though Daphne said she was going to send a letter home and ask her mother for something.
He paused, coming to a stop as he spied a particular building ahead of him, eyes narrowing as he grit his teeth.
The Daily Prophet’s Headquarters.
Anger surged through him and he clenched his fists, remembering Skeeter’s articles that had dragged his and Hermione’s name through the mud over the years, especially the most recent ones about their relationship.
Even for someone with his social status, there should be a limit on what the press were allowed access to. He also wanted the names of her ‘sources’.
His resolve set, Harry flicked his wand over his body, casting an glamour charm on himself, changing his appearance, after checking it in his reflection in a nearby show window, he turned and marched up to the main door of the Prophet building and opened it, finding himself in a large foyer, there were people buzzing around, paper aeroplanes whizzing back and forth, several staff buzzed around, some heading towards a door marked PRINTING PRESSES - STAFF ONLY, holding folded sheets of paper, others were heading towards a closed door that read OWL DISPATCH/RETURNS - STAFF ONLY. Finally, there was a door to the left of the reception desk marked OFFICES - STAFF ONLY.
Stepping forward, he approached the reception desk.
“Um, excuse me? Could you tell me where I can find the Chief Editor?” he asked.
The receptionist, a rather nice looking young witch in her early 20s looked up from the parchment she was filling out and smiled at him.
“Sure, I’ll let him know. Can I have your name?” she asked, as she reached to press a button on the desk intercom.
Harry thought for a moment, before remembering an old movie Petunia sometimes liked to watch on the TV that he’d heard a few items through the cupboard door.
“Bond. James Bond.”
The witch paused, her eyes turning to fix on him critically, before slowly roaming up and down his robes. That he was still wearing his school robes wasn’t apparent under the disillusioned disguise he was using. Then her eyes flicked up to his face and she smirked at him.
“Very funny.” She quipped.
‘Bugger, is she a muggleborn?’ he thought. She then pressed the button on the intercom, and Harry wondered what was powering it. Hogwarts certainly didn’t have anything like this.
“Mister Cuffe? A Mister Bond is here to see you.”
“Alright Sarah, send him on in.” A voice came through the intercom.
“Okay, just go through this door here and head down the hall, you can’t miss his office.”
“Thank you.” Harry replied.
As he stepped into the hall and started walking, he took note of the various names printed on the closed doors. None of which he recognized. Except one.
SKEETER, R
Fury burned within him, he was sorely tempted to open that door and destroy the office within, regardless if the woman was present or not, and if she were…but no, going after her boss and getting him to pull on her leash was the better option.
Eventually he found the door he was looking for.
CUFFE, B - EDITOR
Steeling himself, Harry squared his shoulders and knocked twice.
“Enter!” came a voice from the other side.
His expression going neutral, Harry opened the door and stepped in.
Bananas Cuffe was sat at his desk, shuffling several pages of paper in his hands, likely checking over the next edition for publication.
“Ah, Mr Bond is it? Come in! What can I do for…” Cuffe’s greeting was cut off when the figure, who seemed to be wearing a rather nice looking suit with short immaculately brushed black hair and blue eyes suddenly took out a wand and waved it at the door. Cuffe recognized the locking charm and several silencing and privacy charms. The man then turned to Cuffe, and after regarding him for a moment, waved his wand over his own body, and Barnabas blinked several times as the man before him morphed into Harry Potter, scar and all.
“We need to talk.” Harry said evenly.
Barnabas gulped. He was no stranger to getting confronted by angry wizards and witches who had their private affairs, literal and figurative, aired across the pages of the Prophet, but he never once considered he’d be facing Harry Potter, the boy who had apparently tamed a dragon, among other things.
“Um…of course, of course, please, uh, have a seat.” Barnabas said, gesturing to the chair opposite his own.
Harry eyed it for a moment, then stepped forward and took a seat.
“So ah, Mister Potter, what can I do for you? And shouldn’t you be in Hogwarts?”
“Special Hogsmeade weekend, I’m in Diagon getting my dress robes for the Yule Ball ordered, but I thought I’d come here first.” Harry replied evenly, his face still neutral, but Barnabas could clearly see the anger simmering just below the boy’s evenly managed expression.
“As for why I’m here, well.” Harry leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk, his eyes locked with Barnabas in what he hoped was an intimidation tactic he’d seen Snape use before on many students. It galled him to use such a tactic, but he needed to make sure Barnabas didn’t just blow him off.
“I want Rita Skeeter muzzled. On a leash. Caged. Shackled. Reined in. Brought to heel. Whatever expression you want to use, I don’t care, I just want that muck-raking hack’s ability to hurt people restrained.”
“Hurt people? That’s going a bit overboard isn’t it?”
Harry’s eyes narrowed to slits as he leaned forward, making sure to dampen his mental link to Hermione, so she wouldn’t pick up on his anger and worry, even though the link wasn’t fully formed yet, though she had said that by the time March came around, it likely would be, if they hadn’t already bonded by then.
“Do you know the damage your last few articles about me have caused to those closest to me? Specifically the one that painted the most intimate details of my relationship with my girlfriend across the entire rag of a publication for all of magical England to read?!” he snarled, his voice raising in fury. Then with a dismissing snort, he sat back and glared at Cuffe. “Of course you do. You review every copy of the Prophet for publication, there is no way those articles didn’t go to print without you first approving them. Or are you so inept that you let your staff just write whatever the hell they want and just shove it into the printing presses without any review?”
Cuff gulped, and he felt sweat start to bead across his skin.
Harry rolled his eyes, “Then again, considering the utter lunacy of some of Rita’s articles; the sloppy mistakes, misquotes and blatant lies and false information she puts in them, I actually think it’s the latter. Because if its the former, well then you clearly don’t fact-check anything, do you.”
Cuffe settled his mouth in a thin line. Usually when someone came in to rant at him, they didn’t accuse him of being incompetent or lazy, they either threatened him or offered him a bribe.
Sometimes both.
He tried desperately to think of a way to explain those articles. Yes, he’d read them, yes he’d approved them. He’d asked Rita how she’d managed to get such details, but the woman had just smiled sweetly and said she couldn’t reveal them, as she’d risk losing them.
“I know you’re angry Mister Potter…Rita…she’s one of my most skilled reporters.”
“Right.” Harry replied sarcastically, folding his arms. “I won’t bother asking who her sources were for that particular article, I have a feeling I know, and if I’m right, they’re already where they belong.”
Harry paused for a moment and rolled his eyes. “She didn’t even get details on me right after our first interview, for Merlin’s sake. How does she still have a job here? On second thought, best you don’t answer that, I don’t want to know the sordid details of her sex life, even if all of Britain now knows mine thanks to her.”
Cuffe spluttered, taken aback by the insinuation Harry had just leveled at him.
Harry suddenly smirked, “Or do you keep her around because of all the dirt she has on you?”
Cuffe flinched. Harry grinned.
“Thought so.”
“Now see here young man. I can’t just dismiss her, she’d make sure I and half the people working here go down with her.” The man protested.
“I’m not asking you to fire her, while that could go a long way to improving the validity of your articles, I’m just asking you to put her on a leash. Maybe one with a shock-collar on the end of it.” Harry replied, before leaning forward and putting his arms on the desk, regarding Cuffe with a critical eye.
“Does anyone here even like her? Does she have any friends? I ask because, according to the article you published after she interviewed all of us, it was clear no-one bothered to properly translate what Fleur said to her, which wasn’t very flattering, by the way, but Rita obviously doesn’t speak French, or she would have known what Fleur said. Yet no-one corrected Rita’s assumption.”
Cuffe sighed.
“Yes, Rita doesn’t have many friends here, if any, but she does have someone in the Ministry backing her, I’ve tried to look into who, but I can’t find anything.”
“Hmm…backed by someone in the ministry who doesn’t like me? Well, that’s probably most of them. I know Malfoy must be pissed at me right now.” Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. “Bloke got his arse handed to him by a house elf, so he can’t be all that impressive.”
Harry then looked at his watch and stood, “I can’t really stay much longer, I do have other things I need to take care of, but I was serious Mister Cuffe. I don’t care what it takes, I want Skeeter reined in.”
And with that, he waved his wand over himself, reestablishing the disguise he’d warn when he walked in, then turned and left without another word or look back.
When he was gone, Cuffe sat back in his chair and sighed with relief. That had gone better than it could have. Now he just had to find a way to reel Rita in, and hope that he held more sway over her than whoever was backing her in the ministry.
-=-=-=-
As soon as Harry was out of the Daily Prophet building, he quickly ducked into a small alcove and dropped the disguise, then stepped back out into the street.
Diagon Alley really was a nice place, the snow covered the ground, creating a pure, almost unbroken plain of white. There were young children, most too young to attend Hogwarts, milling around and throwing snowballs, though he did spot a Hogwarts kids milling about.
For a moment, he thought about stepping into Madam Malkin’s to get his Ball robes fitted, but he wanted to give the girls their time, plus there was a chance that if he did go in there, they’d end up fooling around in one of the changing rooms. While the idea of doing that did appeal to him on a certain level, there was no way they wouldn’t get caught, and last thing he wanted was to get barred from Malkin’s.
Harry paused as he eyed the bookstore along on the south facing side of Diagon Alley.
Obscurus Books
He’d never actually been in there before, but now, maybe it was worth a look. Maybe he’d find something for Hermione. Harry walked across the street and entered the store.
The smell of leather and old parchment hit him as soon as he was in the door, the air was warm and cozy, and was certainly a nice change from the cold outside. There were bookcases everywhere, he started browsing the different sections.
After some searching, he eventually found something for her, a rare First-Edition copy of an advanced spell book, one he was pretty sure she didn’t have. He’d closed the link to the others, so they couldn’t snoop on his shopping, they’d also done the same, by mutual agreement.
It was then that he remembered what he’d heard about there being a book series about him.
It took a bit of searching, but he eventually found what he was looking for, a series of books with rather obvious titles, and he was surprised he hadn’t noticed them before. His fingers glided over one of the books as he tilted his head to read the title:
The Adventures of the Boy-Who-Lived! Book 5: The Boy-Who-Lived and the Troll!
Harry picked up the book and started leafing through it.
By the time he reached the end, he didn’t know whether to burn the book in disgust, or laugh out loud at the sheer amateurish writing style of the author.
The book was full of inconsistencies; such as, early on in the book, the main protagonist, which was obviously meant to be him, almost gets killed trying to fight the troll with his bare hands, and yet, by the end of the book, when saving the obligatory damsel in distress, who in this case, was a red-head pure-blood, he was able to subdue it by pretending a stick he was holding was a wand, and the Troll was just dumb enough to believe him.
Oh, and in this book, The-Boy-Who-Lived was only 5 years old.
Harry scoffed, shutting the book and almost throwing it on the floor in disgust. He then turned and scanned the rest of the books. There were ten. He grabbed the last one and started leafing through that.
By the time he was finished, he was almost shaking with rage. The book had been published 6 months before he received his acceptance letter, and ended with the Boy-Who-Lived getting an actual wand, which also happened to contain a Phoenix feather, boarding the train, and head off to Hogwarts to start more Great Adventures.
He made a mental note of the name of the author, and decided he would arrange a meeting, during the first Hogsmeade Weekend of the new year, and grill them for information, if it didn’t slip his mind.
He quickly leafed through the other books, and quickly noticed things that both infuriated him and honestly creeped him out: The Boy-Who-Lived was living with his Muggle Relatives, who were never named, but they showered the hero with praise, love and care. His home life was full of fun, friends and a loving family.
And the heroines who helped him, or needed saving, they all had one thing in common: They were all Pure-bloods, or half-bloods, never Muggleborns. If Muggleborns were ever mentioned, they were usually side characters with little to no character to them, and they almost never contributed to the plot of the stories, though there were a few instances where they were nothing more than Comedy Relief characters; sharing their stories of the Muggle world, which were laughably inaccurate.
Who ever had written these books, had gotten some details right, but a lot of details wrong.
And what was worse, these books had apparently been penned as being ‘Based on a true story!’
By the time he was done, he was shaking. With fury, with grief, with indignation.
Someone had written a mockery of his childhood, and passed it off as being based on a true story. And had somehow gotten enough information to get some details accurate, such as his scar and his eyes, and the physical descriptions of the Dursleys, if not their names.
But everything else the books described about his home life was so far off point he didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or scream in anger and set fire to the entire collection, damn what the shop keeper would say.
After wiping his eyes and taking several deep breaths to calm himself, he looked again at the books, wondering how many people had bought these, read them and actually believed them. It certainly explained a lot of the reactions he’d gotten when he’d first entered the magical world. Why they’d all expected him to know certain things, such as Snape. He took another look at the bookcase.
There were other books too, which judging by their titles, seemed to be written about the Muggle World. He didn’t need to read them to know they were horribly inaccurate, or worse, made a mockery of the wider world. Another thing that was horribly inaccurate in all of the books about him, was the calendar: Apparently, the author not being able to read a calendar properly was about the only consistent thing about the dates marked in the books. The school year started on September 1st, as it did in Hogwarts, but, in these books, of which there were seven main ones, three supplementary. September 1st was ALWAYS on a Monday, regardless of the actual calendar year.
Harry looked again at the series of books about-yet-not-about him, and double checked the name of the author, a ‘Robert Galbraith’.
‘Better write that down.’ He thought.
‘Are you alright Harry?’ Hermione asked across the link, ‘You seemed pretty upset for a few minutes.’
‘I’m okay, just found some fictional books that are apparently about me, some of the details are very accurate, some not, but it’s all very disturbing.’ Replied Harry.
Daphne snorted. ‘Oh, those. Yeah, they’re kids books, popular ones too.’
‘Yes, I’ve read them, I don’t like them. I don’t like how they portray Muggle-borns.’ Hermione said. ‘I wasn’t sure whether to find them patronising or insulting.’
‘GASP!’ Susan said with a giggle, and despite his mood, Harry couldn’t help but grin as he started browsing the bookshelves for something for Hermione. ‘Hermione Granger found books she doesn’t get wet reading? Is it the end of the world or something?’
‘Har har.’ Hermione replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
‘Luna says she likes them, though finds them a bit too outlandish to believe, even by our standards, and in the later books, some of the plot and characterisation is a complete MESS.’ Daphne added.
‘And they make a complete mockery of my childhood.’ Harry growled.
A sense of empathy and compassion brushed against his mind and he smiled. ‘Thanks girls. I appreciate it.’
After calming down, which took quite a while, Harry left the bookstore empty-handed, figuring he’d find something else for Hermione, and he wanted to put as much distance between himself and those insults to his childhood as he could.
After a few minutes of pondering, he turned and headed towards Gringotts, emerging 10 minutes later with a fair amount of converted Pound notes, he then headed for the Leaky Cauldron, heading into London proper. It didn’t take him long to find a jewellery store.
He emerged from the store nearly 20 minutes later carrying the items he’d picked out not only for Hermione, Daphne and Susan, but Luna as well.
Quickly returning to Diagon Alley, he made his way to Gringotts and asked the Goblins to enchant the items he’d bought with various protection and anti-theft charms or rune wards, which ever would be easier to do within a week. After sorting out the details, the Goblins had assured him the items would be ready the following Saturday. Once he was done there, he headed for the Quidditch supplies shop, paused for a moment to lament on the loss of his Firebolt, got a congratulatory, and sympathetic, pat on the shoulder from the shop’s owner, he picked out a couple of themed Quidditch Jerseys, one baring the logo of the Chudley Cannons, the other, the Hollyhead Harpies.
He then sent an owl to each team, asking them if they would be kind enough to sign the Jerseys for their respective recipients.
Then once he was done with that, headed for Madam Malkin’s.
-=-=-=-
Thursday, December 15th, 1994
Harry ground his teeth as he sorted through the old detention cards that Snape had ordered him to transcribe and refile, in alphabetical order, and without magic.
The cards that he’d been ordered to sort just so happened to have his father’s and Sirius’ names on them, with the occasional addition of Lupin’s and Wormtail’s thrown in for good measure.
He honestly wasn’t sure why he was bothering with this. He hadn’t actually done anything wrong that would warrant a detention with Snape, but the greasy-haired bastard had been practically foaming at the mouth ever since Draco’s arrest and had been waiting for the slightest opportunity to pounce.
Idly Harry started to let his mind wander, and conjure illusions and fantasies around ways he could humiliate, insult, or just get rid of Snape.
“What are you grinning at Potter?” the man in question growled form his desk, “Do you find looking over the records of your father’s past crimes amusing?”
“No sir.” Harry replied in an even tone, making sure not to look up at the man while he heard Hermione sigh in the back of his mind.
‘Honestly Harry…’
The fantasy in question that had caused him to start smiling involved Snape being overcome by potion fumes in his own lab, and either dropping to the floor unconscious where he would then proceed to suffocate from those same fumes filling the room, to mental images of him being so overcome by the fumes that he’d end up falling face first into the various concoctions and drown in his own cauldron.
“POTTER!” Snape roared.
Harry blinked, realising that his little episode of mental entertainment had been unfortunately broadcast to the person who starred in it when he noticed he was looking into the dark eyes of that man in question. The same dark eyes that were now filled with fury and resentment.
Snape’s face was hard, lips in a thin line as he glared at the son of the man he hated most of all.
“I suggest.” Snape’s tone was ice cold, “That you keep what passes as a functioning mind on your work, lest you find yourself here again for a repeat session.”
A sudden knock at the door heralded the arrival of a Slytherin Harry didn’t recognise.
“Yes? What is it?” Snape barked, glaring at the intruder.
“Er, sorry to interrupt Sir, but Montague has got himself into some trouble. We think it might be the Weasley Twins.”
“Those meddlesome little rodents.” Snape growled under his breathe, unaware, or uncaring, that Harry heard him. “Potter. I will be back shortly. Do not leave this room.” And before Harry could respond, not that he was really going to anyway, Snape marched out of the room, following the other student.
“Bat-faced greasy-haired git.” Harry grumbled.
‘I know it’s difficult, but please don’t try to antagonise him. Last thing we need is him giving you detentions for the rest of the school year.’ Hermione replied. Harry closed his eyes and sighed.
‘I know Hermione, but he doesn’t make it easy.’
It was then that he noticed the door to Snape’s private office was open.
‘Careful Harry, you have no idea what he might have in there.’
Though his girlfriend’s advice was sound, Harry was still curious. He stepped closer to the door, noticing a strange blue glow. Pushing the door open, he noticed the large ornate stone bowl on the desk, with the shimmering silvery-blue liquid swirling in it.
‘That’s a Pensieve. They’re used to store and review memories. You dunk your head in and you can see the memory play back.’ Hermione supplied.
‘Figures you’d know what it is.’ Harry smiled, playfully rolling his eyes. ‘So it works like how the Diary did that one time?’
‘Sort of, though from what I’ve read, you can actually control the playback of the memory, supposedly. Voldemort must have used similar spells when he created the diary. That’s incredibly advanced magic. You need a Mastery in Charms and Runes before you can start learning how to make one of these.’
Despite himself, Harry couldn’t help but feel a tiny shred of respect for the level of intelligent Voldemort must have demonstrated at 16 to make that Diary. Either that, or the spells were very easy, or easy to find.
Casting his gaze over the room, Harry noticed an old cupboard that was not fully closed, and on the floor there were a couple of old books, he stepped over and opened the door, kneeling to pick one of them up, then closing the door again.
He looked down at the book in his hand.
Advanced Potion-making by Libatius Forage
In his head, he heard Hermione let out a whistle, ‘That’s a NEWT level potions book Harry, I don’t think you’ll have need of that just yet.’
“Still might be useful to go through.” He muttered. “Isn’t there a way to copy this book so Snape doesn’t know I have it?” he wondered aloud.
A faint pop answered him and he turned to find Dobby standing next to him grinning and holding an identical-looking book.
“Dobby be helping Harry Potter sir!” the little elf squeaked.
Harry smiled and pointed to the book he held, “Could you make a copy of this for me? So He of Bad Hygiene and Unwashed Hair doesn’t know I have this?”
Dobby grinned, and snapped his fingers, vanishing with another pop, only to reappear a few seconds later with an identical looking book. With another snap of his fingers, Harry saw the cover of the book change to match the one he know held. He then stashed the book in his bag, replacing it with the copy Dobby had just given him.
“Thanks Dobby.” Harry said, the little elf nodded, then with another pop, was gone. Harry then turned his attention to the Pensieve on the desk, taking a cautionary step towards it, then he leaned over.
“Sooo…how’s this supposed to work?” He asked the empty room.
‘Susan says to stick your head in the liquid, and it’ll physically pull you into the memory that’s being stored.’ Hermione replied, ‘She also says that you can tell if there’s a memory in one depending on if it’s glowing or not. Though apparently, if you stick your head in an empty Pensieve, you end up in a black void. Which honestly sounds rather terrifying in itself.’
Harry decided to take a breath and dunked his head in the liquid. He felt a sucking sensation pull him forward and he momentarily panicked as he felt his feet leave the floor and he was up-ended, his mind going back to that day he’d been sucked into the diary.
He then blinked and looked around, finding himself in the Charms classroom, apparently in the middle of an exam. He looked around, quickly spotting the teenage forms of his dad, Remus, Sirius and Peter. When Flitwick let the class leave, he followed his after as he, Sirius and Remus discussed the exam, which had apparently been about how to identify a werewolf.
He also made sure to keep the form of Snape in sight as they headed for the Main Hall, then outside to the lake. There were several students milling around, a few girls sat by the lake talking and laughing among themselves.
A scowl twisted Harry’s face as he kept his gaze on the teenage form of Peter Pettigrew. Harry really wanted to walk up to the traitorous rat and deck him, but if this was anything like the diary, then he’d be unable to affect anything around him.
Then Harry spotted Snape. So did James and his friends.
What happened next really left Harry feeling conflicted.
As much as he hated Snape, watching him get tormented, harassed and bullied left a bitter feeling of disappointment in him. Disappointment in his father, Sirius and Remus. It reminded him too much of what Dudley had done to him as they grew up.
Then his mother had stepped in and tried to help Snape, only for Snape to lash out at her as well, calling her a Mudblood, which rankled Harry, and he sensed, Hermione as well, and any sympathy he had for the man for his father’s torment started to wane.
Then a hand closed tight over his upper arm, closed with a pincer-like grip. Wincing, Harry looked around to see who had hold of him, and saw — with a clash of waring emotions, mainly sympathy, anger and a little fear — a fully grown, adult Snape standing beside him, face white with rage.
“Having fun?”
Harry felt himself rising into the air. The summer’s day evaporated around him, he was floating upward through icy blackness, Snape’s hand still tight upon his upper arm. Then, with a swooping feeling as though he had turned head over heels in midair, his feet hit the stone floor of Snape’s dungeon, and he was standing again beside the Pensieve on Snape’s desk in the shadowy, present-day Potions master’s study.
With a violent twist and shove, Snape threw Harry away from him. Harry stumbled and tried not to fall, scowling as he caught himself on a desk then stood, then stooped to grab his book bag.
“Interesting man, your father.” Snape growled, glaring at Harry with all the hate he’d felt for the boy’s father.
“But I’m not him. That’s something you never seem to understand. From day one, you’ve belittled, insulted and harangued me, all because you couldn’t let go of a grudge against a dead man. I actually started to feel sorry for you while watching that, since I’ve been on the receiving end of that myself outside of Hogwarts. But that sympathy has it’s limits.” Harry replied, not realising that perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to antagonise a man who was already pissed off.
“I do not require nor do I need your sympathy Potter.” Snape spat, his rage boiling just under the surface. Harry could tell he was just itching to pull his wand, but Harry decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to provoke a fight with the man, for one, he’d probably get his arse kicked, and two, he’d also have to deal with Dumbledore, and considering how the man had failed to stop Draco before the DMLE had gotten involved, Harry was starting to become just a little disillusioned with the man.
“You won’t tell anyone what you saw.” Snape growled. Harry didn’t respond, just continued to glare at him, though made sure not to make eye-contact.
“Now get out! I never want to see you in this office again Potter.”
Harry decided that, for once, he and Snape agreed on something. He particularly didn’t want to be here again either, it was just a shame that now, he was probably going to fail his Potions OWL next year.
As he opened the door and stepped through it, he started to make his way back up to the tower.
‘Antagonising him probably wasn’t the best idea Harry.’ Came Hermione’s voice.
With a mental shrug, Harry replied, ‘After that, he was probably going to fail me on my OWL anyway. At least we’ve got this book to look through now, so maybe if he starts docking scores from all of us, we have this to fall back on.’
‘I don’t know, isn’t that cheating?’
Harry smiled to himself as he casually readjusted his trousers as he walked up the steps. ‘Says the girl who’s probably already read her OWL potions book cover to cover 3 times?’
‘Prat!’ Hermione giggled, ‘Now get back here, Susan says she’s hungry, and that dick isn’t going to suck itself.’
‘Yes dear.’ Harry chuckled, as he started to make his way back to the common room, wondering how long it’d take Snape to notice the book was gone.
-=-=-=-
That night, Harry decided to practice with the spell he’d found in the book, though under the girls’ insistence, he was to try it only against dummies in the Room, and once they discovered exactly what it could do, thanks to the disembowelled straw dummies, he readily promised never to use it against a student, unless he thought his life, or the lives of others were in danger. The girls, and even Harry himself, were more than a little disturbed to discover that repairing and healing charms had no effect on anything hit by the cutting curse.
“If there is a counter spell for it, it’s not in this book. I’ve gone through it twice. Whoever this Half-Blood Prince was, he filled the book’s margins with notes related to potion brewing that seems to contradict what the book describes.” Hermione said, looking more than a little put out.
“Maybe you should try some of his methods to brew?” Daphne said as she studied the remains of a dummy she’d decapitated with the curse Harry had found.
“I suppose, but not in class. That would be cheating.” Hermione said, only casually paying attention to Susan as she knelt in front of Harry after shoving him back against the wall and dropping to her knees, her hands going immediately for his crotch.
When it came to Daphne’s turn, she had to pause several times as strange images flashed through her mind; images that showed Draco leering down at her as she sucked him off. She pulled back and shook her head, clearing her mind. That was odd. She didn’t remember ever giving Draco a blowjob, and the act of sucking Harry still made her feel uncomfortable for some reason, like she was about to throw up, yet never did, almost like what she was doing, she was doing it against her will.
Except she wasn’t. She needed to suck his dick, and, more than that, she wanted to.
Pushing down the urge to gag as she sucked aggressively on his glans, making him gasp, Daphne ignored her own mind and powered on.
“Daph? Is everything okay?” Susan asked as she watched her friend go to work.
‘Yes, I’m fine.’
“Then what’s with the weird flashes? I know the link between us hasn’t really fully formed, barely started even, but those were so vivid even I picked them up.”
“It’s nothing.” Daphne said, as she pulled back to take a breath. The flashes didn’t happen every time, in fact, this had only been the 3rd of 4th since that first time in the Hospital Wing when she’d tried to help Hermione.
“Are you sure?” Harry asked, gently stroking her cheek with a finger. She looked up at him and smiled reassuringly.
“I’m sure, now button up, I’m eating.”
As she returned to work, the other three exchanged looks. They all silently agreed to keep an eye on her, though Daphne rolled her eyes as she bobbed her head, having heard their ‘silent’ agreement. Though she did appreciate the thought. Surely, the flashes were nothing to worry herself about.
Friday December 16th 1994
Dobby huffed as he vanished the food that was just about to be sent up to the Great Hall while the elf who had just prepared it had his back turned.
This was becoming a concern. He’d first noticed one of the kitchen elves adding a potion to some of the food the day he’d started working at Hogwarts, but only two servings of food got the potion. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out what the potions were and who they were meant for. And while his loyalty to Hogwarts and the Headmaster kept him quiet, his desire to help Harry Potter and his Ladies compelled him to continue to interfere.
The elf responsible, Mippin, who Dobby had seen speaking to the Headmaster, was still none the wiser that his ‘gifts’ were not reaching their intended targets. He had considered using a general counteracting potion, but those almost always had a rather horrible taste that even humans could detect. And with the amount of food apparently being tampered with, Dobby wasn’t sure he could procure enough counter-potions. If Harry Potter and his ladies realised their food was being tampered with, they would panic, and that was extra stress they didn’t need. So Dobby just chose to vanish the food and substitute what he had prepared while Mippin’s back was turned.
The Headmaster had told the group of elves that the potions were medicinal in nature, and that there was no need to alert the students in the Hall that there were potions in their food, but Dobby had got curious as to why only food meant for Harry Potter and his Granger was getting the potion, so he’d investigated. He’d immediately wanted to report to Harry and tell him, but what the Headmaster had said to all the elves had carried a compulsion with it that meant Dobby couldn’t say anything, unless Harry or someone else asked. So for now, there was nothing he could do but continue to run interference, and hope the Headmaster didn’t catch on and re-assign him.
Saturday December 17th, 1994
During the final weekend before the Ball, Harry and the girls took the opportunity to finish up their Christmas shopping. Namely, collecting their Ball dresses and in Harry’s case, visiting Gringotts and collecting the muggle jewellery he’d purchased the week before then asked the Goblins to enchant. It had been expensive, but worth it in his opinion. He’d also picked up the Jerseys he’d asked the Chudley Cannons and Hollyhead Harpies to sign for Ron and Ginny, after picking up the girls’ presents, he’d received it back in record time.
He also took the opportunity to pick up some last minute presents for Neville and the Twins.
Once they returned to the castle, he wasn’t all that surprised to hear that Gabrielle had elected to return to France for the holidays, and likely the start of the year. Fleur informed them that Gabrielle and their mother and father would return for the Third Task.
Just before Fleur had to return to her quarters to work on some assignments, Hermione proposed that she, Cedric, Viktor, and a small group of their friends meet them in the Room after Dinner to watch a movie.
Fleur and the others agreed, as long as it wasn’t too long. They were all curious to see what this ‘movie’ was. And so, after the evening meal, Harry found himself sandwiched between Hermione and Daphne, with Susan on Daphne’s other side. Around them was Luna, Neville, Hannah, the Twins, and the three Chasers, along with Fleur, Cedric, Cho and Viktor.
Although Fleur, Cedric and Viktor already knew of the Room, this was their first time entering it, and they were pleasantly surprised by what they found, the others were equally as impressed, especially the Twins, once they found out what the room could actually do. Though Hermione had reservations telling them specifically. Harry had also extended the offer to Ron and Ginny, but Ron had been too busy trying to finish the assignments he’d been loaded down with.
Ginny had agreed however, and was sat next to Luna.
Hermione smiled as she waved her wand at the large screen the Room had created, as they all sat on beanbags or cushioned sofas as the blank screen lit up, and eerie flute music started playing, and the screen suddenly showed a clump of fern trees being pushed apart by a giant metal crate being carried by what Harry knew to be a fork-lift truck.
—=—
“You’d think they’d sedate the thing or lock the crate to the wall before they tried opening it.” Cedric said, shaking his head as the animal inside the crate pushed it back away from the wall, knocking the Gate Keeper to the ground, off of the crate’s roof.
At which point, he was promptly eaten.
“What the bloody hell was in that crate?” Angelina asked, staring wide-eyed, and pale faced at the screen as it faded out on Gate Keeper’s hand disappearing along with the man’s dying groans, and the sounds of gunfire. Next to her, Katie Bell sat, smiling rather oddly. Harry wondered if she’d already seen this, and then realised she likely had, being Muggle-born.
He noticed that most of those present looked rattled, but Fleur especially did. He made a mental note to ask her about that once the movie was over.
…
As the screen faded to black and the credits started to roll, Hermione smiled and turned to the others.
“Well? What do you guys think?”
“It’s pretty cool.” Harry said with a smile.
“If what happened to Muldoon wasn’t a case for ‘Constant Vigilance!’ I don’t know what is.” Neville winced.
“Hopefully they’ll make a second one, there is a second novel.” Katie said with a smile. Hermione nodded.
“What do you think Fleur?” Harry asked.
“Eet was…interesting. Ze Raptors strongly resemble ze Veela’s non-human form. Just picture one of zem wiv a ‘uman torso, arms, breasts and wings, and you basically ‘ave what I look like when I’m really angry, frightened or aroused.”
“Huh, cool.” Neville spoke up. The others looked at one another, trying to build mental pictures of what that would look like.
“What I wanna know is, where the hell did the Rex come from at the end there?” Cedric asked. The others shrugged.
“You think dragons are related to dinosaurs?” Hannah asked.
“It’s possible, the earliest mammals were reptiles with mammal-like traits, such as giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs, producing milk, and it’s possible that dragons share some genetic connection to both mammals and dinosaurs.” Hermione said.
“Why’s that?” Katie asked.
“Dragons have mammalian traits, and it’s possible that the earliest dragons were dinosaurs who survived the extinction event and managed to evolve, since no dragon fossils have ever been found, it’s difficult to say.”
“What makes you think they’re related to mammals then?” George asked.
“Ask Harry.” Hermione said with a smirk. Harry gave her a look that clearly telegraphed his thoughts better than the link did.
“Oh?” Katie asked.
“If you must know…the Horntail, when she turned round to pick up the gold egg, she lifted her tail and…”
“And?” Hannah asked with a grin, her eyes glinting with mirth.
“She had a vagina okay!” Harry yelped, his face flushing, not believing he was being asked these questions. ‘You’re going to pay for this Granger.’ He thought.
“You sure?” George asked, after he and his brother exchanged looks.
“Thinking of adding a dragon to your little harem Harry?” Katie asked with a grin. Ginny scowled, folding her arms.
“Yes I’m sure. She looked more like a human under that tail than what I expected to see. Separate…uh…parts. Not that I was really looking.” Harry deflected.
“But you still looked.” Alicia grinned.
“So, how did she compare to a human?” Angelina asked, smirking.
“Seriously?!” Harry yelped, looking to his companions for support, but finding none.
“What? We wanna know how we stack up against a Horntail.” Katie grinned, her eyes sparkling.
“Did Draco hit you guys too? You’ve never been this…lecherous before.” He protested.
“Only because you’re not allowed in the girls’ dorm.” Angelina said with a grin.
“She’s right you know. Lavender and Parvati are insatiable. Constantly talking about boys and speculating on sizes.” Hermione drawled.
“And they’re not the only ones.” Alicia said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
“That rule is so unfair.” George protested.
“Easy way round it. Become a member of staff.” Luna spoke up.
“How did we get from talking about dinosaurs to talking about sex?” Susan spoke up, looking like she wanted to burst out laughing.
Off to one side, Viktor chuckled. Harry turned to regard his two fellow male Champions.
“What about you guys? What did you think?”
“It vas very…interesting. I doubt even magic could do vat that ‘movie’ depicted.” Viktor said with a shrug.
“It was alright.” Cedric said with a smile.
Harry looked at his watch, noticing the time.
“Nearly curfew, we should get going.”
With numerous groans, the others agreed and headed for the door, after agreeing to maybe do this again some time.
-=-
Sunday Dec 25 1994
Harry smiled as he looked over the presents he’d got from everyone in Gryffindor, Hermione, Daphne and Susan also promised that he’d get a very special gift from all of them later that night after the Ball, but refused to elaborate.
Hermione had given him a book called Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland; Ron had given him a selection of Honeydukes chocolates that seemed a little off, though Harry wasn’t too worried, anything with sugar tended to last quite a while, but it still got a frown from Hermione. Sirius had given him a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock and undo any knot; and Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all Harry’s favourites: Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees. There was also, of course, Mrs. Weasley’s usual package, including a new sweater (green, with a picture of a dragon on it — Harry supposed Charlie had told her all about the Horntail), and a large quantity of homemade mince pies, which were quite nice.
From Fred and George, he got a box of their Ton Tongue Toffees. There was also a note with them saying that the Toffees were for ‘later that night’. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled, remembering what those toffees had done to his cousin one time. He heard the girls giggle as they saw what he was thinking.
‘Honestly Harry, that was a rather nasty prank they played.’ Hermione said.
‘Yeah, but he did deserve it. And I’m surprised they thought of alternative uses for this toffee before we did.’ Susan added with a giggle.
‘Well, to be fair, I’d forgotten all about it. Until now.’ Harry replied as he set the toffees to one side, for later that night.
The girls seemed rather pleased with their gifts. Hermione loved the bracelet he’d got her, which the Goblins had engraved with an anti-theft rune, and several other basic protection runes. Susan had quite liked the necklace she’d got, which bore a small pendant what had a lioness embossed on it’s surface on one side, and a male lion on the other. The Goblins had added similar protections to the necklace.
Daphne had received a rather nice pair of ear rings, modelled with swans in flight. They had been charmed to animate, and rather use a hook through her earlobe, they were each attacked to a small round disk quipped with a sticking charm, they also had anti-theft charms applied.
Luna had been thrilled with her jewellery making kit, a fact she enthusiastically demonstrated at breakfast when she’d thrown her arms around him and gave him a very tight hug. The kit was a rather high-end one he’d found in muggle London. While he hadn’t been totally sure if he’d been allowed to leave Diagon, well, he couldn’t argue with the results.
The case had the same anti-theft enchantments the jewellery had, and Flitwick’s punishment had also resulted in quick change: All of Luna’s missing belongings had been returned, along with a public apology. Ravenclaw’s prefects had lost their positions as a result, which had forced the Charms Master to temporarily appoint two others, though Flitwick had warned them he’d be keeping a closer eye on them to make sure they did their jobs properly. Margot Smythe and Marietta Edgecombe had also subsequently been sentenced to Detention until the end of the school year, they had also been banned from attending the Ball, as had the now former Prefects.
Most of the day was spent by the group bussing themselves and preparing for that night.
-=-=-=-
Harry looked in the full-length dress mirror, adjusting the bow tie he was wearing, along with the dark green suit he wore.
Around the room, others were getting ready, putting the final touches on their suits, Neville wore something similar to Harry, his hair neatly combed, unlike Harry’s which was still as unruly as it ever was.
Even Dean and Seamus, who had somehow managed to score dates with both the Patil twins, looked rather regal.
Ron had already gone down, seeming rather dejected, having failed to secure a date for himself. Ginny had offered to go with him, but that seemed to have made him even more miserable.
“Ready guys?” Harry asked
“Sure.” Neville grinned, though he looked very nervous. “I hope I don’t make an arse of myself in front of Hannah.”
“You’ll do fine.” Harry said with a smile, “At least you know how to dance, I’m still learning, McGonagall says I’m ‘adequate’.”
Neville shrugged, “Gran made me learn, I think she knew about this Ball before the year started.”
Harry smiled and turned to the others, “How about you guys? All set?” His dorm mates nodded as they put the finishing touches to their outfits.
“Sure.” Dean said, Seamus nodded, grinning.
Nodding, Harry turned and headed out the door.
-=-
A small crowd had already gathered in the Entrance Hall, milling around and chattering among themselves when Harry and his dorm mates arrived. Professor McGonagall, who was wearing dress robes of red tartan and had arranged a rather ugly wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat, told them to wait on one side of the doors while everyone else went inside; but first they had to wait for the rest of the Champions’ dates.
They were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum stationed themselves nearest the doors; Viktor looked rather handsome in a red suit and robes. Not that Harry would usually call another bloke handsome, but Viktor certainly looked good. Harry suddenly felt self-conscious of the plain dark green suit he wore.
Cedric and Cho were close to Harry too. Cho was wearing a rather nice looking flowing white dress with gold trim, Cedric was done up in a suit similar to his own.
Then he heard movement on the main stair case and turned, his eyes widening and jaw going slack.
It was Hermione, accompanied by Hannah, Susan, Daphne, Padma, Parvati, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell and surprisingly, Luna, who was looking at the crowd curiously.
‘I wonder who her date is.’ He thought, as he mastered himself as Hermione started to lead the girls down the stairs, smiling nervously as she saw him. When she reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped forward, he reached out to take on of her hands and leaned forward, gently kissing the back of her hand while looking up at her, noting, with great amusement, the blush that erupted on her face.
“You’re hair looks great Hermione, how’d you get it tamed like that? The rest of you does too.” Harry said, hastily amending his praise.
“Why thank you Harry. You look rather handsome yourself. It’s Sleakeazy’s Hair Potion, tames even the most unruly of hairdos. Though it’s a bit too much for regular use.” She replied, stepping forward to embrace him as Susan and Daphne came down the stairs behind her, and behind them, the Patil twins, who were wearing identical dresses that he guessed were traditional Indian festive wear that hid moment of their bodies but did show their midriffs, compete with tattoos inked onto their forearms and hands. The girls smiled at Seamus and Dean in greeting, who were blushing fiercely.
“Think it’ll work for me?” Harry asked as he pulled back to get a better look at the form-hugging periwinkle blue gown she was wearing.
“It should, your great-grandfather, Fleamont Potter created it, and apparently made quite a sizeable profit with it. He sold it and the company he used to make it, to a Chinese company when he retired.” She replied.
“Huh, I did wonder where most of that gold came from.” Harry mused.
“Well, probably not most, but a sizeable chunk of it I suspect. I’m pretty sure you still hold a large share in the company. From what I read, when Fleamont sold it, he retained a sizeable share in the company as part of the deal, and that transferred down to your grandfather, then to your father, then to you.”
“Really…I did not know that.” Replied Harry, silently wondering why Sirius or Remus had never told him, though it was possible they didn’t know, he’d have to ask one of them about it.
She then stepped back and raised the hem of her gown a little, letting him see the clear crystal footwear she wore. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“Glass slippers? Good thing you don’t have to be home by midnight.” He said with a grin and a chuckle.
Hermione giggled, as did several of the others.
“They’re shoes, and they’re actually very comfortable.” She said. The gown she was wearing was gorgeous in Harry’s opinion, from the waist up, it hugged her body very closely, hiding almost nothing, stopping at her chest and leaving her shoulders and arms bare. Her hair, as he’d stated when he’d first noticed it, was combed back and tidy, done up in a bun on the back of her head. A small bird necklace which was animated, completed the ensemble rather nicely.
The rest of the girls were all wearing similar gowns, even Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell, the former two quickly finding their way to the arms of Fred and George, while Kate quickly moved to Lee Jordan.
Daphne was wearing a silver gown that was just as form-fitting as Hermione’s, her hair done up in a braid also, with what looked like a headband round her head. Harry moved to take her hand as he had done Hermione’s but she stepped forward and hugged him instead.
“What’s the headband?” he asked, she smiled, eyes sparkling.
“It’s called a Kransen, or ‘Head Wreath’. By Nordic tradition, unmarried virginal maidens wore these headbands on special occasions, such as weddings and functions like this. They’re passed down from mother to daughter, Tori will get this when it’s her turn to wear it, and I’m married, or no longer a virgin, which ever happens first. Last time my mother wore it was her wedding day.”
“Looks lovely, and so do you.” Harry said, and he was right, she did.
His gaze then moved to Susan, who was wearing a rather nice looking formal dress that didn’t really call much attention to any particular part of her. Her hair was done in its usual pliât.
“Looking lovely this evening Susan.” He said, bowing slightly and kissing her hand, as he had done with Hermione. Susan blushed fiercely, and if he didn’t know better, he could swear she was smirking, casting a knowing glance at Hermione and Daphne.
“Thanks Harry, there’s actually a nice little surprise feature built into this, I’ll show it to you once we’re on the dance floor.”
Harry smiled, then turned to Luna. All he could think was pink.
Her dress had a lot of pink. It was honestly the last colour he’d ever think of her choosing to wear.
The dress looked rather old-fashioned, with several bows tied off in strategic places around the neck, waist and hemline. Under the pink top layer, was a second, white layer to the dress. The shoulders and collar were puffed out, giving it a very elegant and 18-century look to it. Around her neck was a single cork linked to a chain and simple bead necklace. Evidently the bottle cap necklace had never materialised after it had gone missing several weeks ago.
On her feet she wore a pair of miss-matched shoes, one red, the other green.
“That’s a rather nice dress you’ve got there Luna.” He said, giving her a slight hug, which she happily returned.
“Thank you Harry. It belonged to my mother. It was her favourite Ball gown, daddy had it resized to fit me. She also wore it to their wedding.”
“Who’s your date?” Daphne asked. Luna shrugged.
“I don’t know. I got an anonymous note asking me to the Ball, it said I’d meet my date inside.”
“You don’t know who your date is?” Hermione asked, raising a brow. That sounded…suspicious.
Luna shook her head, appearing rather excited about the prospect of a blind date. Daphne, Hermione and Harry all exchanged looks however, they thought it was very odd for someone to send an anonymous note to a girl asking them to the Ball, and then apparently not show up to actually meet her there.
Before any of them or Harry could say anymore on the matter, McGonagall stepped forward, clearing her throat.
“Alright, we’re ready for you now. Miss Lovegood, Miss Bones, Miss Greengrass, if you would kindly go through and join the others, we can make the announcements.”
With a nod and a happy, expectant smile, Luna almost skipped through the doors, quickly followed by Daphne and Susan, who both looked back and winked at a surprised Harry, smiling arm-in-arm. Then, once they had closed, the faint noise from within died down, and Bagman’s voice rang out.
“Introducing the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic’s Champion Fleur Delacour, and her date, Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Institute’s Champion!”
As the doors opened to the sound of applause, and some boos, Krum and Fleur walked confidently into the Great Hall. Harry leaned over and whispered to Hermione.
“I had no idea Susan and Daphne were each other’s dates.”
“We decided that if we all went with you, it would cast an even bigger spotlight on you and we know you hate that.”
Harry smiled at her, putting his arm around her in a quick hug. “You wouldn’t happen to know what surprise Susan has planned?” He asked cheekily with a smile.
“I do, since it was my idea. But I’m not telling you. Wouldn’t be a surprise if I did. And don’t go poking around inside Susan’s head either. You’ll just have to wait and see lover.” Hermione purred, her eyes half closing in a seductive, sly smile.
The doors then opened again, and Bagman’s voice once again rang out.
“Presenting the Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory, and his date, Miss Cho Chang!”
The crowd inside roared with thunderous applause as the two students walked through the door, Cedric casting a supportive glance back at Harry and Hermione before the door shut.
“I wonder how that oaf is going to spin our announcement. And I wonder how many boos I’ll get.” Harry muttered.
“Actually, I don’t think you’ll get as many. Ever since the first task, people have been paying you a lot more respect.” Hermione countered.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed. I’ve usually just seen the regular stares and whispers. Well, since Draco and co got carted off to Azkaban, the Slytherin have usually been giving me a wide birth, well, except Snape. But that’s just Snape being Snape. A git.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and let out a slight sigh, “Please don’t get wound up Harry, just enjoy the event and ignore Snape, if he’s even in there, I’m pretty sure I saw him doing patrols earlier with Professor Moody. Besides, we all want to dance with you tonight, so try to stay focused on your dancing lessons.”
The doors then opened again, and Bagman’s voice rang out again.
“And finally, our Wild Card, the Fourth Champion Harry Potter, and his lovely date for the evening, Miss Hermione Granger!”
Arm-in-arm, they two walked through the doors to a cordial applause, though Harry could tell some were only doing it because it was expected, and not because they generally wanted to.
Harry led her to the table where Cedric, Cho, Fleur and Viktor were sat.
Dumbledore stood, raised his wand and let out a shot of sparks to get everyone’s attention, at the head table with him were the rest of the staff and the Tournament Judges.
“Ladies, Gentlemen, honoured guests. I would like to welcome you all to this very special event. First, the Yule Feast. Then in an hour, at 8pm, the Ball will officially begin, with our Champions and their dates opening the Ball with the first dance of the evening. And at Midnight, we will close with a final dance performed by the Champions and their dates. During the Ball you’re free to leave at any time, and you also may return if you wish, however, please remember that just because this is a special celebration, the rules of the School have not been slackened. Any misbehaviour will not be tolerated. And anyone who breaks the rules will be ejected from the Ball, and spend their first month of the start of next term in detention.” The old man paused to take a sip of his drink before continuing. “Professor Snape and Professor Moody, along with Filch are on patrol, looking for anyone breaking the rules. Please be mindful and respectful to them. And with that said, tuck in!”
With a swish of his wand plates of food and jugs of various wines, butterbeer and other refreshments appeared in the middle of the tables. Harry eyed the food, it certainly looked nice. He thought back, remembering that none of them had ‘eaten’ since that morning, he hoped they’d all manage until after the Ball.
‘We’ll be fine Harry.’ Hermione’s voice echoed in his head. He smiled at her, pushing all the feelings of warm and affection he could towards her through the link, feeling a sense of pride at the blush that coloured her cheeks under her makeup. ‘Prat!’
“Try not to wear yourself out too much Harry, we’ve got a group present for you tonight.” Hermione said, which got raised eyebrow from him, a chuckle from Cedric and Viktor, and a curious smirk from Fleur, Cho looked somewhere between scandalised and curious. “And no, Susan’s surprise isn’t part of that.”
“No promises dear.” Harry replied as he tucked into his food while looking around at the rest of the people in the hall. They had an hour for the food, then the dance would start at 9 and go through to midnight, when the Ball would wrap up. Off to the side there was a raised stage where he suspected they’d have a band playing, idly he wondered who they’d hired, he didn’t really know that many music groups, or even if the Magical World had that many.
Over the next hour, Harry talked with Viktor, Fleur, Cedric and Cho, getting to know the Asian girl a little better. Though he did find it somewhat odd that she had two names that were from completely different cultures. When he’d asked her about it, she’d blushed and mentioned that her father was Korean and her mother was Chinese, but they had both emigrated to England shortly after she was born.
-=-
Eventually, after the meal, a group of 8 wizards came up onto the stage and took their seats on the stools, holding musical instruments.
“Wait, are those…” Harry asked.
“The Weird Sisters.” Cho said, grinning as she watched the band finish setting up.
“Guess this is our cue guys.” Harry said, before standing and turning to Hermione, her eyes met his as she smiled at him in anticipation.
The others soon joined him on the dance floor, while several crystal balls hung from the clear ceiling, shining light down onto the dance floor.
-=-
As the third song ended, Hermione proposed a partner swap, winking at Susan as she and Daphne came over towards them, getting the hint, Susan grinned and nodded. Harry smiled and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. As soon as she stepped away, Susan was there, grinning at him in a flirtatious way while Daphne claimed Hermione’s hands.
“Ready for your surprise?” She whispered, her eyes dark with excitement and lust as she pressed in close kissing him deeply, her arms going around his neck, while his went around her waist.
When they broke, they were both panting Susan quickly reached for her wand and tapped the collar of her dress. For a moment it seemed like nothing happened, then the dress seemed to shimmer for a second and he suddenly found it extremely difficult not to stare. He was honestly surprised his trousers didn’t rip, or that he didn’t suffer a stroke.
Gone was the rather casual looking dress-robes. In their place was a deep red dress. The form-fitting dress she now wore hid nothing. It was also painfully clear, as Harry’s shaft was clearly pointing out, as one might say, that she also wasn’t wearing a bra, as the glimmering dress split in the front just below her chest and spread out in a rather impressive V that went up in a pair of straps that only just covered her rather amble bust, but went no further. Though what was keeping the fabric in place over her breasts he had no idea.
She was also wearing long sleeve gloves that went to just above her elbows that in the light, looked to be a light purple in colour. He could also see that she was wearing red high heels that seems to sparkle the same way her dress did as she moved.
When she did a little spin, he almost choked. Not only wasn’t she wearing a bra, but the dress came round to her waist, just above her lower back, showing the entirety of her naked back. There was also a slit cut into each side of the dress to allow her legs more freedom to move.
And when she’d done her little spin, he was sure he saw bare hip.
‘Oh god please tell me she’s at least wearing knickers or a thong.’ Harry pleaded, not sure if he could handle the idea of Susan being practically naked at the dance. ‘Is that dress even allowed?’
However, it seemed his question was quickly answered in the negative as he got a good look at her backside, which the dress heavily emphasised as the thin material seemed to cling to her bum as she arched her back, pushing her hips towards him while looking over her shoulder, grinning.
“Surprise! You like it?” She asked, turning back around to face him.
“Er…wow…” he uttered. Daphne giggled.
“Told you that’d break his brain.” Daphne said cheerily.
“Miss Bones! What on Earth are you wearing?!” McGonagall yelped as she approached them, shooting a very amused look towards the nervously smiling redhead.
“A dress I found, I thought it’d be a nice surprise for Harry.” Susan replied, her smile slipping as she noticed the disapproving and stern look from their professor.
“I hardly think that dress is appropriate.”
“It was my idea professor.” Hermione spoke up as she and Daphne approached.
McGonagall turned and fixed her favourite student with a stern look, “I hardly think this is appropriate attire for this event Miss Granger, however, since it’s too late for you to go change, I guess I will allow this. But if the school hosts any more events in the future, I highly recommend you choose something more fitting for the occasion next time.” And with a final frown, she turned and walked away.
Susan sighed with relief and grinned as she moved back in close to Harry, and they started dancing again, as did Hermione and Daphne. Several others had taken note of McGonagall’s brief appearance and were now openly gawking at Susan’s dress, and the fact that he apparently hid almost nothing. Nervously, Harry reached down and placed his hands on her waist, feeling the incredibly smooth material, it felt almost like liquid, and it was very thin, but surprisingly not transparent, as he figured something that fine would be.
“What is this made of? And are you wearing anything under this?” he asked quietly. She smirked, giving him a hungry look through half-closed eyes.
“It’s made from Acromantula silk, dyed of course. And of course I’m wearing something else under this. It’d be very uncomfortable dancing on this floor with nothing on my feet otherwise.” She grinned and winked at him.
“Uh…” Harry blinked, surprised that she’d be so brazen in the middle of a packed dance floor. He made a mental note not to do any fast spins or try to pick her up or anything.
Leaning in close, she whispered in his ear, her hot breath making him shiver with desire that he found hard to get control of, yet somehow managed it.
“Feel free to let your hands roam, I wouldn’t mind.”
“I think the staff would.” He muttered. He couldn’t believe she’d actually managed to talk her way into keeping the dress, then again, if she’d had it on display when she’d shown up outside the Main Hall, McGonagall probably would have stopped her.
“That was really Hermione’s idea? Where did you find that?” Cedric’s voice spoke up as he danced his way over with Cho, who was sending a rather unflattering look towards Susan.
“Room of Requirement. And yes, it was Hermione’s idea. She said she got the idea from something called a ‘movie’ called Who Framed Roger Rabbit, though if there’s a woman in it wearing something like this, then I can’t see how that would be appropriate for family viewing.
Harry frowned. That name sounded…familiar. He cast his mind back a few years, to one time he’d been left in the house along with his uncle, who had been sat in the living room watching a movie on the telly, Harry had mostly ignored it, until he saw some cartoon characters on on the screen while he’d been passing the open door while cleaning, and he’d paused, and he remembered seeing a woman wearing that dress.
He’d quickly moved on before his uncle had spotted him, and his aunt and nephew had come home only five minutes later, and just a few minutes after that, Petunia had seen what was on the screen and she’d gone apocalyptic, screaming about ‘cartoon whores’ and such. He’d done his best to keep his head down and ignore the ensuing fallout.
“Yeah, I know that movie, my aunt caught my uncle watching it couple of years ago. She was not impressed. I think it’s the only time Vernon ever slept on the sofa for a week. Well, when he wasn’t rolling off it in his sleep.” Harry snorted.
-=-
Luna smiled brightly as she spun with Harry to the gentle flow of the music, all around them, other couples danced, while a few had retreated to the tables. Her gaze went to Hermione who was sat at the table catching a break, and chatting animatedly with Padma and Seamus, while her sister and Dean were still on the dance floor. Both twins wore the same outfit, with inverted colours. A long flowing dress, blouse and sash. Evidently an Indian style that Harry knew next to nothing about. Ron sat off to one side, sulking and glaring at both Harry and Viktor Krum, who was dancing with Fleur.
Ginny sat on the other side of Ron, looking less than pleased. Apparently, a few of the fourth year boys had approached her and asked her to the Ball, only to then run into her twin brothers Fred and George. So out of desperation, she’d asked Ron, who, unable to find a date, and unwilling to face the humiliation of being the only Weasley boy without a date, had begrudgingly accepted.
Apparently, Ron hadn’t appreciated the pity date all that much, as after the first group dance, he’d broke from the dance floor and headed straight for the drinks table, while Ginny had followed, looking rather put out and staring forlornly at one or two other boys in Gryffindor robes, then casting rather unflattering looks in the direction of her older twin brothers, who were too pre-occupied with their own dates to notice.
It seemed to Luna that where their sister was concerned, the twins’ joking nature turned very territorial. The demonic duo in question were currently dancing with their respective dates, Angelina and Alicia.
“Cutting in!” Came a cheery voice, and Luna giggled as Daphne and Susan cut in between them then separated and spun to catch the two dancers. Daphne taking Luna’s hands, and Susan taking Harry’s.
“Having fun?” Daphne asked as she spun Luna away from Harry and Susan to give them room to move.
“Yes. Very enjoyable. No Wrackspurts, Nifflers or Nargles anywhere.” Luna said happily.
“Uh…right. Sure.” Daphne said uncertainly.
“So, how are you and Susan finding things now?” Luna asked. Daphne blushed, looking around, wondering how many could overhear them, thankfully, no-one was paying attention, and the music seemed loud enough.
“We’re managing. It’s a bit more difficult now there are two extra involved, but we figured out a new routine. Plus me and Susan have started producing, so, that’s helping.”
“I’m surprised he’s producing enough for all three of you.” Luna replied. Daphne blinked, she still wasn’t used to how forward Luna tended to be, and that seemed to be her Default.
“Uh, well…according to Hermione, he’s…producing more than when it was just her. At least when they started, but by the time we’d joined, he was already producing enough to feed all three of us quite comfortably.”
“He’s producing more? So he’s increased in volume? I wonder if the curse is affecting his production, making sure he produces enough for all of you. Hm, interesting. It must be proportional to the number of partners, at least partially. That theoretically could mean that he could supply enough to feed this entire school, if everyone were under the curse.” The younger blonde pondered aloud.
Daphne blinked, slowing as the other girl’s words processed in her head. “Uh…yeah, maybe. I’m not sure Harry could physically take it though. He’d either die from dehydration or his testicles would revolt.”
“Oh there’s a way to deal with that. Just make sure they’re properly taken care of, nurtured and compensated for their hard work. How much did he produce when it was just Hermione?” Luna asked casually.
“She…she never said. Are you always this forward?” Daphne asked as the song everyone was dancing to came to an end, and everyone broke for a break. Luna shrugged.
“Better than being backward.” Luna said casually.
Daphne blinked, “I guess…”
“Have you guys figured out a cure yet?” Luna asked, Daphne shrugged as as she raised an arm for Luna as she pirouetted.
“Fleur mentioned a cure being discovered accidentally when the curse was first used on humans, but she didn’t say what it was, and she said that it only seemed to work for women, now whether that means it also works for men, and she didn’t mention it, or if it just doesn’t work for men at all, none of us have had the chance to ask. If it doesn’t affect men, and we break the curse on ourselves, that could leave Harry dependent on us for his survival. And I honestly get the impression he’d hate that. He resisted feeding for those few days and nearly killed himself, because he felt like a parasite, feeding off of us while giving nothing back.” Daphne snorted, rolling her eyes.
“Obviously he wasn’t paying enough attention to the owner of the fanny he was devouring. I know I personally got a lot out of him eating mine. But that’s okay, Harry’s just a boy, they’re very clueless.”
“Mhmm.” Daphne said, and the two girls giggled as they moved towards several other dancers, notably Hagrid and Maxime, who were cutting a wide swath across the dance floor.
-=-
Harry smiled as he watched Luna and Daphne dance, then quickly turned his attention back to his current partner. “So, you and Daphne having a good time?”
“Sure, though I don’t want to steal too much of you from Hermione.” Susan said with a giggle as she leaned in, giving him a quick hug, which also let Harry know that she wasn’t wearing a bra under the fine dress she was wearing. Harry smiled and pressed his lips to her ear as he ran his hands down her back before pulling back.
“Minx.” He whispered, which made her giggle again.
“You better not wear yourself out too much mister. You’re going to be getting a late night.” She whispered, letting a hand reach down between them, to gently take hold of his hard shaft, giving it a firm but gentle squeeze, making him stiffen for a moment, before he quickly looked down, then back up at her grinning face and sparkling eyes full of laughter.
“Susan!” Harry whispered hoarsely, face flushing as Susan pushed her hips forward, releasing her hold on his shaft and gripping his hips as they moved, grinding his covered shaft against the apex of her thighs, all under the pretence of dancing.
“Yes Harry?” The redhead smiled, grinning.
“What are you doing?!” He whispered frantically.
“Scratching an itch. For both of us I think. How are you keeping this hidden? Has it even gone down lately? You seem to be hard constantly now.”
“Uh…well, I’m using a space expansion charm, and uh, yeah, it’s hard pretty much constantly now, I think it only ever goes down when I’m asleep, and even then, not fully. Damn curse.” Harry replied. She nodded.
“I know. My clit has been hard since the day Draco cursed us, same with Daphne, and I’m pretty sure Hermione too, except I’m not sure if it ever goes soft, even when I’m sleeping. It actually gets very painful at times. Guess you’ll have to check for me. It first, it was rather uncomfortable, but since we started using cushioning and ever-drying charms on our underwear, it’s more manageable, but still, I think I’m starting to get an appreciation for you having to deal with a wand in your pants.”
Harry snorted with a smile, stumbling slightly as she gave a particularly sharp grind of her hips, and gasped, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Mmm…this is nice.” Susan moaned. Harry awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, making sure he didn’t put his hands anywhere he shouldn’t.
“Luna! Your dress!” a yelp caught Harry’s attention and his gaze immediately snapped to Luna and Daphne, who were dancing a short distance away, but stopped the moment Padma had called out. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw broke apart, as they both stared down at Luna’s pink and white dress, which started to unravel as they watched.
He and Susan stopped dancing as they turned to watch what as going on. Several other people had also started noticing what was happening and had stopped dancing, but the music kept playing.
Luna looked down at her dress in a state of total confusion. She couldn’t see anything wrong with it. Then she saw it. The thread of some of the seams was starting to unravel. Even the panels of the dress itself started to come apart; small holes opening at random on the panel that covered her stomach up to her chest. Holes that quickly widened to reveal the white fabric underneath, and even that was starting to unravel.
When Luna felt a draft on her right shoulder, she looked to see the shoulder pad had already pretty much disintegrated, and when one of the sashes that that went from the hem of the dress to her left hip snapped mid-length, and the white dress she wore also started to disintegrate, her eyes widened, the shock and confusion in them turning to denial and horror.
“What’s going on here?” McGonagall asked as she stepped forward.
The music finally stopped, and everyone seemed to be taking notice. Hermione was there in an instant, reaching out to try and physically hold Luna’s dress together, Padma, Parvati and Fleur soon joined, forming a tight ring around Luna and Daphne, shielding them from the rest of the hall.
“Her dress…its…its coming apart…” Padma hissed, trying to keep her voice down so as not to alert the entire hall. Unfortunately, her voice seemed to carry unusually well in the now silent hall, and those standing close enough, heard her just fine, and started to whisper among themselves.
Assessing the situation, McGonagall drew her wand, as Flitwick suddenly seemed to appear as if he’d apperated, and started casting a diagnostic charm, McGonagall tried to stop the unravelling.
“Finite!”
Nothing happened. At least, nothing seemed to happen, until Daphne noticed that the rate of disintegration seemed to have picked up slightly.
A large piece of the pink fabric that was all that remained of the front of Luna’s dress suddenly came loose and fell into her hand, she held it up and watched as the threads of silk seemed to fray and separate, and as they watched, the piece of silk frantic became a collection of loose pink silk thread, then seemed to disintegrate further.
“Finite Incatatem!” Flitwick enchanted, and everyone who could see watched as what remained of the pink parts of Luna’s dress fell to the floor, dissolving into loose threads of silk, and the disintegration of the white dress under that accelerated.
“Stop! You’re making it worse!” Daphne yelped, watching in shock as the waistline of Luna’s white dress seemed to almost unzip, as the front of her dress opened to show her pale midriff and blue bra, the seems at the shoulders separated and the top of Luna’s white dress dissolved as the bottom half fell to the floor in a pile of silk, which rapidly turned into a pile of loose silk threads.
A body suddenly blocked her view as Harry stepped forward, having pulled off his dress robe, leaving him in just his white shirt and tie, he wrapped it around Luna’s shoulders, doing his best to cover her. The girl in question, who hadn’t really reacted much since watching that piece of fabric in her hands unravel, looked up at him with a sad smile, tears pouring down her face as she silently cried.
Harry was at a loss, he wanted to hug her, but wasn’t sure if he should, when he noticed another piece of fabric fall the the floor at her feet, and he looked down, to see that it was blue. His gaze quickly ravelled up her legs to the smooth ‘arrow point’ of her labia at their peak, a few scraps of blue fabric that seemed to recede as he watched were all that remained of her knickers. His gaze quickly moved up to her now bare chest as it finally sunk in.
In just under 90 seconds, Luna Lovegood had been stripped naked in the middle of the dance floor.
“We need to get her out of here.” Susan said in a hushed voice.
“My dress…” Luna murmured, looking down at the pile of frayed white, pink and blue threads that had once been her clothes. Her socks also seemed to have disintegrated, but her shoes remained intact, thankfully. She looked heartbroken, and it made Hermione both furious and and on the verge of tears herself.
“Dobby.” Daphne said in a clipped tone. With a small pop, the elf appeared.
“Yes Harry Potter Sir’s Greenie?” the little elf asked.
Daphne bit her lip to stop the automatic retort at that name, then focused on her objective. “Take Luna, myself, and Professor McGonagall to the Come and Go Room, ask it to set up a dressing room with some new ball gowns for Luna.”
With a nod Dobby vanished, then returned a few moments later, and took Daphne’s and Luna’s hands, while Daphne took hold of McGonagall’s, after collecting the fallen strands of silk and cotton, and all four vanished.
Harry knelt and picked up the loose strands of thread that, as he watched, continued to disintegrate. “Is it supposed to do that?”
“No, while silk is organic and biodegradable, it should last a fairly long time, decades when properly maintained.”
“Seems to have gotten very brittle.” Harry noted. Hermione nodded.
“That usually happens when exposed to environmental conditions and not properly maintained, also age. What ever that spell did either aged the silk to the point of failure, or magically severed every thread. I doubt even Madam Malkin could repair this.” She said sadly, turning to look towards the main entrance.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cho whisper something to Cedric before hurrying to the main doors and out of the hall.
“Huh, wonder where she’s off to in such a hurry.” Harry said, standing, “I want to know what spell that was. Someone just went to a lot of trouble to humiliate her.”
“I’m sure Professor McGonagall will figure it out.” Hermione said, she no longer felt like dancing, so just pulled Harry and Susan over to the drinks table.
“Cedric? Where did Cho go?” Harry asked. Cedric shrugged.
“No idea, she said she wanted to check on something.”
Dumbledore then spoke up, attempting to regain order and get the Ball going again. Soon, the music started playing again and people were dancing, though the mood among some of the students was either subdued or jittery. No doubt what had just happened would be the talk of the school for a while.
Sitting at the drinks table, a short distance away from Harry and the girls, Fred and George looked concerned at one another.
“Brother of mine?” Fred spoke up, watching Cho Chang leave.
“Yes brother?” George replied.
“I think one of our side projects needs further refinement. Considerable refinement.” Fred speculated, a note of guilt entering his voice. George nodded.
“Sadly, I agree. Had we known the spell wasn’t completely perfected, perhaps we shouldn’t have told—”
“Gentlemen.” Came the too chipper voice of Angelina. The boys froze, then turned to face their dates, who had just come back from from one of the girls bathrooms just in time to see Luna’s dress dissolve. “Are we to assume, that the spell that just stripped a Third year Ravenclaw naked in the middle of a packed Dance floor was one you two created?” her smile was beautiful, but ice cold, and her eyes were full of flickering anger, and the promise of pain if they had created that spell, or ever used it on either herself or Alicia. Beside her, Alicia stood with her arms crossed, a stern glare on her face.
Fred and George both paled.
“It wasn’t supposed to do that!” Fred protested, holding up his hands. “Its supposed to be a spell that makes getting into and out of clothes quicker!”
“But clearly needs more work.” George quickly added, “And we didn’t cast it on Luna.”
“Then who did?” Angelina growled.
-=-
“Zat ez quite an interesting dress, Susan.” Fleur said as she took a seat next to the redhead. “I am surprised they let you wear eet.”
Susan blushed, and smiled at the older blonde. Strangely, the usual sense of jealously most girls felt around the veela were rather faint now in the redhead. Even though they hadn’t interacted much since the Beauxbatons students had arrived, apart from that explanation of the curse Fleur had given a couple of weeks prior.
“Thanks. It’s…” she leaned over and whispered in the other girl’s ear “It’s for Harry, its all I’m wearing right now.” She added with a giggle. Fleur grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
“I too am, ‘ow you say, ‘Commando’ tonight.” Fleur whispered giving the redhead a wink.
“I guess Viktor is in for a lucky night then. I’m surprised you went with him.” Susan said, having to speak up a bit over the music. Fleur shrugged.
“We shall see. I asked ‘im because no boys ‘ere really grabbed my attention, I did not want to intrude on ‘Ermione’s territory, and most of ze boys from my own school, zat are ‘ere at least, eizzer ‘ave dates, or…”
“Or you’ve already had ‘em.” Susan said with a knowing smirk that wasn’t accusatory or mocking. Fleur shrugged and smiled.
“One way of putting it, I suppose. ‘Ow about you, Daphne and ‘Ermione? Looking forward to giving ‘Arry ‘is present tonight?” Fleur asked with a wink. Susan blushed.
“Figures you’d know about that, but yes, yes I am. I’m curious to know what it’s like.”
“When done right, it feels amazing. I gave ‘Ermione a few spells and a potion recipe she can use to ‘elp.”
“So that’s what she was brewing the other day. Honestly, I’m surprised she hasn’t tried Bonding with him yet.” Susan said.
Fleur tilted her head, she too was surprised. “Considering what it involves, probably best you are taking it this slow. Ze Bonding process is supposed to be without pain or discomfort, and ze best way to ensure zat is to practice before ze main event, non?”
“I guess. So, what can we expect from the Bonding?”
Fleur gave her a knowing smirk, “It will be life changing.”
“And it will break the curse?” Susan asked. Fleur nodded.
For a moment, Fleur hesitated, once again debating on whether or not to tell her friend everything or not. On one hand, telling them would prepare them, but on the other, a small part of her did want it to be a surprise.
Details on how the last human victims of the curse had been prepared and made ready, or even if they had, was sketchy at best. “Oui. Alzough you must remember, it will not cure ‘Arry. Once you ‘ave all Bonded, you may not need to feed from ‘im at all, but ‘e will still need to feed from you.”
“For the rest of his life?” Susan asked. Fleur nodded seriously.
“For ze rest of ‘is life.”
After a moment, Susan spoke up again, “When I get my hands on the one who hexed Luna’s dress to disintegrate…”
Fleur tilted her head, and nodded sadly. “It was a nice dress. I do not understand why someone would do such a zing.”
“Luna has been bullied for a while. Items of clothes going missing, possessions getting stolen, petty stuff, but this? This crossed a line.” Susan growled.
Fleur nodded. If anyone had humiliated her like that, well…they would suffer for it.
-=-
McGonagall blinked as she suddenly found herself standing in a large room with several dress mirrors similar to what one would find in a clothing store, and racks of different styled ball gowns.
“What is this room? And where is it?” McGonagall asked.
“It’s called the Room of Requirement, the house-elves call it the Come and Go Room, or Room of Lost Things. We’re on the Seventh floor, in front of the tapestry of the dancing trolls.” Daphne replied.
“But…but…there’s nothing in front of that tapestry!” McGonagall protested.
“There is, the door is just hidden most of the time.” Daphne said, turning to address Luna, who was now silently crying. Daphne was about to say something when she noticed the robe Harry had thrown around her shoulders was starting to fray in places.
Luna looked down at the robe, noticing the slight damage, and immediately shrugged the garment off, not particularly caring who saw her now. She then saw the remains of her ball gown and started to whimper. Daphne dropped the fabric and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the crying girl.
“It’s okay Luna, we’ll fix you up with one of these gowns.”
“It won’t be the same.” The little blonde whimpered, sniffling as she hugged Daphne back. Daphne drew back to look her in the eye.
“What do you mean?”
“The dress…it belonged to my mummy…it was her wedding dress. Daddy had it resized for me. Now it’s gone. That was one of the few things I had left of her.” The Ravenclaw whimpered, tears flowing freely down her face.
‘Shit…’ Daphne thought as the girl started crying openly.
“I’m truly sorry Miss Lovegood. I’m sure we can find a new dress from these robes.” McGonagall said gently. Luna sniffed, then stepped forward and hugged the professor, who looked surprised for a moment, then returned the hug.
“And if you don’t feel like going back down to the Hall, I’m sure we can have a private dance here. The room could easily recreate the Hall.” Daphne said. Luna pulled back, sniffed again and shook her head.
“No. I won’t let them win. I want to go back down.”
“Are you sure, Miss Lovegood?” McGonagall asked gently, placing a hand on the young girl’s shoulder. The girl nodded.
Within a few minutes, Luna was in a new bra and pair of knickers, as well as one of the dresses, a white one that looked like it had been made in the 40s. However, within a minute, the dress started to fray and unravel, disintegrating as her original had.
Soon Luna was once again stood in a pile of frayed, useless thread, completely naked. She didn’t look as upset this time, just resigned.
McGonagall frowned as she watched the dress unravel. Raising her wand, she started casting all the diagnostic charms she knew, a conjured sheet of parchment and a self-inking dicto-quill rapidly writing down the results.
A bra and knickers were tried next, no dress. Same result.
Daphne huffed in frustration. This wasn’t working.
“It’s not her clothes, it’s her. The spell was cast on her.”
“Where did you get ready for the Ball?” McGonagall asked.
“My room in Ravenclaw.” Luna responded. To the surprise of the Transfiguration Professor, she seemed completely unconcerned that she was naked in front of one of her teachers.
“Was anyone else there with you?” Daphne asked. Luna shook her head.
“No. I did pass some students in the common room, but I didn’t really pay attention to who was there.”
McGonagall narrowed her eyes. Clearly she would have to talk to Edgar, the ‘guardian’ of Ravenclaw Tower and find out who had left Ravenclaw, and who had remained.
“I don’t mind being naked you know. My family were nudists before mummy died, though I stayed one until I started here.”
“Well, that as maybe Miss Lovegood, however, I’m afraid we cannot let you wander the halls or attend classes with everything on display.”
“We could try illusion charms, make it look like you’re wearing school robes until we figure out how to take this hex off you.” Daphne suggested. McGonagall frowned.
“An interesting idea but not perfect. Anyone who gets too close or touches her would be able to tell the clothes aren’t real. Not to mention simulating all the robes will be difficult. And how would this curse affect something like the protective clothing she’d have to wear in Potions class?”
Daphne answered the question by silently asking the room for some dragon-hide clothing, specifically, gloves, tunic and pants.
The dragon-hide leather grooved more resistant than any of the other fabrics, but they soon realised the problem with using dragon-hide clothing: while the stitching that held it all together was made from material that was just as resistant to magic as the leather itself, dragon-hide outfits were not meant to be worn for hours at a time, were generally rather heavy and typically did not make for good special occasion wear such as a Ball. It was also not meant to be worn over bare skin, which would have made Luna very uncomfortable rather quickly.
Luna seemed to sigh and shrug. Daphne scowled as she pulled off the dragon-hide gloves.
McGonagall was just about to suggest something else when a large wooden bucket appeared between them, and with a wave of Daphne's wand, it was filled with water.
“What are you doing?” Her Head of House asked.
“This is an old family technique, created a few hundred years ago by a distant relative on the continent, in Norway. She was allegedly a natural at transfiguration.” Daphne said as she waved her wand in a very complex pattern, and the water lifted out of the bucket, until it was roughly level with Luna’s shoulders. “Arms out to the side please Luna.”
Once the other blonde had assumed the pose, Daphne made a few more adjustments to the water, stretching it until it matched her profile, hovering before her.
“Hold still please, I need you to be as still as you can so I can get this right, and I apologise in advance, but this is going to be wet.” Daphne said with a smile that Luna returned.
Standing with her feet shoulder width apart, and her arms outstretched, Luna waited.
With a wave of her wand, Daphne pushed the water back until it surrounded luna’s body, then, with several flicks and waves of her wand, the water separated into very small interlocked pieces, which then solidified, taking on a blue tint, making them opaque, and leaning her covered from shoulder to ankle in a tight blue dress that seemed to be made of ice crystals, and a transparent cloak over her shoulders and down her back. Even her shoes had been replaced with ice ones. To complete the look, Daphne even created a small ice tiara nestled on top of Luna’s head.
It took McGonagall a few seconds to realise that it was a perfect replica of Ravenclaw’s missing Diadem.
Luna blinked as she looked down at the dress she now wore. It felt like ice on her skin, but it was only cool to the touch, not freezing cold.
“Amazing.” McGonagall said, impressed, as she reached out to gently touch the material covering Luna’s left arm, finding that it was indeed made of ice. “I dare say I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better example of transfiguration in the classroom. If this had been your OWL or even NEWT practical exam, it most assuredly would have gotten you at least an O Miss Greengrass. I hope you show this same level of skill during your actual exam next year. And I expect to see you in my NEWT classes also.”
“Er, thanks Professor. As I said, this technique was first used by a distant relative, who, according to family legend, used to use water and ice to make all of her formal dresses for special occasions.” Daphne said with a blush.
“It’s perfect.” Luna breathed, tears once again coming to her face.
“Well then, I think we’d best get back to the Ball, don’t you?” McGonagall said. No sooner had the words left her mouth, then a new door appeared. Cautiously she opened it with a wave of her wand, and stared at the main Entrance Hall.
“That’s…that’s not possible…” she said.
“I think you’ll find, Professor, that with this room, anything is possible.” Daphne said with a smile. Taking Luna’s hand, she began to lead the younger girl to the doorway, McGonagall following close behind.
-=-
Cho Chang hurried down the corridor, following the direction of her wand as it pointed her towards one of the unused classrooms.
When she opened it, she found Edgecombe and Smythe, who were talking and snickering amongst themselves. Without a second thought, Cho flung open the door then quickly closed and locked it behind her.
“What the fuck did you two do to Loony’s dress!” Cho growled.
“What makes you think we did anything.” Marietta said innocently. Cho wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t give me that. You followed her down from the Tower. I’m pretty sure she was the last one out, before you two. Don’t think I didn’t see you two hovering round the door.”
“It’s her own fault.” Margot huffed.
“Actually, last time I checked, it was yours for getting caught by Flitwick.” Cho retorted.
“Like it matters.” Marietta snorted, folding her arms.
“I think it does. You just better hope they never find out it was you.” Cho replied, before she turned to leave. “I don’t like her anymore than you do, but you crossed a line tonight, and she’ll probably end up in Potter’s circle as a result, so just be careful you don’t end up crossing him.”
“You’re afraid of Potter? You think we’re afraid?” Edgecombe snorted in derision.
“You probably should be. I don’t know if he’s in a House Alliance with anyone yet, but he likely will be soon, with at least Bones and Greengrass, and probably soon Lovegood. He’s about to get a lot of weight behind him in the Wizengamot. And he’s not afraid of people like Malfoy. Think on that.” And with that, Cho turned and left.
-=-
Back in the Great Hall, the dancing had once again started when the main doors opened again, and barely anyone noticed the three figures walking in, but Harry did. He smiled as he saw the blue floor-length dress Luna was wearing, and it looked truly fascinating. He blinked in confusion as Luna stepped into the Hall and onto the dance floor, heading straight for him, and then the light caught the dress and his breath caught in his lungs, and he heard several others gasp as Luna’s dress caught the light and seemed to glow as the light passed through it. This had two knock-on effects.
First, the dress seemed to change colour depending on the colour of the light shining on it, and as she moved, light seemed to radiate from the dress almost like an aura of different, ever changing colours. And second, the light made the dress, which had seemed opaque when he first saw her standing at the door with Daphne and McGonagall, turn almost transparent, save for the kaleidoscope of colour passing through it and out of it. But that lighting effect did nothing to hide small, waif-like, and in his humble opinion, quite cute form of Luna beneath it.
If anything, the multicoloured aurora of light that seemed to come from her dress only emphasised her form.
It also did nothing to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything under the dress.
Several of the couples paused as Luna strolled onto the dace floor, completely oblivious, or just ignoring the fact that the lights from above were making her dress almost clear. As she got closer, both Hermione and Susan moved to meet her with a fierce hug.
“That’s quite an interesting dress. Where did you find it?” Hermione asked as she stepped back. At this distance, everyone who was close enough could see the interlocking pieces of ice that made up the dress, and how they all seemed to act like prisms, which caused the light from above to strobe out in a beautiful array of colours.
“Daphne made it for me.” Luna smiled.
“But you’re not wearing any knickers or bra.” Susan said, resting a hand on Luna’s shoulder, wincing slightly as the cold of the ice, and wondering why it wasn’t bothering Luna.
“Neither are you three, or Harry.” Luna replied casually. Hermione and Susan just gawked at her.
Back with McGonagall, Daphne stared wide-eyed as she watched Luna move, then face-palmed. “I did not expect that. I really didn’t think this through.”
“So much for ‘Dress Robes’ and setting a fine example.” McGonagall sighed, rolling her eyes as she headed for the table where the staff were seated.
She gave a side-ways nod to Hagrid as he led Madame Maxime past her towards the doors, she smiled to herself. She was happy that Hagrid had found someone he could relate to more, she just hoped he didn’t put his giant foot in it.
“I must say Minerva, that is quite an…interesting fashion design. How’d you come up with that?” Septima asked.
“I didn’t. Miss Greengrass did. Though I thought it was just made of interlocking pieces of ice, I had no idea they’d act like prisms…” Minerva said as she turned to look at the living light-show that was now dancing with a rather flustered and embarrassed looking Potter.
“Daphne made that dress? How?” Pomona asked.
“An old family secret. I told her I expect the same performance in her OWLs next year. And after a performance like that, I’ll definitely be taking her on for NEWTs.” Minerva said with a smile.
“But did you have to let the girl be naked? And Miss Bones’s dress? What kind of an example are we setting here? If word of this gets out, and if i know that muck-raking vermin, it will…” Aurora said.
Minerva sighed. “Believe me, we tried giving her something. But every piece of fabric that came into contact with her skin disintegrated within minutes. Hopefully what ever was placed on her is temporarily and will wear off, or we’re going to have to try and figure out how to keep her decent for the rest of the year.”
“And what about Miss Bones’ dress?” Filius asked, raising a brow. “I’m surprised you let her keep it.”
“Had I known before hand, I wouldn’t have, but I couldn’t very well send her back and cause a scene, could I?” Minerva sighed. “Right now, I’m just more concerned about Miss Lovegood. I’d truly hate to have to put her in isolation for her lessons, but most illusion charms won’t hold up for the entirety of a school day I don’t think.”
Back on the dance floor, Luna was now dancing with Hermione while Harry danced with Daphne, and Susan got another drink and decided to have a talk with Hannah, who was eyeing Luna’s dress with keen interest.
“Is it okay if I stay with you guys tonight? I don’t feel like returning to Ravenclaw.” Luna said quietly. Hermione hesitated, unsure. She had plans for that night, for all of them, and she didn’t really want to put them on hold for Luna, the thought of all of them feeding in front of her didn’t bother her as much, since she’d already fed Harry once.
‘It’s okay Hermione, we can wait until another night. Maybe New Years Eve? Ring in the new year on a high note.’ Daphne said.
“Uh…sure, sure thing, it’s just, the girls and I sort of had a special gift planned for Harry tonight and…” Hermione said, hating herself for making Luna feel bad.
“Oh? Like what? Can I help?”
“Uh…I’m not quite sure this is something you’d want to be involved in, considering what just happened to you tonight…” Hermione said quietly, so Harry wouldn’t overhear. That was the plus side about the Bonding, the telepathic link wasn’t a constant stream of thought. Anyone in the link could control who heard what.
Luna shrugged. “I honestly don’t mind Hermione. I’m honestly more upset that my mummy’s wedding dress was destroyed. I don’t care that a few hundred people saw me naked. I’m a nudist after all, remember? I just usually can’t practice the lifestyle because the school rules forbid it.”
“You are?” Hermione asked, surprised. Luna nodded with a sad smile.
“Yes, though I haven’t practices since mummy died. I’m looking forward to doing so again. And the fact that I’m essentially naked now is…quite exciting to be honest. Have you given any thought to being a nudist or naturist?” the blonde asked.
“Uh…the only time I’ve been around nudists was on vacation in France a few years ago. In fact, Fleur offered for Harry, me, Daphne and Susan to join her and her family in a veela colony on the coast of southern France during the summer. I haven’t mentioned that to Harry or the others yet, and I still need to write my parents.”
“Really? She did? That was nice of her. Are you sure you and the others will be okay around all those veela? Considering most girls feel rather threatened by them. At least that’s been my observations. And from what I’ve heard, Veela are naturists by culture.” Luna asked. Hermione paused, giving that answer some serious thought for a moment, then shrugged and smiled.
“I think we can trust Harry enough Luna. Besides, we’ve all been around Fleur this long and we haven’t tried to murder her, so I think we’ll be fine.” Hermione replied as they moved together to the music, Hermione taking keen notice of the small prisms that made up Luna’s new dress, and how they gave off rainbows of light as she moved. It really was a nice dress.
“So, back to my question.” Luna said. Hermione blinked.
“Oh! Right, uh, sure, sure, you can stay with us tonight.”
“Wonderful! And you and the others can give Harry his Christmas orgy. Though I do have to wonder how this one will differ from all the others he’s had since Daphne and Susan joined you two.”
“Shh! I don’t want him to know!” Hermione whispered. “It’s a surprise! But if you really want to, and you feel comfortable enough, then yes, I suppose you can take part. How did you even know about that anyway?”
“Yay!” Luna yelped as she hugged Hermione tightly, then whispered in her ear “Oh, it was obvious thats what you had planned. So, are you going to Bond with him? Or is it something else?”
Biting her lip, Hermione leaned forward, and whispered in the girl’s ear, the little blonde’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates and she grinned as Hermione pulled back, blushing.
“Oooooh…that sounds like fuuuun!” Luna giggled.
-=-=-=-
Eventually, round about ten to midnight, the party started to wind down. Hagrid had come back into the Hall looking rather solemn, apparently, he’d taken Maxime for a private chat and apparently said something to upset her, and she’d stormed off in a huff. Fleur had quietly explained to Harry and his friends that the Beauxbatons Headmistress was, like Hagrid, a Half-Giant, but had deliberately kept quiet about it for fear of losing her position, and she didn’t want attention to be drawn to herself.
Ron’s time at the ball had ended as everyone expected it to: with him still dateless and miserable. Ginny had eventually hooked up with a fourth year Beauxbatons student, who had completely missed the looks of Impending Doom being sent his way by her over-protective brothers.
Soon Harry and the girls, plus a rather excited Luna, were on their way to the Room of Requirement, he’d initially rejected the idea after the Twins had said they might need to use it, Luna had then suggested they ask the room to make several separate rooms for each couple (or group in their case), one that blocked vision, but not all sound. Seamus and Dean had also gone with them, even Neville and Hannah tagged along, though Neville clearly wasn’t comfortable with the idea of all of them doing things in rooms that were close enough to allow sound to transmit. Lee and Katie had opted to return to Gryffindor.
Notes:
Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you enjoyed!
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Chapter 16: Warm Yule Night's Bliss, A cold day's Revelations
Notes:
Here is chapter 16, the Yule Ball orgy (that I originall intended to tag onto the end of the previous chapter) and Daphne's memories are finally restored, and the consequences of that are made known.
I have also updated the tags to show ALL of of the pairings this story will have, unfortunately, I had to do it one by one, instead of all of them together in one tag, the site wouldn't let me. I also had to remove several character and additional tags as the site said I was using too many.
I will also be introducing characters from Hogwarts Legacy going forward, both in this chapter and future chapters, to flesh out the background characters a bit more.
I have also edited some of the previous chapters, specifically, chapter 9 and and a small change to ch 11. The scene between Draco and Daphne in chapter 9 has now been mostly cut (though it still happens, you just don't 'see' it now) so that chapter should now be easier for readers to get through.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Room of Requirement, 5 after midnight, Dec 26th, 1994
As the small group reached the large tapestry, Luna stepped forward and started pacing back and forth, on the third pass, the door materialised then opened, and the group filed in to what seemed to be a small atrium, maybe 20 feet across, with five ornate doors spread evenly across the walls.
Luna beamed with satisfaction and excitement as she stepped into the centre of the atrium, the floor of which was decorated with a star pattern.
“Okay, everyone pick a room.”
As the couples split and headed for each of the doors, Harry did a double take as he approached one and stepped through, into a large bedroom with plush cushions, a large bed that looked like it could hold several people, a large fireplace, and at the back of the room, an open doorway that looked like it led into a large bathroom.
“You might want to check out the bathroom.” Luna said with a smirk.
Shrugging, Harry moved towards the bathroom, finding it almost as big as the bathroom in the quarters he shared with Hermione, Susan and Daphne.
There were three closed off cubicles, which he assumed were toilets, a row of sinks, a towel rack that held several large towels over what at first looked like a fire pit, but on closer inspection, was just simmering coals under a metal grate. There was no smoke coming from the grate, but plenty of heat he noticed, as he stepped up to it.
The major feature of the room was the bath. Or pool. Or shower. Or was it a fountain?
It was a large, oval pool nearly 4 metres across, and maybe about waist deep, sat on a raised platform, with a white marble statue on the back, that seemed to be very life-like.
It was a woman, standing naked, in a rather suggestive pose with her hands raised. In them she held a jug that was tipped over enough that water could have poured out, if there was any in it.
He looked down at the bath tub, only to realise that it was modelled to resemble a giant oyster or clam shell.
At the base of the statue were several gemstones with runes carved into them, though he had no idea what they were for. The bath/pool looked deep enough that if they sat in it, and filled it with water, the water would come up to roughly their shoulders.
“This is certainly interesting Luna. What do the dials control?” Hermione asked.
“The Ruby and Sapphire are the hot and cold water, the white Quartz, Amber, Sard, and Carnelian are milk, honey, syrup and liquid chocolate respectively. Turning each one activates a transfiguration charm at the spout of the jug, converting the water. The clear crystal empties and cleans the bath.”
“What?” The four asked blankly.
“Those other crystals activate transfiguration charms that turn the water into either milk, chocolate, syrup or honey, or any combination of the above. It’s the easiest way to get round Gamp’s law.” Luna said casually.
“That’s...impressive.” Hermione said, impressed.
“Really kinky.” Susan said with a smirk.
“Thank you.” Luna said. Harry scrutinised the large shell shaped bathtub.
“I don’t see a plughole. How does it drain?”
Luna smirked at him flirtatiously. “There are charms that stop it overflowing. And before you ask, yes, all the other ‘rooms’ I created have this exact bathroom. As well as instructions on what the shower does.”
“How are you the kinkiest one here?” Daphne said, shaking her head in wonder as a blush came to her face. “Where and how did you even come up with this?”
Harry cast a quick tempus charm, noting the time. “You guys wanna give this thing a try now or in the morning?”
The girls all exchanged looks, then turned to smile at him.
“I guess we could try it out tonight, then we give you your real Christmas present from all of us.” Hermione said with a smile and a wink as she took his hand and started to guide him back towards the bedroom.
Harry blushed as the other three girls pressed in around him as they approached the large bed.
“Really, girls, you don’t have to, I mean, I know I got each of you something, but something from all of you? Feel like I missed the snitch on that one.”
The four girls giggled and rolled their eyes, well, three of them did, Luna just smiled at him in that aloof way and patted his head like he was a puppy or something.
“Silly boy, we are your group present. And you are ours.” Susan said as she folded her arms round him and kissed him deeply. As his arms went round her, he was once again reminded of how little she was wearing as his hands came into contact with the smooth, warm skin of her back, which he followed the line of down to the curve of her hips, then, deciding to be a little daring, he slid his hands under the dark red silk and took a firm grasp of the smooth, firm and warm mounds of muscle, and gave each a tiny squeeze.
The reaction was just what he’d hoped for as the former Puff moaned into his mouth as her tongue danced with his, and he couldn’t help but smile against her lips. He’d taken every opportunity to learn Susan’s and Daphne’s bodies since that first night in their private bath pool, and every night since.
What he’d learned about Susan, was that she loved having her arse played with. All he had to do to really drive her wild was pay special attention to it. She seemed particularly partial to having his fingers working her over while she rode his face, but what really got her moaning, got her wet, was a combination of his tongue, Parseltongue, and her anus. She seemed to love it more than Hermione or Daphne did.
He was so caught up with Susan, and the fact she was essentially naked under the fine red silk dress, and had been the entire ball, he didn’t register the hands of the others as a they started to pull and tug at his robes.
When Susan broke the kiss, Luna took her place as his robes were pulled open then off, and Luna went to work on his tie while other hands started on his shirt, trousers and shoes. She pulled back and smiled at him, taking his hands and placing them on a small breasts, with only the links that made up the dress between his fingers and her flesh.
The dress she wore really was a marvel of transfiguration. Thousands of small interlocking links that he remembered were actually made of ice. Even with the light provided in the room from the fire and simple chandelier, the interlocked chains of ice seemed to still glow with their own light, and while they were cold to the touch, they weren’t uncomfortably cold. He gently ran his hands down her back and over the small curve of her arse as three pairs of hands pulled his shirt down his arms and he was forced to drop them for a second.
“I want you to take this off me.” She said, her usually aloof gaze unusually focused.
“To be honest, I kinda don’t want to? I mean, it’s a really nice dress, and its a really good example of transfiguration, I’d hate to destroy it.”
“Thanks.” Daphne said as she finished untying his shoes and helped him step out of them. “It’s an old family creation. Apparently, what ever spell was used on Luna’s original dress was actually cast on her, so anything made of fabric that comes into contact with her skin for more than a couple of minutes disintegrates. Which is going to make putting her in school robes tomorrow an issue, but for now, this will do. And don’t worry about the dress Harry, I can just remake it if I need to. You can take it off her.”
“That’s a problem for Tomorrow Luna to worry about. Right Now Luna wants to have lots of naughty fun with you three and Harry’s willy. I want to know what it tastes like. And I want Harry’s magic tongue again.” Luna said, grinning as she started to pull off his vest, shamelessly ogling the flat stomach and lean muscle that was revealed.
“You’ll get your chance, don’t worry.” Hermione said as her hands firmly groped his backside before slipping round the front to gently cup the bulge that was clearly evident, before her fingers moved to the zip while Susan’s fingers started to work the button.
They all paused when they suddenly heard faint cries and moans from two different directions, evidently, the others had got a head start on them.
“Well, that just won’t do.” Susan said as she reached down and took hold of Harry’s trousers and boxers, and shoved them down his legs.
Harry paused, face flushing crimson as all four girls stepped in front of him and started ogling him up and down, shamelessly. There was no hint of hesitation or embarrassment in any of their gazes as they roamed over his body. Luna in particular seemed the most focused, and it occurred to him this was likely the first time she’d ever seen a boy naked.
Indeed, Luna’s gaze was particularly analytical as she slowly walked round him, eyeing him from every angle.
“I must say Harry, you have a very nice body, and a rather attractive penis.” The blonde said shamelessly, reaching out to run her fingers delicately over him, making him shudder. “All the running you’ve been doing over the last four years here certainly seems to have helped you get that physique Harry. I’m impressed.” She then reached down and shamelessly took hold of some muscle, gave it a squeeze, making him suck in a breath.
“Okay stud, now it’s our turn. Who’s first?” Susan asked, looking at the others.
The other three girls exchanged looks, before Hermione smiled at Harry. “Why don’t we let him choose.”
Harry took a breath, as he eyed all four girls who all wore looks of eager anticipation. Finally, his eyes settled on Luna, and with a smile, he raised his wand, the other three moving back to give the girl some room. With a gentle wave of his wand, Luna’s ice dress seemed to shimmer, then it dissolved, much like her original ball gown had, and with another flick of his wand, the water vanished, and Luna was left standing in her full naked glory.
She grinned, leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips before stepping back and doing a little spin, even adding in a little jump that made her modest breasts bounce.
Harry then turned to Hermione, who gave him a coy smile then turned her back, his hands going to the lace holding the back of her dress in place.
After a bit of fiddling, he managed to get the ties undone, and slowly slid the dress off Hermione’s shoulders, admiring the full expanse of her back, a warm smile settling on his face as he took her in.
He took a moment to admire the expanse of her back as the dress pooled around her waist, before she turned around in his grasp and he slid the garment down passed her hips. He then knelt to help her out of her glass slippers.
Taking a moment, he took in the beautiful view of Hermione’s smooth lips, before he quickly leaned in to gently kiss her exposed clit, then turned to Luna, his smile growing a little at his girlfriend’s shiver.
He looked up at Luna, who was smiling down at him with an unusually focused expression, her silvery-gray eyes alight with excitement and arousal. He smiled up at her before letting his eye trail down to the little blonde’s lips, which were still as smooth as Hermione’s and Daphne’s, though unlike Hermione, her clit was still hidden behind lips that were already damp and glistening, and already a nice shade of pink.
Taking hold of her hips, he leaned in and rested is nose against her lips, taking a deep breath, letting out a hum of approval, his gaze flicking up, a smile crossing his face at the deep blush on Luna’s face and neck, and even her chest, her nipples already hardening.
“You smell really good Luna.” He whispered, his lips just a few millimetres from hers, his warm breath making her shiver and whimper as he leaned in and took another deep breath. Then he kissed them. She squeaked, gripped his head lightly and gave her hips a gentle thrust, before Susan tapped her on the shoulder.
“Don’t get too carried away, he has to do us too you know.” She said with a smirk.
Letting out a defeated, almost mournful whimper, Luna stepped back, her sex flushed scarlet and already dripping.
He stood and turned to Susan, who did a little pirouette before giggling and extending her hands, letting him start with her gloves, which he gently peeled off her arms then her hands, before she turned round and pulled her hair to the side, letting him see the clasp holding her dress closed at her neck. It didn’t take him long to undo it, and as she turned, she gripped his hands and pulled them down to her breasts just as the garment came loose, then Harry gripped the silken dark red fabric, which even in the light of the Room seemed to sparkle, as it had done in the Great Hall.
He paused for a moment, admiring the sheer beauty that was Susan Bones as the dress slid down to the floor and she stepped out of it, and her shoes. Smiling, Harry stepped forward and hugged her, planting a kiss on her forehead as her naked front melded to his and he stroked his hands along her back, though he didn’t try to grope her.
Susan though had no such issues, as her hands quickly dropped to his firm butt and gave it a few firm squeezes, even slapping it once, which made him jump. While he didn’t particularly like it, as it reminded him too much of his time at Privett Drive, he soldiered through it for Susan, though she did pick up a little of his discomfort and flashed him an apologetic frown, but he smiled at her and showed his forgiveness with a quick, yet passionate kiss.
Finally, he turned to Daphne, who smiled at him shyly. He looked her up and down, wondering wear to start. Eventually, he decided on the easiest part: the headband. He looked around briefly, unsure where to put it until Daphne took it and conjured a small vanity table. Then she turned her back and he set to work on her dress, untying it gently, he didn’t want to ruin it. He didn’t know if this was her mother’s dress, and didn’t want to take any chances. Luna had already lost hers.
Soon, Daphne was as naked as the rest of them, and all the girls closed in to give him a group hug.
“Lets go check out that shower, then you’ll get your group present from all of us.” Hermione said with a wink. Then she looked at Daphne, Susan and Luna, “Remember to use that charm I taught you all.”
“Damn, I forgot that toffee the twins gave me.” Harry muttered as he enjoyed their closeness. Hermione paused for a moment as she stepped back and the others dragged Harry into the bathroom.
“Winky?”
With a small pop, the female elf appeared, her bulbous eyes going even wider at the sight of Hermione’s state, which Hermione found, much to her own surprise, that she was completely fine with the elf seeing. “Y-Yes? What can…Winky be doing for yous?” the elf chirped, her hands flying up to her face to cover her eyes, her face rapidly turning dark.
“There’s a box of Ton-Tongue Toffees in our room that the twins gave Harry for Christmas, could you please bring it?” Hermione asked gently.
Winky didn’t even respond, she just popped away and reappeared a few seconds later holding the box, which Hermione took and placed on the small vanity table. By the time she’d turned to thank the elf, Winky was gone. Letting out a slightly disappointed sigh at the elf’s shyness, Hermione turned and headed for the bathroom, the sound of running water already audible.
When she entered the spacious room, the other three were already in the large tub/shower, with Luna standing under the stream of water pouring down from the jug the statue held over their heads. She was running her hands through her long hair while Harry had moved behind her and grabbed a bottle of what looked like shampoo, while Susan and Daphne grabbed some bars of soap and started lathering each other after Luna moved out of the stream to let Harry do her hair. Hermione smiled, and gingerly stepped into the filling tub herself, and soon found three pairs of feminine hands start to caress her, pulling her into the stream of water.
It was truly amazing how quickly one got clean and washed when there were four other pairs of hands to take care of everything, not that Hermione didn’t slack off herself.
Within a few minutes, she was hungrily kissing Luna, the now familiar edible soap rapidly being spread over all their bodies working quickly to stoke their desires. Harry was still behind Luna, and had just finished soaping up her back and had moved his hands down to her cute little bum, causing her to moan lewdly into Hermione’s mouth as she thrust her hips back, before reaching back with a searching hand, finding the hard shaft she sought, she gently coaxed Harry forward, sliding his shaft between her legs, pressing it up against her labia as Harry pressed his front against her back, and started to kiss the little blonde’s neck, sharing a hungry gaze with Hermione who reached down to grab his arse and pulled, while at the same time, she thrust her hips forward.
Idly, she looked back on her hesitation from a month ago, at how she told herself she wasn’t interested in girls in any sort of way, and had only been willing to experiment out of necessity. She wanted to roll her eyes at her own self-denial.
Feeling a little left out, Susan and Daphne exchanged a look and smiled, before moving in, Daphne stepping behind Harry and Susan behind Hermione, both plying another layer of soap to their backs and taking the opportunity to wash their hair for them, then the two girls began to kiss, lick, suck, nibble and massage their way down, until the redhead and the blonde both knelt behind the two other teens who were now shamelessly thrusting against and massaging the small blonde Ravenclaw sandwiched between them, who was mewling and whimpering in ecstasy.
Hermione let out a moan, arching her back as she felt Susan’s fingers gently spread her firm globes then felt what could only be her friend’s tongue start to probe against her twitching ring. A strangled gasp from Harry indicated that Daphne had done something similar, though looking down, she saw Daphne grinning up at her, a hand gently working her thumb into their male partner.
Soon, Hermione and Harry were also moaning, gasping and whimpering in pleasure as their two friends worked them over with tongues and fingers. Daphne had re-positioned herself until she was sitting with her back to Harry, and had wormed her head between his legs and was now doing her best to lick his balls as he continued to thrust against a shuddering, whimpering Luna who seemed to be rapidly approaching her first climax, Hermione meanwhile was gasping and moaning into Luna’s shoulder as her buxom companion subjected her to a duel assault of her tongue in her arse and fingers between her own legs, gently working over her inflamed nub and delving into the twitching, wet and hot passage behind her lips.
Susan and Daphne were also working themselves over with their spare hands, the water had already reached the top of the tub, the magical charms preventing it from spilling over as it frothed around their necks.
It didn’t take long for Luna to peak, tilting her head back and crying out, not caring if any of the other partners heard her as she quivered in the arms of her two friends-turned-lovers.
Panting, the group separated, taking a moment to rinse off the last of the shampoo and soap, before Luna tapped one of the runic crystals, the clear one, causing the water and suds vanish, then she tapped one of the coloured ones, then turned to face them as a thick stream of honey landed on her head and started to flow down over her hair and grinning face. Grinning, her hands came up to collect some of the golden liquid before cupping her small breasts as she tilted her head back, letting the stream coat her face.
“We just washed that hair.” Daphne huffed, but found she couldn’t stay mad as she watched Luna move her hands over her body, spreading the thick golden liquid over her chest and stomach, then round her back as she leaned forward, sighing as it ran down her back and over her butt. Then she rubbed over her thighs, then between them, the honey pooling at her feet in a spreading circle.
Idly, Daphne wondered just how much honey, chocolate, milk or syrup this bath could hold, probably several hundred pounds, and at this rate, it would take at least an hour to fill. Susan reached behind Luna and tapped one of the crystals, and the flow of honey changed to chocolate, then with a second tap, the flow increased in pressure, and soon, Luna was completely acted in a stream of dark brown liquid. The chocolate on the floor of the tub had mixed with with the honey, and was starting to fill more, the liquid chocolate had already reached their own feet, and was starting to spread out more.
Then Luna reached out and pulled Susan under the stream of chocolate with a squawk, but soon giggled at the warm tick liquid steadily coating her skin. Soon, the other crystals were activated, and the mix of honey, syrup, milk and chocolate was flowing, under surprising pressure thanks to both of the hot and cold water crystals turned as far as they would go, well, the hot one was, the cold was turned just enough to cool the flow so it would neither get too hot or cold. Soon, all four girls were coated in a layer of thick liquid that had the colour of milk chocolate, but the consistency of sauce. Then the ‘milk’ stream was turned off, and the flow began to thicken.
By the time the liquid had reached their mid-calves, it had already taken on the consistency of custard, and Harry honestly couldn’t tell the girls apart; they were all covered in a layer of brown liquid, giggling, laughing and moaning as they worked at leach other and he stood to one side, just enjoying the view.
He never thought Susan’s off-hand comment about using food in their fun would ever turn into this; the four of them plus Luna literally taking a shower, or bath, in chocolate. He was reminded of that children’s story he’d heard once at primary school long ago, something about a chocolate factory where things happened that, now with the perspective of experience, he had to wonder if Dahl hadn’t been a muggle-born, or at very least, a squib.
Eventually, the fluid level reached the top of the tub, and wouldn’t go any higher, but the stream wasn’t turned off.
“Well, come on then!” One of them said, reaching out a hand. Grinning, Harry waded deeper into the pool, the chocolate mix coming up to just above his knee. A chocolate covered hand grabbed his shaft and pulled him into a sticky group embrace as the four girls sand down into the mix, pulling him with them.
He was then pulled forward, and a chocolate and honey covered breast was pressed into his face, the unspoken instruction clear as the other three girls pressed in, their hands wandering and stroking. Harry closed his mouth and sighed, licking up the thick mix from the breast that apparently belonged to Susan, as he fixed his lips round her nipple and started sucking.
Once she was drained, he turned to Daphne and repeated the process, then Hermione, only to find Luna already nursing happily. A pair of hands coaxed him to stand, and as he did, he was turned round to once again face Susan and Daphne as they both sank down into the mix, and their chocolate coated faces came together as they began to hungrily lick, kiss and suck the chocolate off his hard cock and balls, only to use their hands to apply another coating once it was mostly gone.
“Ya know Sue, this isn’t what I pictured when…oh wow…when you suggested…mmm…mixing food and sex.” He moaned, looking down at them as the two eagerly licked his hard shaft clean a third time.
Susan shrugged “Me neither, I’m honestly surprised Luna remembered I mentioned that.”
Then she stood and pushed him back down into the mix, before turning around and leaning toward, resting her hands on the side of the tub and thrusting her rather nice (and tasty) looking arse towards him.
“Now then, how about you give us that magic tongue of yours, then we can get to your big gift…” she purred. Harry smiled and didn’t waste any time. Soon, Susan was trembling and whimpering, pushing and rolling her hips back against his face while Daphne’s hand worked her over from the front, then he moved down and his tongue joined her hand, and Susan shrieked.
Through the walls, they could faintly hear other moans, clearly the other partners were getting busy too.
-=-
Hannah growled as she rocked her hips, grinding them down against her boyfriend’s face as she leaned in, took his honey-covered shaft into her mouth and sucked. Hard.
The tub they were in was rapidly filling with warm honey and milk, she’d considered the chocolate option, but she didn’t want to eat too much of that. Besides, there was just something so erotic about seeing her shy, blushing boyfriend being turned into a living golden statue as honey was poured over him from the statue over their heads while he posed for her in a way that exhibited all of his best features, in her opinion as a woman.
The fact that he’d also started masturbating for her had been a nice bonus.
She couldn’t wait to see what his honey-covered dick would feel like inside her.
Part of her was honestly jealous of Susan, not for the sharing-her-partner thing, Hannah wasn’t into that, she was a one-partner witch. No, what she was jealous of, was the speed at which Susan was bonding with her partners. She would likely be ready to Bond soon, if she wasn’t already, where as Hannah would have to wait until late July, which, she reasoned, would make a perfect birthday present for her boyfriend.
That was one thing she and Neville would have to prepare for eventually, something she was a little nervous about if she were honest with herself. Neville was kinda big, after all. He certainly stretched her mouth well enough as she took him to the back of her throat, working her tongue and throat muscles over his shaft and the glans as she suckled. She smiled to herself as she felt him stiffen when one of her questing fingers started probing a little behind his scrotum.
She moaned in approval as one of his fingers began to do the same to her and she wiggled her hips against his face in encouragement, pulling off of him for a moment to let him catch his breath before lowering herself again.
Then as she felt her building climax finally start to peak, she went wild, thrashing and grinding against her boyfriend as she cried out her release, the sound muffled by the delicious honeyed meat in her mouth, which she felt pulse and twitch, before her mouth was filled with the salty-savoury taste of her boyfriend’s own release, mixing with the honey she’d already collected, before hungrily gulping it all down, then carrying on, trying to get more.
-=-
Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinet both moaned and grunted as they held hands, looking at each other as their boyfriends eagerly mated them from behind.
The two chasers had been dating Fred and George for the better part of a year now, and both girls had felt they were ready to finalise the Bond with their boyfriends, and the Yule Ball was honestly the best time to do it. When Harry and his girls had shown them this Room of Requirement, and what it could do, that had sealed the deal. Though a slight worry had popped up when the possibility of it already being in use when they decided on the right time, thankfully, it seemed things had worked out in their favour.
Angelina grinned as she felt Fred thrusting vigorously into her, he and George had already used some of that Ton-Tongue Toffee on them, to enthusiastic approval the other night.
Now the boys had moved on to the second stage of the Bonding process, and were vigorously yet gently rutting each of them in the arse, before moving on to the final step, vaginal penetration and the recitation of the oath that would finally complete the Bond.
The four of them had experimented with the extra ‘features’ of this strange shower, but not for long. While they did find the notion kinky, sugar did not make good lube, especially for anal.
Reaching out, Angelina took her friend’s hand as they smiled at each other, smiling and moaning as they felt their boyfriends start to go faster, then they each felt a hand snake between their legs. Good, Fred and George had finally remembered they needed to get off as well.
Not for the first time, the two girls were thankful for the cleaning and lubrication charms they’d discovered in a book in the library the previous year.
With a cry, first Fred, then George finished, each pulling their lover’s hips back against their own hips, burying themselves deep within their lovers. With a keening cry of joy, both girls soon joined them in the sweet bliss of release, both long-since used to having their boyfriends in their back passages.
As they slipped out, both Fred and George took a moment to clean themselves off with the edible soap Luna had provided, the origin of which they still hadn’t learned. The lubrication charms worked wonders on them, and the cleaning charm emptied the girls’ large intestines of all non-living organic matter and gas, a charm apparently used by the Healers at St Mungo’s.
The lubrication spell also formed a magical ‘shield’ around anything that entered the anus, preventing any possibility of contamination, effectively making it a magical condom. Providing all of the benefits, but none of the downsides such as risk of failure, or diminished sensations.
Both Angelina and Alicia grinned at each other as they turned and pounced on their boys.
Soon, both Fred and George were on their backs, their partners mounting them for the final stage. Alicia had mounted George in one of her favourite positions; Amazon. Eagerly she began to work up a steady rythm, she reached down for his hands getting ready for the recitation.
Angelina meanwhile, had mounted Fred and was riding him cowgirl, leaning forward to share a passionate kiss with her boyfriend.
She grasped his hands, palm to palm, fingers interlocked as she ground against him, panting. Her climax was close, which was odd, as she usually didn’t climax this quickly. Part of her wondered if it was that edible soap they’d used.
‘Ready babe?’ She asked across their link as she panted and ground herself particularly hard against his glorious rod.
“Uh huh…you remember, what to say?” Fred asked, his own climax approaching.
“Yes…I…I accept you as you are, and will always hold you close in my heart. I will walk beside you forever.” She panted, grinding her hips down to meet his own thrusts. Tensing, Fred repeated the oath, and the moment he did, he peaked, arching his back and crying out as Angelina’s cry of release joined his, and deep within him, he felt something finally ‘click’ into place, and he became fully aware of his lover, almost as if he were experiencing her senses as his own, and he intrinsically knew that she too, was experiencing his. The sudden sensation of what was effectively a double climax for each of them pushed them over the edge for real a second time, then a third, then a fourth.
It seemed to go on and on and on, so caught up in their mutual feedback loop of orgasmic pleasure that neither noticed George and Alicia reaching their own climax and performing their own Bonding, and joining their companions in the prolonged bliss.
-=-=-=-
“Well, sounds like Angelina and Alicia are having fun.” Padma said as she gently stroked Seamus, while he in turn massaged her breasts.
Dean was busy massaging Parvati’s back, under the guise of washing it, which he’d been doing for about 10 minutes now. Like the twins and their partners, the four of them had decided not to use all the features of shower, preferring to just get washed, have a soak and then head to bed.
“What do you say we follow their example?” Seamus said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Padma rolled her eyes before sinking down to her knees. Shamus moaned as she got to work, while Dean had moved round in front of Parvati and was eagerly licking the soap from her breasts while his eager fingers explored her body, while she licked it from him in turn, letting her own hands explore.
Their movements and actions weren’t as graceful as they would have liked to believe, showing just how inexperienced the boys were when a misplaced finger caused Parvati to flinch back, moving a hand down to stop Dean from going further. A mumbled apology later, and Dean was on his knees kissing and licking Parvati’s chocolate coloured lips and clit, trying to sooth the momentary pain he’d caused.
Soon, Parvati was moaning, leaning back against the side of the bathtub, a hand going to the back of Dean’s head. Padma meanwhile, was busily working Seamus over, but was soon surprised when she heard him groan, felt him tense up, and suddenly flet her mouth fill with a thick salty liquid as he thrust, causing her to choke and pull back, a hand going to her mouth as she coughed, pulling a face as she spat out his cum.
Seamus really needed to work on his diet, and he needed to be gentler with his partners.
“A little warning would be nice.” She coughed.
“Sorry…” Seamus panted, not noticing she’d spat him out.
Padma regarded him as she finished wiping her mouth, trying to get rid of the aftertaste, it was then that she noticed Seamus was starting to flag. ‘Seriously? He’s only good for one round?’ Holding back a sigh of disappointment, she stood, and moved to take a seat next to her sister. Seamus seemed to recover enough to notice her change in demeanour, and realised she wasn’t too impressed by his lack of staying power.
Offering her an apologetic smile, he moved in front of her an sank into the water, putting a hand on her knee and looking up at her searchingly. With a smile, she spread her legs in invitation as she heard her sister moan her approval of Dean’s efforts.
‘Well hopefully, he’ll make up for it.’ She thought, leaning back and closing her eyes as Seamus got to work.
-=-
Luna was sat on the side of the bath, one leg raised, the other down in the chocolate mix, leaning back on one elbow while her other hand furiously rubbed at her chocolate covered - and filled - pussy, panting with effort as she vigorously fingered herself towards her second climax. She’d already peaked once watching Harry eat out Susan’s rather nice looking arse and fanny, and she was looking forward to a repeat of the experience she’d gotten when she’d dragged him into that broom closet. Plus, she reasoned it’d be doubly enjoyable for him now she had a vagina full of a thick mix of chocolate, honey and syrup to offer.
She was currently watching Hermione, Daphne and Susan eagerly feast on their male partner, who honestly looked at a loss. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t know where to look; the three girls feasting on him, or the girl putting on a hedonistic lewd display.
Harry quickly reached his peak with a gasp, jerking his hips towards the three eager tongues while keeping his eyes focused on Luna.
“Mmm… that’s it…cum for us Harry, add your own cream for us you delicious stud.” Susan purred, before ducking her head and dragging her tongue along his balls, licking off the chocolate. The pulses of semen he released, which were quite considerable now, enough for a good mouthful for all 3 of the girls currently licking him, spurted from his shaft and landed in the chocolate, where Hermione’s fingers soon scooped it up, then, with a grin and a wink, she carried it over to the whimpering Luna, who was eyeing the cum-mixed chocolate in her hands with obvious hunger, then with a cheeky smile, Hermione brought the mix to her own lips, taking as much as she could get.
At Luna’s whimpered protest, Hermione then leaned down and pressed her mouth to the blonde’s in a deep kiss, Luna’s mouth eagerly opening to accept her tongue, and the contents of her own mouth. Luna’s whimper turned into a moan as she tasted Harry’s cum for the first time. Lowering herself down onto her back, Luna brought her free hand up around Hermione’s head as she continued to masturbate. When Hermione broke the kiss, the two girls stared at each other, panting.
“What do you want Luna?” Hermione whispered, the aphrodisiac effects of the soap they had used in full effect.
“Dick…” Luna panted “Harry’s dick!”
“Sure you don’t want his tongue first?” Hermione smirked.
“Want to taste him…” Luna whined, before looking up at Harry, her grey eyes blown out with lust. “Harry…please! Need to taste your gorgeous cock.”
“You heard her, come over here Harry, get on top of her and give her what she wants.” Hermione said, beckoning Susan and Daphne to help a recovering Harry across the tub. Harry paused for a moment to grab several of the toffees, popping one into his mouth after taking a moment to push the small piece into Daphne’s chocolate filled vagina, which made her squeal with laughter, idly he wondered, and hoped, that the twins had improved the formula since Dudley’s experience with the test batch. He wasn’t sure how he’d cope with a four foot long tongue as he stepped up next to Luna.
Stepping astride her head, he began to lower himself as his tongue started to grow, he then smiled, and leaned toward, until his face was over Luna’s chocolate covered crotch. Susan and Daphne both moved in to gently push Luna’s legs up and back while also moving her hand which had been furiously working her over. The Ravenclaw whined in protest, clearly she’d been very close to her second release, but that was fine. Harry would give it to her.
As Harry settled himself over the smaller girl, he grunted as he felt her mouth close around his shaft and she started to suck him aggressively. In response, he leaned in, his tongue now about 12 inches long, noting with interest that Susan and Dane had not only pushed Luna’s legs back, but they’d also gently spread her rump for him. Deciding he was done waiting, Harry started to eagerly lick at the meal offered to him, starting with her lower stomach and mound.
Luna moaned, her hands coming up to grip his firm arse as Hermione leaned in to gently lick and kiss his balls while she hungrily nursed his shaft, eagerly taking him to the back of her throat, even though she wasn’t quite ready to do so. Harry moaned into her pussy as he started to suck, pushing his tongue into the clenching sheath of flesh, wiggling it down as it convulsed around him. When he passed, and continued to press against, her g-spot, her hips jerked and she squealed around his shaft, sucking even harder, the vibrations from her voice making him moan. Hermione also started to moan as she worshipped his balls, until she was joined by Daphne, who started to help her while Susan remained by Luna’s hips. When he bottomed out and pressed against her cervix, he blinked in surprise at just how deep he’d gone, then wiggled his tongue against the tight ring of muscle, causing Luna to whimper around his shaft as she started to buck her hips, he then started to thrust his tongue in and out of her, effectively fucking her.
The reaction from Luna was immediate, and she went wild, bucking and thrashing her hips as her climax hit her like a troll’s club, and her vagina started to rhythmically constrict around his thrusting tongue as he continued to draw out all the chocolate he could. Whimpers from Luna made him hesitate, especially when he mentally asked Hermione if she was okay, and his first lover remarked that she was crying. Worried that he was hurting her, he started to pull out, only to yelp when she bit him.
‘I don’t think she wants you to stop lover.’ Hermione said with a giggle, ‘In fact, I’ve got an idea…’
‘Wait, what? Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ he asked as her idea lifted into his thoughts through the lust and pleasure clouding his mind.
‘Don’t worry, she should have used a cleaning charm before we started that completely empties the large intestine, but just in case.’
A moment later, Susan’s wand appeared just in front of his face, and two muttered spells he didn’t recognise were cast, the end of the wand pointed straight at his next target.
As Luna’s convulsions slowed, and her vagina’s death-grip on his tongue lessened, he pulled out, moaning at the extra strong suck of protest from Luna while Hermione and Daphne continued to work his balls, his own climax building rapidly now. Harry then dragged his tongue over the first muscles of Luna’s upper thighs, her perineum and the valley between the globes of her rump. He felt Luna tense as his tongue passed her back passage, before he began to probe it with the tip of his tongue.
“It’s okay Luna, just relax.” Susan said gently, the phantom sensations she was getting from Harry were quite extraordinary. She thought she’d be used to it by now, in fact, they’d gotten so used to the ‘shared sensations’ that they barely noticed them anymore, yet now, they seemed to be more prominent.
Luna did relax, eventually, and Harry slid his tongue gently into her back door, surprised to find there was no unpleasant taste, and the deeper he worked his tongue, the stranger the sensations felt.
He felt and heard Luna moan around him, her legs flexing, her hands gripping his butt tightly, then with a grin, he imagining he was talking to a serpent, and started to hiss.
Luna Lovegood screamed her response, the vibrations from her scream made him tremble as she started thrashing under him, her hips started bucking as the vibrations from his tongue spread out from her and she came a third time, his neck and upper chest getting drenched by a spray of liquid as she squirted. Within seconds she was openly sobbing around his cock, sucking and nursing on it desperately, trying to force him to cum.
It honestly didn’t take long. With a muffled groan and a hiss, which triggered another climax for Luna, Harry came. Thick, warm liquid that seemed to Luna to have the consistency of honey suddenly filled her mouth. She moaned around his cock at her first ever taste of semen, the salty flavour mixing rather nicely with the chocolate she’d sucked and licked off of him.
A second spurt soon followed, and she was forced to swallow or risk choking. Several more spurts followed, the consistency changing, becoming less thick, easier for her to handle and swallow, which she did with gusto as she hungrily gulped him down, all the while still crying with the pleasure of her release as she pressed her lips urgently to his base, sucking even harder, which only made him groan and hiss more, which in turn, sent more euphoric sensations through her body.
“Holy shit, was not expecting that reaction.” Daphne said, giving Harry’s firm left cheek a lick before pulling back, as Harry raised himself up and rolled to the side, into the bathtub as Luna lay panting, chest heaving as she whimpered in bliss.
Harry reached over and grabbed another of the toffees, a white one this time, and ate it, his tongue returning to normal soon after. When he was finally able to speak, he turned and looked at Luna, who now had her head in Hermione’s lap. “Is she okay? Think I might have overdone it.”
“She’ll be fine.” Hermione said as she helped Luna get back into the warm chocolate.
“Now then Harry, I think it’s time we give you your Christmas gift from all of us. Which of us do you want to do first?”
Harry thought for a moment, as Susan and Daphne joined them, and Luna started to regain her faculties.
“Hm, how about you Hermione? Though I’m not really sure what your gift could be.” Harry said.
In response, Hermione smiled and stood, slowly turning until her back was to him, then she leaned forward and thrust her hips back. “Your gift tonight, is us. The Bonding requires anal sex, and we all agreed it was time we started getting some practice. That’s your gift, both to you and to ourselves.” Then, looking over her shoulder at him, her expression turned very sultry, “Harry, I want you to fuck. My. Bum.” Reaching back, she used her hands to spread herself open for emphasis.
“Us too.” Susan said, turning her own back and presenting herself to him, Daphne did likewise. “Luna too, once she recovers. Don’t worry, we’ve all used the cleaning and lubrication charms. It’s completely safe.”
Harry was speechless, his erection, which had subsided, as much as it did these days anyway, started to return as what they were asking for fully sank in. It was almost like he didn’t have a refractory period anymore. “Does…does this mean you’re ready? To Bond?” he asked. The three girls exchanged looks, before Hermione shook her head.
“No, we just figured it was best to get a fair amount of practice in and get ourselves accustomed for when we are ready for that. Now, if there are no more questions, Harry Potter… Bugger me!”
The sight of his beautiful, and scarily brilliant girlfriend leaning over against the side of the bathtub with her arse being pushed back towards him in invitation had a remarkable affect on his recovery. He stepped up behind her, looking down at the usually pale skin now covered in a thick layer of chocolate, the firm curves of her bum now just inches from his now hard shaft, which throbbed with need. Between those beautiful globes of muscle he easily made out the winking ring of her anus, beckoning him in, inviting him.
He stepped forward and took hold of her hips to steady her, as a chocolate covered hand took hold of his own covered shaft and held the head, foreskin already retracted, against the twitching ring of muscle while a body, he was pretty sure it was Daphne, embraced him from behind, holding him steady.
Hermione grit her teeth in concentration, then slowly started to push back, relaxing her sphincter enough, she felt her lover start to enter her slowly, then with a single backward thrust, his chocolate covered glans was enveloped by her anus, Hermione moaned with pleasure as she clamped down on the intrusion, panting a little as she grew accustomed to the feeling. ‘Funny, I don’t remember him being this big…’ she thought.
Harry meanwhile was breathing hard with restrained effort. The instant he felt her anus close around his glans and squeeze, something within him clicked, as if a mental switch had just been tripped in his brain, and suddenly, his mind was filled with instincts, impulses, impulses and drives he never new he had. It was the oddest thing, suddenly it was like every instinct he had was telling him to thrust, to drive himself into this female and breed her for all he was worth, it was what he was meant to do after all, he was nothing but her personal breeding stud, to breed her, cum for her and give her as much pleasure as she wanted, as much cum as he could produce, no matter his own needs or wants. To be completely subject to her wants, whims, desires and lust, to be her toy, to be used for her pleasure whenever she wanted to.
‘Wait…what? Where the bloody hell had THAT come from?!’ he thought. Another impulse came over him, and he had to struggle to stay focused. Was this another aspect of the curse? Was it compelling him to submit to Hermione? Compelling him to let himself be turned into a human sex toy? Why hadn’t Fleur warned them about this happening? This hadn’t happened during all those times Hermione had sucked him off, nor when Daphne and Susan had joined, so why now?
“Hmm…that’s hot.” Daphne whispered into his ear as she pressed herself against his back, reaching down, she cupped his balls gently. “You’re still so full, just don’t spend it all inside her, leave some for the rest of us. You’ve got three more arses to fuck after hers.” The blonde then thrust toward, pressing her own crotch into the flesh of his ass and driving his hips toward, just as Susan and a mostly recovered Luna took hold of Hermione’s hips and gently started to work her backward, and centimetre by centimetre, with each small thrust, his rock hard shaft slid into the exquisite tightness of Hermione’s body, until he bottomed out, his hips sitting flush with the round cheeks of her bum, and he was fully berried inside her. Daphne even gigged and lifted his testicles, pressing them against Hermione’s labia.
Hermione meanwhile, had her eyes screwed shut and teeth bared as she moaned at the odd, yet wonderful sensation of being slowly filled. Her instincts and muscles worked in random, trying to expel what was slowly entering her, yet all it did was provide more stimulation as her internal muscles massaged the shaft, and she felt it slide in. As he slowly slid in, she felt something within her mind shift, and she was suddenly overcome with new instincts and desires, all of which were at odds with how she normally thought and acted. All she was aware of was that she was being penetrated by a male, a revile male who had lots of cum in his balls, ready to give her as much as she could ever possibly want. Her mind was being filled with impulses and desires, all of which told her to take that seed, to milk the male for all he had to give, and then more. To drain him dry, to fuck him and use him for her own pleasure, as that was all he was meant to do.
‘Whoa whoa WHOA! What the hell? Where did that come from?’ she thought.
‘You too huh?’ came Harry’s confused voice in her mind, she bowed her head and groaned at the wonderful sensation of being filled.
‘Yes…I don’t know where it came from, but I’ve suddenly got the urge to just fuck you senseless until you've got nothing left to give and just keep going.’
A mental chuckle echoed through her head. ‘Same, though in my case, that urge was telling me to just submit to your wishes and let you take what you wanted, kind of odd that it should kick in now. Must be part of the curse.’
After a moment, Hermione collected her thoughts and slowly rocked her hips, whimpering at the exquisite sensations within her that were so new.
‘I…I think you’re right, it’s just something we’ll have to be conscious of going forward, don’t let it dictate your actions Harry. You’re subject to nobody’s whims, least of all mine, unless my whim is for you to shag my arse so much I won’t be able to sit down for a week.’ She added with a chuckle.
‘Alright then.’
Taking hold of her hips, he started to gently ease Hermione forward, until just his head remained within her, his shaft mostly wiped clean of chocolate, but Daphne soon took care of that, then he started to slowly thrust back in.
“Ooooooh!” Hermione moaned through gritted teeth as he slowly thrust back in. After a few minutes of gentle thrusting, he started to slowly pick up speed, until he’d picked up a steady rhythm. Daphne meanwhile was still pressed against his back, grinding her own mound against his arse as they trust, panting as she felt her own climax slowly start to build. She gripped his hips and started her own thrusts, matching his pace so that when he pulled out of Hermione, she pulled him back against her pussy and thrust forward.
“How does she feel, lover?” Daphne panted, the phantom sensations the Bond caused letting her feel the tightness of Hermione around his shaft as if it were her clitoris thrusting into the other girl. The odd sensations of having her clit squeezed and rubbed even though it wasn’t was still rather unusual. She wondered if Susan and Hermione were feeling the same thing. After all, they had each felt it when they, and Luna, had sucked him off, then when he had tongued Luna’s insides. In fact, Daphne, Susan and Hermione had each struggled to suppress their own reactions to feeling Harry’s reactions to Luna’s climax so they could pay enough attention to both of them.
“I think you know how it feels Daph…” Hermione panted. Next to her Susan nodded, moaning herself.
“Wasn’t gonna say anything, but yeah, I can feel it as if he’s fucking my arse, and my clit is fucking you…it’s really weird to be honest…”
“Oh, you’re experiencing shared sensations?” Luna asked dreamily, as she leaned in against both Harry and Hermione, one of her hands going down to cup Hermione’s right breast.
“Yes…” Hermione panted as her hips rocked and gyrated around the poisoning cock.
“Don’t worry, once you Bond, you’ll be able to fully control that.” Luna said.
“We already can, to an extent.” Susan said. Luna nodded.
“You can ‘mute’ the mental and emotional connection, but not the physical one. Once you each Bond, you’ll be able to do that too.”
“Enough talk!” Hermione suddenly growled. “Give me your cum Harry! Cum in my arse! Fill me with your warm seed you gorgeous virile stud!”
Inside her head, Hermione heard Harry chuckle, ‘So much for not letting these new urges take over huh?’
‘Shut up and CUM!’
‘Yes dear.’
Gradually, he picked up speed, and soon, Hermione was reduced to a moaning puddle being held up by himself, Luna and Susan as Daphne helped him rut her. Her hand cupping his balls against Hermione’s pussy tightened a little as she felt them pull up, his climax close, then, Harry gave a sudden thrust and hilted himself in Hermione, then the spurting started.
“Yeeeessss! Ooooh! Fuuuuck!” Hermione cried, as her own climax washed over her and she went wild, thrashing and bucking back against him as she felt liquid warmth start to fill her. Harry slumped forward onto her back, and Daphne followed as she shivered, started to thrust against him in earnest, soon she was panting herself, grunting as she ground her clit against the firm globes of muscle, causing him to rock toward into Hermione, who continued to clench around him, milking even more cum from him as she too moaned.
“Wooo! Attagirl! Ride that stud like a Hippogriff!” Susan cheered. Daphne grinned, pleasure surging through her as her climax started to reach critical, and she started to grunt, grinding her clit and lips against Harry, until she arched her back, throwing her head back as she gave Harry a rather recessive thrust, and her own climax hit her like a Bludger.
For Harry, it was a…novel experience, to say the least. Finally, he gently pulled back from Hermione, the cleaning and lubrication charms she’d used made sure he was as clean coming out as he was going in, so additional cleaning wasn’t needed. Gathering himself, he turned to Susan, Daphne and Luna, who were all eyeing him hungrily.
“Okay ladies, who wants to go next?”
-=-=-=-
Fleur sighed as she gazed down at the unconscious Viktor Krum under her. He’d lasted longer than she thought he would, but even his resistance to her allure, which had been stronger than most at the castle, had crumbled as soon as he was inside her. It hadn’t taken him long to break, to be pushed past his limit and pass out under the combined effects of her allure and what her body was capable of doing, but he’d lasted longer than most of his peers likely would have.
She’d tasted him of course, and she’d found his flavour rather pleasant. Judging by what she’d been able to piece together, he was a decent enough guy, honourable, kind and loyal. He would make a lucky girl happy one day, assuming he could find one who didn’t just see his fame.
But the fact that he hadn’t been able to stand up to her allure for long meant it wouldn’t be her. As a general rule, men who were especially susceptible to the allure generally made poor partners, and only average lovers. Those who could resist the allure were more attractive, as they demonstrated greater strength of will, as well as magical prowess.
A strong-willed partner who could better resist a Veela’s allure, was less likely to be stolen. Usually, anyway. Sometimes, a male chose to leave the one who had claimed him go with a rival, thankfully such occurrences were rare.
And while Viktor had been concerned about the risk of pregnancy, she had assured him it wasn’t a concern. The odds of him getting her pregnant were low, especially considering she hadn’t taken any potions or performed the rites to increase the odds.
She’d also asked him, after their second round, before he’d passed out after the third, if he’d had any experiences with Veela in the past. She knew about the Bulgarian national team’s mascots of course, and apparently, their manager had forbidden the players to have any contact with the Veela mascots outside of the playing field, so the answer to her question was a ‘no’.
What resistance he had displayed, he’d evidently built up during his exposure to their allure during matches on the pitch, but never up close.
Pity.
As she looked down at his now unconscious form, she sighed. While he was a good fuck, he wouldn’t not make a good partner for her. Not that she was actively looking, but her instincts compelled her to hunt for prey, for males, though she had been able to keep herself in check for the past couple of months.
With an audible ‘gulp’ her womb swallowed the last of his cum, and she laid down on his chest, letting sleep take her.
-=-=-=-
With a gasp, Susan slowly lowered herself onto the hard rod of flesh as it slowly penetrated her rear. Hermione holding her steady as she herself crouched over Harry’s face, gasping and moaning as he hungrily feasted on both her vagina and the chocolate pouring out of it.
With a mental command from Luna, the portion of the bath they’d been sitting in had raised up, enough to provide a flat surface for Harry to lay on while Susan and Hermione had got into position.
“Oh Morgana that’s nice…” Susan breathed as she fully hilted him in her back door.
Under Hermione, Harry moaned into her slit as he continued to feast. Through the lust clouding his mind, he idly hoped none of them would be sick from eating too much chocolate, but that concern was soon forgotten in the haze of bliss flooding his senses, from eating out the beautiful young woman perched on his face, to the wonderful tightness slowly sliding up his shaft, squeezing it tightly in a wonderful way.
He could definitely get used to this, he decided.
He’d decided to forego using Parseltongue while eating out Hermione, it wasn’t like they were in a hurry or anything, even though he knew it was late, long past midnight even, but he didn’t care, plus using Parseltongue took a certain amount of concentration, and he was too distracted by what Susan was doing and focusing on Hermione.
Pausing his efforts for a moment, he brought one of the small toffees he’d grabbed before his session with Luna, and popped it into his mouth, his tongue once again extending, this time finding a snug embrace as it slid up into Hermione, and it didn’t stop until he hit her cervix, and started to lick it.
Hermione squirmed, shuddered, laughed, moaned and gasped, eyes going wide and unfocused, her body writhing on top of her lover’s face as she felt that nimble, dexterous appendage slowly undulate and worm it’s way up inside her, her muscles clenching around it, trying to keep it still, but failing. The novel sensation of it moving inside her in a way nothing else ever had, along with the phantom sensation of his cock in her rectum was diving her wild.
It didn’t take long for Hermione to peak however, and the final rush of chocolate flowed from her pulsing opening, along with a fair amount of sweet arousal. As Hermione panted and moaned, grinding herself down on her lover’s face, she looked around, tiredly, at her companions. Susan was building herself up to a good speed, her hips bouncing on Harry’s cock, her butt meeting his hips with wonderful slaps and splashes of chocolate.
After Hermione had come down from her high, she unsteadily raised herself up, and with a slurp Harry’s tongue slid out of her, then he quickly ate another white toffee, shrinking his tongue again.
“Oh yeah…mmm…oh fuck, that’s it, shag my arse you gorgeous dick!” Susan moaned, enjoying the sweet sensation of being filled, while also experiencing the phantom sensations of having her vagina filled, it was truly an amazing experience.
If any of them had been more lucid, they might have questioned her choice of words, but as it was, Harry and Susan were too far gone to notice her slip, so, as Hermione slipped off of his face, pausing a moment to let Harry’s tongue lick and probe a few times at her own back door before pulling away, he then raised his head and grabbed Susan’s luscious hips and started to thrust his hips, meeting her downward thrusts.
“Mmmm!” Susan definitely approved of this move, and showed it by pushing her hips down, slamming them into his with a meaty Slap! Slap! Slap!
“Oh fuck! Yes! Oooh!” Unbeknown to either of the others, Susan had also started to notice the new urges that had suddenly taken her the moment she’d fully taken Harry, but unlike both Hermione and Harry, she was too far gone at this point to really question them, and so just went with it.
As far as she was now concerned, she had a virile and gorgeous male under her, working his beautiful male flesh in and out of her, breeding her arse. Sure, it wasn’t her pussy, which was where the male should be putting his seed, but it didn’t matter to her at that moment, he was doing what he was meant to do, so why shouldn’t she encourage him?
She could almost picture it in her lust-fogged mind; her belly swollen with the next generation, and not just her, but Hermione and Daphne too. He would give her many children for the Bones family, as well as many for Hermione and Daphne…yes…he would make the perfect breeding stud!
‘No…’ a whisper echoed through her mind, but her lust-addled consciousness didn’t acknowledge it immediately, ‘He IS the perfect breeding stud…’
Reaching down, she gently took hold of his testicles, cradling them in her hand as best she could. “Give me your cum! I can feel it in your balls! They’re so full still…come on stud, let it all go in me! Fill me! Cum cum CUM!”
Her last commands came out as a bellow of lust and need as she slammed her hips down into his so hard it hurt, then she squeezed him with all her strength, trying to milk him.
With a groan, Harry’s vision went white and he started to cum, his body tensing as the spurting started, and his moans and cries joined hers.
It seemed to go on forever, his balls tightened, cock throbbed, then swelled, then the first pulsing spurt of thick seed flowed into Susan’s clenching bowls, and her climax hit her, and she fell backward onto his front, his arms going around her to stroke her stomach, her breasts, and her pussy as she started to shudder with her climax, her muscles working overtime to milk every drop of sperm from him that she could.
Harry wasn’t sure how long he lay there as Susan lay on his front, shuddering as she came around him, her tight ring squeezing him tightly as his hands leisurely caressed her front, breasts, thighs and pussy. Eventually, Susan rolled off of him, only to be replaced by Daphne, who mounted him in the cowgirl position, wincing slightly as she felt his tip gently tap her back passage.
It was quite the sight as she slowly sank down onto him, her face scrunched up in effort until she relaxed as the firm muscles of her bum came to rest on his hips and thighs as he reached up, taking hold of her breasts, and started to gently squeeze. She moaned, then leaned forward, shifting from her toes to her knees. Her face came down and she kissed him passionately, both of them gasping and breathing heavily. Then she lifted one of her breasts to his face, and he latched on.
Harry wasn’t sure where his extra reserves were coming from, but he was happy for them as he felt the tight ring of muscle slide up and down his shaft, then he felt something prod the top of his shaft and he looked down, to see one of her hands busily working between her spread legs, the liquid chocolate dripping out of her. Harry’s breathing was ragged, panting with exertion as he moved his own hips, thrusting up into her gently, meeting her downward thrusts.
“Oooooaaah! Oh baby…this…this feels…sooo good…ugh…I can feel you…inside me…mmm!”
Daphne didn’t take long to reach her climax, seeing as she’d already reached one while he’d been tending to Hermione. She went wild when she came, bucking, thrusting and gyrating her hips as she worked herself over on his hard shaft, her back arching as she felt him cum within her body. She barely noticed the new urges that seemed to surface as she started to work him over, so as a consequence, she didn’t question it.
“Da-Daphne…” he stammered as she panted above him, here eyes wide and wild with lust, hunger and desire.
“Do it…Do it Stud…cum in me…fill me…fill my body with your delicious seed you beautiful penis!”
Had Daphne been more cognisant, she would have corrected herself, or questioned why she’d called him that, but like Susan and Hermione, she was so overcome with her emotions that she barely noticed. Harry did notice, but decided not to say anything. Why ruin the mood?
With a groan and an arched back, he thrust up as she slammed down one final time and squeezed. His balls twitched, then the spurts started, and Daphne’s intestines were bathed in the seed she so desperately wanted. With a scream of ecstasy, she came around him, going crazy with pleasure as she writhed on top of him.
Finally, she slumped forward to lay on his heaving chest, idling licking up some of the chocolate on his chest that had started to set.
After a few minutes, he finally came back to awareness as Daphne moved off of him and into the embrace of Hermione and Susan, while Luna cast her own cleaning charm on him again, then once again covered his shaft in warm chocolate, then with a wink, she got up onto the platform he’d just vacated as it lowered down into the chocolate, the liquid chocolate coming up to her stomach and breasts, as she looked back at him, and wiggled her rump.
“Fuck my bum Harry! Fuck me until I can’t sit down for a week!” The kinky little blonde implored huskily.
Panting, Harry approached Luna from behind. Reaching down, he gripped her hips with one hand, then three more reached down, two spreading Luna’s cheeks, while the third took his other hand and placed it on her hips, then took hold of his cock, and held it against the tight little opening that winked as she pushed back against him.
He felt Susan press in behind him, as she held his shaft steady, and he felt his tip press and grind against the tight ring of Luna’s anus, which twitched a little, giving a little, then she moved forward, but quickly returned, pushing back a little more. Harry held his breath as he felt, and saw, Luna’s entrance slowly open as his chocolate covered glans gradually disappeared, until with a pop, the ring of muscle swallowed the blunt head and clenched.
He was in.
Luna squeaked, a high-pitched moan coming from her clenched teeth as she gasped, her face hovering just above the surface of the chocolate mix with rippled with her heavy breathing as she collected herself, then, to Harry’s surprise, she pushed back. Either she had a high tolerance to pain, cast a numbing charm on her backside when no-one was looking — though he doubted that considering her reaction to his Parseltongue — or she was just that impatient, as her backward thrust sank nearly a third of his shaft into her tight entrance. She shivered and whined, gasping as he held on, his body tensing as hers did.
“Easy Luna…don’t…don’t force it, we don’t want you hurting yourself.” Harry panted. A squeeze from Susan’s arms and smiles from Daphne and Hermione showed they approved of his concern for Luna.
“I can…take it.” The little blond panted. “Now put the rest in and shag me! Shag me until I can’t sit or walk!” she demanded, arching her spine and rocking her hips. He felt one of Susan’s hands move down to cup his balls, and she moaned into his ear.
“You still have some left, so why don’t you do as she asks, and give her some more, hmm?”
Then Harry started moving again, slowly sinking the rest of his length into the waif of a blonde. It was slow going, but after a few minutes, he was gently thrusting in and out of her, the lubrication charm providing enough give so his pace was slow but steady and gentle, and soon, Luna was thrusting back to meet him, and they soon fell into a rhythm, their hips coming together repeatedly, the only sounds besides that and the splashes of the chocolate, were Luna’s gasps and moans, accompanied by the sighs and whispers of encouragement of the other three girls.
Soon Luna started moving her hips faster, trying to encourage him to speed up, but he made sure not to go too fast, but Luna was persistent. She wanted him to bugger her until she couldn’t sit or walk, and she made it clear she was going to get what she wanted.
Harry grunted with effort as his mind sank into bliss, and he lost track of time, all he could focus on was the sight and feel of Luna’s tight hole sliding along the length of his hard shaft, and the Slap-Slap-Slap of her cute little bum meeting his thrusting hips. As he felt his climax start to build, he also felt Susan’s fingers holding his balls squeeze them ever so gently, trying to encourage him to cum. He didn’t even realise that Susan was thrusting against him the same way Daphne had until she moaned her own release, Daphne and Hermione soon joining her, apparently the phantom sensations they were all feeling on their clits provided just enough stimulation for them.
With a cry, he screwed his eyes shut, arched his back and thrust into Luna’s tight anus as his climax finally peaked, and his cum splashed into her waiting, eager body in warm, creamy spurts. Luna went crazy with lust, pushing her hips back, trying to take him even deeper, then when that didn’t work, she started gyrating them, causing his still spurting shaft to move inside her.
When at last, the spurts stopped, he slowly slid out of her and sat down, exhausted, but an idea struck him as Daphne and Hermione helped Luna down so she could recover. Popping another of the toffees into his mouth, he turned and grabbed Susan’s hips, slid in front of her as he lowered himself enough, and pushed his growing tongue as deep into her pussy as he could get it, until he reached her cervix.
Something she eagerly approved of, as she grabbed his head to hold him steady as she started to thrust her hips. It didn’t take her long to peak. He then moved on to Daphne, giving her the same treatment, which she eagerly accepted with a happy, tired grin.
Finally, when each of the girls had had their turn with both his dick and his tongue, the consensus was made that it was time to call it a night. Using the clear crystal, the bath was magically emptied, the chocolate vanishing, both from the pool and their bodies, though they had to use the water to get all of it off and out of them.
By the time the four stumbled, half asleep from exhaustion into the bedroom, Hermione noted on the wall clock that it was 2:30am in the morning.
But that was the last thing she was aware of as they all piled onto the bed, and finally, finally, passed out.
-=-=-=-
As awareness slowly came back to Luna, she found herself smiling at the warmth surrounding her as she took stock of her surroundings.
She was curled up, sandwiched between two other bodies, both female, both warm, soft, and as wonderfully naked as she was. A smile started to stretch across her still drowsy face, the memories of the night before trickling into her consciousness. She sighed, letting out a slight moan as she became aware of the wonderful soreness from her bum, the arm that was draped over her waist and the hand resting against her crotch, the pair of soft boobs pressed into her shoulder blades, and the leg that was pinned between her own, spreading them just enough for that hand to go places. The smile grew.
Last night had been one of many firsts for Luna Lovegood.
And she’d already decided, she wanted more. Much more.
And the best way for her to do that was to try and arrange things so she could spend more time in bed with her new friends, or would that be lovers now?
The simplest way to do that was for her to switch to Gryffindor from Ravenclaw, but a house transfer like that wasn’t done unless it was absolutely necessary. The staff wouldn’t just put her in Gryffindor if she just asked. The fastest and easiest way to do that would be to have someone cast the Gift on her, or figure out a way to cast it on herself.
But that was a drastic measure, and one she doubted her current bed-mates would really approve of. Still…
There was another option however, it was more long-term, but the end result would be the same. She just needed to ask permission from the Alpha first.
Speaking of…she lifted her head and opened her eyes, looking round, noting the sea of red hair in front of her that was Susan’s sleeping form, breathing deeply, though she seemed to be slowly waking. Looking over her left shoulder, Luna saw the darker blonde hair of Daphne immediately behind her, though she couldn’t see Harry or Hermione anywhere.
“Mmm…Luna?” Came the tired, but happy sounding voice of Susan, who had moved so she could see the blonde. Luna turned back to face the redhead, whose eyes had opened just a little, showing how drowsy the girl was, but she looked satisfied, very satisfied.
“Good morning Susan. Sleep well?” Luna asked.
“Mmm…wonderfully. Last night was great.”
Luna gave a slight nod in the affirmative as she felt the arm around her start to move, and heard a yawn behind her as Daphne roused herself.
“Mornin’.” She slurred, still mostly asleep.
“Morning sleepyhead.” Susan grinned as she propped herself up, not even trying to cover her breasts, letting Luna get an eyeful, which was fine, she’d seen and done a lot more the night before.
“Are your bums as sore as mine is? Don’t think I’ll be sitting down today.” Luna asked with a yawn.
Daphne snorted as she too started to move, looking for the other two bed-mates. “Yes, it is. And that’ll teach you not to demand a certain stud shag your arse raw until you can’t sit down. Speaking of the stud, where is he?”
Susan and Luna looked around, the ‘bed’ they had all been sleeping on, which was actually more of a giant beanbag, but couldn’t see a trace of their two missing companions. Their gazes went to the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar, and the sound of running water became evident.
“Well, guess that answers that. Wanna join ‘em? Susan asked as she crawled off the bag and stood. Smiling, Luna and Daphne soon joined her.
“Yes, lets. I have a question I want to ask Hermione, and yes, my bum is still sore from last night. But it was worth it.” Luna said, as she gave the redhead a quick hug and a squeeze, before skipping to the bathroom door and opening it.
They found Hermione reclining against the side of the bathtub, Harry kneeling between her spread legs as she moaned, the shower fixture above them dowsing them with warm water, the same ornately carved fixture Luna had put on her show under the night before, the carved visage of the goddess Aphrodite smiling down at them all. Daphne tilted her head as she looked at the statue’s face, and she could have sworn the eyes flicked up to meet her own, and the pleased smile it wore turned hungry.
Come to think of it, hadn’t the statue watched them all last night? She was certain the statue had regarded them all with approval as they’d showered, in both water and liquid sugar and chocolate, while having sex.
“Morning you two, I see you started without us. Hope you didn’t steal all his cream Hermione.” Susan said, grinning as she moved to get into the tub with her friends.
“Mor-Morning, hah! N-No…I saved…some…ohhhh.” The brunette moaned.
“Good, ‘cause we’re hungry.” Susan said. Luna paused as she finished getting into the warm water, which was about waist deep. The ‘bath’ was more like a small pool.
“Last night was lots of fun. Thank you.” She said, smiling. Hermione smiled back at her, her face flushed, and not just from the humidity of the bath.
“You’re welcome.”
“Actually, I have a question to ask.” Luna said.
Hermione blinked, trying to focus herself and concentrate past the wonderful work her boyfriend was doing. “Sure.”
“May I start Bonding with Harry?”
Hermione blinked as she opened her mouth to respond before snapping it shut, and the orgasm her lover was rapidly pushing her to wasn’t helping her concentration either.
“Its not rea-really up to…meee!” Hermione gasped as her climax finally hit, she clamped her thighs around the mop of black hair between them and the three other girls all smiled as they heard a gulping noise from the boy sat in the tub, the water coming up his shoulders.
“Well, I figured I’d ask you since you are the Alpha.” Luna said. Daphne quirked an eyebrow as she brought a hand up to her full breasts, giving them a little heft, slightly surprised at how quickly they’d refilled.
“Didn’t realise we had a ranking system.” She commented.
“We don’t.” Hermione sighed as she pushed Harry’s face away from her well-licked labia before sinking down into the water and kissing him. “The rest of your breakfast is here.”
Harry snorted after their kiss and he turned to smile wistfully in greeting at the other three girls as they smiled back at him, and he moved to hug each of them. “Morning ladies, sleep well?”
“We did, we slept very well.” Susan said, drawing him in for a deep kiss, not caring that she could still taste Hermione on him. “Hope you’re still hungry, ‘cause the girls are full again.” She said with a giggle.
Harry rolled his eyes, giving Susan a quick kiss on the lips before moving to Daphne then Luna. “At this rate, I might as well just go an a full liquid diet and let you lot eat all the regular food, and I’ll just stick to sucking your tits and fannys.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” Luna said as she reached down into the water, taking hold of his hard shaft, and cooing as she felt him tense up. “But neither of you answered my question. May I Bond with you?”
“Is that what you want?” Harry asked, taking Luna’s face in-hand, looking deep into her silver-grey eyes as Daphne and Susan embraced him from behind. Luna held his gaze for a moment, then nodded firmly.
“Last night was truly magical, and I mean that. Not just the sex, but the dance, what you all did for me after mummy’s dress was destroyed, I will never forget that, and the acceptance you showed me here in this room last night after the dance, that was wonderful, and I want more of that.”
Harry thought her words over as Daphne and Susan started to kiss and lick his neck from both sides, it was sort of distracting, but not by much. Bonding with Luna, without the Gift being in play, would take most of the year, or at least 9 months, meaning they’d be ready to fully Bond by the start of the next school year. Could he really handle having an extra girl to service? He already had his hands full with Daphne, Susan and Hermione on a daily basis, but the more he thought about it, and remembered the night before, and how enthusiastic Luna had been…
He’d honestly never pegged the shy, reclusive and rather aloof little Ravenclaw to be so eager. While she had been a bit shy at first, she’d taken to it rather quickly.
“Well, if that’s what you want, I guess I don’t really see any harm in it. I’m gonna have to be careful though, at this rate, people will think I’m trying to steal all the girls.” He snorted. The others laughed with him. Then Luna leaned forward and kissed him deeply.
“Thank you. Now, while you help relieve Susan and Daphne of their morning pressure, I’ll get started.” And with that, she pushed him until he was sitting on the side of the bath, and sank down into the water between his legs, looking up at him as she closed her mouth around his still swollen glans as she saw Daphne and Susan move in once more, each lifting a breast for him to suckle on. His moan was quickly silenced as a nipple was pushed into his mouth and he started to drink from Susan, who sighed as the pressure started to ease up.
-=-=-=-
When they finally all emerged, refreshed and well fed, and in Harry’s case, very well fed, they were all pleasantly surprised to find their school clothes neatly folded and waiting for them on separate hampers, the large beanbag they’d all slept on was still there however.
“I wonder how the others are doing.” Harry muttered as he started pulling on his trousers, noticing that there wasn’t any underwear set out for him. ‘Guess I won’t be needing it anymore.’ He thought.
“If what we heard last night is any indication? Probably very well indeed. I still don’t understand the point of making the walls so thin we’d be able to hear the others shagging Luna.” Hermione said as she moved to slip on her blouse, noting that her bra wasn’t among the set out clothes. Her periwinkle blue dress that she’d worn the night before was gone, presumably to be washed and laundered, as was the dresses and suit the others had worn, the only exception being the ice dress Luna had worn. That made Hermione pause.
Luna had asked the room to give them something to sleep on that wouldn’t disintegrate while she slept on it, so it had given them a beanbag made of synthetic fabric.
‘Hmm…I wonder…’
“Luna, we need to see if that jinx on you has warn off yet, and if it hasn’t, I think I might have an idea how you can still wear clothes. I know you like being naked, but the rest of the staff likely wouldn’t approve.” Hermione said, turning to the younger blonde, despite the fact she herself was still naked from the waist down, having not put on her knickers, socks or skirt yet.
Five minutes and the loss of an old cotton nightie later proved the jinx was still very much there, so Hermione asked the room to create a set of school robes and a skirt for Luna that wouldn’t deteriorate.
When the group stepped out into the small atrium and met up with their friends, they were surprised to find Luna fully dressed in her school robes.
“Oh, that jinx on you wore off Luna?” Hannah asked, the girl looking very satisfied, and well rested. Next to her, Neville also looked well rested, and very happy. Harry was happy for his friend. He wasn’t sure how far he and Hannah had gone, but if the moans they’d heard from Hannah the night before, along with the other girls present, it was clear the two of them, indeed, all the couples, had greatly enjoyed their night.
“No.” Luna said aloofly, her eyes once again rather wide. “I’m wearing something made from what Hermione calls Polyester and Nylon. Apparently, they get really uncomfortable in warm weather, though by the summer, clothing won’t be an issue for me.” Luna replied casually.
“Huh, I wonder how Fleur and Viktor got on last night.” Seamus said, drawing chuckles from the others.
“Considering he was with Fleur, rather lucky I’d say.” Dean grinned. The others chuckled.
“So, how did the ton tongue toffees go down?” Fred asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Hermione, Daphne, Susan and Luna all blushed fiercely.
“Um…very well, thank you Fred.” Hermione said, suddenly feeling oddly embarrassed.
“Huh?” the others asked. George grinned.
“I’ll give you some later Neville, you guys too if you wanna have some fun with it. We originally designed it to be a prank toffee that makes your tongue long, and we figured Harry and his lovely ladies might enjoy it last night, so we gave them some of our latest batch.”
Neville, Hannah, Seamus, Dean, Padma and Parvati exchanged looks, grind, blushed and started giggling, at least the three girls did. Alicia and Angelina blushed fiercely. As they had been on the receiving end of that toffee’s effects the previous night.
“We’re thinking of opening a Joke Shop in Diagon when we graduate.” George said. “Though with this toffee, maybe it should be a sex shop.”
The others chuckled.
“We’ll be sure to keep our eyes open for it.” Susan said with a grin.
“Ya know, I realised something this morning.” Harry said, the others turned to look at him, “I haven’t seen or heard anything from Peeves since the night of the Champion Selection.”
“The Author forgot about him.” Luna quipped casually.
The others blinked, staring at her in confusion.
“Who?” Daphne asked.
“The Author.” Luna replied as if it made all the sense.
“What author?” Fred asked, slowly backing away from her.
“The guy making this whole thing up of course. The guy who just had all of us shagging in various ways for hours on end.”
The others exchanged looks, before Susan just shrugged and mouthed to the others ‘It’s just Luna being Luna.’
-=-=-=-
In his room, Ron sighed miserably as he dragged himself out of bed. He hadn’t seen anything of Harry or his partners after the incident with Looney Lovegood’s dress, though he had got a brief glimpse of her small tits, then she’d been escorted out by Hermione, Daphne and McGonagall, and returned about half an hour later wearing some sort of weird dress that had reacted rather oddly to the lights. That had been interesting.
But last night had been awful, not only had he failed to secure a date, so his own sister had decided to take pity on him, at least that was the story he would tell to anyone willing to listen, assuming he ever told it.
Neville hadn’t come back to the dorm, neither had Seamus or Dean, and he hadn’t seen the twins either. Oddly enough, he hadn’t seen Bill or Charlie around the previous night. He assumed they’d be there, as Percy had been, and that had been odd. Mister Crouch had also been absent, though he couldn’t really remember why, he figured that was why Percy the Prat had been there. Percy hadn’t really interacted much with anyone, just sat at the head table and kept quiet, and glared at Harry and oddly enough, the Seventh Year Ravenclaw Head Girl, Penny-something? If Ron remembered right, she’d been Percy’s girlfriend before he’d graduated.
She’d ended up dancing with a boy from Durmstrang, one of Krum’s friends, though Ron forgot, or better yet, didn’t know his name. Nor did he really care to.
It was just so UNFAIR!
Not only did Potter get the monopoly on all the hot girls in their year, and, Ron was certain, getting multiple blowjobs every day, Viktor Krum had also landed the Veela Fleur Delacour! Whereas he had been saddled with his baby sister!
Even Katie Bell had wound up with Jordan. He’d heard her moaning from the 6th Year’s dorm level. The only other boy of note Ron could remember who hadn’t secured himself a date was McClaggen.
As he finished getting dressed, Ron thought back on how things had gone with Harry and Hermione since Harry’s name came out of the Goblet. In truth, he did feel bad for giving Harry the cold shoulder following that night. Then there had been that curse Draco had used. He’d written to Bill, asking him what he knew about it, and Bill had sent him a reply back saying he’d heard of it, but only in passing, and that it hadn’t been used in a very long time, falling out of favour centuries ago, though he wouldn’t say why, but had promised to look into it and report back.
Since there had been nothing to report, he’d neglected to mention it to Harry or Hermione that he’d contacted Bill at all. Then the incident with Draco had happened, and Hermione’s two friends had taken hits meant for Neville’s girlfriend Abbot and the snake’s younger sister.
Now Malfoy and his cronies were in Azkaban where they belonged, which was good, but also denied him his usual target.
-=-=-=-
As Harry and his friends settled in for breakfast at the Gryffindor Table, he looked to the Ravenclaw table, where Fleur sat. Fleur and Krum had arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast walking side by side, but it was clear to all present and watching that the date that had happened between them likely wouldn’t develop into anything. A few whispers among the students had started to circulate. Viktor’s fans had glowered at Fleur with jealous, yet smug looks on their faces, but Fleur ignored them.
Fleur smiled as she settled down with her schoolmates, choosing to ignore the jealous glares she was getting. The night before had been decent enough. She could already hear and see the whispering, pointing and snickering of the students around her as Krum gave her a polite nod and headed for his own house-mates, several of whom were giving him congratulatory smiles and grins, though only the boys. The girls were scowling, mainly in her direction. She ignored them.
Viktor had been decent enough as a date. He hadn’t been as useless on the dance floor as she’d feared, he’d mostly been immune to her allure, or at least, he’d shown considerable strength of will to resist it, something that had sparked the interest of her more primal side, which had started to stir at the prospects of a potential mate.
He had been…adequate. Not disappointing by any stretch, but nothing to write home and brag about either. Needless to say, nothing would really come of their night together, and it seemed he could tell that morning when they had woken in his quarters aboard the Durmstrang ship.
Though he had been mature enough to recognise and accept the fact that nothing more would come of their time together, and they had parted ways amicably, she still caught the brief look of longing he gave her as they separated, but he quickly mastered himself. Though she was sure the rumour mill would get to work quickly enough.
The fact that Viktor seemed to realise and accept that there would be nothing more between them so quickly spoke a lot of his maturity, and Fleur found part of herself lamenting that fact that he was so ‘average’ in all the ways that really mattered to a Veela, apart from his strength of will.
And yet, in other ways, she was relieved that he wasn’t going to get attached to her like all the others she’d slept with. Nothing annoyed her more, and turned her off faster, than a male who who didn’t know when to take the hint that ‘No’ meant NO.
More than a few times, she had made the mistake of sleeping with boys in her year and sometimes older, and younger, only for them to become hopelessly besotted with her after only a few trysts, and a few times, even just the one. The last thing she wanted though was to be tied down to some brainless boy who was doped up on hormones and lust, utterly convinced that what the two of them had would last forever.
She wasn’t like her mother or grandmother; willing to settle down with the first male to get her pregnant. Though in her grandmother’s case, she and her mate had genuinely loved each other, the issue was, was that he had been claimed, or was about to be claimed, by one of her grandmother’s rivals.
So when her grandmother, Marie Delacour, started courting her future husband and eventually married him, or as some had said, for lack of a better word, poached her rival’s mate, things had got ugly.
Her gaze drifted over to the Gryffindor table where Harry and his girls now sat. The girls were all eating heartily, but Harry was barely touching his food, likely already having a full stomach.
The other girls in the Hall were already glaring balefully at her, but she ignored them. That was nothing new. As she had told Harry and his friends when she gave her little history lesson, she had friends before her Awakening, but once it had started, and her true nature had begun to assert itself, most of those friends had quickly turned on her, as the ones Gabrielle had would one day do so.
These days, the few friends she still had were lesbians, who had no interest in boys, but also spent their time lusting after her, something she found cute and endearing, but never pursued. While Veela were no strangers to same-sex relationships, it wasn’t something they practised often, as Veela by their very nature were heterosexual.
As for her detractors, well, they stemmed from the string of lovers she’d had and then tossed aside when they’d started getting persistent, or in the case of some, had shown themselves to be utterly horrible people, as the taste of their sperm had revealed.
In those instances, the encounters had ended then and there, and never made it to actual sex. As it turned out, those same boys then proven themselves and her judgement by starting malicious rumours about her, that her rivals were eager to spread. As a result, she typically had a low opinion of most girls her own age and older, though they were cordial to her when it was required. The rabid fangirls that Krum seemed to have amassed were already sending rather unpleasant looks in her direction. She mentally rolled her eyes. If they wanted him, they could have him, she wasn’t going to stop them.
“So, already making a move to get one over on Durmstrang I see.” One of her classmates said haughtily in french. “I guess you’ll be going after Diggory and Potter next? Or will you continue to string Viktor along?”
Fleur stopped eating. It had started sooner than she’d expected.
She turned to level a glare at the black-haired girl, Charlotte Monet.
Charlotte had been one of those friends she had had before her Awakening, but who had then turned on her when her then boyfriend — who would soon lose that title — had shamelessly stared at Fleur on Valentine’s day that year, rather than pay attention to his girlfriend.
And that hadn’t been the only such incident.
Now however, Fleur felt she couldn’t just ignore the slights against her that she knew were coming.
“I asked Viktor to the Ball because I didn't find any of the boys here cognisant enough to do more than drool around me, and the boys of Durmstrang make me uncomfortable, Krum, and a couple of others, being the exception. And no, I’m not ‘getting one over’ on Durmstrang, or Hogwarts. And no, I won’t be going after Cedric or Harry. Cedric has a girlfriend, and Harry has several, as you may have noticed, if you weren’t too busy drooling over the magazine cutouts you have of him in your room.” Fleur said levelly, causing the other girl’s face to flush brightly with embarrassment.
Quickly mastering herself, Charlotte smirked, “So, thinking of adding yourself to Potter’s harem then? Wasn’t aware Veela were the type to share.”
Fleur outwardly didn’t respond, deciding it was best to ignore the other girl. She would have to get involved with that group eventually, especially once they started Bonding. She had told Susan the night before that Bonding with Harry would be a life-changing experience, and then-some. She still hadn’t told them what would happen, and she knew she should, but part of her wanted to see the looks on their faces when it happened, at least the first time, she just hoped they’d wait a bit longer, give her more time to prepare. She needed to tell her mother what was going on, after all.
-=-
The rest of Boxing Day passed rather uneventfully, the students enjoying the snow, Daphne spent a lot of it with Astoria, thankfully, the rest of the Slytherins had left the young girl alone, at least in the sense she wasn’t being bullied. Though the fact that Tracey Davis and the Sallow twins were also keeping an eye on Astoria also likely contributed to that. Indeed, there seemed to have been a marked improvement in the mood among the girls in Slytherin, with the absence of Draco and his ilk, though Snape was still an ever present downer, wearing his habitual sneer and scowl.
Harry and the girls had mostly recovered from the previous night’s activities, though it was evident that Hermione, Daphne and Susan were still a little sore when they sat down, Luna though seemed to act like she didn’t care, as for Harry, he was utterly exhausted. He was starting to wonder if sex was a better form of workout than Quidditch or walking all over the castle.
-=-=-=-
The day after Boxing Day however, Tuesday the 27th, was when the Fates decided to remind Harry that they still very much had him by the Family Jewels. Or rather, that his own special brand of luck, which he’d privately taken to calling Potter Luck, was in fact, contagious.
Daphne was running, she didn’t know where or for how long, and she didn’t care. All she knew was that she had to get away from Draco. The sight of him leering down at her, his fetid, unwashed flesh just in front of her face twisted her stomach and made her want to wretch, but she’d fought that down and took advantage of his momentary lapse in focus and dropped the son of a whore!
Then she’d gotten the hell out of there. And now she was working her way through the castle, dodging and weaving around people, until she made it out to the transfiguration courtyard, and was able to take a breather of the cool winter air to clear her head.
“Hello Daphne. I was just talking to Fleur a short while ago, she wanted to know if Harry enjoyed his Christmas present from all of us. I told her he did. Very much so, as we all did.”
Daphne turned, eyes wide, fearing she’d been pursued and found, only to realise that instead of an angry Draco, it was a curious looking Luna. A fierce blush coming to her face as the younger girl’s words registered, and she looked around, thankfully noticing they were alone.
“Are you alright Daphne? There seems to be a swarm of Wrackspurts buzzing about your head.”
“I…I…I don’t know.” Daphne mumbled.
A frown of concern crossed Luna’s face as she stepped a little closer. “Did someone else attack you?”
“I was…something weird is going on. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been getting these weird flashes, images, fragments, of things happening but I don’t remember it. It first started that day Draco tried to assault me with his little group of monkeys.”
Luna blinked owlishly at her, but said nothing, patiently waiting for the older blonde to continue.
“Anyway, Draco said something about me being ‘as good as last time’ or something like that, but I don’t remember ever being in a situation where I’m about to give him a blowjob, certainly not willingly.”
A frown crossed Luna’s features. “Sounds like you might have been memory charmed. Flashes like that are usually an indication of an improperly cast Obliviate that is starting to wear off.”
Daphne’s face paled, her mind raced as she remembered what just happened, and her eyes went wide with guilt as she shuddered. It hadn’t been Draco she’d just dropped. He was in Azkaban.
“I think, I think I might have just really hurt Harry.” She mumbled.
“Oh?” Luna asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“I was about to… well, you know, and I looked up at his face, but I saw Draco’s instead, I freaked, jumped to my feet, kicked him in the balls and ran!” she shivered again as that image passed through her mind.
Luna regarded her for a moment, before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the other girl in a tight hug.
Daphne stiffened for a moment, before she returned the hug, sniffling as she tried not to break down.
“Come on, lets get the others.” Luna said.
-=-
Pomfrey frowned as she ran her wand over Daphne’s head, the diagnostic spells feeding the information into her head as she did so.
Near by were Harry, Hermione, Luna and Susan, all looking worried, and behind them, was a rather worried-looking Minerva. Poppy couldn’t help but empathise; Minerva had been running around getting these two latest Gryffindors settled in, then the mess with Luna Lovegood at the Yule Ball, now this.
“Well, what is it Poppy?” Minerva asked.
Pomfrey sighed and lowered her wand, turning to her friend, then looking at the assembled teens.
“I’ve checked the readings three times, and it seems there is evidence of Obliviation, though how severe, I can’t say. I’m not a qualified mind healer. I suggest you call her parents in Minerva,” she then turned to Daphne. “I’m sorry Miss Greengrass, but there isn’t much more I can do for you here.”
“Great…” Daphne muttered as McGonagall made her way to Pomfrey’s office with a pensive look on her face.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore, Eleanor and Erikson walked into the Hospital Wing, the elder Greengrass’s faces anxious.
“Poppy? Minerva? What’s happened?” Erikson asked as his wife moved to their daughter’s side.
“It would seem that Miss Greengrass has been the subject of at least one Obliviate, though there may have been more, it seems that the blocked memories are starting to resurface, as can sometimes happen if an Obliviate is not applied properly. Unfortunately, properly treating her is beyond my skill level, even though I trained at St Mungo’s, as all Healers must. I recommend you take her there, they should be able to help you.” Pomfrey said regretfully.
The two parents looked at one another, nodded, then guided Daphne towards Pomfrey’s office.
“Why didn’t you detect it before?” McGonagall asked. Pomfrey looked down, likely wondering the same thing.
“I…I don’t know, likely because I wasn’t looking for it specifically.”
“Is that why you never treated Ginny after her possession?” Harry asked.
The remaining adults and girls turned to face him, McGonagall and Dumbledore both frowning with disapproval.
“As I said, treating that was out of my expertise, I recommended to the Weasleys that they take her to St Mungo’s, but I was over-ruled.” Pomfrey said, looking disapprovingly at Dumbledore.
“So she didn’t get any treatment.” Hermione murmured to herself, before looking up at Dumbledore. “That wasn’t a lottery they won, after their second year. You paid for their trip to Egypt, didn’t you, instead of getting Ginny the help she needed.”
“Ron said that their mum assured them Ginny would be fine, and that all she needed was a change of scenery, I think.” Harry spoke up.
“I did not want them to endure anymore stress, I felt a change of scenery and the chance to visit family far more therapeutic.” Dumbledore reasoned, not liking how this conversation was going.
-=-
After a few hours, and much heated discussion in Dumbledore’s office that frankly did not leave any of the students satisfied, Daphne returned, looking visibly upset, escorted to their private quarters where the others waited patiently.
As soon as Mufasa’s portrait closed, Daphne sniffed. Before her face could even fully distort into an expression of pain and disgust, Susan and Hermione enveloped her in a tight hug. She broke down crying into the shoulders of the two other girls.
Harry felt slightly at odds. He wanted to offer his support to Daphne as well, but he also didn’t want to crowd her. He also didn’t want to get kicked again.
“It’s okay Daph, it’s okay.” Susan said, as she and Hermione guided the blond to the large sofa. When Hermione pulled away, Harry stepped in and gently wrapped his arms around her in a gentle, protective hug.
Eventually, Daphne settled down enough to talk, Winky had delivered some of Daphne’s favourite comfort food.
“They found evidence of multiple memory charms. At least a years worth. They managed to remove most of them, and it all came back…” Daphne said weakly, “The only reason I’m here and not at home is because I still need to feed.” She shivered, and the other two girls tightened their hug.
“A year?” Hermione asked, the blonde nodded.
“Since third-year started.”
“What…what happened?” Susan asked.
“Malfoy!” Daphne snarled as she continued to quietly cry, angrily wiping at her eyes and nose. “And his knuckle dragging apes.”
Susan, Harry and Hermione exchanged worried looks, before they looked back at her, waiting for her to continue.
“It started at the beginning of third year, Draco started making demands of the girls, using his father’s name as leverage, as many of the students in Slytherin have parents in the Ministry. He started forcing girls, mainly third and fourth year at the time, but also the odd fifth year and at least one sixth year to…give him head. Though he seemed pretty selective. I’m not sure who else, I know he just mentioned it on and off.”
“That’s horrible!” Hermione gasped, eyes going wide, face paling as she reached out and hugged her friend. Daphne hugged her back, sniffling as she fought to hold back tears.
“After every time, he’d Obliviate us. His friends, pretty much everyone who got arrested, helped him do it. I’m positive Parkinson was blowing him on the side daily, even then, but for some reason, he felt he could have all of Slytherin. As far as I know though, he didn’t try anything with the Prefects, although, I think the sixth year he went after was, and still is, a Prefect.”
“Didn’t Snape do anything to stop it?” Susan asked, dreading the answer. Daphne snorted and shook her head.
“No. He…never participated, but he also never did anything to stop it. And before you ask, no, during that week of Detention I got with him, he didn’t do anything other than glare at me.”
“He’s still a git.” Harry muttered.
Hermione turned her head to admonish him, but stopped and frowned when she noticed both Susan and Daphne were nodding.
“Hate to say it Hermione, but he’s right. As bad as Snape is to the Gryffindors in Potions, he wasn’t much nicer to the Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws.”
“His selective favouritism begins and ends with Slytherin, though now his two favourite students are gone, I’m not sure if he’ll hand out more points to the rest to pick up the slack, he hasn’t seemed to since that day.” Daphne added.
“Give him time.” Harry snorted.
“Well, I think it’s fair to say Pomfrey will be examining all the girls in Slytherin now, for memory charms, I asked her if she was going to do that and she said she was already planning to, and any others would be sent to St Mungo’s immediately. We’ll probably never see Draco or any of his friends again, which I’m totally happy with, at least, after his trial.” Daphne said.
“I imagine that will probably still be a fair few months away, especially if they have a lot of evidence to go through. Although your aunt did seem to imply they’d try to fast-track if if more come forward, she’s also looking to bring in Snape on charges of accessory.” Susan added.
“So, what will happen now?” Hermione asked, Daphne took a breathe, collecting herself.
“Once everything came back, I told the healers what I remembered, they offered to reapply the memory blocks, properly this time, I refused. They said there wasn’t really much else they could do, other than completely remove them. My dad called Bones and she came to St Mungo’s, but she said there wasn’t really anything she could do because now Susan is involved, she can’t head up the investigation any longer, something about Conflict of Interest, but, as I said, she may soon make a move to arrest Snape depending on who else comes forward. She had one of her other Aurors, a woman named Singer and one of her recruits she was mentoring talk to me and take my statement.”
“I know them, Ruth Singer, good Auror, very by the book, she’s certainly more dependable than some others I know, like Scrimgeour, or Dawlish, that’s for sure. As for that recruit, did her hair change colour?” Susan asked.
“She certainly seemed nice, very professional.” Daphne replied, “and no, it was a young woman named Onai, Natsai Onai.”
Susan nodded, “I know of her, apparently she’s a graduate of Ougadou School of Magic, in Uganda, west Africa. Apparently, they don’t use wands there, they teach wandless magic.”
“Really? I’ve never heard of that school.” Harry asked, Susan nodded.
“You would have if Binns talked about anything other than Goblin Rebellions. Apparently, the Animagus Transformation is also a taught class there, and it’s taught as early as Third Year.”
“That sounds real cool.” Harry said.
“I’ve heard about it, it was founded round about the same time as Hogwarts, though I didn’t know they taught the Animagus spell so early.” Hermione added.
“Don’t suppose she told you how to pull it off?” Harry asked with a smile, Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Afraid not, I didn’t ask.”
The conversation lulled as the group settled down and focused on comforting their friend, and Harry wondered to himself how this would affect them going forward, and how best to manage things.
-=-
A few hours later, Daphne found herself staring at Harry’s shaft as she sat on the bed and he stood in front of her, Susan and Hermione on either side of her. Susan and Hermione had already had their turns.
She swallowed nervously.
‘I can do this...I can do this...it’s just a penis. It can’t hurt me. And the boy who owns it never will.’ she thought.
Reaching up with a slightly shaking hand, she gently wrapped her fingers around him, and started to gently stroke, taking slow steady breathes as she got as comfortable as she could. It was hot, and hard, yet, at the same time, soft under her fingers.
She stared at the red, swollen glans, the sight filling her with a sudden onrush of apprehension, but at the same time, a strong, almost overwhelming sense of need and hunger that was very familiar to her now, but the trepidation made her hesitate.
She felt a surge of heat run through her, starting between her legs and flowing up, then spreading out, and she unconsciously rubbed her thighs together, feeling wetness starting to pass her labia as she felt her breasts tingle and swell with the signs of arousal, her mind and body waging a war within her as she tried to work through her hesitation.
Her mind, which was flooded with the horrible memories of what she, and no doubt others, had been forced to endure in Slytherin was screaming ‘NO! NO! NO!’ but her body, thanks to her prior experiences with him, and that damn curse, was screaming ‘YES YES YES!’
She leaned in, her lips less than an inch from his tip.
Her lips parted, her tongue slowly reaching out, but just as she was about to take her first tentative lick, she froze up, and the newly freed memories flashed through her mind again, and out of reflex, she looked up, but instead of seeing the blushing, bashful and some-what cute face of Harry Potter smiling reassuringly down at her, she saw the twisted visage of Draco Malfoy leering at her with a cruel sneer once more and she started to shake.
With a whimper and a sob, Daphne forged ahead, and finally closed her lips around Harry’s glans. Again, images flashed through her mind, and she cringed, but tried to continue.
“It’s okay Daph, don’t force yourself.” Susan said, putting an arm round her.
Daphne sucked in a breath through her nose, and tried to take Harry deeper, but let out another whimper, and this time, Harry stopped her.
“Daphne, stop.” He said gently. She pulled back and shook her head.
“I have to do this Harry...” she said, her voice breaking as another sob escaped her, and she finally started to cry.
Within seconds, Harry had pulled her to her feet, wrapped her in a gentle embrace, then sat down in her place, pulling her into his lap, resting her face against his neck as she finally broke down as the full memories of what Draco had done to her for so long finally overwhelmed her.
“Shh...it’s okay...you’re okay...you’re safe now...” he said, as he hugged her, stroking her head, neck and back as he tried his best to soothe her.
“We’re here for you Daphne.” Hermione said gently as she and Susan also hugged their friend, tears in her own eyes, and in Susan’s, though Hermione could see they were tears of murderous rage as well as sadness.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m not him. I’ll never force you.” Harry whispered as he continued to cradle the crying girl in his lap. He was honestly surprised with himself, he genuinely had almost no idea how to handle a crying girl, the limited experience he’d had had all been Hermione.
“We’ll figure something out Daph, I promise.” Susan said, stroking the blonde’s back as she heaved a sobbing sigh and tried to get herself under control.
“I…I know it’s stupid, I mean, it’s just a dick, not a knife or something like that. I know I shouldn’t have freaked, and I know what I have to do now, it’s just, after everything he did…if the fucker wasn’t already in Azkaban, I’d probably murder him. And after what I said before, about rewarding you for saving me then…and then there was those weird urges I had in the Room after the Yule Ball…urges that were basically telling me to…use you! I know you felt them too!” she said, looking at Susan and Hermione, who both nodded. Neither had really given any thought to what those urges had been compelling them to do until then. None of the other three were sure exactly how to respond to those feelings, though thankfully, they hadn't surfaced agaiin since that night. Though now it had been brought up, Hermione found herself concerned about them reappearing in the future, and how she and the others would handle it.
“It’s okay Daph, we understand, you don’t have to do anything you’re not ready or willing to do. You don’t have to touch it, kiss it, lick it or suck it if you don’t want to. Hell, you don’t even have to look at it if that makes you uncomfortable. And most importantly of all, never apologise for something that is not your fault. And as for those urges we all felt, that's just the damn curse affecting us.” Harry said. She pulled back with a snort, wiping her eyes.
“Well, I can’t not look at it, since Hermione and Susan have to use it now, and Luna wants her piece. And I know I’ll have to eventually, to lift this curse, it just may take time.” She said, wiping her eyes. “I’m not developing a penis phobia or anything, I actually do want to do it, it’s just every time I try…I’m just…”
“You’re not ready, understandable. You could try feeding from Susan.” Harry said with a smile. She nodded.
“I think, for now, that would be best. Though when it comes to actually breaking the curse, it needs to be you, since the whole damn thing was designed to require a penis to be involved at the end anyway.”
“If it helps, I’ll even let you take control of the situation, even tie myself down to a bed and leave myself completely at your mercy.” Harry said with an awkward smile. Daphne smiled back, her face flushing as she tried to picture him tied to a large bed, spreadeagled, even blind-folded, and naked, ready for her, and willing to do what ever she wanted.
She tried to imagine herself taking an assertive role, what as it called? Dominatrix? She imagined her commanding him to lick her, and she shivered as heat swept through her…followed by a chill that that was like ice down her spine.
‘No, that wouldn’t be right, especially after what I went through.’ She thought.
“Didn’t you say your relatives basically treat you like a slave?” she asked, looking him in the eye. He nodded.
Her eyes narrowed in a frown, as she replied, clamping down on the wellspring of anger she suddenly felt, whether it was directed at him or not, she wasn’t sure.
“Then why make the offer to me? You must hate not having control.”
“I hate when control is taken from me without my consent, yes, like with my living arrangements during summer, and this fucking tournament. But what I just suggested was willingly giving you control. Something Draco took from you. I’m offering it back.”
Daphne opened her mouth to argue, then paused, and opened again and raised a hand, saying, “But if I do what you just suggested, I’d be basically using you, just like Draco did with me, when he held me down all those times.” She fired a glare at him and made to move off his lap. “I’d be no better than him.”
“No, you’d be nothing like him. What he did to you was non-consensual, but when control is given willingly, between consenting partners, when there is mutual respect…” Harry trailed off, letting her process his words.
“When did you two have time to experiment with dom/sub role play?” Susan asked.
Hermione chuckled, “I was super horny, thanks to my period, and I was in the Room of Requirement, Harry came in and I basically yelled at him to fuck me, he said we couldn’t yet, so he fingered me, and he’s been ogling my bum a lot, even kissed it in the shower a few times, so he finally took the hint and licked it. That is what gave me the idea for us to give Harry his ‘group present’ from all of us.”
Harry shrugged. “The female form is a work of natural beauty, and should be worshipped in every way, no spot should be left out.” Harry said, seriously, smiling.
The blonde and the red-head exchanged looks.
“So, if one of us asked you to give us a tongue bath, would you?” Susan asked. Harry looked thoughtful then shrugged.
“Well, I technically already have, a few times.” Harry said, looking each of them in the eye as he said it.
Susan blushed as she imagined him doing just that, him licking her wherever she wanted his tongue. She tried to ignore the surge of arousal that shot through her and made her crotch almost uncomfortably wet, and her nipples almost painfully hard and sensitive.
“Have you guys tried the food thing yet?” she asked after a few minutes of silent fantasising, and judging by the red cheeks, Daphne had been thinking similar things, and having a similar reaction, so was Hermione.
They shook their heads, “Honestly haven’t found the time yet, somehow. I mean, besides that time in the Room after the Yule Ball the other night.” Hermione said.
“Well, that’s one option for Daphne, just give her snacks or slices of toast covered in Harry’s cum, that should hold her over for a while. And when that isn’t an option, or she needs something a bit more filling, I’ll do it.” Susan said.
“That could work.” Harry said with a smile.
The convocation continued like that for a while longer, as they theorised possible ways to help their friend.
Wednesday December 28th
Astoria Greengrass sat at one of the Common Room tables in Slytherin, reading the muggle comic Tracey Davis had smuggled into the school and gifted her for Christmas. Being a half-blood, Tracey had ready access to the muggle world, even if her father didn’t approve. Though she found it rather dull, the pictures didn’t move, and the art style was all strange, and the main character? Some rich lunatic claiming to be a bat!
‘Muggles are weird.’
Though she was only half-reading it though, her mind was elsewhere, specifically, on the news her sister had given her that morning in private, the same news she’d also given Tracey and a few other girls in Slytherin, all of whom were now in the Hospital Wing getting examined by a rather stressed Pomfrey.
Her friends, Anne Sallow, fellow fourth year, had also been checked, at the behest of her brother Sebastian, and she’d just returned. Thankfully Anne showed no evidence of mental tampering, not that Draco would have dared, with their uncle being a former Auror, that had likely discouraged Draco from pursuing Anne, and Sebastian was so protective of her, if Draco had tried anything, he would have regretted it.
That, and Daddy Malfoy had probably warned his spawn to stay away from the Sallows.
Anne and Sebastian had mainly stuck to themselves, they’d never liked Draco, and their house animosity towards the other houses, Gryffindor especially, which Snape had fostered, had prevented the Sallows from really making any friends outside of their House, though Anne had promised Daphne that she would help keep an eye on Astoria and the younger Slytherins.
She sighed, guilt weighing heavily on her. Though her parents had given her a brief explanation of what had happened after Draco had cursed Daphne, Astoria knew far more that she let on to either her sister or their parents. She knew what Draco and his friends had been up to, but she had been too scared to come forward, and she hadn’t known who to turn to. The deep-seated mistrust of Gryffindor had ruled out McGonagall as an option in her mind almost immediately, likewise with Dumbledore.
And with Snape not doing anything, well, things had just stewed. Until yesterday, when she’d been told, privately by Professor McGonagall, what had happened at St Mungos. McGonagall had then spoken to the girls of Slytherin and strongly advised them all to get checked by Pomfrey.
A genuine worry settled over Astoria, what if the Ministry arrested more than Snape? What if they took Dumbledore? Or more of the Staff? They couldn’t force the school to close during the tournament, but what about after?
She honestly wasn’t sure what she would do if Hogwarts closed. Sure, there were other schools, but they weren’t as well staffed or supplied. As a result, they didn’t really teach as much.
She sighed and put away the comic as the girls started to return.
Friday December 30th.
The atmosphere in Great Hall was cordial and pleasant, for most at least. News of the girls of Slytherin being checked for memory charms by Pomfrey had quickly made the rounds, despite doctor-patient confidentiality. Not all the girls had been found to have been charmed however. Of the 7th and 6th years; only the Seventh Year female Prefect, Imelda Reyes had shown evidence of tampering. Apparently, she’d tried to stop some of Draco’s activities, but sadly had always failed. She looked particularly incensed as she sat down at the table, turning to send a quick glare up to the Head Table where the staff sat.
All in all, about 6 Slytherin girls including Daphne had been accosted by Draco over the past year, ranging from at-the-time third years up to seventh.
The girls from the other houses had also voluntarily visited Pomfrey, but none of them had reported any evidence of memory charms being used.
Harry in the meantime, was sat between Hermione and Susan, with Daphne to Susan’s left. Following her trip to St Mungo’s, it hadn’t taken them long to quickly work out a new feeding regimen for her. For the most part, she would now feed almost exclusively from Susan, though she did accept ‘samples’ from him given to her via Susan as an intermediary, or via food, which they had tried with a moffin. The five of them had also re-examined everything they knew about Bonding and the Curse, from what Fleur had told them, in relation to two girls Bonding. And while it was certainly possible for a same-sex couple to Bond, breaking the curse required the involvement of Harry, there was just no way around that.
It seemed that when the Veela had created the curse, the idea of it ever being used on a same-sex couple had never occurred to them. Though from what Fleur had explained, the Veela at that time had been driven more by instinct than rational thought, and their instincts had been telling them to fuck anything with a penis that they could find in an almost feral attempt to break it and restore their normal form. So even if Susan and Daphne Bonded, there was a chance it wouldn’t break the curse on either of them, which, Harry reasoned, was a problem for Future Harry to figure out.
He looked to his left and sent Daphne a reassuring smile, who returned it, grateful for his understanding and support.
The early morning mail delivery had just arrived, Harry noticed the forlorn look on Luna’s face as she red a letter, probably from her father. No doubt she was worried about his reaction to the dress being destroyed, or was worried about how to tell him. He wished there was something he could do for her. Charlie had finally sent him a letter, wanting to know exactly how Harry had pulled off what he had done during the first task, saying the few wizards who had tried doing that since, had nearly lost their arms.
Suddenly there was a commotion at the doors leading into the hall, and all eyes turned to the group of Aurors who marched in, at the head of the group was Amelia Bones, who looked grim and determined, there also seemed to be a gleam of malicious satisfaction in her cold gaze that was fixed on the Head Table. Flanking her were two male Aurors and a woman. The males he recognised as Rufus Scrimgeour and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Aurors who had arrested Draco and his cronies. The woman he didn’t recognise, but apparently Daphne did.
“It’s Singer.” She whispered.
The entire hall had gone silent the moment the Aurors had marched through the door, the echo of their boots hitting the floor rebounded off the high walls and ceiling. They group came to a stop in front of the Head Table.
“Madam Bones, good morning.” Dumbledore said pleasantly, though his tone implied that he was not happy at the interruption. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
It was Rufus Scrimgeour who responded, stepping forward, his gaze fixed on Snape, who stared back at him coldly.
“Severus Tobias Snape. We have a Warrant for your arrest. Please surrender your wand and come with us.”
Snape’s eyes narrowed and he tensed, as did the Aurors.
“On what charge?” Dumbledore asked, his mind already racing. This was not good. He needed Snape at Hogwarts, especially if what he believed was coming was true.
“I believe you know Headmaster. And the only reason we aren’t also escorting you out of here is because as the Headmaster of the school hosting this little…sham of a contest, the bylaws surrounding it protect you. For now.” Amelia spoke up, her voice ice cold. “But they do not protect him. And now, neither can you. Snape. Wand. Now.”
Slowly Snape stood, his dark eyes aflame with fury and hatred as he glared at each of the Aurors, who matched his glare in turn.
‘Go on you bastard, give me an excuse to add Resisting Arrest to that list.’ Amelia thought as her eyes met Snape’s, which narrowed to slits, indicating he’d seen her thoughts crystal clear.
She was silently thankful that McGonagall had convinced the girls of Slytherin to get themselves checked. Pomfrey had immediately Flooled her as soon as she had finished the last examination, and a short while later, Amelia, along with Ruth Singer and three Healers from Saint Mungo’s had arrived, followed a short while after by the families of those girls. Which had then led to more charges being pressed against both Draco and his group, as well as Snape. Amelia had drawn up and signed the Warrant first thing that morning, after spending all the previous day going over the new evidence.
She’d also strong armed Cornelius Fudge into moving up Draco’s trial, though it now appeared there might be two on the same day. Fudge had tried to delay, saying having a trial so soon into the school year, where the witnesses would have to take time away from their new classes was a concern. Amelia had none of it. Draco was still in Azkaban, but his stay there wouldn’t be permanent without a trial.
Amelia also noticed most of the other Hogwarts staff had also tensed, and most were also discreetly reaching for their wands while glaring at the soon-to-be former Potions Master of Hogwarts. Only Dumbledore didn’t.
Snape held her glare for a second longer, before almost stiffly drawing his wand and placing it on the table in front of his empty plate, with a lot more force than was needed.
Scrimgeour retrieved it while Shacklebolt moved round the table to secure the prisoner. Amelia then turned and nodded to Singer, who turned and approached the Slytherin table and started handing out envelopes to the girls whose families had pressed charges, their parents had already been notified via Ministry owl. Once Singer was done with the Slytherins, she moved on towards Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, handing similar missives to Hannah, Luna, Neville, Susan, Daphne, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and finally, Harry.
Amelia then turned to face Dumbledore, who was looking at her rather sternly, but she didn’t care. Reaching into her own robes, she drew a similar envelop, and placed it on the table in front of him.
“Just in case you haven’t been informed yet, this is a notice of Summons, Draco Malfoy’s trial date has been set for January 14th. I suspect Snape’s will be the same day. I’m afraid you’re going to have to find a new Potions Master and Head of Slytherin.” She said, and with that, she turned and started making a move towards the doors, pausing only briefly to send a nod towards Susan, then Daphne, who nodded in return, giving a slight smile of thanks.
Snape was stiffly marched towards the doors, his baleful glare roaming over the students, all of whom now wore looks of shock, and in some cases, particularly the Gryffindors, euphoria on their faces. He ground his teeth in fury as his eyes met the glare of one Harry Potter, who stared back at him with a measured expression, his gaze then switched to Daphne, whose cold blue eyes glared at him with a force to match his own, then with a shove, he was marched towards the open doors, then through them. They swung closed behind him, but not before he heard the murmurs of excitement, and the first cheer, and judging from the voice, it was that little shit Ron Weasley.
-=-
As soon as the doors closed, Ron did cheer, a cheer that was soon taken up by most of the student body, including every girl and some boys from Slytherin. At the Gryffindor table, Daphne was hugging Susan, tears of relief quietly flowing down her face as Harry rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Neville also looked relieved.
The mood at the Slytherin table was one of profound relief, mostly from the girls. The final dark cloud was gone from their lives, though the ones who had received notices from the Aurors however were all quiet, considering the notices they now held summoning them to testify.
At the Head Table, Dumbledore closed his eyes in resignation. He’d warned Snape, repeatedly, but the fool had ignored him. Now he’d lost not only his Potions Master, but also the Head of Slytherin, and his spy within Voldemort’s ranks. He now found himself dreading what would be Snape’s interrogation. Snape being publicly outed as a spy would be a death sentence for him the moment he entered Azkaban, to say nothing of what else Snape knew, about the Prophecy, the workings of the Order. Yes, this was a complete mess, and as Chief Warlock, while he did hold a position of authority over the Wizengamot, his close affiliation with Snape meant his hands were tied, there was no way he’d be allowed to preside over the trial, and likely wouldn’t be able to arrange leniency for the man either.
If Voldemort did indeed return, as the rumours claimed he would soon, then the Light would have no-one on the inside.
Right now though, his more immediate concern was not letting Snape’s coming interrogation cause too much damage to what he had planned. He also suspected that once the Tournament was over, Amelia would come after him with everything she had, his only chance of staying where he was most needed was Voldemort’s return. If Voldemort did return, the Ministry would either ignore it, or roll over and let him take over. Only he could stand in Tom’s way.
Then Dumbledore paused, as a thought occurred to him. Harry’s scar, the Horcruxes, Snape knew Harry’s scar was a Horcrux, he knew the diary had been one also, but only after Dumbledore had told him about both. Dumbledore closed his eyes as he frantically tried to re-evaluate his plans, and figure out how to keep Harry from finding out that knowledge, as he certainly would during Snape’s trial. The boy was too young to be burdened with that knowledge, and thus, potentially, but ultimately futilely, find a way to expunge it.
A Fidelius Charm was the most sure-fire way to keep all critical information Snape knew from being revealed, but it took time to set up, at least a day, but still, he only needed to safe-guard a few pieces of information: Harry Potter’s scar was a Horcrux, and Snape was a spy for Dumbledore within Voldemort’s ranks. The only person alive who knew those details for sure, besides Snape of course, was himself. Yes…that could work. He began to consider what other information he could protect with the charm also.
The issues of finding a new professor to fill the role of Slytherin Head and Potions Professor was potentially more tricky, unless Slughorn agreed to come out of retirement.
He would have to pay the retired teacher a visit later that day. For now, he would need to find a temporary replacement for Head of Slytherin. There was really only one person who fit the job.
“Well…that happened.” Alastor muttered. “What a way to start the new year. I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that interrogation. Hmph.”
Albus just sighed mentally, he didn’t even try to immediately regain order in the hall. He was also dreading the next few issues of the Prophet.
Maxime, Karkaroff and Percy Weasley sat looking stunned, though Percy had sent a withering glare towards his youngest brother when he’d cheered at Snape’s departure, clearly not impressed at the utter lack of decorum or respect. Crouch just sat there staring at the door, an unreadable look on his face.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
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Chapter 17: Preperations
Notes:
Here is the first part of what was originally going to be a single chapter, but after some consideration, I decided to make it a two-parter (this will also give me more time to finish the second half.)
I also didn't want this update to take another year like the last one almost did.
I proof-read this as best i could, though some gramatical/spelling mistakes may have slipped through.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cheers erupted from various students, mostly Gryffindor but also surprisingly some Slytherins as well, as soon as the doors to the Great Hall closed and the hated greasy-haired Potions Professor was out of sight, but not ear-shot.
First Ron, then several other Gryffindor students, then most of the female population of Slytherin started cheering.
Harry didn’t cheer, but he did feel excitement and relief. Snape had been insufferable since Draco’s arrest, even worse than he usually was, and Harry had started outright dreading his Potions lessons. He wasn’t sure what would happen now, they were set to have Double Potions in the afternoon after lunch. Almost as if fate had been reading his mind, Dumbledore awkwardly stood and announced that, over the weekend, he would secure both a new Potions professor and appoint a new Head to Slytherin, but for the current day, he would be taking over teaching Potions, this got a mumbled groan from some students who had probably guessed, or hoped, that with the removal of their instructor, the classes would be cancelled for the day.
Daphne however was one of the ones who did celebrate, along with her former housemates, and had turned to hug the two students sat to either side of her, being Susan and Hermione, who had both hugged her back enthusiastically. As soon as the students had been given leave to go to classes, Daphne quickly made her way over to her former house table and was enveloped by crying, but happy Slytherin girls, the first being her sister.
The biggest surprise for him though were the hugs and thanks he received from the happy Slytherin girls who all profusely thanked him for both getting rid of Draco and Snape. They introduced themselves as Imelda Reyes, Seventh Year former Prefect and aspiring Quidditch player who wanted to go pro, Priscilla Wakefield, who was a Fourth year, Grace Pinch-Smedley, Fifth Year, and from a pure-blood family he’d never heard of before, Zoe Snugg, a fellow Fourth Year, and finally, Violet McDowell, a sixth year.
It had suddenly dawned on Harry just how little he knew of Slytherin’s residence, since Draco and his lackeys were pretty much the only ones he interacted with, well, apart from their Quidditch team, which had also lost several members since Draco’s arrest. As far as he knew, they still hadn’t appointed a new Seeker.
They also apologised for not approaching him earlier, citing that they didn’t want to draw the ire of their now former Head of House, and for wearing the badges Draco had made, and for believing he’d cheated his way in to the tournament.
The most enthusiastic of them was Astoria, who threw her arms round his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek then buried her face in his neck, murmuring her thanks for getting rid of Snape and Draco, and looking after her big sister, even in light of recent revelations.
“Any time Astoria, you’re free to come visit her any time you know, you too Tracey.”
“Thanks, but if people start seeing lots of girls heading for your private quarters, rumours will start to spread, and you don’t want that on top of everything else.”
The others snorted.
The little conversation had to be broken up soon after that however, as they all had classes to get to.
Though Harry did speculate on how long it would take for the Prophet to report on Snape’s arrest, and how he would be very surprised if it wasn’t in the evening edition.
-=-
New Years Eve came and went with very little incident, though there was some speculation on who would take up the leadership of Slytherin, though it seemed the Prefects were doing their best to manage things. Harry had even mentioned that he’d been surprised to see Penelope Clearwater at the Ball, wondering why she had not graduated with Percy. Luna pointed out that Penelope had spent half of her fifth year in the Hospital wing petrified, and had apparently chosen to stay behind and make up the difference. So she was in a sense, repeating a year. Harry thought it a bit odd, as none of the other students who had been petrified were redoing a year. Hermione pointed out that she had been offered that choice, and had taken it during their third year, using the Time Turner she’d been given to help make up the difference. She wasn’t sure if any of the others had made a similar choice.
Rather than ring in the New Year privately, the little group celebrated with the other Gryffindors before retiring, of course inviting Luna along.
Sunday January 1st, 1995
Harry and the rest of Gryffindor filed into the Great Hall for breakfast, though again, Harry wasn’t really having much, just one slice of toast usually these days.
He looked up at the Head Table and blinked, where Snape used to sit, there was now a man who had a confident, self-assured look on his face, stern, yet curious. His hair style resembled that of Snape but he seemed to lack all of the grease Snape had been known to have covering him. He was looking round the hall, a look of nostalgia on his face, no doubt remembering his own time at the school.
Another figure he noticed was Crouch, who in Harry’s opinion, looked like he should have stayed home for a few more days. He honestly looked half dead, or like he’d keel over at the slightest breeze. Sat next to him was Percy the Prat, as Ron and the Twins were so often fond of calling him.
Then Dumbledore stood to address the assembled hall.
“Good morning students, I hope you all had a pleasant sleep, and welcome to the new year. To begin, I would like to welcome our new Potions Master, Professor Aesop Sharp.”
There were claps around the hall as the man stood and gave a courteous bow, then sat again.
“Professor Aurora Sinistra has kindly agreed to take over the role of Head of Slytherin.” To this, there were more enthusiastic cheers, at least from the Slytherin girls, though a few boys cheered also.
“And finally, I would like to welcome the return of Bartemius Crouch, who hopefully is feeling much better now he has had the chance to rest I would also like to announce that Percival Weasley will be formally joining the Tournament Judging Committee.” To this, Percy stood and puffed himself up, sticking out his chest and looked around, his expression clearly said he expected applause and adoration.
Complete and total silence.
Nobody cheered or applauded. Not even the Durmstrang or Beauxbatons contingents. Not even the Professors. Scowling, Percy sat, looking decidedly unimpressed.
The mail arrived soon after Dumbledore was finished with his speech. There still hadn’t been an news in the Prophet about Snape’s arrest, which had surprised him. Usually the Prophet was pretty fast on the uptake.
“You know anything about this Sharp guy?” Harry said quietly. The other students around him shook their heads.
“I heard he used to be an Auror, but an injury put an end to that and he took up a job as a private Potions Instructor for the Ministry.” One of the older Gryffindors said.
Harry blinked, “That’s a thing? Private tutors?” the boy, Harry couldn’t remember his name, nodded.
“Yeah, at least if you’re after a Mastery in the field. I heard he’s pretty stern though, doesn’t tolerate any fooling around in his classes, but he actually teaches the subject, unlike the bloke he’s replacing.” Harry couldn’t help but snort in agreement. He hoped Sharp was competent as an instructor.
Harry resumed eating, wandering what he was going to do about that Golden Egg, when it suddenly occurred to him that they were now as close to the Second Task as they were far from the First. He was running out of time to figure things out.
“By the way.” Luna said as she started to dig into her breakfast, still wearing the clothes she’d been given that were mostly able to resist the hex on her. “Ravenclaw has lost its Prefects. All of them.”
“What?” the others asked. Normally Luna would have sat at her own table, as was customary for the start of term meals, but no-one had said anything yet.
“After the Yule Ball. Flitwick was so furious that he stormed into Ravenclaw Tower the morning after Boxing Day demanding to know who had put the hex on me that destroyed mummy’s gown, and made it all but impossible for me to wear regular clothes made of wool, silk or cotton. No one spoke up, so he stripped all of the Prefects of their badges, saying they had failed in their duty of care to look after the younger students.” Luna said. “I would have said something sooner, but the last couple of days since the Ball have been…rather busy for the school.”
“The Staff still haven’t figured out how to get it off you?” Harry asked. Luna nodded.
“No, they haven’t. I can’t wear anything that isn’t synthetic, which I’m starting to get used to. Though I honestly wouldn’t mind walking around naked and just wear an illusion charm, I used to do that all the time at home before I started Hogwarts. More magical families should try it, it’s honestly very freeing.”
“Eh, we’ll…take your word for it.” Ginny said, cringing at the mental image Luna had provided. Her mother would have a stroke if she started walking around the Burrow naked, not to mention she was the only girl in a family of mostly sons, so that definitely ruled out the lifestyle for her. Once she got her own place though…
Later that day, Luna was pulled aside by Fred and George Weasley, who, with some trepidation, profusely apologised for the hex placed on her. Admitting it was their creation, but that they hadn’t cast it on her, and they were hard at work trying to create a counter spell. It was proving difficult however, since the spell used on her was incomplete and didn’t work as intended.
Luna listened to them intently before she graciously accepted their apology, and assured them she wasn’t upset with them, but that they also need not hurry to create a fix, as she didn’t really mind the new outfit, it was growing on her, and she was looking forward to the summer holidays when she would be able to ‘live as nature intended’ as she put it.
-=-=-=-
Ludovic Bagman sat at his desk, going through some essential — but still very boring — paperwork, when he heard a knock at his door. “Enter!” he called without looking up. When he heard the door open then close, he looked up, blinking in confusion at who he saw. “Dolores? Is something wrong?”
“No Ludovic, I just wanted to go over some of the details with you regarding the second Triwizard Task.” The woman said, smiling as she approached his desk.
With a frown, Ludo put down his self-inking quill and sat back.
“You’re lucky you caught me, I was just about to head to Hogwarts, I just needed to get this damn paperwork finished.”
“Have the final selections for the…Volunteers…been made yet?” She asked. Bagman frowned.
“We’re still finalising it. We had intended to use the Champions’ Yule Ball dates, one of the reasons the Champions weren’t allowed to attend the Ball with each other as a date, but clearly, someone forgot to tell Delacour and Krum that.”
Dolores huffed.
“What about that Granger girl as Viktor’s… ahem… volunteer?”
“But they have no connection. She is hardly something he would miss, certainly not someone he’d risk his life for. Oddly enough, Dumbledore has suggesting the same thing, as well as Arthur’s youngest son as Mister Potter’s hostage. But Maxime vetoed both ideas, it seems Arthur’s younger son and Mister Potter have been on the outs lately, ever since that curse business started.” Bagman shook his head.
“What of Diggory’s boy?” She countered. Bagman shrugged.
“His date, who is also his girlfriend, will be his hostage, Dumbledore agreed on that.”
“And…Delacour?” Dolores asked. Bagman frowned a little at her tone, but brushed it off.
“Crouch, Karkaroff and myself are thinking of using her little sister, but Maxime and Dumbledore are resisting, something about Veela and the Merpeople having a… rough history…as Maxime calls it.”
“Then maybe the reptilian whore should have thought of that before she entered her name.” Dolores growled. “Use her sister, it’ll serve as an example. And if the reptiles and the fish do have a negative history, and that negative history leads to an…unfortunate accident…then all the better.”
Her words made Bagman flinch, but he knew Dolores didn’t care. She knew he was a former Death Eater, so wouldn’t really be offended by her words, he was more worried someone would walk past and overhear her.
“What of the cheating brat then?” She snapped. Bagman sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“That’s something else we have to consider. He’s now in a situation where he has to depend on the…ah…physical attributes and abilities of three witches, though I’m hearing rumour there’s now a fourth in the mix. That Lovegood girl has been seen hanging around him more, especially after what happened at the Ball.” Then, under his breath, Ludo muttered “Four witches? Lucky little bastard.”
“Your point?” Umbridge said impatiently, folding her arms.
“Well, we’ve learned that their…condition has accelerated the Bonding process, to the point where he’s already able to mentally communicate with Granger, and if not with Greengrass and Bones already, then certainly by late February. That gives him a potentially unfair advantage.”
“How? The hostages will be unconscious at the bottom of the lake. That link doesn’t work while one of the party is out cold.”
“The others could guide him.” Bagman replied.
Dolores blinked in confusion. “How?”
“Well, we realised while planning this thing that having a group of people sit round the Lake staring at the water while the Champions went for a swim wasn’t very entertaining, so we’ve come up with a way for the spectators to, well, spectate.”
As Ludo explained and outlined what they had set up, a plan started to form in Dolores’ mind. The answer to Ludo’s little problem was simple enough, and didn’t take much to get the point across, but the idea of separating the Champions first presented an opportunity to Dolores.
Tuesday January 3rd
12 Grimmauld Place
Sirius stepped out of his room, stretching. He was eager to get to work, his recent discovery during the Christmas holiday had re-invigorated him, filled him with a new sense of purpose and excitement. It was driving him up the wall that he couldn’t say anything to anyone, not until the appointed time. Not even Remus.
He’d been sworn to secrecy, he couldn’t say anything to anyone. So he decided to focus on something else, specifically: making his godson’s fifteenth birthday present. Everything he needed was still in his private study, he just needed to go over everything to make sure he had what he needed. It had been 15 or so years since he’d last done this, and his time in Azkaban hadn’t helped his creative side.
That drew his thoughts to the other items he had in his study that he needed to go over: The documents he’d found while searching through some old locked chests he’d managed to open.
His cousins’ marriage contracts. And an updated copy of his Will, now officially disinheriting one Draco Malfoy. The copy he held was just that, a magically duplicated copy, the actual Will was in Gringotts’ possession.
His beloved Godson was now his heir. Officially.
He couldn’t wait for Draco and Lucius to find out. A shame he’d never be able to tell either of them in person.
Remus had received an owl from Andromeda informing him of the date of Draco’s trial, and while he wouldn’t be able to attend, Remus had agreed to go in his stead. Not that Remus would be able to do much. As a former teacher of Draco, he was barred from serving on the jury. Though he and Sirius did agree on the fact that the Magical legal system, particularly the courts, was a bit of a mess compared to the muggle one.
Though he had given Remus a message to pass on to the little shit if he got the chance.
It didn’t take him long to head down to his study, where he’d left his latest project. Remus had suggested it as they’d visited the Black Vault at Gringotts, after he’d updated his Will. Sirius had agreed. It gave him something to do, and would potentially be a nice birthday present for Harry, assuming he couldn’t get another Firebolt.
As he took his seat at the table, he unlocked the 4 foot long box sat on the desk and opened it.
Inside was all the materials he needed. Smiling to himself, he turned to the old magical forge he’d dug out of storage and with a flick of his wand, ignited it. He set the cradle over the magical fire as it started to heat up, then, turning back to the box, he quickly donned the dragon-hide gloves, apron and boots, before adding the first ingredients to the smelting cradle.
-=-=-=-
Wednesday, January 4th, 1995
The first day of term arrived with the usual flare. It being a Wednesday, Harry knew the only classes he had that day was double Charms, which he was looking forward to. A flurry of owls delivered the morning mail, along with what looked like envelopes that bore the Ministry’s official seal. Several were delivered to Gryffindor, six to Slytherin, and one to Ravenclaw.
Harry opened his a little wearily, though he found the letter inside rather interesting.
Dear Mr Potter,
My name is Violet Sweeting, Solicitor at Bloomsbury Legal. I will be representing the Prosecution in the up-coming trials of Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson and Severus Snape.
As you were present for the altercation that immediately preceded the arrest of the fore-named, you may be called as witness during the trial. To that end, I have made arrangements with Professor Dumbledore to visit the school to gain written statements and questions (if applicable) from all involved.
These interviews shall be taking place starting the first weekend in January at 10 am.
Please present yourself to the Headmaster’s office no later than 8am that morning.
Sincerely,
Violet Sweeting, Solicitor for Bloomsbury Legal.
Harry turned to the girls, noting that they had received similar missives.
“This name seem familiar to you guys?” he asked. Susan nodded.
“Violet Sweeting, her daughter, is a third-year Puff, though she doesn’t have many friends, if any actually. She sneaks out to the forest a lot, started during her first year. How she managed that with the school on lock down second year and last year I have no idea. Rumour has it she’s adopted a Hippogriff,” Susan chuckled.
It was then that Harry noticed the rolled-up copies of the Prophet that had been dropped by the regular owls, who were helping themselves to snacks. Rolling his eyes, he picked up one of the papers and unrolled it, then bristled when he saw the headline:
DEBAUCHERY AT THE BALL!
Questions still unanswered.
Hogwarts has a Giant problem!
Potions Master shelved!
By Rita Skeeter.
Good day fine readers! We here at the Daily Prophet hope all of you at home, work and Hogwarts had a pleasant Christmas!
Though it would seem not everyone did have a pleasant Christmas. As readers may recall, several Hogwarts students were arrested two weeks ago on very serious charges, unfortunately, further information in that case is not forthcoming, the DMLE still refuses to comment. A trial date has not yet been set. When approached, the DMLE refused to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Another who appeared to have a rather disastrous experience at the Yule Ball, the traditional dance held at the school hosting the Triwizard Tournament on the evening of Christmas Day, was Third Year Ravenclaw student, Luna Lovegood, 13, who suffered a Wardrobe Malfunction, and her dress disintegrated, leaving her shamelessly naked, and apparently unconcerned, on the dance floor!
Harry regarded the paper with a scowl, silently contemplating if he should go back and pay Cuffe another visit, clearly his last had been ignored.
Another student of note was one Susanne Bones, niece of DMLE head Amelia Bones, who was wearing a rather form-fitting, and revealing, deep crimson dress that hid practically nothing! And also revealed she was wearing nothing underneath it!
What has the state of our premiere educational institution come to if students are stripped naked and humiliated in public? Or allowed to flout the rules of public decency? On top of underage students cheating their way into competitions intended for older and more skilled students, and violence in the classrooms, and wanton displays of inappropriate behaviour? This paper feels compelled to voice the opinion that perhaps the blame for all of this should be laid at the feet of one Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster.
We at the Prophet cannot help but wonder how and why Harry Potter’s entry into the Tournament has not yet being investigated, by either the Ministry or Hogwarts itself, given the amount of time that has passed, something should have been done by now. Why has he not been withdrawn, as previously speculated in our prior articles following both news of his entry and the results of the First Task, which somehow saw him take the lead over his fellow, true Champions, culminating in using a hereunto form of dark magic to charm the dragon he had to face. Something the Ministry’s experts in the Control of Magical Creatures department say they are still looking into.
When we reached out to the Ministry on this matter just before Christmas, they said that once a name is selected by the Goblet of Fire, that entrant is then placed in a binding Magical Contract, and must compete.
They claim that if Mister Potter were to withdraw from the Tournament at any point before it’s completion, or be disqualified, then he would be stripped of his magic.
Harry raised an eyebrow, quietly wondering to himself where the Prophet was getting its information from.
“Odd how they open with a hit piece detailing what happened to Luna then segue into taking another swing at me. And how many times have they been calling for my entry to be investigated or for me to be withdrawn?” He asked.
“A couple of times, you just never noticed because you almost never read the paper past the front page. In fact, you’ve refused to read it ever since our love-life was plastered across the front page.” Hermione said, leaning over to read it with him, while Susan leaned in from his other side. He snorted.
“What do you expect me to do? It’s a worthless tabloid rag that isn’t worth the money wasted to print it, not even fit for use as toilet paper, but yet, somehow, it’s the main source of news for this society, and its drivel is believed by 95% of its readers.”
“Hm, if Luna’s father didn’t already know about the Ball incident, he will when he reads this.” Daphne said, casting a sympathetic look up towards the Ravenclaw table where Luna sat, still eating her toast.
Harry followed her gaze, concern for his young friend twisting his gut. The impression he got from Luna was that she didn’t particularly care about the Prophet or what it printed.
Susan looked rather offended, “‘inappropriate’? I’ve seen more offensive examples of dress code violations in public, let alone here.”
“Like what?” Hermione asked.
“Fudge’s Under-Secretary.”
“Ah, right. His Under-The-Desk-Secretary.” Daphne snorted.
“Please, Fudge has to have some standards.” Susan replied, smirking.
“Susan! Daphne!” Hermione chided. The other two looked at her, rolling their eyes.
“You haven’t met her. Trust me, she’s awful. She’s basically the physical embodiment of everything Malfoy and his ilk believe in. And just as repellent.” Susan said. “She hates Muggle-borns, fully believes that tripe about them ‘stealing’ magic from pure-bloods, she’s also pretty intolerant of half-bloods. And don’t ever mention the centaurs around her.”
“How did someone like her get to where she is then?” Harry asked.
The other two shrugged.
“Blackmail, bribes, probably both financial and sexual, though I think any man would have to be blind not to instantly recoil from her in those situations. Though being ruthless and cunning like a typical Slytherin probably helped.” Daphne grinned.
“Honestly…” Hermione huffed, turning her attention to the Prophet, hoping that Luna and Susan wouldn’t suffer too much blow back from this.
“There’s more, look here.” Daphne pointed, Harry’s gaze moved down to the next block of text, and he felt his anger start to stir.
Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments.
In September of this year, he hired Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody’s well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly, when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.
Rubeus Hagrid, who was expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the Headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates.
An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his new-found authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons which many admit to be ‘very frightening’.
Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with this Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed ‘Blast-Ended Skrewts’, highly dangerous crosses between Manticores and Fire Crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, it seems, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions.
‘I was just having some fun,’ he says, before hastily changing the subject. As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not – as he has always pretended – a Pure-Blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring among themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle-killings of his reign of terror.
While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa’s son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.
In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought about You-Know-Who’s fall from power – thereby driving Hagrid’s own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who’s supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend – but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty of care to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants.
Harry scowled, his anger being picked up and reflected by Hermione, though Susan and Daphne didn’t seem as angry, but he did pick up on their surprise of the revelation of Hagrid’s bloodline. Come to think of it, he couldn’t see Hagrid up at the Head Table, and he hadn’t for the past couple of days. He saw Aesop Sharp, their new Potions Professor eating his breakfast. Harry was dubious about his first Potions lesson of the year, hopefully the guy would be better at teaching than Snape ever had been. According to some whispers he’d overheard, the man was apparently an ex-Auror.
Was it common for all ex-Aurors to go on teaching? Or just him and Mad-Eye. Speaking of which, their Defence Professor had discarded his copy of the Prophet with a snort and a look of total disinterest. The looks he’d given Sharp over the past couple of days however had been ones full of suspicion, weariness and a small amount of hostility. He still glared daggers at Karkaroff, who glared back at him.
Harry then turned his attention to the last piece of the article covering the arrest of Snape. It wasn’t much, all it said was that Snape had been marched out of Hogwarts the morning of Friday 30th, and that he was facing a similar set of charges to Draco, and that the trials for all involved had been set for the 14th of January.
-=-=-=-
Sat at his home, nursing a mug of honeyed tea and going over the next edition of the Quibbler before it went in to print, Xenophilius Lovegood started reading the latest issue of the Prophet, and promptly sprayed the front page with a mouthful of coffee.
A quick cleaning and drying spell later, and he was able to read the article in full, and as he did, his blood started to boil.
He read it several more times, his ire rising with each reading as he took in and digested what was said.
Well, this explained why Luna hadn’t sent her mother’s dress back in the post. Tears started to build in his eyes as he stood and started to pace. Not only had one of the last few possessions belonging to his dear wife been callously destroyed, but his daughter, his little moon, had been publicly humiliated.
Part of him could understand, and even accept, why Luna hadn’t contacted him herself, and he’d have to find out from a rival publication that had openly mocked him in the past.
“She likely blames herself…oh Luna…you should have told me.” He lamented, as he put his face in his hands, the tears and memories of his wife started to flow.
-=-=-=-
Daily Prophet Headquarters, Diagon Alley
Rita was sat at her desk, smiling to herself as she looked over that morning’s issue that detailed her ‘scoop’ on both the events of the Ball and Hagrid. She couldn’t wait to work her magic, so to speak, on the article that would detail the results of the upcoming trials. No doubt the revelations from that would be juicy.
And speaking of, her mind drifted back to all of her previous articles, and she sighed happily, her eyes becoming lidded as she thought of all the chaos they caused, and she started to feel warmth in her lower abdomen.
Many claimed to enjoy their jobs, but few actually did. But she not only loved her job, she revelled in it. In the same way she was sure Hermione Granger, Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrass and soon, Luna Lovegood revelled in the attention Harry gave them.
Picking up her green Quick-Quotes Quill, she slid it into her robe’s right inner pocket. The moment she let go of it, its form began to shift and grow, becoming rounder, its outline becoming clearly visible under her right breast. Not that anyone who looked at her robes would ever notice.
The door to her office suddenly banged open.
“RITA!” Barnabas Cuffe snarled as he stormed in.
Rita looked up, her arousal, which had only just started to build, instantly snuffed out. She forced herself not to glare at him as he walked up to her desk, and with a silent sigh of frustration, she prepared herself to deal with this dolt.
“Barney, come in.” She droned.
Barnabas glared at her.
“I told you NOT to run that story!”
“Which one?”
“EITHER OF THEM!” Barnabas snapped.
Rita rolled her eyes.
“Honestly, what is Potter going to do? He’s too busy fanny-diving and rimming his girlfriends, preparing for the Second Task, and the up-coming trials to worry about little old me.”
“You know he paid me a visit before Christmas.” Barnabas snapped.
“Yes, so you told me.”
“Right, so I’d like to avoid another visit if you don’t mind. So keep anything that could get him even more pissed off at us to yourself from now on.”
Before Rita could offer a counter, Cuffe turned and stormed out. He didn’t see the scowl on Rita’s face, or the sparkle of irritation in her eyes.
-=-=-=-
Later that evening, just after dinner, Harry had just started to make his way up the main grand staircase when a blinding, almost crippling stab of pain lanced through his forehead, and as he screwed his eyes shut, an image of Pettigrew twisting on the floor in front of him, screaming flashed through his mind. He doubled over before turning to sit on the steps, the girls, who were both ahead of and behind him also stopped and stumbled, as they each felt an echo of what he felt.
“Morgana’s saggy tits! What the bloody hell?” Susan groaned as she rubbed at her forehead.
“Voldemort.” Harry hissed, “He must have found out about the arrest of Snape, somehow. Wormtail probably got a copy of the Prophet. He’s pissed.”
“You never said it hurt this much. Feels like I just got stabbed.” Daphne grunted as she sat on the stairs below him, Hermione just behind her.
“Didn’t realise…the link would let us feel… each other’s pain… though I suppose, it makes sense.” Hermione panted.
“Did you sense anything from him after Draco got arrested?” Susan asked in a heavy voice as she panted for breath, wiping away the tears that had started to flow.
“No… which is odd, I’m guessing he didn’t really care enough about that, or he didn’t know.” Harry said.
“Didn’t you say once that you could see what he sees? Feel what he feels?” Susan asked.
“Yeah, but not since we all started Bonding, well, not since Hermione and I did. I thought that was blocking whatever link I have with him, but apparently if he’s pissed enough, I still feel it.”
“Maybe we should go talk to the Headmaster.” Susan muttered as she tried to get to her feet.
-=-=-=-
Riddle Manor
Pettigrew shrieked as he twitched on the floor in front of his master, the now discarded copy of the Prophet forgotten.
Voldemort released the curse on Pettigrew, more to conserve his own strength than out of any sense of pity or mercy.
Snape. Arrested. He already knew about the arrest of Draco and his friends of course, and he couldn’t be more disgusted with all of them. If any of those brats wanted a place in the world he was going to usher in after his restoration, they would have to prove they were worthy of it. From everything he’d heard and seen so far, the odds of that happening were slim. He only hoped Malfoy would not be as much of a disappointment as his son turned out to be.
But Snape getting removed from Hogwarts was a wrinkle he hadn’t prepared for, and he was regretting it now. Snape was his only link to Dumbledore. He knew that Barty’s ruse wouldn’t last forever, he would eventually get caught, but Snape was a more permanent mole. An inside link to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix he now would no longer have. He briefly contemplated a way to have the trial be influenced to at least get Snape off whatever hook he’d got caught on, but he quickly dismissed that idea. There was just no way he’d be able to gain any influence over anything. Anything he could try now would more than likely expose him before he was ready. And that would be a disaster.
He had long known of Snape’s ‘defection’ following that disastrous attack in Godric’s Hollow, of course. Ever since he possessed Quirrell all those years ago, and despite Quirrell’s attempt to curse Potter’s broom back then, and Snape interfering — yes, he had noticed that — the idea of once again bending Snape to his will, and using him to spy on Dumbledore had been an option to him.
Now that wasn’t possible. He would have to make arrangements for Snape’s release after his restoration, or find and compel Slughorn to be his new Potions brewer and spy.
He closed his eyes and focused on his mental link to Potter, trying again to glean information from the boy’s mind, but it was proving difficult as of late, and he suspected he knew why. The Bond Potter was forming with the Mudblood and the other two. It was partially disrupting his connection to the boy’s mind, though that connection was already sporadic, given his weakened state. He’d first become aware of the link years ago, back during Potter’s first year, though he hadn’t been able to act on it, not until his host’s body had disintegrated, anyway. He’d tried to possess the boy, but something had forced him out of Harry’s head, painfully.
He had then fled, and in the intervening years, been too weakened —and too far away— to really take advantage. Now that he was no longer a shade, he had some ability to use that connection, which was how he had learned Potter was at the Quidditch World Cup, and so had told Barty to start a riot, as a warning.
But now…Now that Potter was Bonding with three witches, possibly four, the odds of him randomly connecting with one of the others in the link was a possibility, and while that wasn’t entirely a negative, it did increase the odds of him being detected.
He couldn’t have that. He didn’t want to let the Potter brat know he was eaves dropping, either. Though the connection was stronger when the girls were asleep, or when they all were; their mental defences down, it allowed him to slip in unnoticed, though he hadn’t been willing to try that lately, not since the night of the Yule Ball.
The things he had seen glimpses of had both disgusted and intrigued him. He’d honestly never thought of using his family’s gift that way before. But the few glimpses he’d got of what Potter had done to the Ravenclaw girl would have made him throw up, had he been able to.
‘Disgusting…why would anyone do that?’ he thought, then put that disturbing imagery out of his mind as he tried to reach out to the boy again. He could sense confusion, apprehension, and annoyance…
-=-=-=-
“Are you certain Harry?” Dumbledore asked, regarding the young man and his three companions carefully.
“Yes sir, it was just like in first year, I felt a stab of pain in my scar, got feelings of anger, and saw a vision of Pettigrew being tortured, I think it’s safe to say Voldemort knows about Snape.”
“Hm, strange, I had hoped, or at least theorised, that the Bond you’re all forming would have helped shield you’re mind, that is after all, one of the benefits of the Bonding, at least for those who are not fluent in mind-magics.”
“Mind magics? You mean like the memory charm?” Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.
“No, Occlumency and Legilimency. The former is the art of shielding a person’s mind from an external probe, the latter is the charm that creates that probe. They’re difficult to master though, some are better at one than the other, some are good at both, and some have just such a naturally chaotic mind that a Legilimens probe would never get in. Certain magical conditions make you outright immune to Legilimency, being a werewolf, for example.” Daphne said, earning a raised eyebrow from Hermione, as if the girl was about to say ‘I was gonna say that.’
Daphne blinked, as she realised what had just happened.
“Indeed. And it would seem that the Bonding not only acts as a form of Occlumency but also a passive form of Legilimency, as, I would surmise, the four of you have been able to mentally communicate for some time now?” Dumbledore said, as he made sure not to make eye-contact with any of them, while at the same time, locking down his own mental defences in case they did.
While it seemed the Bond between the four of them did provide a degree of passive Legilimency, he wasn’t sure if it provided passive Occlumency as well, and he wasn’t eager to test the theory yet. If it did, then it was possible that Voldemort’s connection to Harry was simply too…direct to be fully blocked with just the Bond in play.
“Yes sir.” Hermione said.
“Is there a class for this or something?” Harry asked. Dumbledore shook his head.
“Alas, no, because of the intimate nature of instruction, Occlumency is usually taught one-on-one.”
It took the four a moment to work out what he meant.
“Can’t you teach us professor?” Harry asked, Dumbledore sighed and shook his head.
“I’m afraid I will not be suitable.” He didn’t bother to mention that he didn’t want to train Harry specifically because he didn’t want Voldemort piggy-backing off of the link and reading his mind.
Plus the nature of a Bonded pair of minds meant they each passively protected the other, to some degree at least, and a fully formed Bond was harder to tap into than a unstable one, but still, the number of people in the Bond would make any intrusion even more difficult. Dumbledore was weighing the possible need for teaching them the skill. If he was right about the scar, and he was fairly certain he was, then Voldemort had not only a mental connection to Harry, but a physical one also, as the flesh the soul-fragment was contained in was basically a benign tumour, allowing Riddle to simply bypass any mental shield. Voldemort literally had a back door into Harry’s mind.
It was just now, that door had three guard-witches.
“So if Voldemort has a link into Harry’s mind, why can’t we find it and block it off?” Daphne asked.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, that was…honestly a good idea, in theory anyway.
“Alas it would require one of you to constantly focus your efforts on blocking him, which would be more taxing for you, and would be easier for Harry to learn how to do on his own. As for finding it, well, that is what the Occlumency and Legilimens training would help with. Though I would advice against interacting with it, should you accidental enter his mind, or let him into your own. His is one of the sickest minds I’ve ever encountered.” Dumbledore spoke up. While his statement was meant to deter them from trying, he also didn’t want them accidentally connecting with Riddle and be exposed to that kind of mental poison, or learn about the Prophecy.
“What about Flitwick? Couldn’t he teach us? Or Professor McGonagall?” Hermione asked.
Dumbledore sat back, his fingers stroking his neared in thought. “Professor Flitwick is a possibility, as is Professor McGonagall, I will speak with them, if one of them agrees I will make arrangements following the conclusion of the upcoming…difficulties.”
The four teenagers exchanged looks before nodding in agreement, then, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed them.
Once they were gone, he sighed. “Occlumency training with a networked Bond…that will certainly be…interesting.”
“Did I hear that right? The boy has a mental connection to that Riddle character?” came the voice of Dippet from the wall of portraits.
“Indeed he does, has had it all his life.”
“Does he know?”
“He knows of the connection obviously, but not its significance. Not yet.”
“When were you planning on telling him?” the portrait of Black spoke up. Albus raised an eyebrow, it wasn’t like Phineas to normally get involved in day to day conversations.
“I had hoped to let him enjoy his childhood first, before burdening him with such knowledge.”
“From what we’ve heard, that poor boy never had one of those.” Another portrait, this time of a distant past Headmistress, Niamh Fitzgerald, spoke up. “And quite honestly, I’m more than a little intrigued by Potter. He managed to beat the first task of the Triwizard Tournament in a way no-one could ever have expected.”
“That is just how Harry is. Doing the impossible, he has since he was a baby.”
“I hope I get the chance to have a talk with him one day.” Niamh said, her gaze thoughtful.
Dumbledore returned to his thoughts. He still needed to make preparations for the Trial. There was sadly nothing he could do for young Draco or his friends, but Snape? Snape he was less certain about. If he couldn’t spare Snape from Azkaban, then he could at least try to mitigate any damage of information Snape knowing becoming public knowledge.
Thursday January 5th
Azkaban Dock, North Sea.
Precise Location: CLASSIFIED
Dolores Umbridge stepped off the dock as the Warden, whose name she neither knew nor cared to know, along with two guards stepped up to greet her. She pulled the thick coat around herself to ward off the chill as the rain and howling wind battered them and the walls of the giant triangular stone structure. Looking up, she saw the distorted shadows of the Dementors as they circled the building, flying in and out of open doors and windows.
“Madam Under-Secretary, this is most unusual. When I received your note the other day, I had to wonder what this could possibly be about.”
“I am here to deliver notification to some recent inmates. Their trial dates have been set.” The woman said, wondering if it was worth casting a Patronus.
“Ah yes, that. I received notice of that from Amelia the other day, the same day they brought in Snape actually. I assume his will be the same day. Now, if you’ll follow me please.” The Warden said, turning back towards the building, the two guards taking up flanking positions on either side of her.
“Please submit your wand for inspection. I remind you that there are wards in place to dispel any and all forms of concealment charms and enchantments. Anyone entering or exiting the complex must drink a flushing draught which will purge any and all potions, including Polyjuice, from your system. Wands are permitted within the cell blocks, but only Expecto Patronum or Lumos are authorised. Cast any other spell and you will be detained immediately. You will also be searched for potion vials. Any discovered will be confiscated until you leave. Potions such as Polyjuice are not permitted, and should any be found on your person, you will be detained immediately.”
“And invisibility cloaks?” Dolores asked sweetly, her tone patronising. She was already aware of all of these security measures of course, which had all been put in place after Black's escape. The Warden was just reading off the script. One of the guards chuckled.
“That’s what the Dementors are for.”
Going through check-in was rather tedious if she were honest with herself, but it was necessary if she wanted to avoid becoming a resident.
“Who are you here to see?” the clerk at the desk asked in a bored tone, not even looking up from his form to address her, something that made her scowl. She’d be sure to look up this individual when she got back to the Ministry. Maybe he would like a change in scenery? Perhaps the Goblin Liaison Office?
“Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Severus Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange.” Dolores said. At the last name, the clerk looked up, his eyes meeting hers curiously, though there was little to no recognition in those eyes.
“Why on Earth would you want to see that rabid dog? No-one has come to see her in…ever.”
“That is my business. I would speak with her first.” Dolores snapped, as the Warden cleared her, and she was escorted through, accompanied by one of the guards.
A silver fox trotted ahead of them, the tip of the guard’s wand glowing as they worked their way through the dank and dark corridors of the Maximum Security Wing. Passing empty cells, and those that weren’t empty, though the occupants barely reacted to their presence, until they reached the one they sought.
Dolores took a moment to examine her. Bellatrix Lestrange was sat curled up on her bed, murmuring to herself. Her face was pale and gaunt, eyes sunken and wide, wild with insanity, the symptom of a fractured mind. Her clothes threadbare, her flesh looked like it was hanging off her skeleton, hair matted, nails yellowed and cracked, though Dolores noted she could only see one of Bellatrix’s hands, she couldn’t see the other, seemingly hidden in her lap. She focused her eyes, trying to see through the gloom, then her eyes widened as she saw where the hidden hand was, and what it was doing.
She looked like a corpse that hadn’t realised it was dead yet.
Dolores wrinkled her nose as she stepped closer. The woman smelled like a corpse as well.
“Lestrange. You have a visitor.” The guard snapped, tapping the bars with a foot.
Bellatrix looked up, eyes wide, unfocused as the looked around, before they settled on her, and she smiled, the grin was cruel and mocking.
“A visitor? A visitor for Bella?” she asked.
“Hello Bella.” Dolores said sweetly.
“Who are you?” the woman in the cell asked. “Have you come to listen to the songs too? They’re wonderful! I never knew shadows could sing until I came here!”
“Dolores Umbridge, Senior Under-Secretary to the Minister for Magic.”
“The Minister? Oooh! Does he sing too? I liked it when the Muggles and Mudbloods sing. Their songs were so lovely when they used to sing for Bella! Especially the little ones! All they needed was to be told the magic word!” the woman cackled.
“No, I’m afraid the Minister is not much of a singer. And before you ask, neither am I. I’m here to make you an offer.”
Bella sat up, her wild purple eyes fixed on Dolores, the crazy smile replaced by a sneer. “Everybody sings for Bella eventually. My favourites were the muggles and the Longbottoms, they sang such a beautiful operas for me. Even their weetle Nevy sang for Bella, oh he was special! There’s something about the way the really young ones sing to me…it gets me…so…wet…”
Bellatrix closed her eyes briefly and seemed to pause, before her body gave an almost imperceptible shake and she let out a little sigh, then she continued, ignoring the sound of disgust the guard made as she opened her eyes and looked at Dolores again, and this time, Dolores could faintly hear the shtick shtick shtick coming from the occupant of the cell, making it clear to the Under-Secretary what Bellatrix had been doing before she arrived, and was apparently still doing.
“Mmm…Just remembering it keeps me going here. Little Nevy was so cute! Shame the Aurors came and ruined my fun before I could get off. Don’t you just hate it when you’re about to have a truly bone-shaking orgasm, and someone just ruins it?” she asked rhetorically, tilting her head at she looked between Umbridge and the guard, the latter looked like he was about to be ill.
‘Pfft! No balls that one.’ She thought, before turning back to the neutral-faced woman and continued, “I did love playing with muggles too. Making them sing while their loved ones danced and sang to the tune of a Crucio. Oh, the number of orgasms I had with this one family, teaching their little ones to sing! I had some good ones that night!” Bellatrix leaned back, sighing with a twisted, demented smile as the hand Dolores hadn’t seen emerged from the threadbare waistband of her prison-issue trousers, her fingers glistening as they were raised to Bellatrix’s waiting mouth.
Out of the corner of her eye, Dolores saw the guard looked like he wanted to either curse the woman or throw up, maybe both. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with him standing there, she couldn’t risk him telling anyone what she was about to discuss with Bellatrix.
“I need to speak with her alone for a moment.”
“I’m sorry ma’am, but protocol doesn’t allow it. All visitors are to be accompanied and under the watch of at least one guard at all times. Because of…well…”
He pointed up into the high ceiling of the corridor, which was covered in a fine layer of fog. Dolores looked up, just in time to see a skeletal wraith glide out of the fog and dive straight for them.
The chill that Dolores had felt since entering the Maximum Security Wing suddenly spiked, and long buried memories started to resurface.
She remembered her parents last time together, of their fierce fight, where her mother had kicked her father out of the house after finding out he’d been seeing some Knockturn Alley whore behind her back, and to add insult to injury, she’d found out later, when she’d followed her mother to track down the interloper, they had discovered the whore in question had been a muggle-born.
“Back!” The guard yelled, raising his wand, and the silver fox leapt into the air to intercept the creature which veered away before the apparition could touch it.
“That is why a guard must always be present.” The guard panted, looking more than a little frazzled.
“I can handle myself thank you. It will only be a moment. If you like, I can offer a pay rise, or even a transfer to a more pleasant posting.” Dolores said. At this the guard perked up. She took note of his name tag: ‘CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD’ yes, perhaps a warmer, less hostile posting would be appreciated.
“Really? That bastard Malfoy talked with Fudge then I wound up here, all because I apparently ‘looked at him wrong’ or something!” the man snorted, “At least now I get to rub his face in it now his little brat is here.”
A few more exchanged words and the guard stepped away. Dolores turned back to the cell, taking note of the cackling wretch sat on the bed.
‘Now, lets see if this works.’
“Now then Bella dear, lets talk. About the Dark Lord. Tell me, do you know his full name?”
At these words, Bellatrix perked up, her crazy eyes focusing intently on her.
“His name is Sacrosanct! He, one Death itself can not catch! He is still out there, just biding his time! He will come and free those who are most loyal! I’m sure of it!”
“Actually, his name is Thomas Riddle, named for his father. Come now, you seriously expect me to believe all of you thought his mother named him ‘Voldemort’? Surely you must have wondered?” Dolores countered.
“It doesn’t matter what other monikers people give him! He is the Dark Lord! The Conqueror of the light! Slayer of Mudbloods!” Bellatrix preened, piratically swooned. Dolores started to have doubts about her little plan.
“A Dark Lord he may have claimed to be.” Dolores said, deciding to go right for the jugular. “But what he actually was was a Pretender. He was a Half-Blood. A descendant of Slytherin yes, but on his mother’s side. His father was a muggle. And as for him being the ‘Slayer’ of Mudbloods, well, that doesn’t hold much wieght when it was a Mudblood that got him killed via her baby son.”
The crazy woman’s reaction was so fast the only thing that saved Dolores was the fact that she wasn’t standing close to the bars. With a feral hiss like a cat or snake, Bellatrix leapt off the bed and charged the bars, sticking a hand through them trying to claw and grab at her as she took a step back.
“LIAR! HERETIC! BLASPHEMER!” the mad woman screamed, her eyes completely manic with murderous rage, spittle flying from her cracked lips as she spat at Dolores. “The Dark Lord is PURE! I’ll make you SUFFER for saying such slanderous filth Mudblood lover!”
Dolores bristled, her own temper rising. “I am no Mudblood lover. I am the Senior Under-Secretary for the Minister of Magic. And I have heard whispers that Half-breed isn’t as dead as people think. I will need support apposing him if he is to return. Wizarding society should be ruled by those of pure breeding and status, not half-breed abominations that wipe out any who question them, on both sides of the bloodline. Unfortunately, Fudge and his sycophants will all most likely stick their heads in the proverbial sand if he does return.”
“And you thought to acquire this ‘support’ by poaching from his most loyal? All those who fell at his wand before did so because of their own foolishness! And my master does not suffer fools!” Bellatrix seethed. At this, Dolores knew her endeavour was a failure. Bellatrix was too far gone, too brainwashed. Though, she reflected privately, even if she had convinced the woman to turn on Riddle, she would have had to be under constant watch.
“I thought to recruit from those whom he had lied the most.” Dolores snapped, huffing her frustration.
“The only one lying here is you. And I promise you, should I ever get out of here, and our paths meet, I will make you sing…”
With a sigh, Dolores turned away, she wasn’t getting anywhere with Bellatrix. Still, Bella hadn’t been the only reason she’d come, there was still Draco and his associates.
-=-
Harry looked down at the grey rabbit on the pillow in front of him dubiously. The last time he’d been around a rabbit in transfiguration, it had gone on a killing spree before McGonagall had managed to put a stop to it.
Today was another animal transfiguration lesson, only this time, they each had a different animal to change, and a different animal to change it to. He had a rabbit, and was supposed to turn it into a duck. Hermione had a mouse, and was assigned the task of turning it into a hedgehog.
Neville had a large white rooster sat on his desk, and had been assigned the task of turning it into a dog.
Ron had a duck, a large all black drake with a white stripe around its neck, which was supposed to end up as a pig.
Susan was the first to attempt her transfiguration. Turning her sparrow into a larger bird with a mostly white colour pattern, with black-brown and white strips on its wings, neck, tail and head. A crest on its head, large bill and a long tail. Susan sat staring in surprise at what she’d created.
“Impressive Miss Bones, though I don’t believe I asked for a Roadrunner.” McGonagall said with a smile. Susan blushed and opened her mouth to apologise and try again, when Daphne turned her hamster into a large brown dog with huge pointed ears. It looked around confused, until its gaze settled on the aforementioned Roadrunner.
“Oh my god…” Hermione grinned as she tried to contain her laughter, much to the confusion of the pure-bloods in the room, as she eyed the two animals, already knowing what was about to happen.
The coyote and the roadrunner stared at each other, before the predator licked its lips, and the bird let out a rapid chirp that Hermione could have sworn sounded like meep-meep! before it jumped off the table and ran for the door, the coyote right behind it. The roadrunner reached the door and somehow managed to throw it open before disappearing through it.
Hermione lost her struggle to stop herself laughing, as did several of the other Muggle-borns present, but always taking things in stride, McGonagall flicked her wand and the two animals soon came flying back into the room, reverting to their previous forms.
“Please try again ladies, and remember to focus.”
Ron tried next, but no matter what he tried, the duck just wouldn’t transform. If anything, it started to stare at him in a rather incredulous way, until it finally opened its bill and tried to quack at him, only for for the call of a cockerel to leave its bill, which promptly snapped shut. It tried again, producing a sound that reminded Harry and Hermione of a monkey. Then it became agitated, flapping its wings and dancing around the desk, opening its bill and squawking various animal sounds at Ron who stared at it in shock, before finally…
“…and I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life!”
The entire class sat, stunned, staring at the duck that had just yelled at Ron in English after squawking at him in almost every other animal language known.
Next was Hermione, who with some trepidation, managed to transfigure her mouse into…something.
It was large, maybe the size of a Puffskein, covered in fur, and an orange-pink colour, with a small V shaped tuft of hair towards one end, which seemed to denote the creature’s ‘head’. It was also cooing and purring, especially when Hermione picked it up and started stroking it.
“Miss Granger, that looks like a Puffskein, not a turkey.” McGonagall said. Hermione blushed.
“Uh, I know, its a Tribble. Don’t worry, I won’t feed it or anything. Don’t want to end up with over a million of them after three days.” Hermione said somewhat embarrassed, before she reverted the transformation and tried again, this time creating the turkey. McGonagall awarded her 10 points for a successful transfiguration, but made no comment on why feeding a ‘tribble’ would be a bad idea.
Harry tried next, staring at the grey rabbit who looked back at him, nose twitching nervously, before he cast his spell. The rabbit shivered momentarily, before its form shifted and morphed, becoming larger, and eventually settling into the form of a large swan.
“Excellent Mister Potter. Another 10 points to Gryffindor.”
McGonagall then turned her attention to Neville, who had been trying unsuccessfully to turn his rooster into a dog, when suddenly, the chicken squawked in alarm before its form shrank and it became more amphibian in appearance, resembling a large toad with huge multicoloured, osculating eyes.
Almost immediately, the room filled with an odd buzzing hum that made everyone’s ears tingle in an odd way. McGonagall looked down at the toad as it looked back up at her, and her eyes went glassy and dazed, her face losing its stern expression.
“Urm, Professor? Are you alright?” Neville asked.
“I am fine.” McGonagall said in a strange, monotone voice. “10 points to Gryffindor. 1000 points to the Hypnotoad.”
“The what?” several students murmured.
While everyone was distracted with the strange toad, the swan Harry had just transfigured gingerly climbed into his lap, distracting him enough to stop him being hypnotised by the toad, then proceeded to stand in his lap then press its chest against his, then stretched out with its wings and to his amazement, hugged him.
“I know magical animals are intelligent, but I think even this is a bit much.” He muttered as the swan stared at him intently, before lowering its head to press its, or rather, her bill against his neck. Then she dipped her head and grabbed his quill in her bill, then, rather jerkily, it wrote the words ‘Call me Leda, handsome.’ on his parchment sheet before she turned her head to nuzzle his neck again.
Fortunately, Hermione was able to reverse Neville’s transfigured toad, which snapped McGonagall out of her trance. After admonishing Neville to be more careful, and docking the 10 points she’d awarded, Hermione also reverted the swan that was getting rather comfortable in her boyfriend’s lap.
She almost hexed it when it started wiggling its hind quarters into his lap. Clearly the female swan had found something she really liked the feel of, and was taking full advantage of her position to grind against that particular spot, causing Harry’s face to flush red with embarrassment. With a flick of her wand, the swan was back on the table, and with a second flick, it reverted back to a rabbit.
-=-
Dumbledore was sitting in his office, going over his preparations for Snape’s Trial. He had no idea what questions Snape would be asked, and Albus was trying to decide which information was in the greatest need of sanitisation under a Fidelius when his fireplace erupted into green flame, and a rather stern looking face speared.
“Albus. We need to talk.”
Dumbledore sighed. He’d been expecting this. He was honestly surprised it had taken the man this long. Raising his wand, he unlocked the fireplace, and gave a brief nod. Moments later, Xenophilius Lovegood stepped out, brushing himself down.
“Greetings Xenophilius.”
The younger man glared at him. “Albus, just exactly what the hell has been happening to my daughter? Can you tell me exactly how and why she was stripped naked in the middle of a packed dance floor? And WHY I had to find out about it in the pages of my professional competitor!?”
Dumbledore showed now outward reaction to the snarl of rage, but on the inside, he was already sighing. This was not going to be pleasant.
-=-=-=-
Later that evening, after dinner, Harry entered the Defence classroom, nervously awaiting the arrival of his Defence Professor and his first lesson of training since Draco’s arrest.
The door creaked open and Moody limped in. Once he’d reached his desk, he looked around, his magical eye looking in all directions, it was still creepy to look at.
“Alright, Potter, holidays are over, so it’s back to the grindstone.” He growled. “I’ll be teaching you the two blasting curses Confringo and Incendio.”
He then raised his wand and flicked it a few times. Several training dummies, each on wheels and holding a wand, rolled into the room from a cupboard, and several spheres, each the size of a Bludger with a wand attached to them, flew into the room and started circling.
“Alright, you handled yourself decently well against Draco and his lot, and that dragon, but Draco and his friends are gone now, and you likely won’t be facin’ anymore dragons while you’re at school. From now on, its just you an’ yer opponents in the next two tasks. Diggory might go easy on ye, but do ya think Krum or Delacour will?”
He then raised his wand again and gestured to the various objects he’d summoned.
“We’ll start with basic stuff first to ease you in. Shield and basic spell work, then we’ll move on to the heavier stuff. Defend yourself!”
Harry raised a shield round himself just in time to block the various spells being thrown at him. Because they were non-verbal, he had trouble at first figuring out what they were. Then he stumbled as he felt an impact against his shield from behind. He turned to see one of the floating balls slam into his shield again. The spells being fired at him were relatively mild, nothing he couldn’t handle, but they were all coming at him at once, from all directions, and it was already starting to strain his concentration.
He started moving, dodging shots and sending out spells of his own. Banishing charms sent several dummies flying, a disarming charm neutralised another, until he noticed the wand flying back into the dummy’s hand. Cutting spells sliced several of the dummies in half and slammed several of the floating balls into the walls with enough force to damage them.
Once they were all down, Moody grunted and nodded with approval. “Alright, not bad, now we’ll see how you do when we turn things up a bit. Here’s the wand movements for Confringo and Incendio. Aim at that dummy over there.”
Moody demonstrated the blasting curse, blowing one of the dummies apart, then quickly repaired it and nodded to him.
Harry cantered himself, raised his wand and pointed it at the dummy.
“Confringo! Incendio!”
His wand heated up so much he almost dropped it, but he kept hold of it as the blast left his wand, the recoil almost knocking him back as the three foot wide fireball hit the dummy and blasted it to splinters, and even left a sizeable mark on the wall behind it.
His Incendio hit another dummy and engulfed it in fire, he then changed his aim, sending the spray of fire over two more dummies, reducing them to piles of ash.
“Hm…Impressive. Looks like that power boost you’re gettin’ from your ladies isn’t anything to sneeze at. Alright, lets try this again. This time, the dummies and spheres will also be throwing these spells at you among others. Defend yourself.”
Harry cast another shield just in time to block a blasting curse fired by one of the dummies. It didn’t feel nearly as strong as the one he’d fired, but he knew if all of them started firing that curse at him and he didn’t move to avoid them, his shield wouldn’t last long, so he started moving, answering a second blast from one of the spheres with one of his own, but his shot missed, gouging a dark divot in the far wall. Then an idea struck him, and he turned and aimed his wand at one of the other dummies.
“Accio! Wingardium Leviosa!”
The dummy flew across the room and hovered just outside his shield, then he moved it to block a shot from one of the spheres, which blew the dummy’s wand-arm off.
“Incendio! Dipulso!”
Fire enveloped the dummy as it was sent flying, Moody ducked as it sailed over his head, colliding with a desk and setting it on fire.
Harry ignored it as he continued to move, flipping over another desk and getting behind it to block a hit from one of the spheres. As it floated over his head, he aimed his wand and fired another blasting hex, blowing it to pieces, he then set off again, stumbling as a tripping jinx he hadn’t expected caught him. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Moody grinning rather oddly as he lowered his wand, but he couldn’t think on it too much as two more spells came his way and his shield failed with the first hit, absorbing the elastic curse, but not the banishing charm that threw him against the far wall with a grunt of pain.
‘Harry, are you okay?’ came Susan’s voice. Harry shook his head, clearing his thoughts then rolled, dodging another spell.
‘Yeah, yeah, just training with Moody, don’t worry. Hopefully I’ll be done soon.’
It didn’t take him long to deal with the remaining dummies. A quick Arresto Momentum slowed the spheres enough for him to deal with them.
Harry panted, slightly winded, but otherwise unharmed. He turned to Moody just in time to see a flash of light, and he quickly ducked and rolled, throwing up another shield.
“What are you doing?” Harry asked as he grunted under the hits his shield took, then was forced to roll out of the way as it failed, before he stood and threw a Dipulso back at Moody.
“Seeing how you fare against a living opponent. A surprised opponent, is a weak opponent. I’m not your friend Potter, I’m your instructor.” The man grinned.
'Fine then.’ Harry thought, as he got back to his feet and raised his wand.
“Levioso! Accio!” Crouch’s poly-juiced expression was almost comical as he sailed towards Harry, his wand coming up to cast a quick Finite, but he never got the chance as one of Harry’s shoes collided with his groin, and he doubled over with cry of pain as he flew, only for his face to come into contact with Harry’s fist, before a quick Dipulso sent him flying in the opposite direction.
Crouch was impressed, not that he’d ever admit it, especially to Potter, but the boy had a bit of a violent streak in him, something that the altercation with Draco seemed to have awoken, and he began to re-evaluate Potter as he realised something he never would have expected from the Gryffindor Golden Boy.
Harry liked to fight dirty.
‘Well done Potter. Won’t be underestimating you again.’ He thought as he groan in pain after colliding with the far wall. He staggered to his feet and waved his wand at the burning table, freezing the flames, before extinguishing them, then cast repairing charms on what was left of the dummies and the spheres, before putting them all back where they belonged, then he turned to Harry, who was still panting, but looked a little apologetic.
“Nicely done lad, you’re getting better, keep it up. Alright, that's enough for tonight, rest up, you’ve got a busy weekend coming up. We’ll be foregoing our two sessions next Monday and Thursday, on account of the trials next weekend. By the way, figured out your egg yet?”
“Uh, no, I haven’t, been kind of, um…busy.” Harry replied, blushing. His Defence teacher snorted with a twisted smirk that looked very unnerving. ‘I really hope he doesn’t use that magical eye to spine on people having sex.’
“Well you’ve only got a month left to figure it out, they’ll probably tell you on the day of the task, but by then that intel will be useless.”
“So you’re not gonna tell me?” Harry asked half-jokingly. Moody gave him a stern look.
“Can’t. You know that.”
“Not even a hint?”
“No, now clear off.” And with that, the scarred ex-Auror waved his wand at the door, which opened. Harry took the hint and left, slightly limping, a smile adorning his face as Hermione told him there was a nice warm bath — and two very naked masseuses — waiting for him. Daphne regretfully announced she had some homework to finish and couldn’t join in, though Harry suspected the recon reason was more personal, and once again, he wished a thousand painful deaths upon the ferret. He focused on Daphne, and sent her all the feelings of comfort and support he could muster. The feeling of gratitude he sensed in response, dulled his aches a little.
-=-=-=-
Friday January 6th
Neville tried to focus on Binns as he droned on about the Goblin Rebellion of some-such-year or other, but he honestly didn’t put much effort in, especially considering the disillusioned blonde head that gently bobbed in his lap as he tried hard not to moan.
After the Yule Ball Orgy, at least that was what he privately called it, he and Hannah had started spending most nights together in the Room of Requirement, it was certainly a very easy way for him to show her what his room at home looked like, the two of them sleeping in a bed that wasn’t a Hogwarts four-poster.
He’d also got the opportunity to see her room at her home, and he’d commented on how nice and homely it was.
He wasn’t sure what had possessed his girlfriend to be so brazen as to disillusion herself, unzip his trousers, pull out his shaft and immediately start working it to hardness right there in front of Binns — and all the other students around them — but he wasn’t going to complain. Especially since Binns was completely oblivious, and most of the students in the class were snoring, and those that weren’t were either too focused on Binns to notice what Hannah was doing, or in the case of Harry, Susan, Daphne and Hermione, they were doing the same thing, or something close to that.
Neville wished he could return the favour, but he was pretty sure even Binns would notice if two of his students suddenly climbed onto a desk and started licking one another. Given the position Hannah was in, he couldn’t even use his hand to pleasure her without making it look obvious to anyone who cared to look.
He would just have to do something quickly for her during break he decided as he felt her give his tip an extra strong suck, then moaned as she tasted his pre on her tongue, before letting gravity pull her down.
He could feel his climax building, and he didn’t want to finish too soon, so he tried to distract himself with thoughts of their up-coming potions class with their new instructor, who according to his gran, was an ex-Auror. Hopefully he’d be a better teacher than Snape.
He also remembered that he was running out of time to look up the Abbott family crest, he really wanted to get that tattoo as a Valentines present for her. He grunted, thinking about that made him think about the tattoo she wore, the one that was now permanently either over her womb, her heart, or her vulva.
Too late he realised his mistake, as picturing that tattoo, and where she liked to put it in his mind, was enough to push him to his peak. Hannah’s decadent purr was almost enough to make him climax a second time as she hungrily gulped down his release, taking a few moments between gulps to savour each one and lavish his over-sensitive head with more loving attention, knowing full well it drove him crazy.
It still surprised him just how much his girlfriend seemed to love the taste of his cum.
Apparently, according to her at least, some girls just naturally loved the taste, regardless of the boys’ diet, and it seemed Neville had struck it rich, and gotten lucky enough to find one of those girls.
As the warm rush of his climax started to fade, Hannah kept up her efforts to draw out every last drop she could. He turned and looked over towards Harry, who Neville noticed with a smirk, had both of his hands hidden under a skirt on either side of him. Susan and Hermione were both red-faced as they tried to focus on what Binns was talking about, or at least make it look like they were, considering one of Susan’s hands was also evidently between the legs of the blushing blonde sat to her left, with Harry on her right.
Neville shook his head at his friend’s brazenness, which was almost as impressive as his own lover’s, who still had her head in his lap, gently suckling at his spent shaft, nursing it as it slowly calmed down. Only in History of Magic could they get away with this. He looked down and whispered,
“Han, I don’t think you’re gonna get any more out of me, I’m all tapped out.” He laid a hand on her head and gently tried to pry her up, but she made a a grunt of protest and sucked even harder on his shaft, even pushing her head down further. Neville smiled and decided to leave her alone. She’d stop when the bell rang, surely, which wouldn’t be for another…
Forty-five minutes.
Okay then. ‘Why stop her?’ he thought, as she started to try and work him back to full mast.
Oh well, it looked like History of Magic was going to become his favourite class for the rest of this year, and maybe the next too.
-=-=-=-
Harry steeled himself as they entered the Potions classroom.
He honestly had no idea what to expect, but Sharp had to be better than Snape.
The door was open and everyone filed in, taking their seats. Then the door opened and their new Professor walked in, with a noticeable limp to his gait. When he reached the blackboard, he turned to survey his new fourth year students.
“Welcome back to Potions. I know this is a rather sudden change for you all, hopefully one for the better. I’ve been made aware of my predecessor’s penchant for fostering animosity among his Gryffindor and Slytherin students in particular. This will not happen in my class. Nor will favouritism. I will not tolerate any inter-house rivalries in this room. As far as I’m concerned, your house allegiances end at the door. Is that clear?”
The assembled students all looked at one-another then all mumbled or spoke their ascent. Sharp nodded, before he turned to the board and raised his wand.
“Good. Now, for this class, we’ll be brewing an Edurus potion. Can anyone tell me the usage cases for that potion?”
Unsurprisingly, at least to Harry, most of the class looked at Hermione expectantly, as she was the only one who raise her hand. A few other students still rolled their eyes though, though whether that was noticed by Sharp, Harry wasn’t sure.
“Yes, Miss Granger is it?”
“Yes Sir, the Edurus potion is one that temporarily transfigures the drinker’s skin into a hard, scale or rock-like substance, allowing the individual to withstand physical blows that would otherwise leave bruises or broken bones, it also makes the drinker’s muscles and bones temporarily denser, making them stronger.”
“Indeed. Could you give a potential usage scenario? Why someone would use this potion when they could simply rely on a shield? Or perhaps, an explanation as to why this and other combative potions aren’t really used these days.”
Hermione blinked, clearly not expecting this level of engagement, something Sharp seemed to pick up on, and he frowned.
“Well, I can try sir. A potential usage case would be if a wizard’s or witch’s shield was broken or bypassed. And wail the Edurus does make the drinker more durable, it doesn’t make them invulnerable. You can still be hurt even if you’ve drunk the potion.”
“And the reason why it's not really used anymore?” Sharp asked.
“Well…its effects are temporary, and while it would make you more durable, as I just said, it probably won’t stop a blasting hex from taking off a limb. To say nothing of what other curses could still do to you. Plus its effects are temporary, and in most combat situations, too temporary.”
“Excellent. 5 points to Gryffindor. And yes, while the usage of the potion, and other potions like it, has fallen out of favour, it is always nice to have a surprise hidden in your pocket in a tricky situation. Still, we will be brewing it this lesson just so you’re all familiar with it. Open your books to page 205, you’ll find the ingredients list and instructions there. There should be enough ingredients on the shelves for all of you.” And with that, the class got to work.
Harry had to admit, he was very impressed. Sharp hadn’t made a single snide or condescending remark once, and had actually engaged with his students. As the lesson went on, Sharp limped around the room, gently correcting students who were making mistakes, and helping others. Neville, who had been very nervous, was starting to relax under Sharp’s instruction. Even Ron was managing to brew a somewhat passable potion. He at least didn’t end up with a cauldron full of sludge.
Eventually, Harry managed to brew his potion, bottled it, and passed it to Sharp, who gave it a close inspection then nodded.
“Well done Mister Potter, I believe that is an Edurus potion.”
Harry was surprised to receive an E, Ron only just scraped by an A, but Sharp did advise him to focus more on his own work in the future instead of relying on others to do the heavy lifting for him. That earned Sharp a heated glare into his back as he moved on. Neville also received an E, something Harry was very proud of for his friend. It was clear to him and his friends that Sharp was a vast improvement over Snape.
Hermione, Susan and Daphne all naturally received an O, as did Lavender and surprisingly, Seamus and Dean, as did several of the Slytherin students.
When the class let out, Harry and his friends immediately started talk amongst themselves as they made their way to dinner.
“He’s a lot better than Snape.” Susan commented as they headed up to Central Hall, passing the fountain in the centre. Harry nodded.
“Definitely. Hopefully they keep him on.” Neville said.
“Who the bloody ‘ell does he think he is?! ‘Relying on others to do the heavy work for me’? What does he mean by that?” Ron complained.
“Well, you do have a habit of making others do your work for you, especially your homework.” Susan pointed out. Ron’s ears turned red as he glared at her.
“Oh? How would you know?” the girls rolled their eyes, as did Harry. The rest of their company just shook their heads, Dean and Seamus especially looked particularly irate for some reason.
“Come on Weasley, we know you twisted Hermione’s arm last year to do all your homework for you.” Daphne said. Before Ron could respond with something that would either get him hexed, cursed or punched, Seamus moved in and pulled him away.
“Come on Ron, lets go eat.”
Daphne shook her head as they left, and Harry had a momentary pang of disappointment as he reflected on the fact that his friendship with Ron had never really recovered following their last altercation. He silently wondered if the bridge between them would ever be repaired. A comforting arm slid around him and he turned to see Hermione smiling at him, and through their link, he heard her own thoughts on the matter, sensed her own feelings. She too was mourning the loss of Ron’s friendship, but his continued antagonism towards Daphne was beginning to piss her off. There was also another factor that all of them could make a fairly educated guess on.
Ron was jealous.
Specifically, jealous of the female attention Harry and likely Neville were now getting. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Angelina and Alicia had casually mentioned that they had finalised their own Bonding with Fred and George after the Yule Ball, a comment that Ron had overheard, and from the momentary look of fury on his face, he was jealous of his brothers too.
Though apparently, the two Chasers were now doing their own form of twin-speak when talking to Fred and George, randomly finishing each others’ sentences, it was already starting to drive Katie Bell crazy.
‘Maybe if he wasn’t such a selfish arsehole, he’d find a girl willing to give him the attention he so clearly wants.’ Harry thought. The girls exchanged a look, before Susan responded.
‘You’re right Harry, sadly, unless something drastic happens to change his attitude soon, I don’t see that changing.’
Then they entered the Great Hall, and made for their seats. Harry drew up short as he noticed something rather odd at the Ravenclaw table, specifically with Fleur. She seemed to be…glowing? Odd, he’d never noticed that before, then again, he’d never really paid that much attention to the french girl, as the female company he now kept kept he suitably distracted, even when she’d sat in their private quarters and given them a history lesson on Veela.
It was odd, the glow seemed to flow off of her almost like smoke, coiling and wrapping around students that were either near her or passing by, only for it to be suddenly pulled back into her body.
‘Can you guys see that? That strange wispy glow around Fleur?’ he asked. The girls paused as they were about to take their seats, as they all looked at the older blonde.
‘Yeah…that’s…weird…how long has that been a thing? Has she ever glowed like that before?’ Susan asked. Hermione shrugged as she sat down.
‘We’ll have to ask her some time.’ Susan said as she too sat down to eat.
-=-=-=-
Saturday January 7th,
Harry stirred, opening his eyes to find it was early in the morning, the sun not quite risen over the mountains, if the dark blue of the window was any indication. A quick look at the clock, once he got his glasses on, showed it was 7:30am.
Right, the Solicitor was coming to do the interviews today. And tomorrow.
Harry thought it rather odd that it was being done this close to the trial, which was set for the following Saturday. Hermione had told him during the week that, in the muggle world, standard practice was to have the depositions of witnesses, defendants and plaintiffs, those bringing the charges for a trial no later than at least two weeks before, though a month was usually standard.
Susan figured that the Ministry just wanted to get it out of the way, so they greased the gears a bit.
Speaking of Susan, she was currently sat on the edge of the bed she and Daphne shared, brushing her hair, which was still damp from the shower she and Daphne had just shared.
Their eyes met and the shared a smile.
“Morning, stud.”
“Mm…morning Sue.” Harry stretched, causing the mop of brown hair on his chest to moan as it too woke up.
“Too early.” The mop grumbled irritably.
“You’re usually first up.” Susan said as she stood, moved to her dresser and started getting dressed, though she made a bit of a show of it.
“Getting one’s arse wonderfully shagged tends to take it out of one.” Hermione countered.
Susan snorted. “Last night was our first time doing that since the Yule Ball, honestly I’m surprised you wanted to try it again so soon.”
“We need the practice. The more we get, the easier it’ll be when it’s for real.” Hermione replied as she too sat up, stretching, letting Harry see, as much as he could without his glasses, her natural glory.
“It felt rather good.” Susan said, grinning as she wiggled her own bum towards the room’s only male. “I think by the time I’m ready, Luna might be too. Daphne…I’m not sure.”
That brought down the mood a little as their thoughts turned to the blonde currently taking a shower in the bathroom.
Since the revelations of what had been done to her, Daphne had been pretty much unable to touch Harry’s cock without recoiling as if it had burned her, and she flinched whenever Harry touched her.
Hermione had quickly surmised that her friend was suffering from a form of PTSD, and because of what had been done to her, she now associated anything sexual to do with Harry, as negatively as what Draco had done to her.
Daphne had apologised, but the others had been very quick to tell her she had nothing to apologise for, and that they would all help her through the healing process, no matter how long it took, and that there was no hurry for her to Bond with Harry. She could even Bond with Susan if she preferred.
Daphne had shown some thought to that offer, but had ultimately said that she had to Bond with Harry in order to have the curse lifted. A look of alarm had also crossed her face briefly, when Susan had said that she could wait years to Bond with Harry, or even be intimate with him, as there was no real benefit to rushing things and that it could even be detrimental to her recovering if they did. It passed quickly however, Hermione and Susan got the impression that something else was bothering Daphne, but she hadn’t been very forthcoming, and the others had decided not to look into her mind and pry.
Harry had then said that he would respect any decision she made, and that he and the others, and their housemates, would help her however they could.
Then, over the next few days, Harry had suggested that he could try spending time with each of them, including at night, even if nothing happened, just to give each of them some one-on-one attention. The night before had been Hermione’s turn, while Susan and Daphne had arranged for a double bed for themselves. That night, it would be Susan’s, then the one after, Daphne’s, if she was comfortable enough.
It felt odd to him, only having one body cuddled up to him again, but the others agreed it was a good idea.
“Give her time.” Hermione replied, “There’s no rush. Remember, Fleur said that Bonding while the curse is in effect will guarantee that you’ll get each one of us pregnant, so we also need to prepare for that. We’re all too young to be parents.”
Harry nodded, “Yeah, and I have no idea how to be a father. So I’m perfectly happy if Daphne needs to wait another 10 years or so. Same goes for the rest of you. Just because you might feel ready to Bond, doesn’t mean you should.”
“True.” Susan said, buttoning up her shirt over her bare breasts, Harry felt a slight pang of sorrow as they were covered. Susan’s gaze flicked to him and she smirked. “But, we could always take a potion for the pregnancy the morning after, then just carry on as normal after Bonding, I mean, as long as we’re careful and stick to contraceptive draughts and charms, that shouldn’t be a worry. We’ll be able to suck and shag you to our hearts content.”
“What about Harry though?” Daphne said as she emerged from the bathroom, already dressed. Another thing they had discovered, much to her own annoyance, was that Daphne now felt uncomfortable even being naked around Harry. She’d apologised to him again, he’d assured her it was fine, that her comfort, their comfort, was more important.
“The cure won’t work on him, so even after we’ve Bonded, he’ll still have to feed from us every day for the rest of his life, and I’m pretty sure once we’ve Bonded, we’ll all stop lactating, then what will he do when our monthlies all hit at once?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Harry said as he sat up, then stood, Hermione tiredly joining him a second later. “Besides, I honestly don’t mind the idea of staying cursed for the rest of my life anymore. I actually enjoy eating you out, believe it or not. And if it hadn’t been for this curse, I likely never would have even got the nerve up to ask Hermione out, let along got down on my knees and worshipped her the way she and both of you deserve to be. Of all the life-long curses I could have been afflicted by, there are far worse out there.”
“Does this mean you’ve finally stopped thinking of yourself as a parasite?” Hermione asked as she started to drag him towards the bathroom. Harry nodded. “Finally. Now come on, I’m hungry, my boobs are full and so are your balls. We’ve got a busy day today.”
-=-=-=-
Harry followed McGonagall through the corridors, eventually reaching the Gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore’s office. To one side stood a neatly dressed woman with a kind face and dark brown hair that went in a ponytail down her back waiting for them.
“Greetings. I am Violet Sweeting, I’ll be your solicitor for the upcoming trial. I’m here to interview for the witnesses and affected parties, and record their statements and any questions you have. Normally this would be carried out a month before the trial, but the Minister decided that the process needed to be accelerated, I’m still not sure why.”
“One guess. Money.” Harry snorted.
“I hate to say it, but you’re probably right. Now, these depositions may take some time, but I’ll do my best to make this as easy and as quick as I can. Professor Dumbledore has kindly allowed me the use of his office for the interviews while he tends to other matters.”
With a nod from McGonagall, they headed inside, where Harry saw Dumbledore’s desk had been cleared, and on it sat several rolls of parchment, a white quill, and what looked like a crystal ball, that looked similar to the one he’d seen in Trelawney’s class.
Once they were both seated, McGonagall took a seat behind Harry.
Violet tapped the crystal with her wand, and it glowed, letting out a chime, before she started speaking in a clear voice, at the same time, a white quill rose into the air and started writing on a piece of parchment sitting on the desk.
“Stated for the Record. This is the testimonial Interview of Harry James Potter, recorded at 9 am, 7th of January, nineteen ninety five. Violet Sweeting, Solicitor for the Prosecution on behalf of Bloomsbury Legal, representing the Plaintiffs in the Criminal case against Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, and Severus Snape. Deputy Headmistress Professor Minerva McGonagall supervising.”
Once the quill had stopped, Violet turned to look at him.
“Please state your name, date of birth and occupation for the Record.”
Harry took a breath, shifted a little, noticing McGonagall’s reassuring smile in the corner of his eye.
“Harry James Potter, date of birth, July 31st, nineteen-eighty. Hogwarts Student, fourth year.” He briefly considered adding ‘Boy-Who-Lived’ or ‘Unwilling Triwizard Competitor’ but something told him that probably wouldn’t go down well, considering this was likely to end up being read out in court, so he had to be careful with what he said.
“We will start with Draco Malfoy. Could you please describe your first encounter with him?” Violet asked.
“Madame Malkin’s Robe shop, Diagon Alley, August 1st, ninety-one. He was getting fitted for his Hogwarts Robes. He mentioned how he thought about bullying his father into getting him a racing broom and smuggling it in somehow.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGonagall scowl and shake her head, muttering something that sounded like ‘typical’.
“Then he asked me about my parents, I told him they were dead, and he said ‘but they were our kind, right?’ then he went on a diatribe about Muggle-borns, and how they shouldn’t be allowed into Hogwarts, though I didn’t know that’s who he was talking about at the time. He also asked me what house I thought I’d get sorted into, he said he expected to be Slytherin, it was only later from Hagrid, then on the train that I found out the Dark Lord also went into Slytherin, which clinched it for me. That was the last house I wanted to be in.”
Violet also didn’t look impressed, but she pressed on regardless, her tone cool and professional.
“And how was your next interaction with him?”
“About as what you could expect. I wasn’t impressed at all. He made some rather unpleasant remarks towards Hermione and Ron, whom I’d just met on the train. That was also my first time meeting Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. I don’t like bullies, I’ve been on the receiving end of treatment like that for years thanks to my own cousin and his friends.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGonagall’s scowl fade and be replaced by a look of surprise, then anger, he continued. “That was also the first day I met Neville.”
“And what about the other defendants?” Violet asked.
“I didn’t meet any of them until my first classes.” Harry replied.
“Alright, lets move on to Severus Snape. How was your first encounter with him? What were your first impressions?”
Harry snorted. “Belligerent? Adversarial? Arrogant? Incompetent? The man might be a decent Potions brewer but he’s an utterly lousy instructor. He just wrote the ingredients list and instructions on the blackboard and told us to get on with it, didn’t go into the theory or teach us anything. Though he did ask us all questions, questions that I’m sure most who were raised in the magical world would know, but me in particular, he asked questions that I had no hope of answering, and I suspect he knew that. There is no way he didn’t know I wasn’t raised magically, so would have no idea what a Bezoar even was or where to get one. From the stomach of a goat, apparently.” Harry said with a roll of his eyes.
That was pretty much how the first half of Harry’s Saturday went, questions after questions covering every interaction between him, Draco and his friends, and Snape, going over each year. Somehow he managed to completely avoid mentioning anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone, and Quirrell, which Harry felt was slightly odd, as he and his friends had been thoroughly convinced Snape was the one after the stone. Harry paused as he started to think more on the events surrounding the stone, the confrontation with Quirrell and…he blinked. He couldn’t remember what happened. He remembered Quirrell being there, he remembered getting the stone, but everything else was seemingly out of reach. He knew the memories were there, or should be there, but for some odd reason, he just couldn’t pick them out.
Though when he had gotten to him and his friends being stood up by Draco, which led to them first meeting Fluffy the Cerberus, that got a horrified look from Violet, which turned into a weathering glare directed at McGonagall.
After a few moments of silently pondering, he gave up and continued on to recounting details of his second year.
Though he didn’t focus on Snape nearly as much during the events of second year, though he did chuckle when he spoke of Snape utterly destroying Lockheart in a deuling match, though he didn’t mention that he’d ended that lesson talking to a snake. His own experience after that day had been enough of an incentive to keep that particular nugget of information to himself, especially if this was going to be read out in a courtroom, and subsequently end up in the papers.
When he had come to the petrification of students, Violet had gotten noticeably alarmed. She clarified that she’d heard nothing on the subject from her own daughter. That led to an explanation of how they’d found out what had been attacking the students, though Violet had guessed right away it was a basilisk. At Harry’s curious look, she elaborated.
“When your married to someone who works for the Dept for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, you pick up a few things. I trust the staff were able to deal with the situation? Though I can’t understand why Dumbledore didn’t contact the Ministry.”
“Uh, actually, no, it was me and Ron that took care of it, well, me mostly. It turned out that Ron’s sister was possessed by something, for the entirety of her first year, and it made her go down into Slytherin’s Chamber and release the snake. Ron and I went down there with Lockheart after we caught him packing up his things and preparing to run. That’s when we found out he’s a fraud and he tried to wipe our minds with Ron’s damaged wand, but it backfired on him. There was a cave-in that separated me from them, so I had to take out the basilisk on my own, well, Fawkes helped.”
That had led to their third year, and how Draco had been more of an annoyance than an outright threat that year, the biggest issue had been dealing with the Dementors, and rescuing Buckbeak with the help of Hermione’s Time-Turner, something that got a very disapproving look from McGonagall. Though he avoided mentioning anything regarding Sirius or Pettigrew. While part of him wanted to mention both, he didn’t want to get side-tracked. Maybe he’d talk to her about that once they’d cleared everything else.
Then, after taking a little break to collect himself, they moved on to the events of the last two months.
It once again struck Harry as utterly absurd that so much had happened in his life, and yet, it had only been just over 7 weeks since everything kicked off, a week after the Selection. Not even a full two months and he already had three girlfriends, with a fourth looking very likely in his future. He scowled as he found himself wondering why it had taken 7 weeks for Draco to get removed from the castle, Snape also, now knowing what he knew. Dumbledore was surely aware of what had been going on for far longer, and did nothing.
“Alright, lets start with the Selection Ceremony. You did not enter your name, correct?” Violet asked. Harry scowled. He was getting tired of repeating this.
“No, I did not enter my name, nor did I ask someone else to do it. I guess everyone believes that now, it just took me facing a dragon for them to figure that out.”
“I see.” Violet said, her quill scribbling on her parchment. “So neither you nor Miss Granger did anything to provoke him that day? We’ve already established your relationship with him is very antagonistic.”
“No, we didn’t. We were just walking together when he came up to us, yelled at us, insulted Hermione, which was nothing new, then he fired off the curse at her, I stepped in the way.”
“I see. And when did either of you work out the curse was sex magic?” she asked. Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was surprised with himself, that he didn’t feel as embarrassed as he thought he should discussing this with a complete stranger and in front of his Head of House.
“The following Sunday I think? Hermione figured it out first. Our friends found a couple of research materials and also figured it out. But Hermione figured it out first and then…er…helped me.”
Violet gave him a kind, reassuring smile before nodding.
“Could you describe the symptoms for me?”
Harry ticked them off on his fingers. “An inability to absorb nutriments from food or drink, constant arousal that won’t go away no matter what we try. And a ever increasing sense of hunger and tiredness that gets worse the longer we go without uh…feeding. Apparently if we wait too long, the effects turn fatal. I think teats what Malfoy was hoping for, that either we wouldn’t figure it out in time, or if we did, we’d goth be too embarrassed to do anything until it was too late.”
Violet nodded as she continued to make notes. “Unfortunately, in court, that would be considered simply speculation, without any solid proof that was what he was actually hoping for, otherwise, its at least two counts of premeditated murder. How often do you ‘take care of things’ shall we say?”
“Well, as often as we can, though we’ve worked out that the bare minimum to be safe and remain upright without the tiredness getting noticeable is about once every twelve hours. Though we try to get in as many chances as we can, which was admittedly easier when it was just me and Hermione, but with Susan and Daphne involved now…”
“Are they not in separate houses? My daughter Poppy has mentioned Susan a few times over the years.”
“I arranged to have them both transferred to Gryffindor following the altercation that saw Draco and his associates arrested.” McGonagall spoke up.
Violet nodded before continuing. “Is it just these three that you can feed from? Have you tried anyone else? Has anyone offered to help?”
Harry blushed a little, scratching the back of his head, “Uh, yeah, a couple of my classmates have offered, but I realised that I don’t get anything from them, so it doesn’t work unless its Hermione, Susan and Daphne.” He cast a sideways glance at McGonagall, who nodded in understanding, and if he was correct, a brief moment of relief.
“Interesting. And the sense of fatigue and hunger is abated after each feeding?” she asked. He nodded, then said yes.
“Curious. It would seem that your condition is very similar to how a Succubus or Incubus would behave or feed. Have you covered them yet in Defence?” Violet asked, then she seemed to catch herself “No, you wouldn’t have, they’re a NEWT Year syllabus.”
“I know Succubi are related to Veela, and they’re apparently even more sexual than Veela.” Harry replied. Violet nodded.
“They are indeed. In fact, Succubi and Incubi, their male equivalent, feed almost exclusively on the sexual desires, emotions and energies of humans, often to the physical and mental detriment of those humans, sometimes fatally. They need to eat very little food or drink, if any at all.”
“You’ve met one.” Harry said. Violet nodded.
“I prosecuted a case against one several years ago.”
“Fleur told us just before Christmas, about the history of the veela, and how they were cursed by the goddess Persephone, and that curse gave them their non-human forms, but trapped them in those forms, leading to them creating this curse to help them break that curse, it mostly succeeded, but not entirely. She also mentioned that one of the groups of veela who were cursed became the first succubi. A cure was apparently discovered, but it apparently only works on women, and it involves Bonding. So even after I Bond with Hermione, Susan and Daphne, they won’t need to feed anymore, but I still will.”
“Interesting. I think I might have a theory on what that cure might do, and why it won’t work on you. This Fleur, she is a veela then?” Violet asked.
“Yes, she’s the Beauxbatons Champion.” McGonagall replied.
“Alright, back to Draco and Snape.” Violet said. The conversation then steered back to the events following the casting of the curse on him and Hermione, including them decking Draco outside of Potions.
Then he came to the first assault on Daphne that he had been aware of, as well as the events following it, leading up to the altercation.
“I imagine a lot of the interviews I have to do will cover this event, so lets start with how you found out what was going on.” Violet said.
-=-=-=-
Harry stretched as he exited Dumbledore’s office. The interview took nearly 4 hours, and he had eventually mentioned Sirius, and Pettigrew, and how Snape had lied to the Minister when he, Hermione and Ron had tried to convince him Sirius was innocent. At that point, Mrs Sweeting had stopped the recording device she’d been using to transcribe his words. The revelation that Sirius had never received a trial had surprised both older witches, and Violet had promised she would look into it, but there wasn’t much she could do with the preparations she had to do for the upcoming trials. She had also informed them that they would be introduced to their legal representative inside the courtroom, their Barrister, in the coming week.
With that, he had been allowed to leave with instructions to talk to Professor McGonagall should he remember anything they’d missed.
As he left, he ran into Hermione, who was being escorted by Hooch. The two exchanged smiled as she went in.
-=-=-=-
On Sunday the 8th, Harry was walking along the side of the lake, taking in the fresh cool air, looking out to see if he could see the giant squid, when his gaze was drawn to the black hulk of the Durmstrang ship, just in time to see a figure dive off the side into the water.
The freezing cold in January water.
When the head reappeared, he noticed it was Viktor.
“What the hell’s he doing? That water’s gotta be freezing.” Harry muttered as he waved to get the older boy’s attention. “Viktor!”
The older boy turned and waved back, smiling, before he started swimming towards the shore and soon stood, showing that he wore nothing but a pair of crude flippers and a pair of tight swimming trunks that hid very little, if anything at all.
A fact that seemed to go over rather well with the girls sat a moderate distance away who started whistling and catcalling at him, with one of the girls, Harry couldn’t tell who, yelling “Strip! Take ‘em off!” While another yelled “Show us your Firebolt!”
That at least got a swoon and peals of laughter from the other girls, and shouts of encouragement. Harry cringed and shot Viktor an apologetic look. The other boy shrugged.
“You get used to it.” He said awkwardly. “Hav you learned clue yet?”
“No, haven’t been trying honestly. I tried to open it once, it shrieked, I’ve never tried since.” Harry replied. Viktor nodded, unclipping the wand he’d kept fastened in a wrist harness, he started to dry himself off.
“Put in vater. Open it. Listen.”
“So I need to take it swimming?” Harry asked dubiously. Viktor nodded.
“Or in bath. Put head under water and listen to song.”
“A song?” Harry asked.
‘It could be a Mermish song. Their language can only be properly understood under water. The next task must involve them somehow. Maybe you guys will have to go swimming in the lake.’ Susan said over their link. Harry shivered, which Viktor mistook for him being cold.
‘But the task is in February, there’s no way in hell I’m going swimming in that lake in February.’
‘You might not have a choice Harry. We’ll have to take that egg into the bath and listen to the clue.’ Hermione said.
“Have you told Cedric or Fleur yet?” Harry asked. Viktor shook his head.
“No. Can never get time alone.” Viktor replied, sending an exasperated look at the still giggling girls in the distance. Harry nodded, he could relate, and started to tell Viktor about his early days after entering the Wizarding world, and how everyone reacted when they met him. Krum smiled sympathetically, patting him on the shoulder.
“Seriously, don’t they have homework to do?” Harry muttered.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
The name of the Legal firm Violet works for is representative of the publisher of the Harry Potter books, Bloomsbury Publishing.
The swan trying to make moves on Harry in transfiguration is a reference to the greek story of "Leda and the Swan" which is about Zues taking the form of a swan to seduce the Queen of Sparta, Leda, as revenge for a slight against him by her husband the King of Sparta.
The black duck Ron was trying to transfigure is of course meant to be Daffy, and his quote is a reference to the short where Bugs was tormenting Daffy off-screen.
Daphne's and Susan's Coyote and Roadrunner need no explanation, and I guess you could even say they're reference to the two's developing relationship, which I do plan to explore more in the coming chapters.
Neville’s rooster is a play on Foghorn Leghorn, and it was only after I’d posted this that i realised I’d missed the perfect opportunity to have the singing frog make an appearance, heh, oh well, maybe next time.
Hermione’s Tribble is of course, from Star Trek, and her promising not to feed it is a reference to Spock saying that feeding just one will get you over a million in 3 days.
And of course, everyone knows the Hypnotoad :P
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Chapter 18: Judgement Day
Notes:
I wrote the majority of this chapter just before and during the Heard/Depp trial, so if Draco's and Snape's defence seems utterly useless, that's because Heard's laywer (at least one of them) was utterly useless (plus Heard was just indefensible).
My legal knowledge is very limited, so any inconsitnancies in the legal procedures depicted here are a result of that, also, I used the above-mentioned trial as a basis for this chapter.
I hope you guys like the alternative to veritaserum i came up with. I wanted Draco to hang himself willingly, rather than be forced to do so with a potion he couldn't resist the effects of.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Monday January 9th
Harry shivered as he stepped out into the freezing January morning air, his breath freezing as he exhaled. Why Care of Magical Creatures couldn’t be held indoors during the winter months, he still didn’t know. As they walked out in the thick snow, he noticed a woman standing next to a rather large horse, which upon second glance, he saw was a unicorn. Its white coat almost blinding, it seemed to reflect the light as it stood tethered to a tree at the edge of the forest. The white horn seemed to shine in the early morning light. Its gold hooves faintly visible under the long white coat covering its legs.
It eyed them all warily as they approached, but seemed to be less agitated when it looked at the girls. The girls all started cooing as they got closer.
“Morning class. This term, we will be learning about Unicorns, their social structure, and how best to care for them. Boys, please stay back, adult unicorns, both mares and stallions, tend to get agitated around boys and men. Stallions in particular get especially aggressive. Girls, you may approach, but cautiously, she’s still a wild animal after all.” The woman directed as she stepped forward.
“Who’re you?” Ron asked, already sounding bored.
“Professor Grubbly-Plank, I’ll be your instructor in this class for this term.”
“What? Where’s Hagrid?” Ron asked. Grubbly-Plank scowled, clearly not impressed.
“On special assignment for Dumbledore. Now, girls, please come forward, but don’t crowd her. One at a time, that’s it.”
Harry hung back, feeling more than a little disappointed he couldn’t get close enough to touch the beautiful equine who was now on the receiving end of some rather enthusiastic cooes and pets from the assembled girls.
Ron was already looking board after just a couple of minutes. “If we’re not allowed to go near it, what’s the point? What are we gonna learn from over here?” he groused. Harry wasn’t sure whether to agree with him or rebuff him, but he was distracted by the giggles from the girls, along with a few comments.
“She’s so soft! And warm! Her coat is really thick too!” That was Susan.
“She’s gorgeous, shame the boys can’t get near, I think some of them would enjoy petting her. She certainly seems to like it.” That was one of the Slytherins, a girl whose name he couldn’t remember, if he’d ever interacted with her at all.
It suddenly occurred to Harry just how limited his experiences with Slytherin were; usually revolving around Draco and his lackeys, and the Slytherin Quidditch team.
“I dunno, she seems oddly focused on them for some reason.” That was Parvati, who followed the mare’s gaze as Harry looked up, and his eyes met the unicorn’s.
Harry couldn’t help but stare. The mare truly was beautiful. Beside him, Seamus nudged him and grinned.
“Looks like she’s eyeballing you mate. I think she fancies you.” He snickered, which also got several of the other students sniggering.
“No, she’s just focused on one boy.” Lavender giggled as she began to stroke the mare’s neck with a brush Grubbly-Plank had given them. Hermione also followed the mare’s line of sight to her boyfriend and arched an eyebrow.
‘Harry, come closer, I think she’ll let you approach.’
Cautiously, he stepped forward, drawing the attention of all the students and professor.
“Mister Potter! What are you doing?” Grubbly-Plank spoke up, but Harry wasn’t listening as he cautiously approached the mare, who nickered curiously as the girls parted to make way for him. As he approached, he brought up a hand, palm up and open, just in front of the mare’s muzzle. The only sound was the snuffling the mare made as she sniffed his hand, then to the surprise of everyone, especially Grubby-Plank and Harry, she lowered her mouth to his hand and Harry couldn’t help but smile with a sense of fascination and pride as he felt the mare’s soft, warm and wet tongue drag across his palm and fingers. It was then that he noticed the grey scar on the side of its neck, and he realised he’d seen this mare before, years ago, when he’d first met Firenze, but he could have sworn that unicorn had been dead…
“Extraordinary…” Grubbly-Plank gushed, staring between Harry and the mare in wonder. “I’ve never heard of an adult unicorn accepting the touch of a boy or man, especially when the unicorn is a mare. What’s your secret Mister Potter?”
“Uh…” Harry said as the mare started to lick up his arm, pushing up his sleeve. “I guess I just have a magic touch? Or I just have a certain way with girls.” he shrugged, grinning impishly at his own joke as Hermione, Susan and Daphne blushed, and the Patil twins giggled, Parvati’s face also darkening in a fierce blush.
“Or that’s the hand he fingered Granger, Bones and Greengrass with this morning.” Seamus spoke up, drawing some gasps from most of the girls, snorts of laughter from the boys, a weathering glare from Harry, Grubby-Plank, Hermione, Susan and Daphne.
“Mister Finnegan! That will be a weeks detention with me! And 25 points from Gryffindor for your crass language! A fine way to start the new year! Humph!” Grubbly-Plank snapped as she turned away from the other students to once again focus on the unicorn mare.
“And you were doing so well at the Ball Seamus…” Harry muttered, before turning back to the white mare in front of him. He then brought up his other hand and gently started to pet the mare’s head, as she then moved to lick his other hand, then, to the surprise of everyone, especially Harry, she nickered, then stepped forward and pressed her snuffling velvet-soft nose into his neck.
“Wow, she really seems to like you for some reason Harry.” Lavender said, smiling, before giving a fascinated looking Hermione a side-eye grin. “Think you guys have enough room for her in your quarters?”
“I’ve never heard of a unicorn acting this way to a human boy or man. This is really unusual behaviour, they must have met during our first year. Harry must have saved her from… whatever was attacking the unicorns back then.” Hermione said, as she tried to process what she was seeing, Lavender’s comment going completely over her head.
“What makes you say that?” Dean asked.
“I think Hermione is right. She’s got a scar on the side of her neck, I think she is one of the unicorns that was attacked, the one that Firenze and me found after I ran into…what was killing them. But I was sure that unicorn was dead.” Harry added, carefully omitting details.
“Maybe she’s trying to make a move on him. What, Granger, Greengrass, Lovegood and Bones not enough for you Potter? You want a unicorn polishing your wand too?” Dean said with a snicker.
“Mister Thomas! That’ll be a week in detention for you as well!” Grubbly-Plank snapped. “And another 25 points from Gryffindor!”
“I don’t think she’s trying to come on to him.” Daphne said, though she seemed a little unsure as the mare started to nuzzle Harry’s neck before delivering a long lick from his robe collar up across his cheek, causing him to readjust his stance as he started to laugh, bringing both hands up to pet the affectionate mare as he started talking to her quietly.
“And if she turns round and flags him, like that Horntail did?” Parvati asked offhandedly.
“What do you mean?” one of the boys asked. Daphne turned to him and grinned.
“When the Horntail turned round to pick up that Golden Egg, she lifted her tail and flashed her snatch at him. The swan he transfigured a rabbit into in Transfiguration climbed into his lap and started making moves on him. Literally. If the unicorn here does that, then we’ll know one of two things: something is up, or for some reason, Harry seems to be sexually attractive to random females, not necessarily all the same species.” Daphne said, with a smirk.
“Let us hope it is not the latter.” Grubbly-Plank muttered.
“And if she doesn’t?” Hermione asked. The blonde shrugged.
“Then we can just chock it up to this mare being unusually affectionate to at least one boy.”
“Once is a one-off, twice is a coincidence, I think we’d need a third occurrence to actually decide.” Susan said, who couldn’t help but smile as the unicorn, whose eyes had half closed, as if she were really getting into it, was continuing to nuzzle and lick Harry’s neck while nickering and snuffling quietly while he awkwardly stroked and petted her head, ears and neck, face red with embarrassment and confusion.
Then she did something none of them truly expected, least of all Harry.
She lifted her head away from his neck and their eyes met briefly, he smiled and playfully planted a kiss on her velvety nose, then started to say something, when she leaned in again, and this time, pressed her soft, velvety lips to his in a full-on kiss.
Harry was so stunned by the action that he opened his mouth wider to gasp on reflex, which only granted the mare more access, and Harry’s yelp of surprise was turned into a muffled grunt as his mouth was suddenly filled with a large, flat probing tongue.
“My word!” Grubbly-Plank yelped as her eyes widened in shock, and a collective gasp was heard from the surrounding students. But that didn’t compare to how Harry’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, or would have, had they been able to.
The shock of the kiss had rendered him utterly immobile, and unable to speak, not that he could anyway with the surprisingly dexterous and long tongue exploring his mouth and pushing back towards his throat even as he felt warm breath wash over his face from the mare’s nose. When the tongue, which he would later recall had somehow gotten narrower as it had gone deeper, reached the back of his mouth and started to angle down into his throat, it paused for a couple of seconds, before it slid almost sensually down, it’s passage aided by a combination of his own saliva, the mare’s, and the already present slickness of his throat.
It took several seconds for Harry’s mind to reboot as the reality of the situation hit him like a Bludger to the face. He was being french-kissed, no, deep-throated by a unicorn mare. Her tongue so long that had penetrated down to his collarbone before he could even process what was going on.
He then felt warm air fill his mouth and throat, as he tried to swallow around the invading muscle, as his gag reflex kicked in and he started to choke. Another rush of air came, and he realised what was going on. She was breathing for him, giving him oxygen. Another thing he noticed was a sudden surge of sensation through his body, a strange tingling sensation that seemed to coalesce in his lower abdomen, and his eyes widened in panic and horror as he felt an intense spike of arousal shoot through him, and his cock, already in a state of semi-permanent arousal thanks to that damn curse, suddenly hardened and throbbed.
Painfully.
With a jolt, he snapped back to his senses, and tried to pull away, overcome with the sudden desire to be swallowed by a hole in the ground and never be found.
‘What…the…FUCK?!’ he thought.
The kiss broke, and the mare’s tongue quickly left his mouth with a slurp. He stumbled backwards in a semi-couscous stupor, into the supporting arms of Neville and Ron, who were both wide-eyed, like everyone else. Neville’s face was red, Ron’s was a pale shade of green. The mare gave a forlorn sounding nicker before turning her gaze back to the girls, who were all staring at her in shock. Some of the girls looked ready to faint, some looked on the verge of hysteria. Grubbly-Plank looked like she didn’t know what she should do, Parvati and Lavender looked on the verge of collapsing from shock, or laughter. Hermione, Susan and Daphne all had varied reactions. Susan looked like she was ready to die laughing as she looked from a rather flustered and embarrassed looking Harry to Daphne’s wide-eyed ‘what the fuck’ expression. Hermione’s expression was unreadable, but it was clear to anyone who knew her that her mind was already going a mile a minute.
“Mister…Mister Longbottom, Mister Weasley, take him to the Hospital wing.” Grubbly-Plank stammered, before she muttered something that sounded like “Note to self: Keep Potter away from any female animals from now on.”
“Ya know mate, for once…I don’t envy you.” Ron muttered as he and Neville helped the still stunned and out-of-sorts Harry towards the castle.
“Well, at least it wasn’t the Horntail.” Neville quipped.
“You totally jinxed it.” Parvati stage whispered to Daphne, “I can’t believe she did that!”
“Neither can we!” Susan replied. Then she noticed the look Hermione was giving the mare. “Hermione?”
“We are not adding a unicorn to our group.” The brunette answered quietly, biting her lip as she tried to get a handle on her own emotions. Harry’s mind was in too much of a confused state for her to contact him and ask how he was doing, but she could certainly tell how he was feeling. And she knew, so could the blonde and redhead. That kiss had affected Harry far more than any of them could have anticipated, if the throbbing, almost painful ache coming from the apex of her legs was any indication, and even that was just a faint echo of what she knew their lover must be feeling at that moment.
“What if a female centaur decided to snog him? Or lift her tail and offer him her snatch? Would you accept her?” Parvati asked salaciously with a grin, ignoring Hermione’s return glare. Lavender shook her head.
“If one did do that, she’d likely get exiled from the herd as soon as they found out, that’s of course, assuming Harry would ever meet a female Centaur, they’re almost never seen by wizards, the stallions are extremely protective of their females.”
‘You felt it too, didn’t you?’ Daphne asked over the link. Hermione gave a short nod of affirmation as the mare turned to the rest of the girls, all of whom now seemed less eager to get too close.
‘I did. I honestly have no idea what that means or how to feel about it. It was probably just the curse reacting, and not actually Harry’s response.’ Her eyes tracked the mare’s movement as she tried to walk a few paces before the rope tying her to the tree stopped her. ‘I don’t even know what the Magical World’s stance is on that sort of thing.’
‘Honestly, it’s a grey area. If it’s an animagus, it’s perfectly legal, just considered very weird. If it’s an actual animal, that’s where things get muddied. It’s actually the other reason, besides the official one the Ministry gives, for Animagi being required to register. Both to stop the Ministry wasting time and as a way to catch those that are unregistered. Whenever they get a report like that, the first thing the Aurors will do is check the registry. If there’s a match, they ignore it, if not, they investigate.’ Susan replied.
‘You know whats going to happen now, right?’ Daphne asked, the other two gave a mental sigh.
‘I can guess, though the ones who would give him the most trouble are now in prison, so the fallout probably, hopefully , won’t be as bad.’ Hermione said.
‘At least until Rita finds out.’ Daphne pointed out.
‘If that bitch prints anything about this, I’ll hunt her down and kill her, after I make her tell me her source, who will then also suffer.’ Hermione growled.
‘How do we know for sure it was the curse though? You felt his reaction. That couldn’t have been all the curse. Besides, Fleur never said anything about this curse affecting or not affecting animals. Considering how hyper-sexed the veela who created it were, they were likely so desperate to fix themselves, they were willing to fuck anything with a dick, human or otherwise. Back then, bestiality was not only accepted as part of Greek society, it was part of their culture, hell, it was part of their religion and mythology. It’s literally how we got centaurs.’ Daphne pointed out. Hermione turned to give her lover a stern look, Grubbly-Plank and the rest of the class forgotten.
‘This isn’t Ancient Athens, Sparta or Carthage. I’m pretty sure our boyfriend doesn’t want to stick his willy in a dragon’s pussy, or a unicorn’s for that matter. Unless one of us became an animagus with that form, then I think he’d be okay with that.’
‘I’m not saying he does, I’m just saying we probably should have expected this. The dragon flashed her snatch at him for gods sake, intentionally or not. Honestly I’m surprised Harry was the only one who noticed she did it. And on that note, I’m surprised more girls around the school haven’t tried to polish his broom with their tongues or fannies.’
‘I’m pretty sure it might be the curse, or something else, though what I’m not sure. We’ll just have to be more cautious now. And on the animagus thing, would you be okay with that?’ Susan added in, unconsciously rubbing her thighs together.
Hermione shrugged, ‘Well, sure, I mean, I did suggest it.’
Unseen by anyone present, a small, green horned beetle sat perched on the mare’s head, among the hair of her mane, then, while everyone was distracted, the beetle took flight, and quickly made a getaway, while the mare watched the retreating form of Harry being helped by his friends, her expression one of sadness, she hadn’t finished thanking the human that had saved her life all those years ago.
-=-=-=-
Talk of what had happened in Care of Magical Creatures soon made the rounds, and yet again, Harry found himself getting odd looks from students who snickered at him, some even making fake animal calls at his back as he walked passed. He did his best to ignore these new taunts. A few students even asked if Hermione, Luna, Susan or Daphne liked to wear fake horse tails in bed.
Thankfully, there was no mention of the incident in the Prophet , which he was very relieved about.
Though he did send a letter to Sirius, informing him of the odd occurrence and wanting his opinion on the matter. On suggestion from Hermione, he used Susan’s barn owl Archimedes, after advising that Hedwig was too easy to recognise and track, though he made sure to give his own snowy owl some extra attention, which she grudgingly accepted as compensation.
As it would turn out, Harry and the girls were too distracted by the upcoming trials to remember Viktor’s advice about the Egg, Harry did casually mention to Cedric in passing that he should drop it in water before opening it. Cedric had given him an odd look, but the two boys had been in a hurry to get to their respective classes, so Harry hadn’t had the chance to elaborate.
They also continued to notice the strange glow around Fleur, which seemed to be rather inconsistent with how it behaved, and even manifested, as it wasn’t always visible. Harry casually mentioned it to Neville on Tuesday during lunch, and the boy had looked towards the french contingent, his gaze glassing over slightly as he looked at Fleur, but a quick hand-squeeze from Hannah snapped him out of it.
Tilting his head, Neville scrutinised the beautiful blonde girl who was chatting with the Ravenclaws, or more specifically, Luna Lovegood. The young blonde seemed to be quite excited about something, and seemed to be asking Fleur all sorts of questions. Fleur for her own part, seemed a little flustered, but evidently happy to have someone to talk to who wasn’t either drooling over her or trying to insult her. Neville was happy for the girl. He honestly didn’t get the bad reputation Veela got.
Yes…he could see some sort of faint glow around Fleur, but it was difficult, he really had to squint, and he was starting to wonder if it was a trick of the light.
“Do you see it Han?” he asked his girlfriend, who followed his line of sight to Fleur and Luna, before shaking her head.
“I don’t really see any glow about her, I mean, besides the ‘radiance’ all Veela are said to have. She’s certainly not actually glowing. No idea what you guys are seeing.”
“We don’t see anything either.” The Gryffindor Chasers spoke up, having caught some of the conversation.
-=-=-=-
“Harry? Harry Potter? Can I talk to you for a minute?” the unfamiliar voice made Harry pause as he walked through the halls, heading for the transfiguration courtyard during his free period on Wednesday. The girls were elsewhere working on assignments, Harry had already done his homework. Because of the upcoming trials, the teachers had seemingly decided to go easier on them on the homework front, though Harry was fully expecting them to lay it on thick next year to make up the difference.
Turning, he saw a fourth year witch with short brown hair making her way towards him, her robes and tie indicating her as a Hufflepuff, but one he didn’t really know.
“Yes? May I help you?”
“My name is Poppy, Poppy Sweeting? You met my mother this past Saturday.” The girl said, coming to a stop and smiling at him a little uncertainly.
“Oh, uh, yeah, hi. She’s definitely very professional.” Harry said.
“She is at that, as is my father. He works in the Department for the Care and Control of Magical Creatures. I heard about what happened in your last class on Monday. I’ve never heard of a unicorn behaving like that.”
Harry shrugged as he started to assess this girl. She certainly didn’t seem to be judging him, or mocking him.
“Neither has anyone else, apparently. Its kind of awkward if I’m honest.” She nodded, a sympathetic look on her face.
“Yes, I imagine it is. I want to become a Magizoologist when I graduate. I just wanted to thank you for getting rid of that awful cur Malfoy.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t go after you did he?”
“No, but I heard what he did to that beautiful Hippogriff last year. I only got to meet him once. He was so handsome. Absolutely gorgeous. ” She smiled, her face reddening a little, though he assumed it was from the cold.
Harry blinked. Buckbeak? Buckbeak was fine, with Sirius, then it clicked. No-one else knew Buckbeak escaped.
“Ah yeah, Buckbeak, don’t worry, he’s fine, he’s safe. He’s with a friend.”
“Really?” Poppy’s eyes widened, a hopeful smile spread across her face, and Harry found himself smiling, this girl seemed to really like animals.
“Yeah, the Ministry gave Hermione a Time-Turner last year so she could take all the elective classes. We used it to rescue him.”
Poppy blinked in confusion. “They gave a Third Year student access to a Time-Turner? Why in Merlin’s name would they do that? Why in Merlin’s name would she want that?!”
Harry shrugged with a smile, “That’s Hermione for you. If there’s a book she’s not been read yet, I don’t know of it.”
‘Prat!’
“I can’t imagine that was easy on her.” Poppy said, her tone a mix of admiration and bafflement.
“No, it wasn’t. But yes, Buckbeak is perfectly safe and happy, living with a friend of mine, well, friend of my dad, actually.”
“That’s very good news. I saw what happened during the First Task, and I was hoping to ask you about that, I also heard what happened in your last Care class, as I said, and I was wondering…”
“What?” Harry asked a little nervously.
“Well, since magical animals seem to have suddenly taken such a liking to you, I was wondering if I could introduce you to a friend of mine. Really she’s the only friend I have here.”
“You probably need to expand your social circle a bit. But sure, I’ve got time.” Harry said. Poppy grinned.
“That’s great! Come on, it’s not far, you can tell me about that trick you pulled with the Horntail on the way.” And with that, she turned and headed off, looking over her shoulder to beckon him to follow.
As he started to follow, he put out a question.
‘Susan, you know this girl?’
‘Poppy Sweeting, daughter of our legal counsel. Probably best to minimise our interaction with her until after the trial, don’t want any rumours of us establishing a friendship that could prove problematic for our solicitor in court.’
‘Is that even a risk?’ Daphne asked.
‘Best air on the side of caution. As a Puff, I don’t like it, but from a practical and legal standpoint, probably best to wait.’ Susan replied, regretfully.
‘What do you know of her?’ Harry asked as he continued to follow Poppy out of the front doors of the castle and onto the lawn, he noticed they we’re headed towards the Forbidden Forest.
‘Not much. She keeps to herself. Spends more time with animals than humans. I’ve heard rumours that she went with her father in a couple of raids to bust up illegal poaching, smuggling and breeding operations, but nothing concrete.’
“So, about that dragon.” Poppy said as he caught up with her.
“Oh, that, yeah, well, just figured the only humans she’d ever been around were pointing sticks at her, and I reasoned she was intelligent enough to realise that if I wasn’t armed, then I wasn’t a threat, and that the Golden Egg in her nest didn’t belong there.”
“That was… incredibly stupid and very… Gryffindor of you.” She smiled, chuckling.
He snorted and rolled his eyes. Yes, it had been both very stupid and very Gryffindor of him.
“I’m just glad it worked and that I didn’t lose an arm. I need all the fingers I’ve got.” He said, smirking. Poppy blushed and stammered a reply.
“Y-yes, I guess you do at that. Anyway, when the dragon turned round, did you notice…”
“Did I notice her raising her tail and flashing me? Yes I did, and apparently, I’m probably the only one who did.”
“You weren’t. I saw it too. I’m not as familiar with dragons as I am with smaller magical animals, so what I saw was quite the surprise.”
“Spend more time with magical animals than humans do you?” Harry asked. Poppy nodded.
“Yes, I just find magical animals easier to get along with and be around, well, besides my parents and my gran. Case in point, the friend I want to introduce you to. We’re not far now.”
A few more minutes of walking through the forest and Harry noticed that they’d entered a clearing. Grinning, Poppy stepped forward, stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled.
Harry looked around, not sure what to expect, then he heard the sound of flapping wings. Large ones. Turning, he looked up to see a white Hippogriff soaring over the trees and circling the clearing, angling down towards them as it chirped and called out a greeting.
He stayed back, remembering the last time he’d first met a Hippogriff, but Poppy showed no hesitation as she stepped forward, with a smile and a light laugh as the animal came to a stop in front of her, leaning it’s large eagle-like head down to receive a pet and gentle scratch, its eyes closing briefly.
“Harry Potter, I’d like you to meet Highwing.” She then stepped to the side, allowing the boy and Hippogriff to fully assess one another.
Remembering Hagrid’s instructions with Buckbeak, and his own experiences, Harry squared his shoulders, straightened his back, then bowed deeply and held it. After a moment, he straightened up and met the golden eyes of the half eagle half horse, who held his gaze for a few seconds, before bowing just as deeply.
“Here, I snuck some food from the kitchens, see if she’ll let you feed her.” Poppy said, handing him a small pouch which he opened, finding a few pieces of roast chicken and beef. He hoped the House Elves didn’t mind. Taking hold of a piece, he held it out, palm open.
Highwing scrutinised his offering before dipping her head and taking the offered meat, snapping it down. Several more pieces fallowed, then the Hufflepuff handed him a brush, before producing one of her own.
“I come out here whenever I, give her treats, groom her, spend time with her, tell her what’s going on. I couldn’t really do that last year because of the Dementors.” Poppy spoke up.
Harry nodded, smiling as Highwing finished eating then extended a wing when she noticed him holding the brush, then did the same for Poppy.
“Never got the chance to groom or feed Buckbeak, after Draco acted like an idiot and got himself gored, the only chance I got to be near him again was when Hermione and I rescued him. As I said, he’s safe with a friend now.” Harry said reassuringly. Poppy grinned.
“I’m glad. It’s a shame Buckbeak and Highwing never met, I like to think they would have got along quite well.” Poppy said as she gently brushed Highwing’s left flank, before moving down to her left back leg. “There you go.” She cooed gently. “Beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, she is.” Harry said, and he had to admit, she did have a regal grace about her. She looked well-cared for, more so than any typical wild animal. Almost as if she sensed what he was thinking, Highwing chirped quietly and he turned to look at her, giving her a gentle smile. In response, she leaned a little closer to him, into his touch as he ran his fingers through the soft fur under her wing, feeling the firm muscle beneath, along with the beat of her heart.
“I’ve never seen her take to someone else so quickly. She must really like you.”
“At least she hasn’t tried to kiss me.” He said, jokingly, to which Poppy chuckled.
“Once you’ve earned a Hippogriff’s trust, they’ll always be there for you when you need them.”
“So how long have you known Highwing?” Harry asked.
“A few years now, I was out with my father in the countryside, helping him round up some Unicorns that had stumbled across a muggle camping site. Or what we thought was a muggle camping site. Turned out it was an illegal breeding operation for Unicorns and Hippogriffs. They were trying to get the Unicorns and Hippogriffs to breed, both among themselves and with each other. I stopped a witch trying to force a Unicorn stallion to mount Highwing.”
“Would that even work?” he asked, trying to imagine what a cross between a Unicorn and Hippogriff would look like.”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of a Unicorn crossbreeding with a Hippogriff. I have heard of them crossbreeding with Peggasi though, which is how you supposedly get Alicorns.” Poppy replied. “Speaking of Unicorns, is it true what I heard? That you kissed a mare on Monday in front of your class?”
“There was kissing, and it involved a female Unicorn, but SHE started it. She just started eyeballing me, so I stepped forward, started petting her, then she started nuzzling my neck, then next thing I know, she’s about to stick her tongue down my throat.”
“Oh wow! That’s…” Poppy trailed off, her face darkening more as she averted her gaze, seemingly unsure exactly what to say.
“You don’t think it’s gross?” He asked. Poppy blinked and averted her gaze again, seemingly not quite sure how to answer.
“It’s…certainly unusual, especially for a Unicorn mare to do that to a boy, considering how skittish they usually are around male humans. In the past, when that sort of thing has happened, rare as those recorded instances were, it was usually a stallion and a witch.”
“Seriously? That’s actually happened?” he asked, moving towards Highwing’s head, gently brushing her feathers.
She nodded. “It’s the other reason Animagi are required to register, as there were a few instances of wizards and witches getting caught supposedly having sex with wild animals, only for those animals to turn into humans when disturbed and get rather irate.” She paused, as if deciding how far to go with this. “As for actual animals, it’s a bit more complicated, since magical animals are almost as intelligent as humans, and even non-magical animals will turn to humans if there is no other option for them. An animal doesn’t need to speak English to consent to or offer sex. I’ve heard of some instances where the animals made the first move. And when someone makes deliberate advances signalling their willingness, what is that if not non-verbal consent?”
Harry blinked. This was a fair bit above his pay-grade, he reasoned.
“Uh, can’t really comment there.”
‘Is that why they don’t allow dogs at Hogwarts? I had wondered about that.’ He thought.
‘One of the reasons, the other was the typical issue of dogs making messes everywhere, getting aggressive, or students accidentally feeding their homework to said dogs. Supposedly.’ Hermione replied.
After a few minutes, Poppy moved back to Highwing’s face, gently stroking the Hippogriff’s cheek. She chirped, nuzzled the human’s hand, then spread and beat her wings, before running past Poppy and with a few wing-beats, took off and soared over the trees.
Thursday January 12
“Harry?”
Harry stopped as he heard the voice calling him, he turned, tensing when he noticed the boy approaching him wore Slytherin robes.
He’d seen the boy round the castle but never really interacted with him. He was tall, well built with dark blonde/brown hair, and he carried himself with an air of self-confidence that surprisingly lacked the arrogance he’d come to see in those of Slytherin, or at least most of them.
“Yes? Have we met?” Harry asked, the boy winced as he drew up short.
“Okay, I guess I should start by introducing myself. Sebastian Sallow. I’m sorry we never met before now, Draco and his lackeys always made sure to warn us off talking to you, plus he and Snape didn’t present a very nice picture of you over these last few years. But, I’m happy we finally get to meet.” The boy, Sebastian, said, offering his hand.
Hesitantly, Harry shook it.
“I wanted to thank you, for helping get rid of them. Things in Slytherin have improved a great deal since they were taken.”
“Did you know what he was doing?” Harry asked, cutting right to the chase. Sebastian sighed and nodded, looking more than a little regretful, which scored him at least some points in Harry’s book.
“Yes, my sister and I both knew. At first I tried reporting it to Snape when I saw the first instance, but that didn’t go anywhere. I wasn’t aware of every instance of it happening, just the two instances I saw last year and the one my sister Anne saw.” Sebastian said, looking disgusted.
“Your sister? Did any of them try anything with her?” Harry asked.
“My twin, Anne, and no, they wouldn’t have dared. Uncle Solomon is an ex-Auror, one letter from either me or Anne, and he would have had a group of Aurors in here within a day of getting the message. Thinking back, I can’t understand why neither of us told him what was going on. Our own misplaced faith in Snape handling the situation I suppose, though that’s no excuse.”
“Perhaps.” Harry said.
“I think Lucius probably told Draco to leave me and Anne alone specifically for that reason after I confronted Draco that first time I saw him attack Imelda Reyes, he was all cocky swagger ‘I’m the Prince of Slytherin. I can do whatever I want! When my father blah-blah-blah!’ hmph! I told him that I didn’t give a troll’s arse what his daddy would do, I only cared about what my uncle, an ex-Auror, would do once he found out what was going on. I’m guessing after that he wrote to daddy to complain, and got told to leave me and Anne alone. I guess someone in that family has some brains after all.”
“You should have written your uncle. Might have gotten this sorted last year.” Harry said. Sebastian sighed again, nodding.
“I was going to then Snape came in and put an end to the whole thing, telling me he’d take care of it all. Clearly he didn’t.”
“Clearly not.” Harry muttered.
“Look, I know you don’t have a high opinion of our House, we all know that, and we all know why, I just wanted you to know you’ve actually helped make things better in Slytherin, for all of us. The girls especially are grateful for what you did. If you hadn’t gone after him, there’s no telling how much longer this would have gone on. I dare say you might have made some allies in Slytherin.”
“Why didn’t any of you try and stop him more directly?” Harry asked.
“I think, though I can’t be sure, that if one of us reported him to the Aurors, Snape would have known, and I think you can imagine how unpleasant he would have made things for us if he even suspected one of his house had sold out Draco, and by chance, also put him at risk, well…”
“I thought Slytherin was all about getting one over on your housemates to get an advantage.” Harry said. Sebastian rolled his eyes.
“That was Draco’s and Snape’s way of doing things. Cleverness and ambition are valued in Slytherin yes, but also cunning above all else. And cutthroat politics honestly isn’t very cunning now is it? That’s a symptom of selfishness and paranoia.”
In the distance, the school bells started to ring.
“Well, I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you around Harry, and again, thanks.” And with that, Sallow gave him a courteous nod, turned, and walked away.
“Okay…that was odd.” Harry muttered as he turned and headed off in the other direction, heading for Charms class.
‘A little, but I’m glad someone from Slytherin made the effort to approach you and thank you.’ Susan said over the link.
‘Sebastian and his sister are pretty decent people Harry. Sebastian is loyal to those he calls friend, though not many in Slytherin would count themselves on that list, mainly because of Draco.’ Daphne added.
Harry pondered the encounter as he headed for Charms, wondering who else had tried to report Draco and subsequently failed.
-=-=-=-
The only thing that really happened of note on Friday was Sirius’ reply to his earlier letter, which arrived at breakfast, and was a moving photograph of Sirius rolling around on the floor, apparently having a fit or seizure of some sort, though Hermione pointed out he was just laughing so hard he couldn’t stand, or sit. There was also a note from Remus:
He was like this for nearly an hour, kept going on about how surprised he is that in all the ways you could take after your mum, it would be that.
Hermione read the note, blinked several times and blushed with embarrassment as she tried to process what Remus really meant.
“What’s he implying by that?!” Harry yelped, staring in wide-eyed Horror at the note, as if Remus had just betrayed him in the worse way.
“Well, he’s probably referring to your mum… experimenting with your dad’s Animagus form, Prongs, since that is actually legal—” Susan tried to explain before Harry clapped his hands over his ears.
“Nope! Can’t hear you! You’re not talking!” he protested.
Smiling at him, Susan decided to distract him, and slipped a hand into his lap, and into his trousers, and proceeded to make Harry’s Friday morning worse, or better, depending on who you asked. Quickly grabbing her bowl of cereal and slipping it under the table, she used her hand to extract his shaft from his trousers as she worked him over, making sure to catch his offering in her cereal bowl, then mixed it into her milk and cornflakes, which she then offered to share a blushing Daphne, who smiled in thanks.
Later that day, he and the girls were called to Dumbledore’s office to go over final preparations for the following days events, which went as well as any of them could have expected.
After they left, Dumbledore sat at his desk, contemplating. There was nothing more he could do about the trial, Draco’s and Snape’s fates were now out of his hands, Harry’s fate though was still very much uncertain. He hoped Miss Granger would make arrangements soon for their summer months, or he would have to do it himself, and as much as he knew they would object, he still believed Privet Drive was the best place for Harry. Albus would just have to impress upon Petunia that her nephew’s life now depended on the assistance of others they would have to allow into their home.
He knew Petunia would likely object, but surely she would see it was for the best ultimately. It had to be Privet Drive, it was the only place he was safe outside of Hogwarts, no where else would do. He was sure he could still persuade them. He had tried during the meeting, but they had all refused, Harry especially, but he was determined. As a muggle though, Petunia’s opinion carried little to no weight, even if she was Harry’s only living relative by blood, at least direct.
Things would work out the way he knew they would.
Saturday January 14th, 1995
Ministry of Magic, Court Room 10, 10am.
Harry sat between Hermione and Luna, with Susan and Daphne to Hermione’s right, and Remus Lupin to Luna’s left. Further along the other witnesses and aggrieved parties sat in the hard stone seats looking down at the floor at the centre of the courtroom, as well as Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Sinistra. The rest of the gallery, the Wizengamot, started filing in.
Everyone was tense.
Though they had been assured that this trial was just a formality at this point, there was enough evidence to put Draco, and likely Snape, away for life, but procedure had to be followed. So they all had to testify.
After they had entered, the rest of the Wizengamot started to file in.
When everyone was seated, Susan leaned over and whispered to Harry, pointing out a rather stern-looking woman in a rather nice looking suit, seeming to have a rather nasty scowl on her face as she glared at a brunette sitting across the room from her who was busy going through her notes.
“I think that's their barrister, Tempeste Thorne, works for a man named Theophilus Harlow, they work for a law firm named Wolfram and Hart. Both very unpleasant people. And likely friends of Malfoy Senior.” Susan whispered.
“Wolfram and Hart…I’ve heard of them, aren’t they a muggle law firm though? Based out of Los Angeles in the States?” Hermione asked, Susan shook her head.
“They’re global. They have a branch office in every major city on most countries. They operate in both the muggle and magical worlds, though the side that deals with the magical tends to lean heavily towards the dark arts. And I mean heavily. And before you ask, no, I don’t know how or why the ICW has let them operate, apparently they’ve been around a long time. ”
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. That honestly did not sound very good in their opinion. If anything, it downright unnerved Harry to think there was a global magical law firm that catered to the dark arts.
It was then that the last people came in; the court scribe - which Harry wasn’t surprised to see was one Percy Weasley - Minister Fudge, and his Under Secretary, and finally, Dumbledore.
“All rise!” Rufus Scrimgeour said, and the entire room stood. “This court is now in session, for the joint trials of Draco Malfoy, Millicent Bulstrode, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson, on this the Fourteenth of January, Nineteen Ninety-Five, the Honourable Judge Christopher Whitemore presiding.”
An wizard who looked to be in his sixties entered the room and took his place at the bench, before looking around at the assembled people.
“Be seated. Bring in the accused!”
Once everyone was seated, the far doors opened and a group of Aurors came in, escorting several people who were led to the six stone chairs at the centre of the room. As each one was forced into the chair, iron chains snapped up to wrap around their forearms and legs, securing them in place.
Directly opposite the chairs was a dais with a table on it, where their solicitor, Violet Sweeting, took up a position, as she was representing the prosecution, she would go first.
Then the charges were read.
Harry grit his teeth with rage as the full list of charges, including the ones filed after Draco’s arrest, were laid out for everyone to hear.
Multiple counts of sexual assault alone for Draco. Whether that was only against Daphne, or all the girls whose families had pressed charges, it wasn’t stated. To his left, Daphne whimpered as the counts were read, Susan and Hermione each offered their support.
The full list of charges, against all of them combined, came to:
1 count of using an Unforgivable, 30 counts of Sexual Assault, 30 counts of being an accessory for Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, including 2 counts for Bulstrode and Nott, as they had only participated in the last assault against Daphne and participated in the kidnappings, along with 24 counts of assault and harassment on all six Slytherin girls including Daphne, and Hermione.
10 counts of Kidnapping. 1 count of Attempted Line Assassination of a Most Noble and Ancient family; the Potters, and 1 count of Attempted Line Assassination of a Noble Family; the Bones. When that charge had been read by Violet Sweeting, the look Amelia Bones directed at Draco could have frozen a supernova.
Then the two counts of using a borderline Unforgivable.
When all the charges were read, Draco was stone-faced, glaring straight ahead at nothing. Pansy looked ill, though whether that was from guilt or the weeks she’d spent in Azkaban, Harry wasn’t sure, but she did look defeated, she was crying silently. He could see it in her puffy, dark eyes. She was fucked and she knew it.
Crabbe and Goyle at first had looked confused during the charge-reading, but once it was over, it seemed to finally dawn on the two idiots just how screwed they were. Their faces began to show panic and fear. Harry found himself wondering how long it would take for Azkaban to drive those two mad.
Nott just sat, looking up into the crowd of onlookers but otherwise showed no reaction, though he did seem to look somewhat remorseful. The small group followed his line of gaze to a couple sat high in the back, a quiet, ashamed-looking wizard and a quietly sobbing witch, his parents.
“How do the Defendants plead?” Whitemore spoke, his face stern, his eyes hard as he regarded all of them with a look of utter contempt.
Harry knew, that’s to the preparation they’d all done over the past two weeks since Snape’s arrest, that if any of them pled guilty, then those who did would likely be sentenced at the end of the hearing, but those who didn’t…for once, Harry found himself wishing Draco was smart enough to plead guilty, thus sparing Daphne and the other girls the trauma of having to recount every experience they likely now remembered. Again.
He looked over at the other girls who were sat separated from them, yet together, all of them glaring at Draco, all of them from Slytherin, but different years. There was at least one he recognised as the seventh year Prefect.
Draco just sat in his chair, glaring up at them, at Daphne specifically, but his gaze travelled over all of them in turn, and when it came to rest on him, it turned positively hostile . Harry couldn’t help but smirk at him in return and mouthed “Thanks for all the blowjobs, you worthless bastard.”
The hate in Draco’s eyes only seemed to get worse at that comment, but Draco then moved his gaze up behind Harry, and it became searching. Harry didn’t need to look to know he was looking at his father, silently asking for help. Clearly none was forthcoming.
Out of all of them, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were the only ones to plead Guilty, their expressions made it clear they knew they were not going to win this, and they just wanted it over with as fast as possible.
The look the others gave them, particularly the two boys when they entered their plea clearly indicated they’d expected at least Crabbe and Goyle to show some form of solidarity. Draco looked the most affronted at their apparently betrayal.
“Let the record show that Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott and Millicent Bulstrode pled Not Guilty to all counts. Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle pled Guilty to all counts. This court has made the choice to forego the use of Veritaserum, and instead will be employing Oath of Truth wards, applied to the chairs and the Witness Stand, which I will now activate.” Whitemore said, the court scribe, Percy Weasley, furiously scribbling.
A sob from further behind them and to the left pointed out Pansy’s parents. Two more sobs located Crabbe and Goyle’s parents. Harry wasn’t sure who was more surprised, him, Daphne or Draco when Crabbe and Goyle pled guilty.
Then their lawyer, Violet spoke up, standing and turning to address the gallery, she laid a familiar looking book on the desk in front of her.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, I have here Exhibit A, a book called ‘The Dark Arts of Sex Magic’ full of dark magic, much of it of a sexual nature. I intend to prove to this Court that Draco Malfoy willingly and intentionally used a curse he found in this book against Miss Granger, fellow Hogwarts student, an act that also resulted in cursing his rival, Mister Potter. Then again, a week later, he would try again, this time aiming for the younger sister of Daphne Greengrass, whom Draco also stands accused of assaulting multiple times.”
She paused for a moment, letting the assembled audience digest that statement. “And here, I have written statements from Draco Malfoy’s victims, all detailing the various assault or witness statements.” Then she turned and picked up the book.
“The curse in question he used is one called ‘The Touch of The Harpy’ , it is considered a borderline Unforgivable and fell out of favour many centuries ago. It magically stops the victim’s body from absorbing any nourishment from any food they eat or drink, no matter how much they consume, they will just get hungrier and hungrier, and more and more fatigued. Eventually losing all physical strength, and eventually, after at least several days, slipping into a coma, and if measures are not immediately taken at that point, death follows. And there is no known cure, only a form of treatment that must be administered constantly, at least every twelve hours.”
She paused to let that sink in before she continued. “Once treatment is administered, the magical blocks on the body are temporarily lifted, allowing them to function normally, at least for a few hours. In a way, the curse forces the victim’s body to function exactly the same way as a Succubus or Incubus body would function: drawing strength and nutriments not from food, but from sex.”
Harry exchanged looks with the girls, wondering if it was worth speaking up and letting everyone know there was actually a cure, but that it was only effective on women.
The audience started to whisper and murmur once more, Harry noticed that the other girls who Draco had assaulted were now giving him and his girls sympathetic looks, most of them had a light of understanding in them, likely now realising why he and Hermione had been so ‘active’ in the corridors around the castle, enough to be caught by Skeeter at least.
Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him, though it was tempered by the looks those around them were now giving him. Clearly they remembered Rita’s article that had plastered his and Hermione’s sex life across the Prophet , and had put two and two together.
Some wizards were even giving him envious looks.
Then he noticed the smirk on Draco’s face, though that smirk was tempered by a scowl of annoyance. It was clear to all four of them that Draco hadn’t expected them to figure out the solution in time. It made Harry want to throw another Diffindo at him, or maybe even that cutting curse they’d found in that potions book.
Violet Sweeting then turned to address Draco directly.
“Mister Malfoy, lets start with with that. This book, how did you find out about it and where did you get it? And how long did you have it in your possession and why did you choose Miss Granger as your first target? I remind you that you are under an Oath of Truth ward, you cannot lie while you’re in that chair.”
Harry frowned. He’d never heard of that ward before, and he did find it odd that they weren’t forcing Veritaserum down his throat.
“Veritaserum doesn’t really give one a chance to defend themselves, plus they couldn’t take the risk that someone had already slipped him the antidote. Also, the serum only makes you say what you believe to be true, which I know in this case is irreverent, but if someone were to drink it and then get asked a question, and they believed they knew the correct answer, they would give it, even if that answer is actually wrong.” Susan whispered.
“Then why even use the serum? What would giving him the antidote first do?” He asked.
“If you give someone the antidote to Veritaserum then administer the serum, it turns into a poison as fast-acting as cyanide. If someone had slipped him the antidote, then they tried to give him the serum, he’d be dead before they could get him out of the room to St Mungo’s. As for why it’s still used in interrogations, it’s generally not used to answer general knowledge questions. Usually the questions are specific for that reason. What is your name, your date of birth, where were you on such and such, did you do this, did you see that, and so on.” Daphne said.
“This Oath of Truth ward is basically a powerful lie-detection ward that detects when anyone sat in the chair lies when questioned by reading their physical responses. The only potential flaw is when the one being questioned is telling a lie they genuinely believe to be the truth. In that way it’s similar to Veritaserum, but there’s no magical or potion counter to it, and you can still lie, it’s just that the consequences for doing so are…unpleasant . ” She smirked, gave Draco a weathering glare, then continued. “There’s also a bowl-loosening hex built into that ward and is activated if he or the others try to lie.” Remus explained with a slight grin. “So if they do , we’ll be able to tell.”
After a moment, Malfoy still hadn’t spoken. Then he finally did, through gritted teeth.
“I’ve had the book since we started Fourth Year at Hogwarts. I found it in the Slytherin House private library.” He ground out.
“Who told you about it?” Violet asked. Draco grit his teeth again, eyes screwing shut and his face colouring with effort.
“I…I can’t say.”
“You can’t say?” Violet asked, eyebrow raised.
Murmuring started up in the gallery, even Harry found that odd.
“Son of a bitch.” Remus whispered. The others turned to look at him. “Someone doesn’t want him talking. Whoever gave him that book must have then placed that knowledge under the Fidelius charm, and it must have been recently. Draco can’t tell us who gave him the book, because he no longer knows.”
“Is there a way to counteract that?” Harry asked, he recalled the conversation he’d overheard in The Three Broomsticks about Sirius’ supposed betrayal of his family, he momentarily grit his teeth in anger. If only he could go back to that day and tell all of them at that table they were wrong. Remus shook his head.
“No, I don’t think even Veritaserum would have worked. The Fidelius is one of the best ways to protect something, most of the time. My aunt could tell you more later.” Susan replied before Remus could speak.
“Why did you choose Miss Granger as your target? And why also hit Mister Potter?” Violet asked. Draco sneered.
“Why not? She’s a Mudblood whore! Always quoting books word for word, she’s a stuck-up know-it-all Ravenclaw pretending to be a Gryffindor, always has to answer every question. Always has to be the best. I thought it was time she got put in her place, and that mouth got put to better use, servicing her betters. Had Potter not interfered, she would have either starved to death before figuring out what to do, or would have eventually had to accept the reality her station, get down on her knees and realise that all her mouth is good for is being filled with dick. Though she probably didn’t know what to even do with a dick without reading a book first.”
Harry wasn’t sure if the spike of murderous rage that overcame him was his own, Hermione’s, Susan’s, Daphne’s, or all of the above. He very nearly jumped to his feet, intending to somehow leap across the chamber, wrap his hands around that bastard’s neck and twist.
The reaction from those around them wasn’t much different. Angry shouts erupted, namely from the witches, but also from some of the wizards. The other girls Draco had assaulted, of which there were 6 or so, were probably the loudest.
Hermione found herself truly surprised by the outpouring of support the other girls, all Slytherin, were seemingly showing, even if not directly. Most of these girls were not a fan of her, at least those that acknowledged her existence.
Draco meanwhile was smirking, but suddenly, the smirk vanished and his eyes widened first in surprise, then horror. His face lost all colour then flushed red in embarrassment and he started to fidget in his seat, but the chains held him fast, he then cringed, and Harry grinned. The charms on the chair had kicked in, a fact that was reaffirmed when he saw the tears of humiliation starting to build in Draco’s eyes.
It was even more obvious when the two sat to either side of Draco sniffed, looked at him with disgust, then turned their heads, even leaning away from him as much as they could.
“Odd, I’d have thought it would have acted faster.” He muttered. Next to Luna, Remus cringed, Harry suddenly remembered that as a werewolf, Remus had a sense of smell far stronger than humans. A pang of sympathy for his former Professor surged through him, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
The yelling was soon brought under control by three loud bangs that echoed through the chamber, the Judge calling for order.
Draco’s barrister didn’t look any happier than Violet did, though perhaps for a different reason. Her client was effectively putting his own head in a noose with every word he spoke, worse, he looked like he took pride in what he’d just said, at least until he filled his briefs.
Defending him certainly wasn’t going to be easy. She was definitely charging extra for this.
Draco now looked very uncomfortable, his eyes darting left and right, no doubt looking for help that wasn’t coming. After a moment of struggling, he seemed to give up, then looked like he had decided to forge ahead.
“I didn’t intend to hit Potter, but once I had I realised what a bonus that was. I knew that he likely wouldn’t figure out what he had to do before he starved to death, and even if he did, the idiot is too selfless and noble that he’d rather die than ask a girl for permission to stick his face between her legs. Though given his only option was Granger, I could actually respect him choosing death over sticking his face in that. ”
A growl started to work it’s way up Harry’s throat as he leaned forward, preparing to stand, but a hand on his shoulder from behind stopped him, and he looked back over his shoulder, glaring, only to meet the stern face of Auror Singer who gave a slight shake of her head, though her gaze was sympathetic.
“I mean, he very nearly did. I heard he’d started refusing to go muff diving, and got so weak he passed out during one of our Defence lessons, ended up in the Hospital wing where Granger had to force-feed him, apparently. Though she wasn’t alone.” He added, sending a glare at Daphne, who glared right back.
Harry raised an eye-brow, wondering just how Draco could have heard such a thing. Then again, considering the Hogwarts gossip and rumour mills, it wasn’t a total surprise.
“Who was with her?” Violet asked, her expression measured.
“Daphne Greengrass.” Draco snarled.
“Ah, so that’s why you then targeted her sister.” Violet stated.
At this Tempeste spoke up, “Objection! Speculation.”
“Overruled.” Whitemore said.
“In fact, that brings us to the other list of charges against you. You’re repeated assaults against Miss Greengrass, each of which was followed by the application of a memory charm. At least 15 counts that we know of over the last year. And she wasn’t the only one, there are 6 other women in this room who you violated in a similar way, just not as frequently. Where did you learn the memory charm?”
“Lockhart taught me.” Draco drawled.
“Why were you so fixated on Greengrass?”
Draco looked like he was thinking for a moment, considering his words.
“I’m next in line to inherit the position of Family Head for the House Black, there is a marriage contract between House Malfoy and Parkinson, so I would need another. Greengrass was the best option, as her family has many connections, and historically, they have shown their support for proper Wizarding families and causes.” Draco said confidently.
To his left, Harry heard Daphne snort derisively. “You don’t know anything you little shite.” She muttered.
“So you thought the best way to court her and her family was to have your friends pin her down to a table while you sexually assaulted her then wiped her memory of the event. Hardly the best, or smartest approach.” Violet cut in, looking like she wanted to kick Draco in the balls herself. “What about the other girls in Slytherin you attacked? Were you ‘courting’ them too?”
Tempeste looked like she wanted to Silencio Draco and shut him up, as the more he spoke, the more impossible he was making her job.
Draco shook his head, while glaring at Crabbe and Goyle, who had their heads bowed.
“I didn’t touch any of them, but Crabbe and Goyle are useless with the memory charm.”
Draco’s eyes then suddenly shot open, and his face seemed to loose all colour again. Now he definitely looked uncomfortable, and those sitting to either side of him were now actively trying to lean as far away from him as possible, looks of disgust on their faces.
“Evidently, that is not the case.” Violet said, glaring at him, as she made a mental note not to get too close.
Again there were murmured whispers and even a few cries of outrage. Hermione and Daphne felt their own indignation rise, the thought of those girls being pawed at by those two primates was somehow even worse than the thought of Draco doing it.
“No wonder Crabbe and Goyle pled guilty.” Susan muttered.
“Objection! Speculation.” Tempeste spoke up, actually looking rather relieved that she finally had a way to interrupt the questioning.
“Overruled.”
“So why kidnap so many of Mister Potter’s friends? If you wanted to get his attention, surely you could have thought of a better way. I remind you to be honest Mister Malfoy.” Sweeting inquired.
Draco actually shrugged, well, as best he could with the chains binding him. It was clear by the look on his face that he now understood what the detection ward did, and he seemed to slump a little in defeat and humiliation, though the hate still burned in his eyes.
“Greengrass’s sister and her friend Davis were a warning to her. The squib Longbottom and his Huffleslut and that Ravenclaw airhead were just a convenient bonus. It’s not a full day if one doesn’t take advantage of an opportunity to remind the Weasels of their place in our society. At the bottom of the ladder.” At this he sent a condescending look towards Percy, who paused momentarily to glare back at him. He flinched again, evidently the bowl-loosening hex had triggered again, though it was impossible to say which statement had triggered it. Harry silently found himself wondering if Draco’s bowels had anything left in them, then decided he didn’t really want an answer.
“So, let's get to the final charge. Casting an Unforgivable. You do realise that carries a life sentence do you not Mister Malfoy?”
Draco snorted. “After the hexes she hit me with? It took Pomfrey ages to reverse the damage!”
More murmuring and whispers of outrage and disbelief. Violet raised an eyebrow.
“You got hit with a breast-enlargement jinx and you had your face transfigured into a vagina, and you think that justifies trying to kill someone?”
Several gasps, and more than a few chuckles, giggles and outright laughter echoed around the room. Draco looked up and glared around the room, his eyes alight with indignation and fury. The Quartet could practically hear him saying in his own head ‘When my father hears about this!’ They could pretty much see it in his eyes, even though Lucius was also in the room.
“Oh Merlin! Why did she have to remind me of that?!” Ron moaned somewhere to their right. This drew several more laughs from those in the room, until Whitemore banged his gavel and called for order.
“Of course it did! That bitch disfigured me! If Pomfrey hadn’t stopped and reversed the enlargement jinx when she did, I probably would have bled to death when my chest exploded! ” Draco cried.
“You say it like that would’ve been a bad thing.” Susan muttered.
“I think you’re over exaggerating Mister Malfoy. Perhaps you were hoping or planning to use this curse on one of your victims?”
At this, Tempeste spoke up. “Objection! Speculation.”
“Sustained.”
“No further questions for this Defendant your Honour.” Violet said, before she moved on to Millicent.
Bulstrode’s questioning pretty much went the same way. She had helped Draco out of familial loyalty, as houses Bulstrode and Malfoy apparently had close ties for nearly a century. Plus, she’d always seen Hermione as her biggest intellectual rival, and apparently she hadn’t forgotten the little tussle she and Hermione had in second year during one of Lockhart’s defence classes. Hermione certainly remembered. The Slytherin girl had her in a headlock until the fight had been broken up. Hermione felt for sure the girl had been trying to break her neck.
Then came the time for the first witnesses to be called, Harry was first. Tempeste was the one to question him.
“Mister Potter, how would you describe your relationship with the accused?” she asked cordially. Harry considered his words, his immediate reaction was to answer that it was pretty much antagonistic, which was ghostly the truth, but something told him she was looking to try and bait him.
“Honestly? Not the best. We’ve been pretty much rivals since we met in Diagon Alley our first year, in Madam Malkin’s, he made some off-hand comments about Muggle-borns that didn’t really sit right with me, he also said he hoped to be in Slytherin, the house Voldemort belonged to.” Harry said, rolling his eyes at the shivers and murmurs from the people in the room. “I decided then and there that I didn’t want to be in the same house as the creature that killed my family, nor did I want anything to do with someone who thought that particular mind-set was a good one.”
Harry wasn’t sure if anyone else saw the scowl that decorated Tempeste’s face, at least for a moment, or if it was just him.
“Rivals. A rivalry that has often turned to physical violence, has it not?” Tempeste said.
“Not on my account, I’ve never attacked or hurt Malfoy directly.” Harry said.
“Is that so? And yet, the day after you and Miss Granger were released from the Hospital Wing you attacked Mister Malfoy while entering your potions classroom.” Tempeste said, seeming rather smug. Harry’s eyes narrowed. He was starting to wonder what she had been told.
“After what happened? What he did? What did you expect me to do Miss Thorne? Shake his hand, smile and say ‘Thanks Draco.’?” Harry replied.
The questioning continued like that for a while, Tempeste doing her best to try and paint Harry as the instigator of all of the confrontations between him and Malfoy, but with every recounting, Draco just came off more and more as the instigator.
Finally, they got to the fight in the classroom, the day Draco was arrested.
“Now, Mister Potter, is it true you used a Diffindo to disarm your opponent? Why did you choose that one?” Violet asked.
“Honestly? I don’t rightly know, all I knew was that Draco was threatening my friends, and I wanted to make him stop and a disarming charm wouldn’t have been enough. If you’re asking if I regret almost cutting his hand off, or destroying Bulstrode’s wand, the answer is no.”
“In fact, is it also not true that you threatened to decapitate Miss Bulstrode if she ever raised her wand again?” Tempeste said, a sly gleam in her eye. Harry paused, this was definitely a trap.
“You mean if she ever tried to kill my girlfriend again? Point out one person in this room wouldn’t do the same to protect those they consider close.” Harry challenged. That rebuttal left Tempeste a little putout.
Soon it was Hermione’s turn, and she was forced to recount every incident where she punched or attacked Draco, starting in Third year, then the incident outside of Potions. Though Hermione did retaliate by pointing how how Draco had praised the actions of the Heir of Slytherin, and wished death on an entire group of Hogwarts students. Then there was his attacks against his own house-mates, which she had no involvement in.
She did however take the opportunity to mention the hexes used on Draco during the altercation that would lead to his arrest, namely the hex that gave him ever-growing breasts and a vagina for a mouth, while his defence hadn’t brought it up, likely trying to spare him any further humiliation, Hermione, Daphne and later Susan went for the jugular.
“…and that was when he tried to cast the Killing Curse at me, but Harry hit him with a Diffindo. ” Hermione said. If looks could kill, then Harry figured Hermione would already be a corpse with the glare Draco was giving, the not-so-quiet snorts of laughter from those around the room showed what the assembled people thought of those hexes.
Dolores Umbridge looked particularly put out, the Minister looked rather nauseous, Percy looked rather uncomfortable, and Lucius, when Harry looked back and spied Draco’s parents…Lucius’ expression was cold, dark, yet controlled.
Susan’s time on the stand was perhaps the shortest, as Draco and his crew had interacted with her the least, up until the kidnapping. Though she did point out that she hadn’t been impressed by Draco’s bragging from a very early start at Hogwarts.
“I mean, my aunt works in the Ministry, and in an even higher position than Lucius Malfoy, but have I ever gone around saying ‘Wait until my aunt here’s about this!’? No, I haven’t, because I’m not over-compensating for something, and I’m not a spineless little girl running to hide behind my aunt’s robes every time I face even the slightest bit of challenge.”
The testimony, questioning and cross-examinations of the the Slytherin girls was most damning however, starting with Daphne, who, despite her own fears, was able to recount every memory she now was able to recall, claims that were corroborated by the others. When Daphne described, through barely restrained tears, how she’d been forced to orally satisfy Draco several times over the past year, the murmurs and shouts started up.
When she returned to her seat, she threw her arms around Susan and Hermione, quietly sobbing into their shared embrace, she didn’t even flinch when Harry hugged her.
The Seventh Year Prefect, Reyes, had also barely kept herself together as she described how she’d tried to stop Draco and his friends several times, but always failed. At first, Draco had used the threat of his father’s influence in the Ministry to have her blacklisted from all professional Quidditch teams, as that was what she aspired to do most.
At first, she had gone to Snape and filed a formal complaint, and he had assured her he would ‘handle it’, she had soon realised however, that he hadn’t, and wouldn’t, so she had threatened to go to McGonagall, and that was when Draco and started memory charming her. At first, he hadn’t touched her after that, but about half way through his third year, her sixth, he had started on her as well.
Draco had simply glared at her the whole time she gave her testimony, and she glared back at him, and just to add insult to injury, she also threw a caustic barb at Pansy.
“You must really like eating rotting meat Parkinson, because that is what he tastes like! My boyfriend tastes like sugar by comparison! And unlike Draco, my man actually knows what to do with his dick!”
There were several amused snorts from the gallery, but Reyes wasn’t done yet.
“In fact, I would suggest you try having a real cock in your mouth for once, rather than this ferret's— ” she momentarily glared at Malfoy, who sent her a heated, seething look back at her at that name he hated so much “— but considering where you’re going, I doubt you’ll have much options, unless the human guards are looking for a bit of stress relief from being around the Dementors all day.”
A bang from the Judge’s seat stilled anymore of the shouts.
“That’s enough Miss Reyes, you may retake your seat.” Whitemore said sternly.
Next, Professor Sinistra was called, though she really only recounted one incident she knew of prior to Draco’s arrest: The attempted assault on Daphne that Harry and a Prefect had stopped.
“You escorted all of them to Professor Dumbledore’s office?” Thorne asked. Sinistra nodded.
“I did. I demanded that the Aurors be called immediately and the lot of them be expelled, but Dumbledore overruled me, said he would take care of it. I told him Snape had apparently been standing outside the classroom, I didn’t see him, but when he was summoned to Dumbledore’s office, and I was told that Dumbledore didn’t interfere because he considered it an internal matter, so it was up to Snape to fix it. He had the gall to insinuate that Harry Potter engineered the whole situation to ambush Draco. I almost drew my wand on him for that. I almost handed in my resignation after Draco’s arrest, but Dumbledore refused, then after Snape’s arrest, he offered me the position of Head of Slytherin, so I took it.”
“Why did you try to resign after Draco’s arrest?” Thorne asked.
“Because I was dissatisfied that Dumbledore had left it so long before doing something, that he’d let it get to the point of kidnapping, attempted rape and bloodletting before he did anything. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who threatened to quit.”
Soon, Sinistra’s questioning came to an end and she was allowed to take her seat.
When eventually it came time for deliberation, the small group didn’t really worry at all about the votes swaying heavily in favour of Draco, there was just too much evidence against him.
Not surprising it, the majority voted to convict, with only a few holdouts, particularly from those who were either indebted to, intimidated by or worked with or for Malfoy voting in favour of Draco.
Deliberations for Bulstrode and Nott took slightly longer, but again, conviction scored the majority vote.
Finally, Whitemore spoke up.
“Draco Malfoy, for the crime of casting an Unforgivable, the sentence is life in Azkaban. In addition, the charges of Kidnapping carry an additional 10 years per count. Each count for sexual assault carries a sentence of 10 years minimum, 20 at most, each. Again, I will be imposing the maximum sentence of 20 years per count. The two counts of Attempted Line Assassination carries a statutory sentence of 10 years. Each. Conspiracy to commit Line Assassination carries a sentence of 5 years. I am hereby imposing a sentence of 1205 years.”
Hermione hissed as she rapidly did the calculations in her head as Whitemore tallied up the rest of the sentences. Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle got 460 years between them, Bulstrode got 250. The one to get the least was Nott, with 150 years.
“1205 years! Merlin …”
“Why bother adding it all up? He’ll die in there anyway, they likely all will, as for Parkinson and the monkeys…” Harry muttered.
“Procedure, they have to put a number on record, even if it’s one they have no chance of outliving. But yeah, the Unforgivable is basically the cherry on top at this point.” Susan said. “Baring some sort of escape attempt, once he’s in there, he’ll never leave.”
“If Nott is extremely lucky, he might just live long enough to walk free. If he’s lucky, as the average lifespan of a witch or wizard under the best circumstances is about 150 years, but considering where he’s going…I doubt he’ll be that lucky.” Susan said.
As the final sentence was passed down, Draco looked up, searching out his father. Harry and the girls turned to look over their shoulders at Draco’s parents. Narcissa had her face burried in her hands as she silently sobbed, her shoulders shaking. Lucius’ face was stone, his eyes dark, and when they met Harry’s, the look in them promised retribution.
The mothers of the other convicted were also weeping, their fathers pale or stone-faced. The now-condemned seemed to finally realise their fate, and all of their faces paled as Aurors moved to unchain then cuff them, then escort them out of the room.
Once the convicted were gone, Whitemore spoke up, sounding tired. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the court thanks you for your patience and diligence. We still have the trial of Severus Snape to process today, which we will attend to after a 1 hour recess for lunch. I remind those who are testifying as witnesses during that trial, please do not discuss anything amongst yourselves, and please do not leave the building.” With that, he banged his Gavel and the crowd started to move.
Lucius Malfoy was one of the first out of the room, his cloak billowing as he walked. His entire demeanour exuded malice and promised violence to any who got in his path, something the assembled press seemed to understand as they parted for him the moment he stepped into the main Atrium of the Ministry, heading for the Floo connection, Narcissa trailing behind, looking for all the world like she was going to a wake.
Harry sighed as he stood and made his way towards the entrance to the courtroom. The other Slytherin girls intercepted them, offering congratulations and thanks.
“How have things in the pit been since Sinistra took over?” Harry asked.
“Much better.” Tracey said, giving him a warmish smile. “Professor Sharp is a vast improvement as well, he certainly doesn’t play favourites.”
Harry nodded in agreement, he liked the man, a bit stern, and while it was a bit odd, one might say, to have two ex-Aurors teaching, Harry honestly felt good having him and Moody around. Sharp seemed to know what he was doing when it came to potions also, and unlike Snape, he actually taught the class. His grades in Potions had improved dramatically, as had Neville’s, which was a pleasant surprise.
Having Draco and his lackeys not be present had also helped with that.
“Alright, lets go grab some lunch. We’re gonna need the energy for what’s coming next.” Daphne said. The others nodded.
-=-=-=-
None of them really felt hungry as they sat at one of the Ministry’s public dining halls, each of them with a sandwich.
As they ate, or at least, tried to, Remus appeared and sat with them, with his own sandwich and coffee.
“Well, how are you kids holding up?” he asked, eyes roving over their worn faces.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d go through anything more stressful than studying for my NEWTs, then this day popped up.” Imelda said, giving her former DA professor a respectful nod which he returned.
“Don’t worry, it’s almost over, and I think the hardest part already is. Unless Snape did more than just turn a blind eye.” Remus said, the last part said as if he were talking to himself, and it came out as a growl. “Lily would be disgusted with what he became.”
The others raised a brow at that, the Slytherins exchanging looks of confusion.
“Snape knew Harry’s mother personally?” Zoe Harrington asked, Remus nodded.
“They were actually friends outside of Hogwarts, they grew up in the same neighbourhood. They were good friends up until their sixth year. I think he even loved her.”
“The day he called her a Mudblood.” Harry said, Remus nodded grimly. “Wait, you think he loved her?”
“Yes. He certainly held a lot of affection for her through the first few years, I don’t think she felt the same way though, she never said anything after she and James started dating, which really pissed him off, by the way. She always defended him whenever the Marauders pranked him, at least until that day in our sixth year. That was the day their friendship died, and any affection she had for him, of any variety, ended. One blind moment of anger pushed away the only friend Snape ever had at Hogwarts as a student…and after.”
“Why would he do that though?” Priscilla Wakefield asked as she tried to work her way through a chicken sandwich.
“My dad pranked him, publicly humiliated him actually.”
“How do you know?” Remus asked, Harry shrugged.
“Found a Pensieve in his office, had a memory in it. He caught me when I came out. Actually, he caught me while I was still in it.”
“I remember that day. It was right after our OWL exams.” Remus said. The others paid rapt attention as the story of what he’d seen came out and Remus provided context, apparently, Snape and James had been at odds from the day they met on the train their first year, instantly disliking each other. Remus also told them about the night Sirius had almost got Snape killed by himself during one full moon, and how James had stepped in, saying that had been a step too far, the others agreeing.
“Well, that explains why he hates Gryffindors so much, and why he hates Harry.” Susan said.
“Still no excuse for everything else.” Grace said, the others nodded in agreement.
Remus then checked the wall clock, noting the time. “Alright, lunch is nearly over, just enough time for some bathroom breaks if anyone needs them, then back into the courtroom.” With that, the others finished their lunch, then headed out.
-=-=-=-
As everyone retook their seats, Harry once again reached out to try and ease the girls’ stress-levels, though he couldn’t really do anything to help the other girls Draco had harmed, as they were sat with their own families. Several others were noticeably absent, namely, the families of those just convicted and sentenced to the rest of their lives in what amounted to mortal hell.
Now it was Severus Snape’s turn.
“If only Pettigrew were also about to be chained to that chair.” Remus growled to Harry’s left, Luna sandwiched between Harry and Lupin, Hermione was on Harry’s right, and on her right was Susan and Daphne.
Once everyone was seated, Whitemore ordered the prisoner to be brought in and secured. The doors through which Draco and his cronies had been led earlier opened, and two Aurors came in, escorting a bedraggled, tatty looking man who somehow looked even greasier and worse off than he usually did. As he was walked to the stone chair, his head raised and he started to look around the room. Harry had to wince as next to him, Hermione sucked in a breath.
Somehow, Snape did indeed look worse off than usual. His face looked gaunt, eyes already haunted, in a similar way to how Sirius’s had the year before when Harry had first seen him in the Shrieking Shack. Either Snape hadn’t gotten any sleep the past few weeks, or the Dementors had an even bigger effect on him.
When his eyes met Harry’s however, they suddenly focused and sharpened, and the sheer amount of raw hatred Harry saw in them made him stamp out what little inkling of sympathy he might have started to feel for the greasy git.
‘If only my parents were here to see this. If only Sirius was.’ He thought.
Harry knew that Snape saw him the same way he saw his dad, and so he figured when Snape looked at him, he wasn’t seeing Lily’s son, he was seeing his nemesis. Which was fine by Harry.
“As before, I will be activating the Oath of Truth ward on the chair and the Witness Stand. Severus Snape, while it will be possible for you to lie, I warn you that if you do, the consequences will be most unpleasant for you.” Whitemore said as he pressed his wand to the correct rune, once again activating the charm.
Snape scowled, he knew what that ward did, and there was no way he was going to allow himself to be humiliated like that in a courtroom. In front of Potter of all people!
Violet picked up several sheets of parchment.
“Severus Snape, could you please describe for the court, exactly when you were appointed to the position of Potions Master and Head of Slytherin house?”
“I was appointed to both positions in 1981, following the downfall of the Dark Lord.”
“Is it not true that you bore You-Know-Who’s Mark? That you were one of his followers during the war?”
“Objection! Relevance!” Thorne spoke up.
“I assure you it is relevant.” Violet retorted.
“Objection Overruled.” Whitemore said.
“I…was. Yes. I went to Dumbledore after I realised Lily was in danger, as she and her family were in hiding.” Snape said carefully.
“Why would that matter? What was your association to Lily Potter?”
“We were friends growing up before Hogwarts. We remained friends throughout our time there, until our sixth year.”
“And what happened?” Sweeting asked.
“There was…an altercation that Potter started. I lost my temper and said something I later regretted.”
“And what was that?” Sweeting prompted.
Snape glared at her, gritting his teeth.
“I’d rather not say.” He then winced, expecting something unpleasant to happen, but it didn't.
“And so, after that, you joined You-Know-Who’s followers. You took his Mark before you graduated correct? Why?”
Snape hesitated. It was already a matter of public record that he had been a Death Eater towards the end of the last war, Karkaroff had seen to that. And got himself at the top of every other Death Eater’s hit list as a result.
“I joined him because I genuinely felt he was right. I’d already lost what little support I had, my only real friend had turned on me and chosen my enemy. His followers, and those they were recruiting in Hogwarts, seemed like they would adept me. My skill with potion brewing helped.”
“And what does one have to do in order to earn that Mark?” Violet asked.
Harry leaned forward, despite himself, he found himself oddly curious as to the answer.
“To earn the Mark, one must prove themselves worthy of receiving it. Exactly how they do this is left to the Dark Lord to determine. But usually, those who showed themselves either particularly useful, resourceful or loyal earned his favour.”
“Anyone wanna bet Pettigrew got it by turning in my family?” Harry muttered under his breath.
“And what did you do to earn your Mark?” Violet asked.
Snape bit his lip, looking truly uncomfortable, clearly he knew what the ward on the chair would do if he lied, and wasn’t going to give the court the satisfaction of watching him shit himself for lying.
“I…participated in some Muggle-Hunting with a group of others, the Lestranges and Crouch Jnr, specifically.”
“And what transpired?” Tempeste asked.
“Objection! Do we really need or want to know the specifics? Haven’t the plaintiffs here already been through enough? Do we really need or want to subject them to more?” Violet spoke up.
“Objection overruled.” The Judge spoke up. Harry braced himself, he had a feeling this was going to be ugly.
“We raided a muggle family, a 7 month pregnant woman and her husband, and young son. Bellatrix and Rabastan entertained themselves with the boy and father, then I fed the mother a potion that forced her to abort the pregnancy, then Rodolphus gave a potion to make her ravenously hungry and Crouch confounded her to eat her son.”
“Mother fucker…” Harry muttered. “And Dumbledore hired this guy?!”
After several minutes of stunned silence, and Violet looking like she was about to throw up, she moved on.
“Why did you protect Draco so much over the last year? Why did you cover for him?”
“I am good friends with the family.” Snape replied.
“Do they know what he was up to? Did you inform them?” violet inquired.
“I did not, and I do not believe they knew, or at least, Narcissa didn’t know.”
“Is Lucius a genuine Death Eater? Or was he imperiused as he claimed?”
“Objection! Relevance!” Tempeste spoke up.
-=-
“How would you describe your first encounter with Mister Potter?”
“Disappointing.” Snape drawled, “He had no aptitude for Potions, didn’t even know what a Bezoar was or how to collect one, or what they’re for. Considering his pedigree, I would have expected such a pampered prince such as the vaunted ‘Boy-Who-Lived’” Snape sneered the title “To have a full grasping of even the basic of potion ingredients.”
“You are aware that Mister Potter has spent the majority of his life outside the Magical World, in fact, his Acceptance Letter to Hogwarts was the very first indication he had that he was not like the people he was living with.” Violet countered.
Snape snorted “Irrelevant. He had plenty of time after he was collected by Hagrid to read the books he acquired, as all students do.”
“You couldn’t possibly have expected him to memorise such specific details as the uses of a Bezoar in only a month. ”
“What do you expect, the man doesn’t know how to teach.” Harry muttered.
Snape snorted, “I at least expect competence from my students, but it’s apparently very difficult for most of them to grasp even the simplest instruction. Especially the Gryffindors.” He drawled.
“And Potter, the Weasleys, Granger, and Longbottom are the worst. Ronald is barely scraping through Potions as it is, I’d be surprised if he manages to pass his OWLS next year. Granger is an insufferable know-it-all and always feels like she must answer all questions put to her as if she’s quoting books word for word. It’s annoying but I tolerable it because I must.” He paused for a moment then flinched, his eyes widening, before narrowing in fury as they turned and focused on Harry, who was suddenly smirking.
“Potter is just as useless at Potions as his father was, and just as cocky and arrogant, the pampered and spoiled little brat. It’s no surprise that he decided to act like a typical brainless Gryffindor and act like a human shield to block a curse he knew nothing about, rather than a shield charm. And as for Longbottom, he’s completely useless. His parents would be so embarrassed , if they still had the mental capacity to be so.”
“You bastard!” a woman with a vulture hat and greying hair stood, her face twisted in an expression of rage as she vented her fury. Others also started yelling. “You dare insult my family?! Who the fuck do you think you are?! It was scum like you that put my son and daughter in-law in St Mungo’s! And they’re still there! ”
“Maybe if you actually taught the subject, we’d actually learn something! You always favoured Slytherin over every other house! I’ll tell you this much, in the first few lessons I’ve had with Professor Sharp, I’ve realised he’s a far superior teacher to you!” Neville yelled as he stood, his own face turning red with fury. Next to him, Hannah had also stood, her face twisted into an expression of loathing as she stared daggers at the man who was hated by one quarter of the student population.
Harry also stood, his baleful eyes fixed on Snape, already he had an idea of what he would say to Snape if he got the chance to stand in the Witness box. Daphne and the Slytherin girls had also stood, and were venting their own displeasure, if Harry had been more focused, he would have thought it odd that they had done so for Snape and not when Draco had made his own crass remarks.
“You were supposed to protect us! ” one of the Slytherin girls shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Instead, you protected that vermin! ”
Three loud bangs suddenly rang out, and the judge’s voice rang over the courtroom.
“Order! Order! Madam Longbottom, another outburst like that and you will be removed from this courtroom. The rest of you, retake your seats.”
Once order had been restored, the questioning continued, only then did Harry notice the rather uncomfortable look on Snape’s face, the same Draco had had, and he smirked. The charm was still working.
“Mister Snape, could you please describe your first confrontation with James Potter?” Violet asked. Thorne raised her own hand,
“Objection! Relevance!”
“I think it is entirely relevant, as Severus Snape and James Potter were rivals, if not out right enemies from a very young age, perhaps even reflecting the rivalry between Harry and Draco, and likely shaped the world view he took that led him here.”
“Objection overruled. Please answer the question Mister Snape.” The judge ordered.
Snape paused, fidgeted, and tried to ignore the rather uncomfortable situation he was now literally sitting in.
“I first met James Potter, and Sirius Black on the train to Hogwarts in 1971. I met the werewolf Lupin and Peter Pettigrew while at Hogwarts.”
“And how was your first meeting?”
“As expected with Potter and Black, they were rude, belligerent, arrogant, a trend that persisted for the next seven years.” Snape drawled. “Black even tried to have me mauled to death by the wolf in 76, our fifth year.”
“Too bad he failed.” Daphne muttered.
“And how did that incident pan out? Clearly you weren’t infected.” Violet asked. Snape scowled, as if he didn’t want to admit what he was going to say next.
“Potter intervened.” He growled.
“Boy, I bet that hurt to say.” Harry chuckled.
“Did that not improve things between you and James Potter?” Violet asked.
“Hardly.” Snape snorted, “He only did it to stop Black or Lupin, or both , from getting expelled or thrown in Azkaban. That’s how I found out Lupin was a werewolf. Not that it mattered, since one of them ended up there anyway.” He added with a smirk.
“How did Lupin’s status as a werewolf affect their friendship? Surely it would be difficult for someone to maintain a friendship under those circumstances.”
“Black and Potter became Animagi in their third year so they could stay with him and be safe; as werewolf in their wolf form will treat an animagus as a non-threat or non-target when they are in their animal forms.” Snape replied. “I didn’t learn this until later, however.”
“What were their forms?” Violet asked.
“Potter was a Stag, Black was a Grim. Neither were registered. In fact, it’s how Black escaped Azkaban.”
Harry grit his teeth, anger once again rising within. Snape was outing Sirius’ most carefully guarded secret. It would be impossible for Sirius to even go outside now even as Padfoot, there was a chance he would be recognised, his name would almost certainly be added to the registry now. Off to the side, he saw Remus flinch, clearly realising the same thing.
“What of Peter Pettigrew? He was their friend was he not?”
“Yes, he hung around with those three dolts, but he rarely participated in their pranks. And as we all know, he died a hero, outing Black for his crimes 13 years ago.”
Harry wanted to stand and point out the man was lying, literally out of his arse, but he refrained, the wince on Snape’s face told enough. Those who were paying attention saw that he’d lied, but couldn’t guess at which part had been the lie.
“And so, you channelled your hatred and resentment of James Potter onto his son? Wouldn’t the mature thing have been to let your grudge die with the man?” Violet asked.
“Because he’s a reminder of what James took from me.” Snape growled. “A reminder that the only woman I ever loved chose my blood enemy. ”
“And so you took out your anger at her ultimate choice on the girls of Slytherin?” Violet said.
“Objection! Speculation!” Tempeste called out.
“Overruled.” The Judge responded.
Snape grit his teeth, suddenly realising what Violet was trying to do. “I did not harm any of them.”
“Nor did you help them, which I remind you, as one of their Professors and more importantly, their Head of House , you are morally, contractually, ethically and legally obligated to see to their welfare. And in that. You. Failed. Which is why you’re here now. You did in fact harm those girls through your own inaction and gross negligence.”
“Did Potter or the others tell you that they harboured Black last year? After his escape? He broke into the castle, and met up with Granger, Potter and Weasley in the old shack in Hogsmeade along with Lupin, and spun a wild, fanciful story for the Minister, I caught them all redheaded and was about to apprehend Black when Granger assaulted me, knocked me out. Fortunately I was able come to in time to convince the Minister Black had confounded them.” Snape responded, seeming to ignore Sweeting’s last statement.
His remark was met with gasps and whispers around the court room.
Harry felt his blood simultaneously freeze and boil. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to reach across the room and strangle the wanker!
“An excellent point. Perhaps we should hear from Mister Potter on that matter?” Thorne spoke up, a smirk twisting her features. She and Violet glared at one-another for a moment before turning to the Judge.
“I will allow this.”
“The Defence calls Harry Potter to the stand.” Thorne said. Harry stood stiffly, glaring at Snape the entire time as he walked to take his post. He was going to enjoy tearing this arse wipe apart.
Once Harry had taken his position, he gripped the table in front of him.
“Mister Potter, would you care to comment on the Defendant’s accusations?” Thorne said.
“I will say that he neglected to mention that in addition to Sirius in the shack, we also had Peter Pettigrew at wand point.”
This statement drew a gasp from everyone.
“But Mister Potter, Peter Pettigrew is dead. We all know this.” Thorne said. “He was killed by Black 13 years ago, along with twelve muggles.”
“He wasn’t. He’s a rat animagus. He cut off his own finger then blew up the street while yelling that Sirius betrayed my family. He did not. Pettigrew is still very much alive, and my only regrets about today is that my parents aren’t here to see this worthless piece of shite finally get what he has long deserved, and that Pettigrew isn’t here right next to him.”
The crowd started to murmur, but Harry barrelled on.
“That’s why Sirius broke out and came to Hogwarts. He wasn’t after me, he was after Pettigrew. We nearly had the bastard too, but a slight complication let him escape.”
“And where is Black now?” Thorne asked. Harry shrugged.
“Dunno. Somewhere safe. As for Pettigrew, if I knew where he was, I’d hunt him down and kill him myself.”
That drew gasps from almost everyone there. No-one would have ever expected the Boy-Who-Lived to speak so… ruthlessly. In his own seat, Dumbledore frowned. He did not like where this was going. Harry was showing far too much aggression, it would not do for the Hero of the Light to be seen speaking in such terms.
“I saw that incident, that day your relationship with my mum fell apart. Sure, my dad may have humiliated you, but that is no excuse for what you did to my mum, and what you did over the next few years. You never should have been allowed to take up the position of Professor. You can’t even teach Potions, you just expect everyone to be as good as you naturally.” Harry continued, turning to glare to Snape. “Because of you, my Godfather, the last remaining family I have, almost faced getting his soul eaten. Fortunately, Hermione and I were able to rescue both him and the Hippogriff Buckbeak, the one Malfoy had arranged to have murdered because he was stupid enough to insult it, when he’d been warned not to do so.”
More gasps rang out, and Harry was vaguely aware of the girls in his head warning him to stop, that he was likely putting his own head in a nose, and probably Hermione’s too, but he was too wound up, he finally had the chance to talk openly in front of Snape and tell him exactly what he thought of him.
“You ran straight to Voldemort and signed up, yet for some reason Dumbledore saw fit to make you a Professor and head of Slytherin, and told everyone who objected that you had his complete trust. Well, he seems to have a habit of trusting Death Eaters and fools, doesn’t he? Your constant barrages against me from my first week at Hogwarts, your deliberate inaction to protect the girls in your care and from what I saw in that Pensieve, tell me that you are a selfish coward. You did not love my mum, you lusted after her. Instead of growing up and being a man, and respecting her choices and being happy for her, you decided to hold a grudge against her and her family, even running to the Dark Snake Shagger when you thought he could benefit you. You only switched sides and went to Professor Dumbledore the moment you realised her life was in danger, but you didn’t care about me or my dad, did you?” Harry said, glaring at Snape.
“I worked the Counter curse to the spell Quirrell was using to try and knock you off your broom First Year during that Quidditch match, I only stopped when someone set my robes on fire.” Snape retorted. Harry rolled his eyes.
“One good act does not make up for everything else you did or did not do.” Harry shot back. “You could have, should have stopped Draco the moment you found out what he was doing. You did not. Instead, you sat on your greasy arse and did nothing for a year. I think we all need to know why. As for me helping Sirius and Buckbeak escape fates neither deserved, that’s an issue for another time I think.”
“That is not up to you.” Thorne snapped.
It was then that Harry noticed the odd smirk on the face of Fudge’s Under-Secretary, she was looking back and forth between him and Hermione, her smirk turning more and more cruel. It was then that he realised that she had taken note of what he’d admitted to, and was likely already working on a way to nail him for it.
‘Well, fuck.’ He thought.
‘We’ll deal with that when and if that time comes.’ Hermione said. ‘Too bad we can’t get Buckbeak to testify.’
“Did you make some sort of deal with the Dark Wanker? Beg a favour that he went back on? That why you then went crawling to Dumbledore? Did you beg him to spare my mum but kill my dad and me so you could then step in and give a comforting shoulder for her to grieve on? In what universe do you think she would ever accept you?!”
Harry ignored the murmurings in the room, focusing only on the man he had come to despise more than Voldemort. He felt a gentle push against the searing heat within his mind. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths as the calming voices of his three lovers worked to soothe his rage, though it was difficult, as his own anger was reflected within each of them.
Snape didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His expression said it all.
“You may retake your seat, Mister Potter.” The Judge said. Harry gave the man a respectful nod before turning to his seat, where three pairs of arms enveloped him.
“Alright, moving on, we’ll start with your negligence in failing to protect the girls under your care, and your turning a blind eye to the actions of Draco Malfoy,” Violet said. “You failed your duty of care to your students, Severus Snape, if you ever acknowledged it. While you may not have laid a finger on any of the girls yourself, the fact that you did nothing to help them or stop Draco was just as damaging. At the very least, you were criminally negligent; at worst, you were complicit in Draco’s crimes.”
Violet glared at Snape, who glared back at her.
“In fact, you aren’t the only one complicit in Draco’s crimes. There is someone else here who should also be questioned. The Prosecution calls Albus Dumbledore to the stand.”
The courtroom murmured as the old man stood stiffly, and somewhat reluctantly, made his way to the stand.
“Albus Dumbledore, when did you become Headmaster of Hogwarts?”
Dumbledore looked calm and collected outwardly, but internally, he was worried. He’d taken steps to safeguard information Harry and Snape knew. Though Snape had not been asked anything that he couldn’t answer, Dumbledore was the one who now had that information. He would have to be careful.
“August 1966, following the retirement of Armando Dippet.”
“Under what circumstances did Severus Snape become the Potions Professor?”
“He came to me in 1980, after realising The Dark Lord was targeting his childhood friend, Lily. He came to me begging for help, begging for me to help keep her safe. In exchange, he agreed to spy on the Death Eaters for me. Following the events of Halloween 81, I hired him on as Potions Professor. He wanted the position of Defence Professor, but I refused.”
“Why?”
“The position is jinxed. No one who takes it lasts longer than a year. It has been that way since 1967, since the Dark Lord applied for the job and I refused him, he then laid a curse on the position. We’ve not been able to break it since.” Dumbledore said honestly.
“When did you first learn of what Draco and his associates were doing?” Violet asked.
“Late last year.” Dumbledore said somewhat reluctantly.
“And you didn’t do anything? You didn’t investigate? Didn’t at least suspend Draco?” Violet asked.
“I trusted Severus to handle the situation discreetly. Last thing I wanted was the Board of Governors or the DMLE getting involved.”
“Clearly he did not. In fact, as soon as you realised that, you should have suspended his employment and started investigating him as well. The attack on Mister Potter and Miss Granger should have definitely gotten Draco Malfoy expelled, yet, you did nothing. You continued to do nothing even after one of your own faculty reported the assault that she had intervened in. It took several students being kidnapped, assaulted and two more girls cursed before you finally did something. Why? ” Violet said sternly, glaring at the old man.
Dumbledore sighed, silently hoping that he would be able to fool the charm monitoring him enough to avoid any embarrassments.
“I did not want young Draco to fall down a dark path. Azkaban is one of the worst places on this planet, home to horrors not of this world, perhaps the only place worse, or at the very least, just as bad, is the Labyrinth. A place like Azkaban…it leaves a mark on your soul. It stains your soul I dare say.
“The Labyrinth? What’s that? The only Labyrinth I know of is the Labyrinth built by King Minos of Crete.” Hermione muttered. Beside her, the others shrugged, a quick look at Lupin showed he was just as clueless.
“Well, that’s a moot point now, isn’t it?” Violet asked rhetorically.
“So it would seem.” Dumbledore said, seeming regretful.
“You’re lucky you are not on trial here Dumbledore. And while we certainly cannot suggest that you face time in prison yourself at this time, the Prosecution can and will move to recommend to the Court that an Order be put in place to have you suspended from both your position as Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot effective immediately until such time as your fate can truly be determined by trial. You are, at the very least, guilty of gross negligence leading to the endangerment of students under your care.” Violet said. A glance was made towards Thorne, who shrugged, clearly not caring as Dumbledore was not her client.
“I’m afraid I must point out that, because of the Triwizard Tournament taking place at Hogwarts currently, I cannot be removed as Headmaster. My presence there is required as a member of the Judging Committee, and as Hogwarts is the Host, I must remain as Headmaster. There is also the Tournament bylaws to consider.”
“You mean the bylaws that protect Champions from any sort of legal persecution during the event?” Violet asked.
“Indeed. The Tournament Bylaws stipulate that no Champion can be prosecuted for any perceived crimes, short of murder, until the Tournament is officially concluded. These protections also extend to the Headmasters of the three participating schools.”
Violet paused, then seemed to gather her second wind.
“That may be so, but those bylaws do not extend to other students or faculty. We’ve already established Draco’s guilt. We’ve already established Snape’s culpability and negligence, and now yours. You say you wanted to protect Draco, you could have done that if you had stopped him. You could have prevented all of this if you had encouraged and fostered positive relations between the four houses, yet you let the hostility between Gryffindor and Slytherin not only continue, but actually get worse.”
Dumbledore paused, collecting his thoughts, then he responded.
“The current hostility between the Hogwarts houses is a symptom of a far wider problem in our society, and despite what my reputation would have you believe, there are many who would and have pushed back against changes I have tried to make over the years. The inter-house rivalries started to really pick up in the latter years of Black’s tenure as Headmaster, then Dippet’s, where they escalated. The board of governors, or some of them at least, share the mindset of many in our society. The Hogwarts staff does what it can when it can—”
Several snorts of derision from around the room interrupted him.
“—but we cannot be expected to illicit change on such a grand scale quickly.”
“Are you sure? You’re moulding and guiding the future generations of our society. It is literally your job to guide them and teach them right from wrong, yet you seem to have failed. And not just you. We have uncovered multiple examples of biases and errors in judgement among senior staff at Hogwarts, your refusal to expel Draco and his associates, and fire Snape, the moment these more serious issues were brought to light only adds to them.” Violet replied.
“Removing the biases takes time, and there is always resistance. The younger generations now are being influenced by their own families more than ever. It is difficult to mitigate that.”
“Are you even trying? ” Violet replied. “You were already Headmaster by the time Severus, James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter started attending Hogwarts. You and Professor McGonagall both turned a blind eye to their bullying, as I’m sure others did too. If it weren’t for this Tournament, I suspect there would soon be an investigation of the entire faculty.”
People around the room started to murmur and whisper amongst themselves, until the Judge called for order.
“What would you have me do? Dissolve the different Houses of Hogwarts?” Dumbledore asked, “The Board would have my head, to say nothing of the fact the Houses were established by the Founders. They would roll in their graves if such a thing were to happen.”
“Honestly? It would be a start, and probably an improvement.”
“Really? You would have those who were raised with the biases of Voldemort’s generation and those that directly followed it freely mingling with those who oppose their views, or represent everything they find incompatible with their view of the world more often than they must outside of lessons? It would be chaos.”
“Didn’t stop Draco.” Violet replied.
Dumbledore looked sideways at Thorne, who was sat with a rather amused smirk on her face. Clearly she thought he was doing a pretty find job digging the hole he was finding himself in, and had no intention of helping him out of it. Though the look on her face had soured a bit when he’d mentioned abolishing the house system, and having the students mingle more outside of classes.
Eventually, the questioning wrapped up and Dumbledore was given leave to return to his seat.
Then Minerva was called forward for questioning.
“Professor McGonagall, could you please describe your professional relationship with Severus Snape?” Thorne asked.
“Well, I tried to keep it as civil as I could. I did find it odd that someone so young would be made both Potions Master and Head of Slytherin when he was first hired, but as much as it pains me to say it, he was actually a pretty decent potions master. However, I, and the other two House Heads, did soon hear complaints of favouritism, and some claims that he actually wasting teaching the classes, and he expected everyone to be as natural at it as he was.”
“When you learned of his past as a Death Eater, were you not concerned?” Violet asked.
“Of course I was, but Albus assured me Severus was no threat.” McGonagall replied.
“Let’s discuss some of the instances of bullying you ignored while Severus was a student. Surely you knew what was going on? Why didn’t you stop it?”
"I…” McGonagall paused, her face showing a myriad of emotions, she was clearly trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t result in her soiling herself, finally, she seemed to collect herself.
“Most of the instances were not too serious, nothing more than the usual school-yard jinxes. Anything that was actually serious, such as the incident before their OWL exams, that WAS brought to my attention, and I dealt with it. As was the incident involving Sirius attempting to lure Severus into an encounter with Remus. As for why James and Severus were at each other’s throats so often, and why it was so heated later on, the answer is simple. Lily.”
“What do you mean?” Thorne asked.
“Just that. Both boys coveted her affection, but Lily only regarded Severus as a friend, and she found James too immature, until he finally grew up after the unfortunate incident unloving Mister Lupin. They each saw the other as a rival for her attention.” She then turned and cast a side-eyed glance at Snape, who was glaring balefully at her, as if she was hammering home his worst fears and making them a reality.
“I’m truly sorry Severus, but Lily never saw you that way. You need to accept that and let her go. I would suggest you try moving on but…I doubt that will be an option, I can only hope you’ll be able to find some way to reflect on things.”
“Alright, moving on. Tell me, Professor, is it standard practice to assign detentions in the Forbidden Forest at night?” Thorne asked.
“No, we strongly advise students against going into the forest.”
“Then why were four first years assigned Detention at night in the Forbidden Forest on 26th of May 1992?” Violet asked.
McGonagall blinked several times in confusion. That detention? She’d forgotten all about that.
“I assigned that detention to Rubeus to oversee. Rubeus was investigating attacks on Unicorns, and he’d asked for help searching, so I believed that it was well within safety concerns for four first-years accompanied by a member of staff to find the injured animals and help them. Unicorns are harmless after all.”
“I see. During Mister Potter’s first year, he raised several concerns with you regarding some sort of artefact being kept at the school? Concerns you apparently ignored, why?” Violet asked.
“They claimed that Severus was the one attempting to steal the artefact, when in fact he was one of the staff charged with protecting it.” McGonagall asked.
“And what was this artefact?” Violet asked.
“A fake Philosopher’s stone.” McGonagall replied.
Harry blinked. “So it was a fake…I did wonder about that.” He muttered.
“Who were you protecting it from? And why the school? From the descriptions of that encounter from my clients, the so-called “Protections” were easy enough for three first-years to get passed, and one of them was a triple-headed Cerberus! Do you seriously expect me, or this court, to believe that you thought this was a good idea? You didn’t challenge Dumbledore on this?” Violet asked.
“I…” McGonagall paused again, as she tried hard to come up with another answer that would help potentially circumvent the detection charms on the seat she was sitting in.
“I did raise my concerns, as did the others, but Dumbledore assured as it had to be the school, as the Vault where the fake stone had been held had been broken in to, but the stone had already been moved to Dumbledore’s Vault, and Rubeus was sent to retrieve it, the very day he accompanied Mister Potter to Gringotts for the first time I believe.”
“But why protections so weak children could get through them? Wouldn’t Dumbledore’s office, or your own, have been a better option?” Violet asked.
“Again, it was Dumbledore’s assurance, and my faith in him.” McGonagall said.
“Faith, perhaps, misplaced?” Violet pondered.
“Perhaps…” McGonagall said, regretfully.
“Now, the most recent incidents, the assaults on the Slytherin students. Did you know that was going on?” Thorne asked. McGonagall scowled at her, bristling.
“What kind of woman do you take me for?! Of course I didn’t know! If I’d known at any point what was happening to those poor girls, I would have marched into the Dungeons and dragged Mister Malfoy to the Headmaster’s office and demanded his expulsion! Same with Severus had I known what he was allowing to happen.” At this, she sent another look towards Snape, only this one was far less pitying and more hostile.
After a few more questions from both Thorne and Sweeting, McGonagall was allowed to return to her seat, looking rather stressed out.
Finally, the time came to deliberate. Though it didn’t take nearly as long as Draco.
Not surprisingly, the verdict was pretty much unanimous.
“Severus Snape, your crimes are inexcusable, and numerous. Gross Negligence, Accessory to multiple sexual assaults and kidnappings, this court sentences you to life in Azkaban, a total of 1500 years.” Judge Whitemore intoned.
With a final bang of the Gavel, Aurors marched forward and collected Snape from the chair and dragged him out. As he was dragged out, his eyes found first Remus’, who glared at him with utter loathing, then with Harry’s, and Harry mouthed ‘See you in hell, Snivellus! And tell Draco I said thanks for all the blowjobs!’
Snape started to struggle as he openly glowered at Harry. “You arrogant little shit! You’re no better than James! And you’ll end up dead like him! I curse you! I curse you! I curse you Remus, you filthy wolf! And I curse Black! I will see you dead Potter! Both you, and then one day, your heirs!” The hated man’s vitriol increased in volume and fervour as he was dragged to the door and through it, until his words were finally, mercifully silenced.
-=-=-=-
Daphne sighed with relief as they left the court room. It was over. It was finally over. Draco, his lackeys and Snape were gone. Dumbledore had already left, likely back to his office to do who knew what. Her parents hugged her as she silently cried into their embrace.
After a few moments, Daphne pulled back, smiling tiredly.
“It’s over. At least, that is.”
Her parents smiled, relief radiating from them both. Then after a moment, her mother turned serious.
“I hate to bring this up now dear but…have you told them? About our family? Our history?”
Daphne scowled. She knew that would come up. She sighed and shook her head.
“Not yet. And honestly, I’m not sure when I will, with everything that’s been going on with Draco I haven’t had the time, but now I can’t use that excuse, but…considering the reaction I have every time I think about touching him…”
“You still have a couple of years Daphne, you’re only 14, almost 15. Honestly, you’re too young to be thinking about this, and it kills me that you even have to at all. You should be planning your future post-graduation, thinking about a good career, not immediately settling down and having babies!” Eleanor lamented.
“I know mum, I know, but I don’t have a choice in the matter. Honestly neither of us does. If I don’t do this, it’ll be on Tori, and she’s got other stuff to deal with. Merlin…if Draco’s curse had it her like he intended…”
“Then he would have answered for it.” Her father said grimly.
“I’m surprised you haven’t made a move against Lucius yet.” Daphne said with a snort. Her father shrugged.
“Our paths don’t cross, I thankfully don’t work at the Ministry so I don’t have to deal with him, and our paths never seem to cross in public so I can’t really act on that Blood Feud that was invoked. If he’s as smart as he likes to think he is, he’ll make sure it stays that way.”
“Just watch your back dad, he might put a bounty on your head or something.” Daphne said. Her father shrugged and smirked.
“If he did, I could always turn myself in so I could get close enough to kill him.” He chuckled.
“Erik…” his wife scolded, frowning.
“Have you worked out what this cure is yet you mentioned at St Mungo’s?” Eleanor asked. Daphne shook her head, sighing.
“No, only that it only works on us, not Harry, but that’s not the issue for me. I can Bond with Susan or Hermione just fine, but to lift this curse, I MUST have sex with Harry, and right now, that’s a complicated topic to tackle.”
Eleanor and Erikson exchanged an uncomfortable glance, before giving Daphne an apologetic smile. “I’ll have to let your mother help you sort that out dear. I’m going to go talk to Mister Potter.” And with that, he excused himself. Rolling her eyes, Eleanor shook her head, before turning back to Daphne.
“Sweetheart, coming to terms with this is not going to be easy or quick, just give it time and you’ll get through this, and remember, all of your friends are there for you, as are your housemates. As is Astoria, myself and your father, your grandfather, and members of the staff at Hogwarts.” Eleanor said, though she stopped herself at mentioning any names.
Daphne smiled and hugged her. “I know mum, thanks. I love you.”
“Love you too, my little Valkyrie.” Eleanor hugged her back tightly, feeling Daphne melt into her embrace as the stress just seemed to drain from her.
-=-
Erikson worked his way over towards Harry and his friends, who were still talking to the six other Slytherin girls and their families. Harry and Hermione being the most conspicuous in that their families were absent.
“Mister Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Bones, can I talk to you for a moment?”
The three exchanged a look with the young blonde, who nodded with a smile before returning to her conversation with the others.
“Is something wrong Mister Greengrass?” Harry asked.
“No, no, everything is fine, all things considered.” The man said, before giving him a wan smile “And its Erik.”
“Harry.” The boy replied.
“I was just curious how long you’ve known Daphne.”
“Not that long honestly, before this whole curse business, I didn’t interact with Daphne all that much, if at all really. It was Hermione who did.” The boy said, gesturing to his friend, who blushed.
“I first got to know Daphne back in Third Year, I was a little suspicious first, but I can happily now count her as one of my closest friends, even before all this mess happened.” The brunette said, Susan nodded her ascent.
“Daphne and I have been friends for a couple of years now, but honestly, she hasn’t talked that much about your family, only that you stayed neutral during the war.” Susan said.
Erikson nodded, “I’m glad she had friends outside of Slytherin to confide in, even if she didn’t remember what was happening.” He scowled, then muttered something that the three were pretty sure was a curse on Draco’s ancestors, or descendants, in a language Harry and Susan didn’t recognise.
“Is that Scandinavian? Or Norwegian?” Hermione asked. Erikson blushed.
“Ah, sorry, Scandinavian. The Greengrass family goes back a long way, as does Eleanor’s family, which actually goes back longer. Eleanor’s family is originally from Norway, Daphne will be able to tell you more.”
-=-=-=-
Malfoy Manor
Lucius stalked into the main lobby of his home. Narcissa disappearing into one of the rooms off to the side, her head down, face in her hands. She hadn’t looked at him since the verdict. Wouldn’t even speak to him. He wasn’t sure how Snape’s trial was going, but he had a fair idea of what would happen. He hadn’t been in the mood to talk to anyone when he left the courtroom, and clearly everyone waiting outside for a comment had got the unspoken message to back off.
Behind him, the front door closed and he turned, scowling at the woman who had promised to get his son aquited. Instead, he had lost his son to Azkaban.
For 1205 years.
“I know this looks bad—” Thorne started.
“‘ Bad’ is that what you would call my son spending the rest of his life in prison? You promised me you could get him off on technicality! Instead, he’s going to waste away in that damn pit! My own reputation ruined! Any chances I ever had of getting my hands on the Black family vault GONE! ”
“We can work on an appeal, I’m sure we’ll to get enough support from the older families. We at Wolfram and Hart have many resources, I can call in a few friends from the States, I’m sure they’ll be willing to help us. We’ll have your son out and back at Hogwarts in a month or so.”
Lucius grit his teeth in suppressed rage. He was done with this idiot. An appeal? Had she not paid attention? “You do that.” He growled.
“Very well, I’ll be in touch when I have something.” Tempeste said as she turned to leave.
She didn’t see the wand being raised.
“Avada Kedavra!”
Notes:
Snape's last words to Harry in the courtroom are taken directly from the 1978 Superman film, and are the last words Zod yells as he, Non and Ursa are imprissoned in the Phantom Zone.
The bit about the antidote to Veritaserum turning it into a poison if it is administered first is a concept i first read in another story, but can't remember where.
Wolfram and Hart is the ficional law firm from the Buffy spin-off series Angel (for those reading this chapter that maybe never watched that show), they're a global, inter-dimensional law firm wholey dedicated to bringing about the Apocolypse, so pure evil. :P
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Chapter 19: Unicorns, Cart rides, and improper wand usage
Notes:
Sorry this chapter is a bit late, I had wanted to get it out before the end of 2024, but that apparently wasn't feasible.
I hope everyone had a good christmas and new year, and that January has been good to you all so far.
I would like to point out for those who may have missed it, but I changed the tags for the story, hopefully made them more concise. Make sure you read them, I may add to them in the future if I feel I need to.
For now, please enjoy. I've also started using Grammarly for proofreading and editing, so there should be less mistakes from now on.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Saturday, January 14, 1995
With a sigh, Daphne sat heavily on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor Common Room, Susan and Hermione taking a seat on either side.
It was over. It was finally all over. Now, she could focus on healing. She leaned into the double hug as Harry sat on one of the other chairs. A slight pang of guilt started to surface within her. She honestly didn’t blame Harry for any of this, and she was truly getting frustrated with her body’s and mind’s reactions every time he touched her or she saw him naked, which hadn’t been as often since everything came to light as she’d either focused on Susan exclusively or looked more at Hermione.
Well, now that had to change.
Harry had assured her multiple times that there was no rush, that healing like this took time, years at least.
The problem was, she didn’t have years to wait.
The portrait hole opened and in walked Luna, smiling serenely as if she belonged there, behind her, were several of the Slytherin girls who had been at the trial, along with Tracey and Astoria, who bee-lined straight for Daphne on the sofa. Astoria managed to wiggle herself between Hermione and Daphne, but the brunette didn’t mind, as she moved away from the sofa to go and park herself in her boyfriend’s waiting lap with a smile.
Several of the assembled Gryffindor students tensed, Ron scowled and opened his mouth to fire off an insult or barb, but a quick wand-cast from Lavender silenced him.
“We just wanted to stop by and say thanks for everything,” Imelda said awkwardly. “Hopefully now, with all, or most of, the causes of friction between our houses…” she cast a quick glare at Ron, who scowled back until Ginny elbowed him “…gone, our two houses will be a bit more civil to each other.”
“I’m sure things will be easier now.” Harry agreed “There’s only, what? Sebastian and Blaise left in the boys’ fourth-year dorm?”
“Pretty much.” Priscilla Wakefield spoke up. “And Professor Sinistra has been leaning on the older students for failing to stop Draco. Slytherin still doesn’t have new Prefects, and probably won’t get them until next school year.”
“Well, the choice for boys will be simple enough,” Tracey said.
“Same with Ravenclaw,” Luna spoke up.
“Why?” Imelda asked.
“Because of what happened at the Ball, when I was hexed and my mum’s dress was destroyed. I can’t wear clothes made from anything organic like silk or cotton or leather. If I do, it disintegrates. The twins say they’re still working on the counterspell, but I told them there’s no rush.”
“No rush?” Violet asked.
“I’m getting used to these clothes made of synthetic stuff.”
“But…didn’t you get stripped naked at the Ball?” Imelda asked, “I sort of remember that but there was so much going on, it was kind of chaotic.”
Luna nodded, completely unconcerned.
“I honestly didn’t mind. I love being naked actually. It’s just a shame it’s so cold out, frolicking naked in the snow sounds like lots of fun.”
Everyone in the room exchanged incredulous looks. Was this girl mad or something?
“Anyway…I hope you guys don’t have anything planned for the next Hogsmeade visit, I’ve asked my mum to take us all to Gringotts, including you Luna. I figured we could try and get this curse off us using the Goblin’s security system.” Daphne spoke up.
“That waterfall of theirs? You think that’ll work?” Neville asked.
“The theory is sound. That waterfall washes away all enchantment on a person passing through it. Be it the Imperious curse or disguising charms or Polyjuice. If we’re lucky it’ll wash this curse off us.” Hermione said.
“And if it doesn’t?” Parvati asked. Hermione shrugged.
“Then we can at least cross that off the list of possible solutions. Remember, it’s not just me, Daphne, Susan and Luna that have a spell affecting us, it’s Harry as well. And the standard ‘fix’ for me, Sue and Daph won’t work on him.”
“So if the waterfall doesn’t work on me, well…” Harry added with a shrug.
“You get to spend the rest of your life muff-diving!” Dean said, grinning.
Among the assembled students, Harry could have sworn he heard several rumblings of “Lucky bastard…”
Soon the topic changed to the trial and its outcome.
“So, how long did Malfoy and his cronies get?” one of the older students asked.
“1205 years. All guilty charges, are to be served consecutively. Snape got 1500.” Susan replied.
“Merlin…”
“The least sentenced was Nott, who only got 150 years. If he’s lucky, he might live long enough to get released, but considering where he’s going, I doubt it.” Daphne said.
Several of the other students whistled.
“There’s probably gonna be pushback, ya know. For all of Malfoy’s bluster about his dad, he was right about their family having influence, connections and money. I wouldn’t be surprised if he or one of his friends puts a price on your head.” Fey Dunbar said.
Harry and his friends exchanged looks.
“That…would be pretty stupid of him. It wouldn’t take long for people to figure out who placed the bounty, and Lucius would end up right next to his son.” Harry said with a shrug. Then something occurred to him. “Hang on a sec, Malfoy got two counts of Attempted Line Assassination but they only carry a statutory sentence of 10 years each? Shouldn’t that have been two counts of attempted murder or at least have gotten longer sentences?”
“The legal system in the magical world is…old. Many sentences for crimes haven’t been revised or updated in decades or centuries.” Susan said, trying to draw on what she could remember “Basically, the laws were written back when those in power thought that if any of them were to get slapped with such a sentence, they wouldn’t be in prison for long. This was back before the Ministry found Azkaban.”
“What did they do with convicts before Azkaban?” Harry asked.
“No one is sure, Binns might know, but I doubt he’ll ever tell. It was either a prison built and run by the Wizards’ Council or another facility they used. Probably the former though, as the Ministry started using Azkaban in 1718, 11 years after the Ministry itself was founded.” Susan replied.
“You have to remember, though, Harry, 10 years in Azkaban isn’t like 10 years in a muggle prison. Hagrid can a-test to that.” Hermione added. “Quite frankly, from what I’ve heard, many muggle governments would consider the conditions in Azkaban beyond inhumane and probably in violation of several international conventions and violations of Human Rights.”
The others stared at her blankly, not quite understanding what she’d said. She rolled her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter that he’s only getting 20 years for those two counts, even if we ignore everything else. That would still be 20 years in Azkaban. There’s no way in hell anyone will make it through that much time in Azkaban completely unscathed. So yes, 10 years for attempting to kill someone might seem lenient, until you factor in where the condemned are going.” Hermione finished.
“Think they’ll stick them in the Juvenile Low-Security Wing? Or stick them all with the Death Eaters and Dementors?” Neville asked.
“Hard to say, Snape will get the Dementors for company, but I think Malfoy might try to pull things to keep his son and his cohorts away from them,” Susan said.
“I didn’t even know Azkaban had a Juvenile Wing,” Harry said.
“Yeah, there’s a low-security wing where underage prisoners, the few that are ever sent there, are kept. It’s patrolled by Aurors rather than Dementors, and is supposed to be kinder.” Susan said.
The flow of the conversation soon changed and moved away from the grim topic, and Daphne found herself eagerly waiting and looking forward to the visit to the bank. She couldn’t wait to show off her family’s more exotic heirlooms. This would also give her more time to focus on healing and work out how she was going to tell them about her family…situation.
-=-=-=-
Later that night, Daphne sat on the bed she and Susan shared before she’d even finished drying herself off. Rather than have another group session in the bath, she’d elected for a simple shower to wash the day off of her. While part of her really would have liked to soak in a large bath for a couple of hours while her friends took care of her, she’d just wanted to get it over with and get some much-needed sleep. Though she had tried to make some headway towards her healing already, namely, making a point to openly watch Harry while he also showered — and got a blowjob from Hermione, even though he had protested, saying Daphne was the one who needed all the attention, going as far as refusing Susan’s offer to suck him off, insisting that she help relieve Daphne, which only made the blonde feel even more guilty over her knee jerk reactions to looking at him or touching him, something she silently swore to address, hence why she’d done her best to keep her cool while watching Hermione work. However, she did make a point to pay attention to Susan, which the other girl appreciated.
While her attempts had been somewhat successful, Daphne had still felt the twinge of discomfort, quite strongly, while looking at Harry, though she no longer saw Draco’s face attached to the body, which in her opinion, was a start. The knowledge that Draco and Snape would spend the rest of their lives in the closest thing to hell a wizard or witch could get to was enough for her psyche to start healing.
She’d left the bathroom feeling more than a little frustrated and not the least bit satisfied however, despite Susan’s best efforts, as she had still felt mild unease and discomfort every time she looked at Harry, or rather, his crotch, to the point she’d been too distracted to enjoy Susan’s diligence, and was now waving her wand over her hair, casting a charm her mother had taught her to help dry her hair, it was the equivalent of what Hermione called a ‘hairdryer’, which made a lot of noise according to her.
As she looked over to Harry and Hermione, she again let her eyes roam as she remembered back to those times she’d touched him, given him pleasure, and enjoyed his company. She felt her frustration mount even more at her own body’s reaction to just seeing him naked.
‘Snap the fuck out of it, Greengrass! It’s just a dick, one you’ve touched dozens of times and sucked probably just as many before you remembered everything. He’s NOT Draco, he will NEVER be Draco. Harry cares about you and is willing to do anything to help you. You’re going to have to have sex with him eventually, and you’re going to want that to be good, right?’ she started telling herself, making sure to keep her mental connection to the others muted so they didn’t hear her monologue. The fact none of them tried to pry made her appreciate them all even more.
Fighting down her reflexive reactions, she continued to watch, making a point to openly stare at him as he moved to the bed he and Hermione shared, pausing a moment after hugging a naked and still slightly damp Susan before his gaze turned to her. She could tell from the look in his eye that he was concerned and that he felt bad for causing her discomfort, and it made her feel even more guilty over her out-of-control reactions and made her want to get up and hug him, her issues be damned.
“Harry?” She asked she asked quietly.
“Hm?” he asked as he finished waving his wand over himself, drying himself off fully. Their eyes locked and he gave her a gentle smile, which she returned.
“Would it be okay if…you and I shared tonight?”
“Are…are you sure?” He asked. Despite the fact they were all naked, Harry was not letting his gaze drop below her face, even though he was fully within his right to do so, and she was certainly doing so. She paused for a moment, bit her lip, and then nodded determinedly.
“Yes. I’m not going to get over these issues by avoiding them and avoiding looking at or touching you. I’m going to need to in the future anyway. Yes, I know you said we can wait a few years.” She said, raising a hand to stop the protest she could already see him starting to make, “But I can’t afford to wait that long, for reasons I don’t want to get into right now. So for the next few nights, can we…share a bed? And see how well I do just laying next to you?”
Harry stared at her in surprise. He certainly hadn’t expected this from the day’s events. He cast a quick look at the other two women in the room, both of whom were smiling reassuringly.
“It’s okay, Harry. Honestly, I think mixing up who we sleep with is a good idea until we’re all back in the same bed, of course,” Hermione said.
“Besides, we might have to do that if Luna decides she wants to start staying over.” Susan added, “Or any other girls that decide they wanna join in.”
“Like who?” Harry asked. The three snorted.
“Seriously, Potter? You haven’t seen all the girls in the school eye-balling you? At least those that don’t have boyfriends?” Susan asked, rolling her eyes.
“That’s a good point, a lot more girls have been eyeing him since November, but oddly, none have tried to approach him beyond the few I said it was okay to…well, besides Ginny.” Hermione mused as she got into bed, Crookshanks and Susan joining her, the redhead giggling as the cat began to purr loudly as she settled in, wrapping an arm around him to pull him flush against her large breasts.
“What’s the matter Crooks? Hermione’s pillows aren’t big enough for you?” she asked as the cat settled down against her.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she joined her bed-mate. “Honestly, Crookshanks…you’re such a boy.” then she looked over to the other bed to see that Harry had finally joined Daphne in their bed, but the two weren’t laying as close as they had in the past. Hermione felt a wave of concern for her friend, but relief that she was already starting to heal, and had taken the first steps to doing so. A part of her wondered if maybe even this was a little too quick, but it was Daphne’s decision ultimately, and if she thought she could handle it, then so be it.
“Those girls probably aren’t approaching him because of us. They’re too nervous or something else is putting them off.” Susan said with a yawn, “Anyways, enough talk, we’re all tired…” She said with a yawn. She was asleep a few moments later.
Soon, the others followed her, Hermione decided to put the question to the back of her mind for another time as her exhaustion and the steady drum of Crookshanks’ purrs put her under.
Sunday, January 15, 1995
Fleur Delacour sat at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, having just finished her dinner.
The Sunday evening edition of the Prophet had arrived, and curiously, she applied a translation charm to the paper and started to read it. While she could read and speak English well enough, she still hadn’t gotten rid of her accent, though from what others, specifically the few boys who could be around her without having their brains liquefy, and the one or two girls who could stand to talk to her without looking at her like they wanted to rip her skin off and wear it — though thankfully, she’d stopped getting those looks — had told her that her strong accent was rather appealing.
Malfoy Heir and former Hogwarts Potions Master receive a combined 2705 years in Azkaban!
That was the headline of the front page. The moving pictures showed the faces of all those who had been sentenced, but prominent among them was that foul little rodent that had made her want to roast him the moment he’d leered at her, along with the greasy-haired Potions Master who had made her skin crawl whenever she’d look at him.
Getting a read on all those now condemned with her Allure had been like touching with her senses and magic, something that one would commonly find in a sewer. Being near them had almost made her physically ill from the readings her Allure had given her the few times she’d been forced to get close.
As she read the sordid, horrific details of the trial and everything that had come out during it, she found herself feeling oddly disappointed.
Disappointed that she hadn’t killed and eaten every single one of them herself.
As she read on, she thought about the possibility of approaching the Slytherin girls, maybe trying to offer a word of sympathy or support to them, but every time she looked up at the Slytherin table, those girls who met her gaze either frowned with indifference or sent her cold, hostile glares of jealously.
Although a few of the girls Draco had targeted gave her small nods of acknowledgement, she knew she wouldn’t make any headway there.
She looked up around the room. Most of the other students gave the Slytherin table mixed looks of sympathy and accusation.
From what the younger Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood, had told her, Professor Flitwick, the half-goblin Charms Master, had stripped his House of its Prefects and was still trying to decide who among the remaining students in his house was worthy of the honour, although she did not elaborate as to why.
It seemed that Ravenclaw was not the only House to lose its Prefects. Slytherin had lost its Male Prefects within the first week of Professor Sinistra taking over leadership of Slytherin, and apparently, she had yet to appoint new ones, so the girls had to pull double duty, which they didn’t seem to mind. At least, that was what she’d been able to coax out of the Hogwarts rumour mill.
Further up the table, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and Margot Smythe read the paper and exchanged looks. They’d kept their heads down since the Ball. Cho thought they’d gone a little too far with destroying Luna’s dress and leaving her naked in the middle of the dance floor, and seeing her in the semi-transparent ice dress later had made all of them feel more than a little jealous. They started to whisper among themselves, wondering what their next steps should be. Playing any more pranks on Luna now would be suicide, either getting them suspended or expelled or likely dead if Potter got involved.
Casting a quick privacy charm, Marietta gestured for her two friends to lean in.
“Okay, so now what do we do? We can’t go after Loony again, or it’ll be all our heads. She’s getting close to Potter now, and we can’t touch him. So what do we do now?”
“Nothing,” Cho said flatly.
“What?”
“We do nothing. We leave Luna alone. I’ve heard that that hex we put on her is still in effect, she can’t wear any clothes made of natural fibres, or it disintegrates in minutes. I also heard that dress belonged to her mum, who died when she was nine.”
Smythe snorted “Why are you suddenly developing a conscience, Chang?”
“Because if we’re ever found out, it could reflect badly on Cedric and our families! Not to mention it could get us expelled! Marietta, your mum works at the Ministry, right? Just imagine what her friends would say if they found out her daughter got expelled from Hogwarts for harassing a student. Hell, what we did could easily be considered assault. Look what happened to Mister ‘I’m the Prince of Slytherin; I’m untouchable because of my daddy’; he just went down for a fucking millennium! I’m not risking that or Cedric’s reputation just because I think Luna is a crazy air-head!” Cho snapped, glaring at her friend.
Marietta sat, thinking it over. She hated to admit it, but Cho was right. They needed to apologise to Luna, and quickly.
The three cast furtive glances over to the Gryffindor table, where Luna had once again decided to sit with Potter and his friends. Her gaze lingered on Potter, and she once again was struck by how…good looking he had become over the last few months. It was odd, really. He’d always been handsome, no doubt inheriting his father’s good looks, but since November, especially late December, she, and she was sure other girls too, had noticed Harry a little more than before.
She and her two friends had overheard Lavender lamenting the thought that she’d lost her chance to experience Potter’s ‘magic tongue’. Whatever that meant. Rumours were circulating among the girls that Potter had discovered a rather novel use for his infamous Parseltongue ability if the half-delirious rambling of Padma’s sister Parvati were to be believed. And judging by the utterly blissed out ‘I’ve just had the best orgasm of my life!’ grin she’d sported for a day back in late November, there might be some truth to it.
Allegedly, there had even been an incident where almost the entirety of Gryffindor Tower had heard what, at the time, sounded like Hermione Granger being brutally murdered. Marietta had scoffed at that. While she was surprised Granger was a Banshee in the sheets, there was no way Harry was that good. But if he was…then she wanted a big piece of that action.
Unfortunately, every time she thought about approaching him, her thoughts, or gaze in this case, were drawn to his now three partners, all of whom seemed to exude a sense of feral territorial threat, as if they would kill any girl who now approached Harry who wasn’t already on the ‘approved access’ list, or something. And evidently, Luna Lovegood was.
It wasn’t fair!
And judging by the looks of most of the single girls around the Hall, many thought the same.
The boy in question was currently sitting eagerly devouring a bacon sandwich, blissfully unaware of the numerous female eyes on him. His first night with Daphne hadn’t been as uneventful as he’d hoped. There hadn’t been any major incidents besides her having a nightmare that he had woken up to, finding her moaning and murmuring in her sleep. According to Susan, she’d had them several times since the revelation of what had been done to her, but Harry was such a heavy sleeper he usually didn’t notice, and Susan was the one who helped their friend through those unpleasant nights.
This honestly disturbed Harry, he liked to think he was a lighter sleeper than Ron, who could probably sleep through an earthquake, but he’d been so dead to the world every night since Draco’s arrest that he did not notice Daphne’s occasional nightmares until he was sleeping next to her. Fortunately, all it had taken was a hug and a murmur of reassurance from him to calm her down before she actually woke up, and he’s subsequently woken up that morning with Daphne lying half on top of him, curled up against him, sleeping deeply and soundly, looking rather peaceful.
He’d hated to wake her, but he’d badly needed to pee, and she’d actually groaned in protest and pressed herself against him, burrowing her face into his chest until she’d seemed to realise the large breasts she’d been expecting to find hadn’t been there. She’d come awake and sat up so abruptly that she’d woken Susan and Hermione as well. The look of shock and momentary fear that flashed across her face had hurt too. He didn’t want Daphne to be afraid of him, ever. She’d quickly mastered herself, however, and tried to mumble an apology, but Harry had reassured her that he wasn’t upset, that he understood, and that her healing wouldn’t happen in just one night.
She’d smiled at him in thanks and offered to cuddle, but he’d apologised and stated rather bluntly, “If I don’t get out of this bed right now, I’ll end up wetting it!” which had gotten snorts of laughter from the girls as he’d bolted.
12 Grimmauld Place
Sirius stalked into the room of his family home containing the family tapestry, his face determined. Within him burned an intense sense of excitement and anticipation. He was looking forward to this. He’d almost done this after Remus had called from the Ministry with the verdict on Draco. Sadly, he hadn’t been able to pass on Sirius’ message to the little bastard, not that it mattered now, at any rate. His conviction invalidated him as heir. Sadly he hadn’t had any physical evidence to back up the statement he was about to make, but now, with the morning’s edition of the Prophet in hand, he did.
And he was going to relish every second of this.
He’d already filed the necessary paperwork with Gringotts, who would then pass copies on to the Ministry, updating the Line of Secession, just to make sure no one at the Ministry tried to claim the family as heir-less.
Coming to a stop in front of the family tapestry, he scanned it until he found the little picture and name tag of Draco Malfoy, who sneered back at him.
Raising his wand, he aimed it, and with a single thought, the small picture of Draco was turned into a black, charred mark on the tapestry, forever removed. His eyes flicked up to Narcissa’s portrait. He briefly considered doing the same to her but decided against it. His cousin had already suffered enough.
“Hopefully, this will make her rethink her whole worldview on Muggle-borns, but I doubt it.” He muttered.
Turning, he walked out of the room and headed down to find the covered portrait of his mother. With a flick of his wand, the curtains fell open and she opened her eyes, her baleful glare found him instantly, and she opened her mouth to fire off an insult when he raised his wand and pointed it at her.
“I just thought you might like to know, I just burned off Draco Malfoy’s face from the Tapestry. Narcissa’s son has been officially disowned. He will never inherit this house, or the vault, or any of our other holdings.”
“What?!” Walburga hollered. “Kreacher! Check the Tapestry!”
Sirius smiled grimly as with a pop, the hated little wretch appeared next to him and glared up at him before turning his mournful gaze on the portrait.
“Filthy blood-traitor master speaks the truth. Filthy blood-traitor master has defaced the family Fapestry. Young Draco’s portrait has been burned off.”
“Why would you do such a thing?! Narcissa is a fine upstanding young witch! A proud member of the Blacks! Her son would have brought great honour to our house! Honour you have tarnished associating with Blood-Traitors and Mudbloods!”
“Oh, that’s right, you don’t know.” Sirius grinned as he reached into his expanded pocket and pulled out the copy of the Prophet. The results of Draco’s and Snape’s trials were plastered across the front page. He held it in front of him, letting the portrait read for herself.
“This…this cannot be!” she protested.
“Yep. 1205 years for sexually assaulting six girls at least 30 times, on top of all the other stuff he pulled. Two counts of attempted Line Assassination, one count of casting an Unforgivable, 10 counts of kidnapping, and numerous other crimes.”
“Those girls should have been PROUD to have been approached by such a fine young example of breeding!” Walburga shot back, glaring at him.
“Then your standards are the complete opposite of everyone else. That little piece of worthless shit will never set foot in this house. And he certainly isn’t the prime example of breeding. If anything, a muggle-born is more pure than him. And I would happily accept a Muggle-born into this house and this family. Hell, I’d happily accept a Veela into this house and family. As for Muggle-borns, well, considering my dear cousin Andi married one…”
“BLASPHEMER! BLOOD-TRAITOR! FILTH! DESECRATION! DISGRACE OF MY LOINS! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN YOU WERE BORN!”
Sirius rolled his eyes as he turned and walked away, after using his wand to pull the curtains back over the hated portrait.
He so wished he could burn that damn portrait, but instead, he’d just have to entertain himself by pissing her off for a while.
-=-
Monday, January 16th, 1995
Wolfram & Hart London Branch
Theophilus Harlow stepped out of the elevator onto the floor that held his office. He hadn’t heard from Tempeste since the trial of Draco and his associates two days prior. He wasn’t too worried, she was likely buried in paperwork. After all, it wasn’t every day that the firm lost a case, but the evidence against Draco was just too strong, and if they had used some of their more…questionable tactics to arrange his acquittal, Draco, at the very least, likely would have been murdered right there in the Courtroom by Daphne’s father. The blood feud between House Greengrass and Malfoy was on record, so legally, he would have been allowed to do it. Even if the judge likely wasn’t aware of the blood feud.
He wasn’t sure if there would be any difficulties with their client regarding the Draco/Snape case, he knew that the British Ministry rarely did appeals. Once you were in Azkaban, you either escaped or died, unless you got a short sentence, which was rare in most cases. Or you somehow got a retrial.
He opened the door to his office and paused when he saw Tempeste waiting for him. She looked pissed.
‘Oh bollocks…’ he thought.
“What’s the matter with you then?” he drawled. Tempeste turned to face him.
“That fucking WANKER!” she snarled, throwing up her hands.
“Which one? There’s a lot o’ wankers ‘ere.”
“MALFOY! The fucking son of a bitch KILLED ME!” Thorne screamed in rage.
Harlow raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”
“Is that all you have to say?!” she shot back.
“Well, what’d ya want me to say? You knew what you were gettin’ into when ya signed on the dotted line. We all did. Our employment contracts extend beyond death, remember?” Harlow replied as he moved to sit at his desk, and started looking through the files he’d retrieved earlier from Records.
“Of course, I bloody well knew that! What I wanna know is what is going to be done about that arsehole! There has to be some sort of repercussion for a client killing an employee!”
“Lucius wasn’t the client. They’ll probably log it as an on-the-job hazard or somethin’.” Harlow replied, “Anyway if you’re dead now, shouldn’t you be on your way downstairs?”
“I’m supposed to report to Processing when I’m done here. They let me come and speak to you first, you being my partner in this sideshow of a case and all.” Thorne said resignedly.
“You asked to see me? Didn’t know you cared.” He replied, his tone a little mocking. She scowled.
“Oh fuck off. I just wanted to know if you planned to avenge me or something.”
Harlow shrugged. “Employees of Wolfram and Hart die all the time.”
Thorne sighed, clearly this topic was going nowhere. “So, what’s all this then?”
“Been looking into this Potter kid. He’s quite popular. Got a couple of Prophecies written about ‘im. One has to do with Tom Riddle, the last of Slytherin’s bloodline, though there’s enough vagueness in it to suggest it could also be about the Longbottom boy, but all signs point toward it being Potter who is the focus. Now the other is a bit more obscure, we can’t pin down if it’s about him or not. But what we do know is, there are some powerful players now involved and eyeing this kid.”
“Like who? The Senior Partners? What would they want with some random wizard who somehow managed to survive a killing curse to the face?” Thorne asked. Harlow shook his head.
“Not the Partners. Older.” Harlow replied.
“The Old Ones? But there aren’t any left in this dimension, besides that one in Sunnydale, California pretending to be the town’s Mayor. And there’s been no activity around the Well for years.”
“Nope. Not them neither. Whoever they are, they’re keeping themselves relatively on the down-low, hard to pin down, our Mystics and Psychics can’t get a lock.”
“Is it worth trying to reach out to Riddle? Try and work a deal or arrangement?” Thorne asked. Harlow shrugged.
“Doubt it. Going by his past actions, he’s a selfish power-mad idiot. He’d never make a deal with us because he wouldn’t trust us. Not that anyone ever should. Plus he’d try to get one over on us and we don’t look kindly on that.”
The conversation didn’t go anywhere after that, and eventually, with a sigh of resignation, Thorne left Harlow’s office and walked towards the elevator, where someone was waiting to take her ‘downstairs.’
-=-=-=-
Cornelius Fudge sank into his office chair with a heavy sigh. This was turning out to be a disastrous start to the year. The trials of Malfoy, his friends and Severus Snape had been gruelling. He hadn’t been able to do anything about Snape, but he had promised his good friend and backer Lucius that he would get Draco freed on technicality. But that hadn’t happened. Instead, Lucius’ fine son Draco, who Cornelius was sure would have done fine at the Ministry, was now going to be spending the rest of his life in prison.
He hadn’t tried to reach out to Lucius, but he knew this could come back to bite him.
A knock at his door drew his attention and he called out for the person to enter. Looking up, he saw his Under-Secretary walking in, a thoughtful look on her face. Behind her was Amelia Bones, who looked decidedly unhappy.
“Yes, Dolores? Amelia?” it was odd, seeing the two of them in his office together. He was well aware that the two women hated one another.
“Minister, I believe we have a problem. Or rather, Hogwarts has a problem.”
“Yes…it does.” Fudge sighed.
“It seems Dumbledore has lost control of the school. He has allowed delinquency and criminality to fester and go unchecked, and unpunished, for years it would seem. I think it is time for the Ministry to step in to correct these errors in governance.” Dolores said. With a sigh, Amelia spoke next.
“As loathe as I am to agree with Dolores, she is right. As soon as the wider public learns the full extent of Draco’s and Snape’s crimes, they’ll want answers, and the Board of Governors will want answers as well, and a response. They’ll likely call for the removal and arrest of at least Dumbledore, if not the entire Hogwarts faculty.”
Fudge winced. That would not be good press. Dumbledore was nearly untouchable as it was, even if the trials had revealed his apparent dereliction of duty to the school.
“Unfortunately, while the Tournament is in progress, Dumbledore can’t be touched.”
“We’re aware. After the second Task, I’m going to start interviewing the faculty one at a time. I’ll skip over Aesop Sharpe, who has just been brought in to replace Snape. He’s a former Auror, and was a damn good one before he turned his focus to teaching Potions.”
“Why wait?” Dolores asked.
“I would rather wait until after the Second Task, don’t want them making a mistake during the planning stages because they’re so stressed dealing with me.” Bones replied.
“Seems to me that would be the perfect reason to start now, no? I have a suggestion of my own. It’s high time the Ministry took a more direct role in the oversight of Hogwarts. To that end, I propose sending a representative to the school to serve as part of its administrative body, not just as a temporary placement during the Tournament. Naturally, I would have suggested dear Crouch, but the man is not well, the stresses of his former job and the Tournament have taken their toll on him.” Dolores stated.
Fudge nodded absentmindedly. “Who would you send then?”
Dolores’ smile was that of a shark. “Me of course.”
“Of course.” Amelia snorted under her breath, rolling her eyes.
“In what capacity?” Fudge asked, intrigued. Having his Under-Secretary inside Hogwarts permanently seemed like a very good idea.
“Well, for the duration of the Tournament, I will be part of the judicial committee. As for positions going beyond that, I was thinking Defence Professor, but that position has been filled. I never really had a hand for Potions, but my knowledge of magical history is fairly solid. I dare say I could do a better job of that than Binns.”
Fudge sat back, thinking deeply. If Binns hadn’t changed from his own time as a student, then it was very likely almost nobody actually did any work in the class and also didn’t learn anything useful.
“Well, I see no problem with you taking up a position on the Tournament Committee, but as far as getting a position teaching…I might be able to get you that Defence posting, but you’ll have to wait until the end of the year. I’m sure Alastor will want to re-retire once this school year is over.”
“I’m surprised you even want the job Dolores.” Amelia said, “If what I’ve heard from Susan is any indication, all the Professors that have held that position for at least the last few decades have never lasted more than a year. They’ve either ended up fired, in early retirement, in St Mungo’s, or a grave. Sure you want to risk it?”
Dolores glared at her colleague who was smirking faintly. She wanted nothing more than to ring Amelia’s neck but knew she couldn’t. She’d just have to settle for making Amelia’s niece’s life miserable.
“All failings of lesser Professors, I assure you. Once I take the post, I will stay there.”
“Alright, ladies, I’ll draw up the paperwork and clear it with the other members of the Tournament Committee and contact Dumbledore. If everything goes well Dolores, you should be on the Committee by at least the end of this week or the start of next.”
Feeling satisfied, Dolores turned and walked out, ignoring Amelia, who gave Fudge a last look before she, too, left. Once they were gone, Fudge sighed again and reached for his quill and some parchment. He had some notices to write.
-=-=-=-
A week later, on Monday the 26th, Harry and his entourage noticed the extra face sitting at the Head table in the Great Hall at breakfast.
“What’s she doing here?” Susan asked.
“Who?” Harry asked.
“Umbridge.” The redhead growled, nodding to the head table.
The others followed her gaze to the garish pink monstrosity sitting at the Head table between Percy and Crouch. Every time she looked up, her beady eyes would search out and lock onto Harry and Hermione. The look in her eyes made Harry’s skin crawl and, under normal circumstances, would have utterly killed the erection Hermione and Susan were both teasing with their fingers.
Harry’s eyes narrowed; he remembered the woman from the trial and how she’d seemingly been delighted when he’d accidentally admitted to helping Sirius escape. There still hadn’t been any blowback from that, and he was a little worried. His gut told him the Ministry was planning something, but for the life of him, he had no idea what.
She was still wearing that hideous pink cardigan that she’d worn at the trial. Her face was round and plump, giving her the rather unflattering likeness of a giant toad. He somehow found the strength to resist muttering “Ribbit”, to the amusement of his lovers.
Midway through Dumbledore’s announcement, Dolores stood before he finished, cutting him off. He turned and frowned at her, but she ignored him.
“Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I am here on behalf of the Ministry to ensure the Triwizard Tournament progresses smoothly and, more importantly, fairly. In short, I’m here to make sure any cheating is severely punished, and also to ensure the standards of education and discipline here remain high.”
Harry narrowed his eyes as he stared at the woman. It didn’t escape his notice that when she said the words ‘fairly’, ‘cheating’, and ‘discipline’, she was looking right at him.
Almost as if she were trying to imply everything that had happened recently was somehow his fault. And it seemed he wasn’t the only one who noticed.
“Who the fuck does she think she is?” Susan growled. “Harry did not cheat in the First Task, and he certainly isn’t responsible for what’s been going on here lately. This woman is going to be nothing but trouble.”
“Think she might be a problem?” Hermione asked.
“Hopefully no, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to tilt the scores after the Second task against Harry. Fortunately, she’s only on the judicial committee, so I’m not sure what, if anything, she can do to affect the rest of the school’s operation, though I’m sure she’s going to try.”
Deciding there was no use worrying over potential meddling from Ministry Stooges, the group at least settled down to eat.
The rest of the week proceeded relatively calmly, thankfully, except for Care of Magical Creatures, where the Unicorn mare that had kissed Harry before started to nuzzle him rather affectionately when he got close enough to pet her. She also allowed Neville to get close enough to pet her, something that surprised everyone else in the class. However, Susan did get a letter from her Aunt that strongly urged her and the others to avoid antagonising Umbrage in any way.
Monday, January 30th
The past week since Umbridge’s arrival had been relatively uneventful.
Now here they were, a week later, back in Care of Magical Creatures, and Harry was nervously eyeing the mare. It was the same one; he recognised her now, not only from her look but the way she always seemed to look specifically for him and then nicker loudly in greeting when she saw him.
“If this keeps up, people are gonna start thinking something is going on between me and her.” He muttered.
Though he had to admit it, she was beautiful. For a unicorn. The way she swung her head, ruffled her mane, the way the morning light caught her and emphasised her toned, feminine body that just begged to be caressed and petted as she slowly turned round, letting his bare hands trail down through her surprisingly warm and smooth, silken coat of white fur, his fingers feeling the firm muscle beneath. As she fully turned her back to him, Harry was so distracted that he barely even registered the position she’d taken, or that she’d hiked her tail.
“Well? What are you waiting for Harry…can’t you see what she’s offering you?” A voice seemed to drift through his mind that didn’t belong to any of his lovers, he would have thought that odd, if not downright alarming, if he wasn’t captivated by the beautiful sight that lay before him. It was suddenly like he couldn’t focus on anything but the snow-white rump of the mare before him.
“Go on…touch her…she wants you to…she’s wanted this for weeks now…why don’t you have a taste as well?” That same mysterious voice whispered through his mind, and he became aware of a warm, strange tingling sensation, almost like what a disillusionment charm felt like, starting at the back of his neck before it quickly spread over his body, and along with that warmth, he felt a rush of arousal as his fingers brushed soft, warm bare skin instead of fur covered muscle, and was about to do as the voice suggested, when he heard a rather abrupt, and horrified; “Mister Potter! What the hell are you DOING?!”
Harry blinked in confusion, the strange tingling warmth that had flooded his body quickly fading, leaving behind cold embarrassment — and to his private horror, a painfully hard cock that was very evident to anyone who bothered to look — as he found himself being presented with the mare’s back end. He blinked, confusion and embarrassment rushing through him as he found himself staring at what was normally hidden by the mare’s tail, and as if to make it worse, his hands were on either side, his thumbs even gently running up and down the soft, warm lips.
Then he felt the mare rock backwards, then forwards, then back into his hands again, rather insistently, which caused the lips his thumbs had been gently stroking to be pulled slightly apart, and Harry, whether he wanted to or not, got his first look at where unicorn foals came from.
Then he felt the itch on the back of his neck, which didn’t last more than a second before a buzzing filled his ear, and he saw something small fly past his head to briefly land on the mare’s head. The mare flicked her ears and looked back at him with that same strange, almost sultry look before she stepped backwards, forcing him to take a step back, lest he ended up accidentally eating her out, as well as copping quite the feel.
She looked back at him over her shoulder and snorted, though he wasn’t sure what she was trying to tell him.
‘Harry James Potter! What the bloody hell are you doing?!’ Hermione’s voice echoed through his mind rather loudly, and he flinched, looking over at her apologetically.
‘Uh…sorry Hermione…I…I don’t know what that was…I just lost focus…’ he replied, confused.
‘And WE lost contact with you. Something blocked our connection to you right as that mare started nuzzling you.’ Susan replied. ‘Were you seriously about to start fingering or eating out that mare?’
‘Why didn’t you or someone else just walk over here and stop me then?’
‘Maybe everyone was too stunned to respond? Poor Grubbly-Plank looks like she’s about to have a stroke.’ Daphne replied.
‘I don’t know what it was when she turned around, I heard this voice in my head telling me to touch her…that she wanted me to do it…’ Harry gave a helpless shrug as the mare whinnied behind him, and he turned to face her; she was still looking at him rather strangely.
“What the hell was that?” he muttered, stepping around the mare and backing away from her warily. Several of the other students who had been staring at him started snickering.
“Hey, Hermione! Looks like she’s making a move on your man!” Fey Dunbar said, giggling, ignoring the brunette’s glare. Then she turned to Harry. “Looks like you got her horny, Harry!” the girl then devolved into fits of giggles, as did several of the other students.
“Alright, class, settle down…settle down…Mister Potter, I think you best keep your distance from that mare.” Grubbly-Plank said. The poor Professor looked like she didn’t know what to make of the situation.
Deciding to put the mare’s odd behaviour out of his mind, Harry turned to focus on the foals that were with her.
The foals were adorable, most of them about the size of a Labrador, though a couple were larger, and most were a brilliant gold. The larger, older ones looked more silver or platinum. With slight apprehension, Harry stepped around the mare, giving her a wide berth as he turned to look at the foals. He wasn’t sure if any of the foals were hers, but she did seem rather protective of them, and while the foals did seem naturally skittish, they let the cooing girls approach and even pet them.
“Boys, you can approach too if you wish, Unicorn foals are more trusting of boys than adults, for some reason,” Grubbly-Plank said, then she eyed Harry somewhat awkwardly. “Ah, Mister Potter, best not get too close, yes?”
Harry agreed, so he decided to hang back while the rest of the combined Gryffindor and Slytherin students got up close to the animals. Honestly, this class, and most that involved the Slytherins, had become much more pleasant since the trial.
In the last couple of weeks since the trial, Harry had spoken to Sebastian and his sister Anne a couple of times and found them to be rather nice, not fitting the typical Slytherin mould, much like Daphne, Tracy and Astoria, much to Ron’s chagrin. A momentary pang of loss stirred within him at that thought. It seemed whatever rift had opened between him and Ron still hadn’t healed, and while Ron was no longer giving Daphne the Evil Eye, he still wasn’t exactly warm towards her. And the few times he’d talked to Susan, he’d looked no higher than her chest, something that he knew upset her a lot, both from the scowl on her face and the seething anger she barely held back. Though it seemed Ron had found himself a couple of new friends, Seamus and Dean. It was clear to all that Ron was intensely jealous of Harry’s situation or his number of partners.
Hermione had told Ron to his face that he could have any girl he wanted, he just had to approach her, court her, listen to her, respect her and not be selfish and boorish. Though it seemed no girl was interested in him.
Sebastian’s sister Anne was currently fussing over a silver colt, holding some treats Grubbly-Plank had given them, Parvati and Lavender were currently knelt next to two gold foals and an older silver foal, quietly whispering and cooing to them, giggling and gushing over them as they started to nuzzle the girls’ hands and faces.
Harry’s entourage were likewise gathered around four golden foals, though from this angle, he couldn’t tell which were male or female.
Nobody noticed the small green beetle flitting around between the foals that Susan, Hermione, Daphne, Lavender and Parvati were fussing over.
“Well, aren’t you friendly?” Susan giggled as one of the two foals she was petting, a colt, turned and started to sniff her front, starting around her hips; he quickly moved up to her chest, then her neck and face. Then pressed his muzzle into her coat-covered chest. “Aww! What’s the matter, cutie? Mummy not feeding you enough?”
“Oh, he’s definitely a boy,” Anne said, grinning as the silver colt she was petting started to lick her cheek. “Sorry, kid, pretty sure she’s dry as a bone.” She added, addressing the colt that had buried his muzzle into Susan’s coat and was trying to get through her woollen jumper to the fresh meal he could smell under it.
“Actually…I’m…um…not.” Susan said, face flushing red, as it quickly became apparent that the foals that Daphne and Hermione were fussing over had also seemingly taken a keen interest in the girls’ chests.
“What? Seriously?” Parvati asked as she petted another silver foal, a filly, that thankfully wasn’t trying to get at her tits.
“Yeah, we’re all…producing. Have been for a while. This is the first time any of us have been around any animals that would feed on milk or would get this close to us. I’m not counting Crookshanks because he’s my familiar.” Hermione said, her face flushing as the gold colt she was petting while kneeling next to it made a concerted effort to shove his muzzle down the front of her jumper. After getting frustrated with not being able to reach the food he could smell, and the annoying human’s hands getting in the way to stop him, the colt had enough of being subtle and just brazenly shoved his face down the front of Hermione’s jumper.
There were several gasps, and not just from the now red-faced brunette, as the small colt, who thankfully hadn’t started growing a horn yet, shoved his muzzle down the front of her jumper and blouse until his nose and lips touched the soft, warm mounds from where the scent of food was strongest. It was an incredibly tight fit. However, the combined mass of his head and her neck and chest was enough to pull the neck of her blouse and jumper taut, almost tight enough to make breathing difficult. So as a consequence, try as he might, the colt couldn’t get to the right spot.
The others were so distracted that nobody noticed the gold colt that had been nuzzling Susan’s chest had been paying attention to his herd-mate’s actions and, after observing the lack of success, had decided to try and reach the source of food. He dipped his head to Susan’s waist, slipped his muzzle under her woollen jumper and lifted it until he was about level with what he was after, then pushed into one of the small holes he could feel until his lips met soft, warm skin, then moved his head to his left, feeling the strange barrier loosen suddenly and the female human gave a surprised yelp and tried to push him away, but he was determined to get to the food.
With a gasp and a yelp, Susan was snapped back to reality, staring in shock at the colt that had shoved its face down the front of Hermione’s jumper, only to realise the colt nuzzling her chest had pretty much done the same, but had gotten further. When she tried to push the animal’s head away, it pushed back, first to her right, causing a couple of buttons on her blouse to pop open, which allowed the colt to reach the front of her right breast. Before Susan could react, she felt warm air blow over her nipple an instant before she felt a pair of lips close around it, and with a shove that knocked her back onto her arse, forcing her to support herself with both hands, the colt applied enough pressure to start pushing milk from her breast, then he began to suck.
“Oh-holy shit!” Susan gasped, eyes going wide as she locked gazes with the colt, a myriad of emotions flooding her as she tried not to panic, too afraid to push it away in case it bit her, and too startled to react either way as she felt that familiar sensation of being drained, and her face heat up with horrified embarrassment as the colt began to gulp.
Everyone was so stunned and distracted, that they didn’t notice a second foal, a filly, approach and manage to copy her companion by working her muzzle into Susan’s clothes until, with a yelped “Eeep!” from the redhead, the filly managed to reveal and latch onto — and hungrily suckle — on her full left breast.
The mare snorted and stamped her hooves, but the foals ignored her as they continued to gulp down their free meal.
Daphne was staring, wide-eyed and crimson-faced, unable to tear her gaze away from the highly awkward and embarrassing scene before her, a shudder going through her as the phantom sensations on her breasts told her everything her eyes couldn’t. Another phantom sensation also telegraphed something else.
Susan Bones was enjoying the unexpected nursing far more than her expression seemed to indicate.
While she and Hermione had experienced such reactions to nursing since they’d started producing, she had assumed it was because either Harry, Hermione or Susan herself was the cause. The fact it was happening now, by the hungry mouths of two undeniably cute unicorn foals, was surprising, though whether it was Susan’s body just reacting to the simulation it had come to associate with her lovers, or if, Merlin forbid, Susan was legitimately enjoying this…and judging by the phantom sensations coming from between her own legs, Daphne could tell she clearly was.
‘What the hell, Susan…?’ she thought.
‘I…! I’m sorry! I can’t help it! I get wet when my tits are sucked on! I always have. You know that!’ the redhead mentally protested.
‘You’re always wet these days! We all are!’ Hermione added. Her voice, even over the mental link, was higher pitched due to the situation.
A nudge against her chest drew her attention to the foal she’d been petting, her eyes meeting the surprisingly hopeful gaze of the young filly, whose golden fur shone in the early morning light. For the first time in a long while, Daphne lamented the fact that she, Hermione and Susan had stopped wearing bras pretty much entirely since all three of them had started producing. The idea behind that was that they could each get access if they needed it. It had never occurred to any of them that someone, or something else, might also take an interest.
Huffing, Daphne stood abruptly, crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head determinedly.
“Uh-uh. Nope. You’re not getting at my boobs. I’m not your mum! Besides, I’m fresh out!”
“Hey!” Hermione yelped, and Daphne turned to see the colt that had stuck his head down her jumper had given up, followed his brother’s example with Susan, and was now trying from below after pushing Hermione almost onto her back.
Almost as one, every girl took a step back away from the foals.
“What the hell is it with you guys? First, that dragon flashes Harry her snatch, then that mare snogs him a couple of weeks ago, then she tries to shove her own fanny and arse in his face, and now the foals are breastfeeding from you!” Parvati said as she and Lavender backed away from the silver foal they’d been petting, each girl eyeing it warily as it turned to face them, its eyes clearly showing a mixture of excitement and sudden sadness. Her eyes went wide as saucers when she noticed something…hanging…between the colt’s back legs. ‘Oh sweet Merlin!’ she thought.
“Oh my, he’s a big boy…” Lavender said. Then giggled.
Parvati turned to stare, slack-jawed jawed at her friend, who was looking at the colt in a way that wasn’t entirely hesitant; her friend’s tone of voice suddenly made Parvati feel concerned.
“This doesn’t normally hap-happen-I—Eeep!” Hermione yelped as the colt that had been foraging for food finally found what it was after, leched onto a nipple, and started suckling, his mouth filling quickly with warm, delicious milk which he hungrily gulped down. Hermione’s eyes went wide as dinner plates, her face even redder, her mouth falling open in a silent gasp of shock, embarrassment, and much to her shame, pleasure.
“Not you too…” Daphne muttered, staring at the brunette incredulously.
“What the hell?” Harry muttered as he approached the group. The foals turned to face him and eyed him curiously, and a couple of the older silver fillies approached to give him curious sniffs. They nickered in greeting and gave him a look that he could have sworn would have been flirtatious on a girl’s face. He eyed them warily. “You ladies aren’t gonna try and snog me, are you?”
“They might, considering what their mum just let you do!” Seamus chuckled.
“Is she even their mum?” Dean asked, Seamus shrugged.
“Bugger, if I know, mate, but it’s obvious she has a thing for wizards or one in particular. I don’t know whether to feel jealous or relieved that it wasn’t me she made a move on.”
“I hate to sound like a broken Wireless, but I feel I have to ask again. What is it with you guys? The animals weren’t like this right after you all got hit, but now they’re all over you?” Lavender asked as she subconsciously covered her chest with her arms when she noticed one of the other foals giving her a hopeful look. Harry and Daphne gave a helpless shrug.
Ron, meanwhile, had decided to do something brave, or foolish, depending on who you ask, and had walked forward, rather purposefully towards the mare.
“If this mare is handing out free snogs and feels, I’m not gonna turn one down, even if it’s from a horse.”
The rest of the class, Slytherin and Gryffindor — and their still stunned-into-paralysis Professor — stared at him in shock. Many, not believing those words had just fallen from his lips.
Harry stared at him as well, though he did switch his gaze to the aforementioned mare, who looked rather annoyed all of a sudden. Almost as if she understood what Ron had said. She was now giving him a rather dirty look as he approached, and Harry wondered just how intelligent these animals were if they could clearly understand English. The mare flicked her ears with annoyance, then as Ron approached, she turned her back and raised her left rear hoof.
“Uh, Ron?” Harry said, fearing for his friend’s well-being.
“What? Hope she’s not expecting me to kiss her arse or fanny.” The redhead replied.
“No, she’s about to kick you,” Neville warned.
“Why would she—” Ron’s question was cut off when the mare’s leg shot out and she did exactly that. Fortunately, her aim was too low for her hoof to connect with its intended target — his crotch — her ankle joint, however, did. It might not have been as serious a blow as it would have been had her hoof made contact, but there were still several hundred pounds of force behind the blow that did connect.
Ron froze, eyes going wide, face going white, as a high-pitched screaming whine clawed its way out of his throat as he dropped, his hands going between his legs as he fell.
That, more than anything else that had already happened, seemed to be enough to finally get Grubbly-Plank’s brain to reboot, and she frantically, finally, moved forward, pushing the foals away from Susan and Hermione, though it seemed they were just about finished anyway.
“Class dismissed! Miss Bones, Miss Granger, comport yourselves at once! Mister Longbottom, Mister Potter, would you please help Mister Weasley to the Hospital Wing?”
“Sure,” Harry said, as he gave his redheaded friend a roll of the eyes before stooping to help him up, along with Neville, who gave the mare a hesitant look. She looked back at him and nickered in response, the very picture of an innocent, docile animal.
“Told you,” Neville said as he helped pick up Ron.
“Shad’up…” Ron wheezed and groaned as he was lifted. His face was a mask of pain. As they were heading away, Daphne was helping Susan and Hermione to their feet while also helping them get presentable. “This’ll be all over the castle by dinner tonight, if not by lunch.” The blonde muttered.
“Not our fault!” Susan protested, her face still flushed. “Maybe if you’d done a good enough job draining me this morning, there wouldn’t have been enough for them to get.” She replied, still in shock. Daphne gave her a sideways glare.
“Excuse me, I did drain you. And so did Harry. You produce the most out of all of us. It’s not surprising, considering the Quaffles you’re packing. And I honestly thought I had. Besides, you were getting off on it, even more than Hermione was.”
Susan turned and gave her lover a wide-eyed stare “Excuse me? Did you just compare my breasts to Quaffles Daphne Greengrass?”
“You know what I mean,” Daphne said as they started to make their way towards the castle doors and then into the warm corridor, followed by the rest of the students who were all silently, eagerly listening in. “Besides, you were getting off on them sucking your tits. You both were.”
“Well, we are under the effects of a curse that leaves us in a near-constant state of arousal, Daphne. And besides, it’s how our bodies have conditioned themselves to respond to nipple stimulation. It has nothing to do with breast-feeding baby unicorns, no matter how cute they were.” Hermione pointed out, that somehow she and Susan hadn’t completely flipped out yet, but part of her knew that was coming, like a delayed response.
‘Still felt good though, didn’t it?’ Daphne shot back mentally. Hermione hated to admit it, but yes, it had felt good. Very good. So good in fact, it was even bringing up the faint memories of those strange thoughts she’d had back before the First Task, the ones where she imagined herself just mounting him and riding him until she was pregnant. For a moment, she paused and wondered if the foals suckling her breasts had started to awaken her maternal instincts but then shook it off. Harry, Susan and Daphne suckled from her daily. It didn’t mean anything; it was just some randomness the foals had decided to do.
‘Then why didn’t you and Susan stop them?’ a small voice asked in her mind. She honestly didn’t have a response.
-=-
Outside the castle, beyond the grounds, just beyond the Anti-Apparation ward line, a tiny green horned beetle landed on a rock before its form shifted and it grew into the form of Rita Skeeter, wrapped in a warm winter coat. She turned and looked back at the castle in the distance, and a smile curved her lips. Soon, her shoulders started to shake; then the first giggles came; those giggles became a chuckle, which turned into a cackle, which soon turned into roaring laughter as she arched her head back and howled with mirth.
“CHAOS!” she yelled at the top of her voice, her face a mask of almost insane delight. Indeed, if anyone were to see her at that moment, they would surely have thought her insane. After a few moments, her manic laughter turned to gasping cackles as she tried to calm herself down enough to Apparate back to the Prophet. Finally, feeling she’d calmed down enough, she turned on the spot and vanished with a pop.
-=-=-=-
Barnabas Cuffe threw down the papers ready for the presses Rita had just given him and glared up at her as she smiled back at him calmly.
“We can’t print this!” He scoffed, gesturing down at the front page, which proudly displayed Susan and Hermione on the ground while several unicorn foals happily nuzzled their chests, with the headline proudly declaring:
“Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures Class becomes Unicorn Nursery!” And the alternatives, such as “Hogwarts students breastfeeding unicorns!” And “How NOT to flirt with a woman, of any species, featuring Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley!”
The latter of which was accompanied by the moving picture of Ron approaching an unhappy mare, only for her to turn around, raise a hoof and deliver a rather powerful kick to the boy’s family jewels, while the other two papers proudly displayed Susan Bones and Hermione Granger on the snow-covered ground with unicorn foals eagerly suckling at their chests.
“That last heading is the only one we can run with that won’t result in Amelia Bones breathing down my neck!”
Rita snorted, “Oh please Barney, you’ve printed more salacious articles than those.”
“And got a visit from Potter telling me to keep you on a leash.” Her boss countered with a growl. “I’m warning you on this one Rita, publish this article, and I’ll either have to fire you or hand you over to Bones when she comes knocking. And I’m sure she’d love to get her hands on you and find out how you get all these ‘scoops’. How do you do it anyway?”
Rita tilted her head, considering whether to bother with a straight answer or not.
“I use the Pensieve we have, and take the photos from that.”
“Well, that would explain why no one sees you, but how do you even get the memories? I know you don’t have an invisibility cloak, and Disillusionment isn’t that good.” Cuffe sat back, folding his arms.
“I have my methods,” Rita replied.
“These ‘methods’ wouldn’t happen to involve you being an Unregistered Animagus, would they?” Cuffe said with a smirk. Rita blinked. The look of surprise told him enough.
“How did-”
“I hear things, rumours, whispers, and you always seem to be able to get shots of people in extremely compromising positions, like that photo of Potter and his girlfriend in that corridor that prompted his little visit to my office. There was no way you weren’t seen unless you were a literal fly on the wall. Now, if this article about Bones and Granger getting their tits sucked by foals gets out, I’ll have Potter, probably his solicitor, AND Bones hunting me down, and I would have to tell Bones how you got the information for that ‘expose’ considering you’ve been barred from Hogwarts by Dumbledore. I’d also have to tell her that you’re Unregistered and hope to god she doesn’t charge me with harbouring you. To say nothing of the enemies you’ve no doubt made over the years. Once it gets out you’re an Animagus, you’ll be a marked woman.”
“They’d be welcome to try!” Rita growled. Barnabas rolled his eyes.
“Find something else, Skeeter. We aren’t printing any of this. Go over my head, and you're done here.”
Rita glared at him, before snatching up the papers and storming out of his office. Barnabas sat back and sighed, wondering what he was going to do with that woman. Firing her was risky, considering the blackmail she would no doubt claim she had on him and everyone else in high society.
-=-=-=-
As Hermione had predicted, the school was abuzz with gossip about what had happened in Care class that day by the time afternoon classes started. Hermione and Susan had resorted to borrowing Harry’s cloak to get around the school without being cornered or to avoid being laughed at, but that still didn’t stop them from overhearing the whispers from the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and older and younger Slytherin and Gryffindor students, some of whom even resorted to making horse-like noises around Harry, which he did his best to ignore.
The true shock of what had happened hadn’t sunk in right away, it had only been around the end of lunchtime when the full reality of what both of them had gone through finally hit them like Bludgers, and on the way to Fourth Year Arithmancy class, both Hermione and Susan had gotten overwhelmed with the sudden reality of what had happened and had fled to their quarters. Harry had followed them, and upon seeing the distress both of his lovers were in, asked Dobby to pass a note to McGonagall and Pomfrey, informing them that Hermione and Susan had gone through something rather traumatic and would need an exemption to miss their lesson for the day.
Dobby had done so and had appeared a few moments later with both the Mediwitch and their Head of House in tow.
“Dobby, please pass on a note from me telling Professor Vector that Miss Bones and Miss Granger will not be attending her lesson today,” McGonagall said, passing a hastily written note to Dobby.
“I’ll be sure to pass on any work we’re assigned,” Daphne said as she quickly left. McGonagall nodded and then turned to Harry.
“And you need to get to Divination Mr Potter. I know Sybil can be…trying, but that is not an excuse for you to miss lessons. Now scoot.”
Harry gave Susan and Hermione concerned looks, before leaving.
Once he was gone, McGonagall sighed as Poppy came in with some potions on a tray.
“Well…this term is off to a fine start. First, that mare snogs Potter, then that trial and now this…”
“How’s Professor Grubbly-Plank?” Hermione asked, taking and downing a calming draught.
“She quit.”
“What?!” the blonde and brunette gasped. “She quit teaching entirely?” Hermione asked.
“Not entirely, just Fourth Year Care class, though she’s hesitant to resume the other years just yet. She told Dumbledore as we sat down for lunch that she couldn’t take the strange behaviour anymore and promptly refused to teach any more lessons. It’s a shame too, she likes teaching that class. Looks like you’ll be getting Hagrid back sooner than we anticipated.”
“Grubbly-Plank said he was on an assignment for Dumbledore, what was he doing?” Susan asked. McGonagall gave her a look.
“That is for Professor Dumbledore to know,” McGonagall said as Pomfrey finished her checkup. “Poppy?”
“They’re both fine, other than signs of elevated stress levels, and the…ah, usual effects of their condition, they’re both fine, physically. I still recommend letting them skip their class for today. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the gossip mill as I’m sure that’s already working overtime.”
“At least Malfoy and his friends aren’t here to make it worse,” Susan muttered.
“I need to tell Rubeus to be extra careful with the foals around you three, and maybe Mister Potter as well, from now on. What on earth got into those animals? Dumbledore promised to have Hagrid look at them before your next lesson with the unicorns if you continue to study them that is.” McGonagall said.
“Have Unicorns ever…acted like this before?” Hermione asked.
“If they have, the wizards or witches involved didn’t make it public knowledge. It certainly hasn’t happened here before.”
“You think…” Susan mused.
“What?” Pomfrey asked.
“You think the Gift might have had something to do with it? I mean, the research material we found hinted that those affected could turn to animals for help if the situation was that dire. Maybe they’re aware of it? And they’re drawn to us?” Susan clarified. The two elder witches exchanged looks, and Hermione got a thoughtful look on her face.
“If that were true, the older foals, the ones that were approaching maturity, would have offered to let us suck them off.” She gave a quick apologetic glance to the older witches, then continued, “Although, considering what happened with the mare today…”
“The Horntail did the same, but Harry wasn’t close enough to touch her.” Susan shrugged.
“What?” the older witches asked, taken aback.
“Yeah, during the first Task, after Harry gained the trust of the Horntail, she turned around to pick up the golden egg, and when she did, she lifted her tail and flashed her vulva and anus at him, quite deliberately, if what Harry said was true,” Susan said.
The two older witches exchanged surprised looks. “I thought she was just stretching,” Poppy muttered.
“I don’t recall Fleur mentioning any attraction between animals and humans affected by the Gift, but then, we didn’t ask, the focus of that discussion was the origin of the curse and the Veela as a species,” Hermione said with a shrug. “Might be worth talking to her again. If we can pin her down. Haven’t had much time to talk to her.”
“It’s…worth a shot. When are you three planning to Bond with Mister Potter? If doing so will remedy this situation, I suggest you get to it.”
“Professor…how did the staff let things get so bad with Draco and Snape?” Hermione asked. “For years Draco was a little tyrant, and Snape wasn’t much better, especially towards Gryffindor. Why wasn’t something done sooner?”
McGonagall sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose after taking off her glasses. “I’ve been asking myself that same question for months now. Since November. The Bylaws protect the Headmasters of the participating schools during the duration of the Tournament, as well as the Champions, from any form of litigation, save for the most serious crimes such as murder. Professor Dumbledore is the Head Administrator of the hosting school, but, I feel, that as soon as the winner of the Tournament is declared, Dumbledore, and likely several of Hogwarts staff, will be at the very least arrested. Whether I will be among that number or not, I cannot say. Only your Aunt knows whose head is headed for the block, Miss Bones. I’m sure recent events are the real reason Madam Umbrage was sent here. The Ministry likely feels it needs to step in, and has made moves to do so under the guise of the Tournament. I guess we will see with her over the coming months.”
“I hope she doesn’t go after you, Flitwick or Sprout.” The girl replied.
“Unfortunately, as Heads of our respective Houses, we’re likely under even more scrutiny,” McGonagall said, the weight of her words slowly sinking in.
“Do you think Umbridge will be trouble?” Hermione asked.
“It is difficult to say at this point. Just try not to antagonise her or give her anything she can use. Unfortunately, it might already be too late for that given what happened today.”
The group fell into silence for a meant, before Hermione decided to change the subject.
“Daphne said her mother is planning to take us all to Gringotts the next Hogsmeade Weekend, so we can use the Goblin’s security system to wash this curse off of us,” she said.
“You think it will work?” McGonagall asked.
“The theory is sound, but we won’t know until we try. We’re also taking Luna along, to get that hex on her taken care of,” Hermione replied. McGonagall pursed her lips.
“You have two free periods on Wednesday afternoon, yes?” Hermione and Susan nodded.
“Then I will send an owl to Eleanor Greengrass and ask her if she can take you then, after lunch.”
“I’m not sure about Luna though,” Hermione said.
“You let me worry about Miss Lovegood,” McGonagall replied with a smile.
-=-=-=-
The school was still very much talking about the previous day’s events the following day. Harry stalked around the castle, shooting dirty looks at anyone who crossed his path and started making various horse noises.
‘What the bloody hell did I do to deserve this? First my name comes out of that damned Goblet, then Draco hits me with a curse that makes me constantly horny and have to eat pussy to live, now I’ve got a Merlin-damned Unicorn mare trying to seduce me in class! And what’s worse, she almost succeeded! And for some bloody reason, I can’t stop thinking about her, and the more I do, the more turned on I get!’ he raged internally, resisting the urge to take a swing at Justin Finch-Fletchley as the Hufflepuff walked past, smirking and making clip-clopping sounds with his tongue, then quickly leaving and laughing.
“Bastard.” Harry muttered.
‘Calm down dear, you’ll stress yourself.’ Susan said over the link.
‘Can’t help it.’ He replied.
“Harry Potter?” a voice called a few minutes later after he’d turned into another corridor.
“What now?” he grumbled, turning to see Poppy Sweeting approaching him, looking rather hesitant, yet sporting a disarming smile.
“I was wondering if you want to talk to someone about…yesterday.”
“Not particularly. The entire school is making fun of me and I’m not happy about the treatment Hermione and Susan are getting.” He replied.
“I’m sorry, I’ve seen people teasing you guys, it’s horrible. I’ve spoken to a few in Hufflepuff and told them to stop, but I don’t think they’re listening. Even Cedric has told them to pack it in.” Poppy said apologetically.
“Thanks for the effort at least.” Harry sighed. Then he looked at her more closely, “You’re in Third year, right?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Right, I kinda missed the Sorting my second year.”
“How did you manage that?” she asked.
“Combination of a House Elf making me and my friend late for the Express, so we missed it and had to take his dad’s flying car. seen by 7 muggles.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that Howler.” Poppy cringed.
“It’s just…I don’t know; that mare has been acting weird around me for weeks now; my friends think it might have something to do with the curse we’re all affected by, especially considering what the foals did, but if that were true, it would have happened sooner.” Harry said.
“Thought you didn’t want to talk about that,” Poppy said gently.
Harry shrugged, “Believe me, I’d rather not, but for some reason, I can’t put her fully out of my head.”
“Have you ever interacted with her before this term?” Poppy asked. Harry got a thoughtful look on his face.
“I think she’s the same Unicorn I rescued with Firenze my first year. At the time, we both thought she was dead, but apparently not.”
“What happened?” Poppy asked, so he filled her in on the details, leaving out the part about Quirrell being the host of Voldemort’s disembodied soul.
“He was attacking Unicorns and drinking their blood?! Was he insane?! I’m glad he’s dead! If I’d caught him doing that, I would have killed him myself!” she growled.
Harry smiled wanly.
“Well, I think we might have figured out why she’s so keen on you. You saved her life, she must feel she either owes you a life-debt or feels compelled to thank or reward you in some way, and the only way she knows how is…well…offer herself as a potential mate,” she blushed.
“That’s all well and good, I’ll add her to the fanclub.” Harry replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes, “That doesn’t explain the thing with the foals going after Sue and Hermione though.”
Poppy nodded. “Now that is unusual behaviour, I’ve never heard of Unicorn foals actively suckling from a woman before, though I suppose it could be feasible in situations where the witch is rearing orphaned foals, but even then, she would usually stick to bottle-feeding.” Poppy mused.
“Well, Grubbly-Plank apparently quit teaching Fourth Year Care, so we’re likely to get Hagrid back soon, I’m sure he’ll know how to stop any future ‘incidents’,” Harry mused.
“Maybe,” Poppy replied. “Look, try not to dwell on it too much, weird is practically to be expected here from what I’ve seen the past 3 years. I’ll see what I can do about getting the others to stop teasing you.”
Harry smiled at her, “Thanks Poppy.” and with that, the two went their seperate ways.
Diagon Alley, Wednesday afternoon, February 1st
With a rush of green flame, the public Floo access point ignited and disgorged the small group of students and their adult escort. After picking themselves up (at least in Harry’s case), they made their way to the bottom of the white steps that led up to the doors, flanked on each side by Goblin guards.
Giving the guards a polite nod, the group passed through the two sets of doors and into the main foyer.
“Which Vault do we go to? We can’t just ask them if we can take a shower in their security system.” Harry asked.
“We’ll use Mum’s family Vault. Vault 690.” Daphne said as they approached the long table filled with bankers.
“What is your business with Gringotts today?” the rather bored-looking Goblin asked.
“We’re here to return some items to the Haddock Vault. Vault 690.” Eleanor Greengrass said as she handed over the gold key.
“Follow me then.” The Banker took it and moved off towards a door. The group followed behind him.
Pushing the door open, they saw a platform on the ledge of what looked like a cliff, and right in front of it was a quad rail track. Harry of course recognised it immediately and got a queasy feeling in his stomach as the Goblin whistled, and one of the carts rolled into view and came to a stop.
Harry looked at the cart, then at his lovers and Eleanor, wondering how they were glint to do the seating arrangement. There was enough room for all six of them, three per side.
Harry soon found himself sandwiched against the forward railing next to the driver’s seat, with Luna on his immediate left, and Hermione on her right. The girl seemed quite comfortable squished in there and gave him a rather out-there smile. “Hello, Harry.” Susan snorted on the other side of the cart, which she, Daphne and Eleanor had to climb into by awkwardly chiming over the middle of the cart, which wasn’t exactly easy.
Harry gave Luna an awkward smile.
“All settled in? Off we go then.” The banker said, and then the cart began to move.
As the various platforms indicating the locations of each vault whizzed past, Harry did his best to ignore the spinning frame as it rotated around the body of the cart, which somehow stayed orientated the right way despite the twisting quad rail track it was following.
“Here it comes,” Daphne said. As one the group looked to see the huge waterfall cascading down from above. Harry braced himself, as the cool water washed over him.
He wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but he had at least expected something to happen. But there was nothing. No diminished feeling of arousal, no fading tiredness.
His momentary confusion was quickly forgotten, however, when he became acutely aware of the jubilant — and very naked — Luna Lovegood, who was grinning to herself as Hermione on her right suddenly noticed her friend’s state.
“Luna! What the hell?!”
The brunette’s cry drew the attention of the others in the cart, including the banker, who almost fell out of his seat just as the wheel frame spun around the cart’s body. “My word!”
“Luna! Why are you naked?” Eleanor asked, looking over her shoulder at the small blonde, eyes wide.
“Because of the waterfall,” Luna said simply as if that explained everything.
“That can’t be! The Thief’s Downfall isn’t supposed to do that!” the poor banker cried, panicking as he pulled back on the controls, bringing the cart to a stop in front of a platform where a Goblin guard stood.
“Vault Number?” the bored-sounding guard asked, raising a brow at the naked human female sitting in the cart, but otherwise said nothing.
“V-Vault Six-Six Hundred and…Ninety…” the banker babbled. The guard nodded and gestured.
“On your way then.”
They quickly moved on, and the passengers quickly got back to the issue at hand.
“Luna. Why are you naked? And don’t tell us it’s because of the waterfall.” Hermione asked.
“But it is. It washed off the disillusionment charm I was using. Hopefully washed off the hex as well. Once we get back to Hogwarts, we’ll be able to see if it worked, or maybe we can find something in the Vault I can try on, if you don’t mind, that is.” The blonde replied. Daphne and her mother exchanged a look before Eleanor rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to find something for you.”
After maybe 10 or so more minutes of the roller coaster cart ride, at least that was how Hermione described it, the cart came to a stop next to another vault platform.
The entrance to the Vault was a short walk from the platform, and Harry and Hermione took note of the finely worked rock that made up the curved wall of the tunnel that was roughly at most 3 metres across by her rough calculation. Hermione had seen no evidence of mining equipment, and it would have taken something pretty big, like a Tunnel Boring Machine, to dig a tunnel this size. Or a large drill, perhaps, but she hadn’t seen any way the Goblins could have easily positioned such machinery to drill into what was essentially a vertical cliff in the underground cavern for this or any other Vault.
“What did you use to dig the tunnel leading to the vault? Or the vault itself? If you don’t mind me asking?” She ignored the warning glance from Daphne, Susan and Eleanor, her curiosity overriding her logic.
“Oh, we use Rock Eaters for the tunnelling. They’re a subterranean species, well adapted to living and moving around underground, and they’re perfectly built for burrowing through loose soil and rock.” The banker said happily, clearly not bothered about giving away Gringotts Secrets.
“‘Rock Eaters’? I have not heard of that species before. What are they? Giant worms?” Hermione asked.
“No,” Eleanor said, her voice carrying an edge to it. “He means dragons. Specifically, a species perfectly adapted to life underground, though they’re capable of coming to the surface, their extreme sensitivity to bright light, like sunlight, means they don’t do it very often. Usually, only long enough to snatch prey. My ancestors called them Whispering Deaths. Because of the whisper-like noise they would make when they’re close by, that would usually give them away before the ground shaking would.”
The kids all exchanged looks, though Luna seemed less concerned as she happily walked along, completely unconcerned about the stone floor on her bare feet. Eleanor didn’t say anything else, though she silently wondered how many Whispering Deaths the goblins had, and if they had any of their larger, more dangerous cousins hanging around.
She hoped not.
-=-
Eventually, they came to a seemingly dead end when the tunnel opened up into a large room with a metal door set into a frame in the wall with a rather intricate-looking lock. There was a smaller tunnel off to one side.
Harry made a move to step towards the door but Eleanor put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “Wait,” She whispered.
“There’s nothing here,” He replied, looking around.
“There is.”
Then, Harry’s sense of danger was piqued, and he suddenly felt like they were being watched.
The Goblin stepped forward, lifted a whistle to his lips and blew.
They all cringed as the loud whistle echoed off of the high walls, and a hiss answered it; soon, a team of Goblins clad in armour carrying large baskets of fish suddenly came hurrying out of the side entrance.
Harry heard the hiss again and quirked an eyebrow. It wasn’t Parseltongue, as the hiss didn’t translate for him. The Goblin team paused in front of the door, and then a ripple above the door indicated something moving. Multiple somethings.
“No sudden moves,” Eleanor whispered to the group as three large orange-red dragons, each of which looked rather thin and lanky, with an overall length of what Harry guessed was about 50 feet, and a wingspan of 30 feet, with large yellow eyes, a curved horn on their snouts, two lateral horns at the back of their heads. A pair of antennae with leaf-like protrusions extending back from behind their horns, as well as an array of spines down its back and along its tail, which was long, thin and whip-like.
“Are those…” Hermione asked in awe, eyes wide with fascination and a little apprehension.
“Changewings,” Daphne whispered, eyes wide.
“They can make themselves invisible?” Harry asked as the Goblins started throwing fish at the dragons, who caught them; then they started moving the carts of fish back towards the side entrance, and the dragons soon followed to keep up.
“Yes. They can change the colour of their scales like a chameleon, though far more effectively. So effectively, they can render themselves virtually invisible, like a living invisibility cloak. They can remain fully concealed while moving. Exactly how they do it isn’t known. Changewing scales are actually one of the materials used in making Invisibility cloaks, the other being Demiguise fur. Changewings can also spit highly corrosive acid instead of breathing fire.” Eleanor said quietly as the dragons left the chamber, and soon the Banker stepped up to the door and inserted their vault key.
“What’s a Demiguise?” Harry whispered.
“A magical ape-like creature that lives in the far east. It can turn invisible and see the future. As Mrs Greengrass said, its fur is used to make Invisibility Cloaks, but they only last about 20 years or so before the fur’s magic wears off.” Hermione replied. “I’m surprised we haven’t covered them yet, actually.”
“I think my cloak is older than 20 years, and still works,” Harry replied.
“Then there must be something unique about it. Demiguise fur and Changewing scales can both be used, but the fur is easier to get in enough quantities without killing the owner of the material needed,” Eleanor replied.
A distinct click-click-click-thunk was heard, and then with the whine of metal hinges that desperately needed oiling, the door slowly opened. When it was fully open, the group slowly walked in, surveying the stacks, piles and collections of various artefacts, books, scrolls, pieces of jewellery, weapons, and even pieces of armour and uniforms, some looking like they dated back nearly a thousand years, or more, a mixture of uniforms and armour ranging from World War 2, all the way back to leather and plated metal and chain-mail sets of armour that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Crusades.
At the back of the Vault, on a display stand, sat three mannequins, each wearing pieces of armour. One seemed to be comprised of dark brown or black leather that, as they got closer, Harry realised was actual dragon-hide armour, though he had no idea from what. There were red skulls painted on the pauldrons, and the belt had a silhouette of a dragon of some sort, that was curled up into a circle. At the top of the armour sat a helmet of some sort, pure black, which only seemed to have two holes for eyes, and several studs on its surface, going up over the forehead and crown, and along the chin-line.
At the feet of the armour, on the silk base of the plinth, sat a sword and scabbard.
The armour to the left of the first set they noticed looked like it had been fashioned with a woman in mind, metal hemispherical pauldrons and leather arm guards, which seemed to have fur lining, a tunic that seemed to be made of dragon-hide and what looked like a leather skirt that seemed to be styled similar to a Greek or Roman Pteruges Harry and Hermione had seen on school trips to museums, — the few that Harry had managed to go on before Hogwarts at least — though these seemed to have metal spikes decorating them, and animal skulls around the belt. A fur-lined hooded cloak hung on the shoulders of the tunic.
Below them was a pair of leather fur-lined boots, that looked pretty nondescript. In front of the boots was an ornate-looking double-bladed axe, with a handle as long as a human arm. The blades looked sleek and polished, almost brand new, with what looked to Hermione like Nordic runes carved into their surfaces, though she couldn’t make out the rune set.
The final piece of armour, which was to the right of the first set they noticed, was slightly taller than the other two, and seemed to be a full-body suit made of dragon-hide with fur wrappings and what looked like claws on the bracers, with a fur-lined cape on the shoulders, and a strange blue face mask or helmet, with four horn-like spikes, two large eye holes, and what looked like tusks.
“Wow…” Hermione breathed, staring the the glass case that held all three sets.
“The armour and weapons of the first three humans known to tame, train and ride dragons. Though it was later discovered there was a tribe of warrior women who achieved flight with the aid of baby Razorwhip dragons clinging to their backs.” Eleanor said, pointing to each item. “On the right, the armour of Valka Haddock, the Chieftess of a tribe of Vikings credited with being the first humans to learn how to tame and handle dragons, if my family’s Grimorem is to be believed. The middle set, the one with the sword, belonged to her son, Hiccup The Great, better known as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third-”
“You’re kidding!” Harry said, accidentally interrupting her, he couldn’t help the incredulous grin that spread across his face, as he turned to look at her, only to notice her looking at him with a stern frown, a brow raised. “Oh, uh, sorry. Continue.”
“As I was saying, Hiccup Haddock the Third, first recorded dragon rider, son of Valka and Stoick ‘The Vast’ Haddock, the Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, and finally, the armour and axe of my maternal ancestor, Astrid Hofferson, the second recorded dragon rider, who eventually became Hiccup’s close friend, eventual lover, then wife. They hailed from around the seventh century, and sometime during the 9th century, one of the Haddock sons married a witch, learned of the magical world and became part of it. A few generations ago, my mum’s great-grandfather I think, one of his sons was a squib, who fled to Denmark and changed his name to Kullersen, to escape Grindelwald. Kullersen being Danish for ‘son of Haddock’, then from Denmark, then when the German Blitzkrieg overran Denmark, France and Poland, they made their way to America, where they remain to this day.”
“Wait a minute, hold on! You’re saying that the first humans to learn to tame, handle, train and ride dragons, were Muggles? And that you have muggle relatives?” Hermione said, eyes wide as she stared at her friend’s mother in disbelief.
“Yep. That’s something no trained handler alive today will tell you, if they know the true origin of the craft at all. The idea that three muggles were the founders of the profession of dragon handling, is something most pure-bloods just can’t fathom. It’s not known if the witch this Haddock son married was a pure-blood or not, but she was, at the very least, a muggle-born. Once magic was introduced into the Haddock bloodline, these three armour pieces and weapons were recovered and restored, then enchanted with charms, rune arrays and wards, and then moved in here.” Daphne explained, gesturing to each piece. Then paused for a moment.
“As for me having distant relatives in the muggle world, we haven’t had any contact with that side of the family for many years, though thanks to an arrangement made with Gringotts, we have been able to keep tabs on them. So we know that side of the family is still around, even if they don’t go by ‘Haddock’ anymore.”
She then turned to back to the weapons.
“The sword of Hiccup Haddock was said to be able to burn, so when magic came to the family, the sword was restored along with the armour, and the blade was enchanted to be able to be set alight without melting, by using the piece flint in the cross-guard that used to ignite the fuel source it traditionally used.”
“What was the fuel source?” Susan asked.
“A highly flammable, yet extremely sticky substance that was naturally produced by a species of dragon native to Norway, a distant cousin of the Norwegian Ridgeback. This particular dragon could coat its entire body in this substance, which it could then ignite, effectively setting itself on fire as an intimidation tactic.”
“How does it coat itself in the gel?” Hermione asked.
“Pores in the skin,” Daphne replied.
“Merlin…” Susan breathed.
Nodding, Daphne continued her tale. “Just be thankful you never faced one of those in the First Task, Harry; I’m honestly not sure if you’d have come out of that alive if you had.”
She then turned to regard her maternal ancestor’s dragon-hide armour and weapon.
“The Axe of Astrid Haddock nee Hofferson. It carries runes meant to keep it perfectly balanced no matter who wields it, and it also has a permanent sharpness ward carved into it, along with a complex set of anti-theft and recall runes, allowing it to be summoned back to the hand of the wielder if it is lost, dropped or thrown. And if it is thrown, it will always hit its target, according to legend. There are also apparently supposed to be some enchantments that make it impossible for anyone without Haddock blood to be able to even pick it up.”
“Though since the armour and axe haven’t been used in centuries, it’s difficult to say for sure if that is true,” Eleanor said.
“Remember that Kransen I wore for the Yule Ball?” Daphne asked, the others nodded, “It came from here.”
“Speaking of which,” Eleanor said, reaching into her robes and pulling out the familiar-looking headband. She then waved her wand at the glass case, and it opened. A second wave of the wand had the Kransen levitated into place on the mannequin’s head.
“There. It’ll stay there now, until Daphne’s wedding day. Traditionally, a Viking shield maiden like Astrid would have worn that headband constantly, but the Hogwarts Uniform didn’t allow for it, which is why Daphne didn’t wear it all the time.”
“Okay, so let’s find something to put on Luna and see if that hex has been washed off. Pick something not valuable.” Hermione said. Soon, Luna found herself dressed in a simple cotton shirt and skirt, and hastily conjured shoes and socks. Though she didn’t look too happy about it.
“Are they uncomfortable?” Eleanor asked, concerned. Luna shook her head.
“She’s just upset she had to put clothes on,” Susan said with a smirk. Eleanor chuckled.
“Ah, one of those free-spirited types.”
“Well, they don’t seem to be disintegrating, and they’re made of fabric that would have started to degrade by now if the hex was still on you, so looks like that trip through the waterfall worked. Unfortunately, I think Luna is the only one it worked on.” Susan said, frustrated. The other teens nodded.
“Yeah, it didn’t work on me,” Harry said.
“Well, it was a long shot anyway. At least we can cross it off the list now. But hey, the trip wasn’t a total loss.” Hermione said, giving Luna a gentle smile.
“Alright, let's get you kids back to the castle,” Eleanor said, giving her ancestors’ relics one final glance before leaving.
“If your family hadn’t fled the continent, would you have attended Beauxbatons or Durmstrang?” Harry asked. Eleanor thought carefully as she walked, leading them back to the door.
“I’m not sure, honestly, likely Durmstrang.” She replied.
-=-=-=-
Wednesday, February 8th
The week following their visit to Gringotts started thankfully devoid of any embarrassing situations involving Unicorns or any other magical beasts. Hagrid’s return to teaching Care of Magical Creatures, fully replacing Grubbly-Plank, saw to that. The first thing the half-giant had done was release the Unicorn mare that seemed to have a crush on Harry back into the forest, along with the foals that had been with her in that class. He’d quickly found replacements, this mare showing decidedly less tolerance for boys; however, even Harry, who had approached as a test and nearly got stabbed by her horn.
Luna hummed to herself as she walked through the corridors on her way to the Hall for lunch. It had been a week since the hex had been washed off of her, and as much as she liked having cotton clothes again, she did miss the casual nudity she’d enjoyed under various illusion charms. Still, her plan was nearly ready; she just had to be sure of the phrasing; she didn’t want to get it wrong, after all. While she had started Bonding with Harry, she didn’t get to do it as much as she would have liked to. If all went well, her plan would change that.
Her research had been informative. She’d questioned Fleur at length on the subject. Fleur had naturally been happy to answer Luna’s questions, which had mainly revolved around certain aspects of Veela physiology and how it differed from that of humans; what she’d learned had truly fascinated her, and, if she were honest with herself, made her extremely jealous.
She’d also questioned Fleur at length, usually at meal times, about the Gift of Aphrodite, how it worked and what it did to those it affected. Fleur had been more hesitant about answering those questions, and when Luna had asked about the cure, what it entailed and what the result was, Fleur had gotten very tight-lipped with her answers.
Luna had got the impression she was treading into taboo territory. Since the Gift was tied to the very origins of their species, it made sense to Luna that Veela as a whole didn’t like to talk about it much, at least among outsiders. But Fleur had reluctantly answered Luna’s questions and affirmed or denied Luna’s various speculations when they were off point.
This led to another question from the girl that Fleur had initially struggled to answer.
If there was a cure for Hermione, Susan and Daphne, why hadn’t Fleur told them yet?
The answer Luna had eventually extracted from Fleur had confused the girl.
“Eef zey knew what eet deed, would zey steel want to go zrough wiz eet?” had been Fleur’s eventual response.
“I would,” Luna had replied casually.
“Luna?” a voice called out to her. She turned, catching sight of Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe and Margot Smythe approaching her, looking rather uncomfortable. Luna paused, tensing in hesitation. These girls had mocked her beliefs over the past few years, always insisting that the creatures she could see did not exist. Despite their claims, she could see swarms of Wrackspurts flitting around their heads as they approached.
At her feet, the 6 legged dog she had taken to calling Jasper, who had the body of a Labrador, the short legs and head of a Corgi and the tail of a Husky, which usually showed her who she could trust and who she could not — by growling at those who were untrustworthy — the same dog that had led her to Harry, Hermione, Susan and Daphne all those months ago, and then guided her to Fleur when she’d started wondering about her current project, growled at them menacingly. Though, of course, the girls couldn’t see it.
“Yes?”
The girls came to a stop and exchanged looks, each silently asking the other who should go first.
Finally, Cho spoke first.
“I…we…look Luna…we wanted to apologise.”
Luna tilted her head. “For what?”
“For…well…everything. Locking you out of the common room at night…naked…taking your things…the…hex on your gown for the Ball.” Marietta said, nervously. Luna Lovegood was known to be one of the school’s most aloof and calm people. Many called her air-headed. She’d never been seen arguing or fighting with anyone. She was always calm, some would say eerily so.
But everyone had their snapping point, and the three girls were honestly worried about what Luna might look like if she lost it.
Outwardly, Luna didn’t react, just blinked owlishly at them, but internally, she started to seethe.
That gown had belonged to her mum, had been her wedding gown, and had been promised to Luna for her wedding day one day. It had been hand-made by Luna’s grandmother, who had died when she was very young, so Luna barely remembered her.
“You destroyed my mum’s wedding dress? The one my grandmother made for her?”
The question's flat, eerily calm delivery was scarier to the girls than if Luna had started spitting fire and hurling curses at them. The only indication that Luna was even reacting emotionally was the slight raising of an eyebrow and the narrowing of her grey eyes.
The other girls all flinched at Luna’s description of the dress’s history and sentimental meaning to her.
“Um…yeah…”
“Why?”
The girls looked at each other, unsure how to answer.
“I’ll tell you why,” Luna said, not giving them a chance to respond. “You are cowards. You choose to attack someone you perceive as weaker than you or somehow lesser than you just because they can see something you can not. There will be repercussions for this.”
The girls seemed to sag with acceptance at her words.
“In the meantime, I will be informing Professor Flitwick of what you have done and let him deal with you in the short term. And I also want none of you to ever speak to me again, or come near me, ever again.”
“Well, that’s going to be kind of difficult, considering we’re in the same House.” Cho snorted, rolling her eyes.
‘Only for 5 more days.’ Luna thought.
This confrontation had solidified things in Luna’s mind and set her decision in stone.
Deciding to make good on her demands of them, Luna turned and walked away, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall as her fists started to shake.
-=-
The first of the mannequins shattered as Luna’s curse hit it, then another, then another.
Luna stood in the Duelling arena the Room had summoned for her, tears of grief and rage pouring down her face. An inner voice told her, insistently, that she should go seek out her true friends and draw comfort from them, but the rest of her was too angry and grief-stricken and wanted to lash out and break something, and she wanted that something to be wooden dummies, each wearing one of the faces of the three girls who had taken one of the last connections she had with her mother, rather than something that could easily be replaced.
She’d already informed Flitwick of the encounter, and what the girls had admitted to, and he had thanked her for bringing it to his attention and promised he would deal with the matter. She had also then written a short letter to her father. Then she’d gone from the Owlery straight to the Room, where she’d finally let the cork bottling her emotions pop.
After several hours, Luna had left the Room, noting that it was almost dinner. She’d missed a couple of classes, no doubt she’d get detention for that, but she supposed the staff would go easier on her if she explained she had been dealing with some distressing issues that had suddenly come up.
The first time she noticed something had changed was the downright depressed looks on the faces of Chang, Edgecombe and Smythe in the Great Hall that evening. Evidently, Professor Flitwick had already made his displeasure at their actions known.
That night, Luna joined Harry and his group; after explaining the day’s events to them, she’d suddenly found herself buried under a pile of arms, embraced in a 3-way hug, then got one from Harry, something she greatly appreciated. Though Hermione had asked her why she hadn’t come directly to them so she could vent, and Luna’s rather simple reply of: “Better I break something in the Room, than here.” Seemed to have been enough to mollify them, though they did extract a promise from her that should anything like that happen again, she was to seek them out for comfort rather than let herself suffer alone.
That night, she had been offered a place in their bed, to which she gladly accepted, and had fallen asleep in an embrace consisting of Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Harry, all four of them as naked as the day they were born, with a truly happy smile on Luna’s face, after all, all four of her new bed-mates had taken the time to comfort her. When she’d offered to return the favour, they had politely declined, Harry going as far as saying, while kissing his way up her wide-spread thighs towards her very wet and swollen vulva, “No Luna, this is for you, tonight this is all about you.” With no more words, Harry planted a kiss right on Luna’s lips, and then set to work, Hermione and Susan soon joined him, and Luna found out what it was like to have three people licking her at once.
And while they did that, Daphne had offered her full breasts to her, which she had gladly accepted and suckled on hungrily.
The next morning, after trying to swallow Harry’s penis and suck Hermione, Susan and Daphne dry to the point of dehydration through their vaginas before they’d even gotten out of bed, Luna sat down to breakfast at the Gryffindor table, casting an apologetic glance over to Fleur.
Then the mail arrived.
Surprisingly, there had not been anything in the Prophet about the events in Care of Magical Creatures. Which Harry and his friends were somewhat relieved about. Hagrid had returned to teaching the class the Monday following that class and had taken great care to keep Harry away from the mare, and none of the girls had been eager to get close to the foals this time, despite Hagrid repeatedly assuring them that unicorn foals normally don’t try to suckle from human women or girls and that they were perfectly safe to approach.
Still, nobody had taken him up on it.
Harry had privately asked Hagrid why he’d talked to Rita, knowing she had been forbidden from the school grounds. Hagrid had offered a helpless shrug of his giant shoulders by way of apology but hadn’t been able to explain, she’d just caught him off guard, and his naturally kind and trusting nature had been exploited.
Harry had just fed the delivery owl a piece of bacon, with the fat trimmed off, of course, when several loud voices boomed through the hall, making almost everyone jump as all eyes turned towards the Ravenclaw table, and the three hovering Howlers that had opened in front of the three white faces of Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe and Margot Smythe.
“I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR DESTROYING AN IRREPLACEABLE FAMILY HEIRLOOM! DO YOU KNOW THE PAIN AND HUMILIATION YOU CAUSED THAT POOR GIRL?!”
“HOW DARE YOU BRING SUCH SHAME TO THIS FAMILY! WE RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THIS YOUNG LADY…”
“UTTER DISGRACE! WE EXPECT BETTER BEHAVIOUR FROM A FIFTH YEAR! I DARE SAY THIS SHOULD COST YOU YOUR POSITION ON THE HOUSE TEAM…”
Harry, along with most of the rest of the students, and even some staff, winced as the acoustics of the Hall amplified and echoed the screaming voices of the parents of the three girls. The only one who didn’t flinch or cringe was Luna, who happily continued to eat her breakfast, all the while imagining the aftermath of her plan, and looking forward to the many, many years she would spend happily drinking Harry Potter’s delicious and increasingly voluminous sperm. She’d foregone brushing her teeth that morning just so she could keep the taste of it in her mouth.
At the Ravenclaw table, Fleur had cast a dampening charm on her ears to reduce the pain from the high volume, while she looked at the three Hogwarts girls with a look of utter disgust on her face. Part of her wanted to blast these three bitches with a wave of her allure so powerful that it would effectively vegetate them, leaving them near-comatose, drooling and perpetually horny, never to find relief, but she decided that was too good a fate for them.
A more fitting fate would be that none of them would ever know the pleasures a penis could bring them. Sadly, she couldn’t think of a way to do that either.
As a final indignation to the three, as they left the Hall following breakfast, they all suddenly screamed as their uniforms and underwear started to unravel, and in less than a minute, the three girls were huddled to one side, naked and mortified, legs crossed and arms and hands making attempts to preserve their dignity. No one noticed the smirk on Luna’s face as she slipped her wand behind her left ear.
-=-=-=-
Luna sat on her bed. Her roommate was fast asleep. She turned and looked at the clock, 11:50 pm. She smiled, ten more minutes, then it would be her 14th birthday.
Luna sucked in a breath and readied herself. She went over the incantation one final time in her head.
“It is time.” She whispered.
Smiling serenely, Luna started to sing as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. She knew that once the Staff found out, they wouldn’t be happy, especially with the warning Amelia Bones had given them, especially considering she was currently interviewing staff members at random, which was putting them all on edge. And the Ministry Toad, as some called her privately, was just unpleasant to be around. Luna did not get positive feelings from that woman. Jasper certainly didn’t like her. He started growling when Luna first saw the woman sitting at the Head table.
Luna knew she would likely face detention, but that was okay, as long as it meant she got out of the house she no longer felt a part of, though she would miss having free access to the House Library. She didn’t want to risk that whatever her father sent her tomorrow would also go missing. She also couldn’t go to classes with Harry and the others, as they were a year ahead of her anyway.
“Happy birthday to me…” Luna started to sing quietly as she leaned back a little and thought back to what she had been told by Fleur, along with all her research, and concentrated, as she held her wand in her main hand, and with her other, she reached down between her legs until her fingers found the warm, smooth lips of her vulva, and she started to gently rub.
“…Happy birthday to me…Happy birthday dear Luna…”
She let out a slight moan and sigh as her pleasure started to build, as she imagined the delights she was soon to be receiving, her fingers working more insistently as her arousal grew. Gripping her wand, she positioned it between her legs and slowly, gently fed the tip into her vagina and gently pushed it in, her muscles clenching around the wood, which was just thick enough to provide the sensation she wanted, though she didn’t go very deep.
She recalled the spell, repeating it in her head to make sure she got the pronunciation right. As her pleasure and arousal grew, so did the depths of her strokes; her fingers worked more eagerly over her increasingly wet lips and hardened clit, which she pressed against the smooth handle of her wand, causing her to gasp as she finally rolled back onto her bed. As Luna felt her climax finally start to build, she imagined the hard shaft of wood moving inside her was made of something else.
She imagined the piercing green eyes of the man that shaft would belong to looking down at her with love, acceptance and devotion as he made her a woman, his woman. This was a fantasy she had harboured for a while now, and she knew she wasn’t the only one. She’d heard her roommate moan his name, too, when she thought Luna was sleeping.
As she felt her climax finally reach its peak, the clock next to her bed announced the hour and the official arrival of her 14th birthday with a chime, and Luna went rigid as her vagina convulsed around her wand as she thrust it in and out of her, her busy, needy fingers pressing her throbbing clitoris and swollen wet lips against the smooth polished wood, her fingers working overtime as she came with a gasping cry.
“…Happy birthday to MEEE!…aspazesthai arpuias!”
Her vision went white, her body jolted as the spell shot into her vagina, hit her cervix, cascaded over her womb and ovaries, and spread out from there, through her body, and an exquisite sensation of warmth and euphoria washed over her, as the wave of energy travelled outward from her vagina, leaving behind a warm, tingling sensation that immediately sent her body into spasms as a second orgasm, one of the most powerful orgasms she’d ever had, shook her body like an earthquake and Luna passed out. Had her curtains not been silenced, her roommate might have investigated the odd spell casting and would have found a naked, sweaty Luna unconscious on her bed, with the biggest, happiest grin that the girl’s face could produce and her wand still buried inside her.
-=-
The next morning, when she woke, Luna groaned. She felt unusually tired and hungry, and horny.
As awareness came to her fully, she smiled as she realised what the arousal burning within her meant.
‘It worked!’ She mentally cheered.
Gently, she pulled her wand from her body and, with a yawn, sat up and examined herself.
She ran her hands down over her front, feeling her body thrum with arousal as her fingers first touched her hard nipples, her small but firm, and sensitive breasts, her flat stomach which tingles as her fingers ran over it, and down to her lower lips, which were still wet and slightly swollen and tender, her clitoris erect and throbbing as she touched it.
She gasped as a jolt shot through her at the touch; she was surprised at how sensitive she was now. Out of curiosity, Luna gently prodded her hard little nub, hissing as another electric jolt shot through her as it throbbed painfully.
Quickly, she got out of bed, grabbed a towel, and made her way to the Ravenclaw showers.
One shower, and several orgasms in quick succession later, and Luna was walking down to the Great Hall for breakfast with a spring in her step, a serene smile on her face, an ever-dry charm on her skirt, and no knickers or bra.
The only issue was how to inform Professors Flitwick and McGonagall, and corner Harry long enough after breakfast to suck his cock and get her real breakfast.
As she sat down next to Harry, Hermione on his other side, she wriggled in against him, pressing herself in with a smile as she loaded her plate.
“Morning Luna, happy birthday.” He said, wrapping an arm around her for a quick hug.
Luna’s smile widened as the mail arrived, Hedwig and 4 other owls, one of which was Archimedes, her father’s owl, landed in front of her, all carrying a magically shrunken package.
The only ones who had sent her birthday presents in previous years were her father and for a time, Ginny. Now she’d gotten one from her father, Harry, Susan, Daphne, Hermione and Ginny.
From Hermione, she got a book entitled “The Budding Naturalists’ Guide to Rare and Exotic Animals all over the world and where to find them!”
From Susan, she got a Wand Holster, Auror grade, complete with a standard set of anti-theft charms. There was also a note attached to it, ‘So you don’t have to keep it behind your ear’.
“Just so you don’t accidentally knock it loose from your ear,” Susan said, smiling.
“Thank you, that has been a concern for me lately,” Luna replied, remembering that time she’d been locked out of Ravenclaw Tower without her wand.
“Thank you, all of you. This means a lot to me.” She said, smiling happily as she slipped the gifts she couldn’t wear into her bag after Susan helped her put the holster on her arm.
After breakfast, Luna moved quickly up to the head table to intercept Flitwick. “Professor, may I speak with you quickly?”
“Of course, Miss Lovegood, it will have to be brief; however, I have classes to teach, and you have lessons to attend.” Luna nodded in understanding.
“This won’t take long, I just wanted to inform you that I’ll be spending my nights in Harry’s private quarters in Gryffindor Tower from now on.”
This made Flitwick draw up short and caught the ear of McGonagall, who was still in earshot as she turned round. “For what reason, Miss Lovegood?”
“Last night, I cast the Gift of Aphrodite on myself.” She said casually. “It was a birthday present to myself. I’d planned to do it for a while now, but my encounter with Cho Chang and her friends a week ago finalised my decision.”
Flitwick and McGonagall stared at her in shock, before they both face-palmed.
“Oh, Amelia is going to love this…” Flitwick muttered.
“Why? How?” McGonagall asked. Luna blinked at her owlishly, in a way that McGonagall found a little unsettling.
“As I said, I’ve been planning this for a few months now, I’ve been doing research, asking Fleur questions, that sort of thing. As for how, well, last night I cast it on myself while masturbating, using my wand like a dildo and—”
“Alright! Sorry I asked…” McGonagall raised a hand, cringing. ‘Note to self, be careful about asking direct questions to Luna Lovegood.’
“Why did Miss Delacour not stop you? Did she not warn you of the dangers of this curse?” Flitwick asked.
“She did try to talk me out of it once she realised why I was asking all those questions. But I told her I knew what I was doing. And I do.”
The two Professors exchanged looks, then looked back at her with frowns of disappointment. “Miss Lovegood, if things were so bad for you in Ravenclaw, you should have come forward months ago, and we would have tried to rectify the issues then; neither Filius nor myself are like Snape; we would have tried to help you if you’d only trusted us,” McGonagall said.
“Perhaps, but recent events have proven that the student body might not be so willing to trust the faculty with serious matters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find Harry real quick.”
Without a bother word, Luna turned and headed for the door, leaving the two stunned Professors in her wake. Despite her best efforts, her delay cost her valuable time, and she failed to reach Harry before the bell for the first classes of the day rang.
“Oh poo.” She muttered, as she was forced to divert to her class, the feeling of hunger and arousal still present, and if anything, the thought of what she had planned to do to Harry only made her latter state more prominent, as her vagina seemed to respond by clenching tightly around something that wasn’t there, and her clit throbbed, the sensitivity of her labia had seemed to increase nearly 10 fold, and no matter how many times she’d masturbated in the shower, how many orgasms she’d had, it had no effect. She was as horny now as she was right after casting the spell the night before.
For a moment, Luna started to second guess her decision, but then just shrugged. She’d just have to try to ignore it until she got close to Harry.
As the day went on, it turned out that she didn’t get close to Harry until after dinner, as right after lunch, she had gotten swept along with her house, and she knew he had Herbology, Care and then double Divination all before Dinner. So, it was at about 5:55 pm when she made her move.
Waiting by the golden statue of the Hogwarts Architect that stood just outside of the antechamber that led to the Great Hall, Luna grabbed Harry’s arm, shooting a quick questioning look to the other three girls, who smiled and nodded. She gave Harry a quick smile before dragging him up the staircase to the left of the statue, then at the upper level, she turned left, passed a cabinet that Harry noted had a strange keyhole in the door, then another hard left to a door Harry realised he must have passed thousands of times but never noticed. It had a curved top with what looked like a blackboard set into it and seemed to be surrounded by 10 symbols depicting various magical creatures.
Luna tapped the door with her wand, and a set of numbers appeared. Harry quickly scrutinised them. The top was a 9 inside a circle, which itself was inside a triangle. There was a circle at each point. The bottom left was 2, the top was a picture of what looked to Harry like a Hydra, with three heads, and the bottom right was empty.
The number below it was a 4 in an inverted triangle. The top left had a 0, the top right was empty, and the bottom was 1.
“What the heck is this?” He muttered.
“It’s an Arithmancy Door,” Luna said casually.
“What does it do? And why haven’t I seen it before? I’ve walked past this section of wall I don’t know how many times, and never seen it.” Harry said as Luna raised her wand and aimed it at the engraving of what looked to Harry like an ape on the door frame and muttered a Lumos. The number ‘4’ appeared in the empty circle of the top puzzle, then she aimed at the picture of the Hydra and cast Lumos again, and the number 3 appeared in the empty circle of the bottom puzzle. There was a click, and the door swung open, revealing a small room packed with covered chairs, stacked boxes and various odds and ends.
Before Harry could ask what was going on, Luna grabbed his hand and dragged him in, pulling the door shut behind her.
“They’re Arithmancy puzzles set up all over the castle. There’s nothing that special about them beyond the method used to lock the doors. Only those who are taking Arithmancy know about them; Professor Vector sometimes challenges her students to try and unlock them all and see what they can find in the rooms, as she sometimes hides things related to assignments in the rooms. The puzzles reset and change every midnight.” Luna explained.
Harry took a quick look around the small room, there wasn’t much there, a few shelves with old dusty books and some old brooms in a rack, and oddly enough a stack of old cauldrons to the right of the door as they entered. There was however a bench in front of what looked like old filing cabinets opposite the door. Luna moved to sit on the bench and quickly reached for his trousers, unceremoniously pulling them down and freeing his erection.
Before Harry could say or do anything, she had already taken the first half of his shaft into her hot wet mouth, her tongue dancing over every square millimetre of flesh it could reach as the girl sucked the rest of his length in with a hungry moan.
She’d used her lips to roll his foreskin back, so when his glans rubbed against her tonsils, she moaned deeply and started to swallow; she then took him deeper until the muscles at the back of her throat started to massage his tip.
She then looked up at him and smiled at him.
“Luna…” Harry said with a gasping moan, “If you wanted to give me a blowjob, all you had to do was ask…”
“Wasn’t sure if I’d be able to last until tonight.” The girl said as she quickly came off of him to reply, gave his glans a quick kiss, then lick, before she dipped her head and went for his balls.
“Let me know when,” she whispered before she started to lick.
‘Harry?’ Hermione asked over their link.
‘It’s Luna; looks like she wanted some one-on-one attention…usually I’m the one doing the licking… ohhhh…’
Harry had to admit; Luna seemed particularly enthusiastic as she gently doted on him with loving open-mouthed kisses and licks on first one orb, the other, then she switched to long lazy strokes with her tongue before closing her lips around one of them and gently sucked. He couldn’t help himself, so he started to gently thrust his hips forward, Luna giggled as she looked up at him, his shaft resting on her beautiful face.
It didn’t take long for his climax to build. Over the past couple of months, especially since Susan and Daphne had got involved, was that his ‘fuse’ seemed to be getting shorter, while the volume of his output had increased.
It had him a little worried if he was honest with himself.
‘We don’t care about you having a short fuse, Harry; it’s beneficial in some situations. Great for quickies.’ Susan said with a giggle.
With a groan, Harry let Luna know that he was about to finish, and she moved up to his tip, closed her lips around it and sucked lovingly as she gently cradled his balls, stroking them. His shaft twitched, then slightly swelled on her tongue, and suddenly her mouth was filled with his warm cream which she hungrily gulped down, the feeling of tiredness and hunger she’d felt all day abating. Several more spurts followed, her cheeks bulging slightly before she gulped again. Eventually, the flow stopped, and she released him, giving his tip one last loving smooching kiss. Then she quickly stood and turned round, pushing him into the seat in her place, unfastening her skirt, and letting it drop.
Harry blinked, staring at her smooth, wet and swollen labia as she raised a foot and put it next to him on the bench, put her hands on the back of his head, and thrust her hips forward. Harry smiled, took hold of her hips, and looked up at her.
“Guess this is more of a special birthday present then?” he asked.
“That, and a new routine for me. I’m going to be sucking your penis a lot from now on.”
Harry blinked as her words took a moment to register.
‘Oh shit, she didn’t…’ Hermione said.
‘I think she did…’ Susan replied.
‘Yeah, something seems a bit off.’ Daphne said.
“Luna? Are you sure you're feeling okay?” Harry asked, “Didn’t cast any spells on yourself recently, did you?”
“Drying charm after I got out of the shower,” Luna replied as she pushed her pussy against his face. Harry gave her a gentle kiss and a lick. Luna smiled and hummed as she began to rock her hips. “And a little spell to help me with Bonding with you last night.”
‘Oh bugger, she did.’ Hermione said with a sigh in her voice.
“You cast the Gift on yourself?!” Harry asked or tried to, being that Luna’s vulva was being pressed into his mouth.
“I did. Now stop talking and start eating my fanny.”
Harry decided that if Luna was going all in, then so was he, so when he started licking again, he also started hissing as his tongue slowly traced between her inner and outer lips, only to grunt in pain as Luna painfully pressed his face into her snatch, even covering his nose. Not that that bothered him much, as his mouth was flooded with liquid treacle tart, which he hungrily gulped down. Deciding that wasn’t enough, he then moved his tongue to her opening and started tracing circles around it, smiling to himself as he felt it clench, almost as if she were trying to grab his tongue with it. An impatient whine from his impromptu partner made him smile despite himself. He decided he liked teasing her. He circled her opening again with his tongue, hissing faintly.
Luna reacted by putting her other foot on the bench and, hanging on to the wall for leverage, started to grind against his mouth, letting out little growls each time she did.
“Gonna fuck your face…mmm!”
Harry held her bum in his hands, gently squeezing and massaging the globes of warm muscle as Luna made good on her promise and started to rock her hips more insistently. Soon she was panting and pushing his head back into the wall, making small whine-like grunts and growls as she rolled, thrust, ground and jerked her hips, spreading her legs as wide as she could.
“Stick a finger in me…in my bum…Please…!” she gasped.
When he complied, Luna arched her back and moaned, her muscles squeezing his fingers hard as he gently worked them into her. At the same time, he started to push his tongue into her channel, finally giving her what she wanted. What breaths he could take were full of her warm, beautiful scent. When he started to hiss more forcefully, Luna jerked, going stiff for a moment before her body started to shake, and a second orgasm washed over her, and his mouth was once again flooded, and he eagerly drank her essence down. Finally, after coming down from her high, she stepped down and turned round, giving Harry a wonderful view of her pert cheeks, which he stole a quick kiss of, which made the girl giggle and moan again as she gave her hips a little wiggle, trying to encourage another kiss, which he gave.
“While I’d love for you to lick my bum too, we do need to get to dinner…” Luna smiled as he stood, and she quickly kissed him, moaning again as their tongues briefly duelled; then she stepped back and smiled at him, her face still flushed, before turning to the door and stepping out.
Harry waited a moment, before he followed, wondering how crowded their sleeping arrangements were going to get now that it seemed Luna would be staying full-time.
Not that he minded.
-=-=-=-
Valentine’s Day.
At breakfast the following morning, Valentine’s Day, Hannah was sat next to Neville at the Gryffindor table, smiling at him affectionately as he shifted in his seat as if he was waiting for something.
Eventually, the mail came, and to Hannah’s surprise, an owl landed in front of her carrying two small boxes, which Neville enlarged after untying. Each was about the size of a shoe box. Hannah turned and smiled at Neville after opening the first box to show a selection of her favourite chocolates, and even a few selections from a few muggle brands, according to Neville, picked out with the help of Hermione.
She was about to reach for the second box when it croaked. She arched an eyebrow as a grinning Neville tapped the box with his wand.
The box flipped open, and a pair of bulbous eyes peered over the top at them. They looked to Neville then the croak came again. They turned to Hannah, who was watching it cautiously, before a frog jumped out onto the open lid, reached down into the box, pulled out a small top hat and cane before it stood upright on its back legs, smiled, and started to sing.
“Hello, my baby!
Hello, my honey!
Hello, my ragtime gal!
Send me a kiss by wire
Baby, my heart's on fire!
If you refuse me
Honey, you'll lose me
Then you'll be left alone, oh, baby
Telephone and tell me I'm your own!”
When he was done singing, he dropped the cane and plopped down on all fours in a regular squat, just like any other frog.
Hannah sat, wide-eyed, a look of shock and amusement spreading across her face, whereas Neville looked rather embarrassed. The commotion had attracted the attention of several others at the table, and even some of the other tables, who had turned to look to see what was going on. Hermione was grinning, as were several other muggle-born students; clearly, they were in on whatever prank this was.
“Well, that is…rather original,” Hannah said with a smile; she turned to Neville and kissed him deeply.
“It was originally written in 1899, but didn’t become well known until 1955.” Hermione said before she turned to Neville, “Where did you hear that song? And isn’t that Trevor? What did you do to him?”
Finally, Hannah released her death grip on her boyfriend and allowed him to breathe and swear the question. “It's Trevor, I did a bit of transfiguration on him. He wasn’t supposed to sing that song. He was supposed to sing a song I wrote.”
“You wrote a song for me?” Hannah asked, her eyes tearing up slightly as she felt her heart swell with affection. She was going to be dragging him into either a broom closet or one of those Arithmancy doors today, and he wouldn’t be leaving until she’d sucked him dry.
A snort from the table drew the attention of everyone who sat at it who was in earshot.
“Yeah, but honesty, songwriting ain’t his strong point. Take it from me, kid, stick to plants, and leave the songwriting and singing to the pros.” The frog said, giving Neville an apologetic look. “Incidentally, I’m also available for weddings, christenings, birthdays, and bar mitzvahs.”
Harry was about to ask what a ‘bar mitzvah’ was until an owl dropped a large envelope at his plate and then flew off without waiting for payment. It hadn’t been Hedwig. It had been one of the school’s owls. Curious, he took out his wand and scanned it. His training with Moody had evidently started to pay off. Finding the envelope clean of any jinxes, he opened it to find it full of magical and animated photographs.
And promptly closed the envelope rather quickly as his face flushed.
“What is it?” Neville asked.
“Nothing!” Harry yelped.
“Someone sending you nudes, Harry?” Dean asked. Hermione reached for the envelope and opened it, noticing the contents. There were a lot of photos, mostly showing the framed crotch of a girl, a redhead judging by the few traces of hair she could see under the rather busy-looking fingers. However, in some other photos, the hand was gone, showing the flushed, wet and aroused lips of the girl who took the shot.
“Susan, did you, by chance, borrow Colin’s camera recently?” Hermione asked as she studied the bare legs, arse and red bush in the photos. She needn’t have asked, she could easily tell this wasn’t Susan. That fact was reinforced when she spied a few of the photos that showed the girl’s torso, but not her head, but enough to show her rather small chest, flat stomach and swollen labia, clearly right after an orgasm.
‘Who the hell-?’ Daphne asked.
‘Ginny.’ Hermione replied, her brown eyes narrowing as they fixed on the younger redhead, who was doing her best to look inconspicuous as she ate her breakfast.
‘How do you know?’ Susan asked.
‘I’ve seen her in the shower for the past two years, I know what she looks like naked. Most of these are her, some aren’t, and I don’t recognise them.’
‘Want me to have a word with her?’ Harry asked.
‘She might take rejection better coming from you, Harry. Then again, it might make her more determined. We’ll both talk to her, later today.’ Hermione replied.
-=-=-=-
As it turned out, they didn’t get a chance to track Ginny down until after Potions.
“Ginny!” Harry called when he saw her walking with some of her friends. They all turned to look at him and Hermione, and then they all giggled, blushing. Harry had to wonder how many of them had contributed to his ‘present’.
“Yes, Harry?” She said as they came to a stop, she gave him a nervous, and what she hoped was flirtatious, smile. She completely ignored Hermione’s sharp look.
“I think we need to talk. Privately.” Harry said. This got more giggles and some “Oooooh!”s from the other girls.
“He means you lot bugger off.” Hermione snapped.
“Give us the details later, Gin!” One of the girls called as they left, laughing.
“Yes?” Ginny asked, smiling.
“Just what do you think you were playing at with those photos?” Hermione asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Hermione growled. “What if Ron, Fred or George had seen them?”
“They didn’t, did they?” Ginny asked, eyes widening, then she cringed, realising too late that she’d just outed herself.
“No, I kept the envelope closed once I realised what was in it. The only others who saw besides me were Hermione, Susan Luna and Daphne.” Harry said, crossing his arms. “I just want to know why you did it and who else was in those photos.”
“I thought you’d like them, that’s all. I mean, you’re eating three pussies, what? Two or three times a day? So some photos shouldn’t bother you.”
“They do when the vagina in said photos belongs to a girl he thinks of as a sister.” Hermione countered.
Ginny scoffed. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Yes, he does. You, your brothers and your parents are the closest thing he’s had to a family before he met Sirius and Remus, your family took him in and showed him the magical world outside of Hogwarts. He thinks of Ron, Fred and George as near as brothers, and he thinks of you as a sister. Even though you’re 3rd cousins.” Hermione said the last part she said more to herself than the confused girl before her.
“Wait, what was that last part?” Harry asked.
“My point is, Harry sees you as a little sister, not as a potential romantic or sexual partner,” Hermione said, choosing to ignore Harry’s question. Ginny scowled at her.
“Then maybe I should hear that from him!” Ginny snapped, glaring at the older girl, her eyes then turned to Harry, as she struggled to hold back tears, the reality that her private gift to him was being rejected, and any possible future she had envisioned where she was at his side, either as Mrs Potter or Mrs Black, as she knew he was related to Sirius, just as she was — though in her mind, she didn’t care about that part — was crumbling before her.
“I’m sorry Ginny, but she’s right. I do see you as a little sister, as Ron’s little sister. I told you that back in November when you tried to give me a blowjob in that broom closet, remember? And if I’m perfectly honest, the last thing I thought I’d ever see, or even want to see, would be a magical photo of you…masturbating.”
Ginny flinched; yes, she recalled him saying that, but at the time, she’d just brushed it off.
“Who are the other girls?” Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged.
“Some older years, mostly, and my friends who volunteered to help me out.”
“We’re going to need their names, we’d rather not have to tell McGonagall about this, because then I’m sure she’ll send a letter home, and the last thing this school needs is to be deafened by the Queen of Howlers, and the last thing I’m sure you want is for her to tell the entire school what you did while she’s admonishing you,” Hermione said. Ginny momentarily flinched, then scowled at the moniker for her mother, even if Ginny privately agreed with it.
“Don’t feel bad, Ginny, there are plenty of other boys in this school for you to choose from. You could have any one of them you want, just be yourself and get to know them.” Harry said.
“Fine!” Ginny growled, as she angrily wiped away tears of frustration and fury. She’d just have to try again, Harry would come around, eventually.
So she begrudgingly gave the names of those who had helped her, hoping that McGonagall wouldn’t find out and send a letter home to her Howler-Happy mother.
-=-=-=-
As the group, which now included Luna, left the Great Hall, Cedric caught up to them.
“Hey guys, how are things going?”
“Fine, just on our way to a late lesson with Professor Moody, he decided to give us private lessons on defence after the whole thing with Draco, but he’s been letting us off the past couple of weeks since the trial,” Harry replied.
Cedric nodded, “Yeah, he’s a bit of a hard-ass, that one.”
“Well, he is an ex-Auror,” Susan replied.
“Listened to your Egg yet?” Cedric asked. Harry shook his head.
“I’ve had so much to deal with lately, I haven’t even thought about it.”
“Well, don’t leave it too long,” Cedric replied as the group soon reached the Defence Classroom and Hermione knocked.
“Enter!” came the voice from within.
“Thanks, Cedric. We’ll deal with that later after this exercise.” Harry grinned. Cedric smiled and retreated. He had homework to finish after all. Anything to distract him from the recent decision he’d made in his personal life regarding Cho Chang. Learning what she and her friends had done to Luna the day before had disgusted him to the point that, for Valentine's Day, his gift to Cho had been to break up with her after breakfast.
It seemed that she and her friends had somehow been struck by the same jinx they had hit Luna with, and were now being forced to wear rather uncomfortable clothes on top of the humiliation of everyone in the Hall seeing them naked after each of them had got a Howler.
-=-=-=-
Moody stumbled back, his shield buckling under the combined assault of the four girls. Potter had been giving them pointers, and they seemed to hit a lot harder than he thought they would. He honestly wasn’t sure what he could teach them, but he found himself struggling to come up with ways to counter their apparent skill increase.
As he reached for the flask of Polyjuice and took another sip, under the guise of drinking water, Crouch analysed his situation. He knew the girls were already Bonding with Potter, he could see the magical threads connecting them, just as clearly as he’d seen the aura around Luna the previous morning when she’d entered the Great Hall for breakfast, and he’d realised immediately what she had done.
He figured they were already communicating telepathically. Sadly, the mental arts weren’t something he’d focused on during his studies, so he couldn’t read their thoughts as well as Snape could have. And that mental connection provided them with a clear advantage, one they were beginning to take note of.
The oddest, and most novel trick had come from Lovegood, who had conjured a feather pillow in front of his face and then made it explode, which had sent him into coughing and sneezing fit, almost so bad his false eye nearly popped out. She’d followed that up by transfiguring…something…that had then proceeded to spank him.
At first, he’d thought about pitting them against each other, but quickly tossed that idea when he realised 4 of the 5 could easily communicate with each other, and there was no way they could prove they weren’t, not that he cared about Lovegood getting trounced all that much.
Frankly, the girl creeped him out, especially with the way she looked at him with those wide slowly blinking eyes, and the way she kept telling someone called Jasper to “Stop growling at the man with a peg-leg.”
He deflected a stunner from Granger towards Greengrass, who used a hastily conjured mirror to reflect it at him, so he dodged. He answered with a banishing charm that Bones barely missed, the spell clipping her left shoulder and sending her spinning, only to be caught by Potter, who sent a Flipendo back at him. Despite the few weeks they’d skipped on their training, Potter was handling himself rather well, and while he’d done less training with the girls, which he put down to schedule conflicts, they were also doing well, though he figured it was because Potter was helping them.
Technically that was cheating, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.
After dodging a few more banishing spells and blasting curses and failing to hit his targets when he retaliated, he finally had enough.
“Alright, that’s enough for tonight.” He panted, breathing heavily as sweat soaked him. This Polyjuiced body wasn’t in as fine a condition as he would have liked. The constant limping with a peg leg was annoying as hell too. With sighs of relief, the others sagged and started to lean into each other. Crouch rolled his eyes.
“Oh, quit complaining, you’re all actin’ like I made ye run a few laps around the grounds. Don’t tempt me.”
Then his magical eye turned to Harry, who was breathing hard and taking a drink from a glass of water Susan had conjured. “Figured out your egg clue yet, Potter? Saw Diggory talking to you lot when you got ‘ere.”
“Cedric dropped a hint. We’re going to look into it,” Harry replied.
“Hmm, good, good. Took you long enough, the task is next Thursday. They’ll be telling you next Monday.” Moody said with a faint smile. ‘Finally, thought you’d never get it.’
The others looked at each other. That…wasn’t a lot of time to research.
“Alright, scram, you’ve got research to do,” Moody growled.
Taking the dismissal for what it was, the exhausted group filed out, leaving Crouch to his thoughts. He’d been made aware of the change in plans for the Task, and while he hadn’t been entirely pleased, as any number of things could go wrong during the extra time, it would hopefully help eliminate Potter’s competition. He had considered trying to turn Potter against Delacour, Krum, or even Diggory, but had ultimately decided against it, as the girls would easily spot the manipulation for what it was even if Potter did not, and he couldn’t risk that. Once again, he found himself cursing that little bastard Malfoy for throwing the proverbial dung bomb into his Master’s plans.
‘The little shite is getting what he deserves now.’ He thought grimly.
A thought crossed his mind, that Malfoy might try to avenge his son during the second Task, and that made Crouch pause. As loathe as he was to admit it, he’d have to try and stick close to Potter during the Task, and take care of anyone who tried to ensure he never reached the finish line.
-=-=-=-
“Champions of heart and skill
Visit our realm if dare you will
Hear yee the cadence of our song
But time passes, tarry not long
Trusted with a treasure are we
Whose loss to you would painful be
Lament you would, and cry and pine
For what was yours is now all mine
Sunset is the appointed hour
To return to the castle tower
For what we have we always hold
Ends now this does our story told”
With a click, muffled by the water of the swimming pool-sized bath, the metallic shell of the water melon-sized egg closed. With confused expressions, the five naked teens surfaced, each taking a moment to shake the water out of their hair and ears.
“Okay, how can we hear what it’s saying underwater, yet above it’s an illegible shriek?” Harry asked.
“It’s Mermaid song. They can only be understood when speaking underwater. It is possible to decipher their language above water, but it’s difficult.” Hermione said, taking hold of the egg and moving to the edge of the swimming pool-sized bath in their private bathroom.
“‘Trusted with a treasure…’ ‘Whose loss to you would painful be’ sounds like you’ll have to retrieve something important from them,” Daphne said.
“But what? The only material thing that was important to me was my Firebolt, and the dragon took care of that; then there’s the Christmas presents I got from all of you, and while, yes, they’re all important on a sentimental level, I don’t see them being handed over to the Mermaids.” Harry replied.
“Us,” Luna replied.
“What?” Daphne asked.
“It’s us. The treasure he would painfully miss is us.”
The others all looked at each other, the younger blonde’s logic unfortunately sinking in.
“They wouldn’t…” Hermione said, shaking her head.
“Seriously? After the last four years? Putting a 3-headed dog behind a locked door first years are taught how to open their first week here? Then the snake second year, the Dementors last year and covering up Draco and Snape this year? You think they won’t stick us at the bottom of the lake for Harry to come and get us as part of this trial?” Daphne asked, incredulously.
“Well, when you put it that way…”
“The song said Sunset is the appointed hour, so what? He has a day to swim around the lake looking for us? Doesn’t seem so bad, and I can’t see it taking a day, the lake isn’t that big. Plus I’m sure the Mermaid village is pretty hard to miss.” Susan said.
“Plus I think I’d notice if all of you suddenly went quiet on me,” Harry replied.
The girls all exchanged looks, before Hermione finally decided, “Well, for now, we’ll concentrate on charms that can help us breathe underwater, the Bubble Head charm is the best option I think. We can check the library over the week and if that fails, we ask the Room for instructions.”
“We could just refuse to participate.” Daphne ventured.
“I’m sure they’ve thought of that if they decided to go the hostage route,” Harry muttered.
“I wonder who Cedric’s hostage will be since he dumped Chang.” Daphne mused. The others shrugged.
“I’m tired of all this grim talk, time for some fun,” Luna said. She took a breath and dived underwater, heading straight for Harry.
Notes:
I hope you guys enjoyed it. The next chapter is part 1 of the Second Task. On that note, I would like to take a moment to thank Coulsdon Eagle, author of "Hermione Granger and the Goblet of Fire" who generously allowed me to use their version of both the Egg Clue and provided inspiration for the Second Task.
The next chapter is already written and done (it has been for a couple of years; I just decided to expand it after Legacy came out and after reading the aforementioned story. Hopefully it won't take me six months to proofread it. :P
And since I forgot to add Michigan J Frog the last time i did a Looney Tunes reference, you get him here (plus it sorta works better as a Valentine's gift for Hannah)
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If you want to, please follow this Link to reach my Discord Server. If you want to come and chat, there are also links to my other stories as well as stories written by other members :)
Chapter 20: The Second Task, part 1
Notes:
Here is the first part of the Second Triwizard Task, I originally planned to have this in two parts, but what would have been the first got so long that I decided it was best to cut it in two, so instead of it being a two-parter, it will now be three. I will post the second part after some final edits, hopefully by the end of the month, then finish part 3.
Spoilers ahead for Hogwarts Legacy for those who haven't played it yet (and if not, why not?). While playing Hogwarts Legacy in early 2023, I decided I wanted to incorporate at least one of the keeper trials into the Triwizard. I was then directed to and read the excellent "Hermione Granger & the Goblet of Fire" by Coulsdon Eagle, who generously allowed me to use the Golden Egg clue they came up with, and their concept for the Second Task inspired me to rewrite what I'd already written (basically a copy of the book's task) and turned it into this 3-parter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thursday, February 23rd, 1995
Black Lake, sunset
Harry stared at the dark water of the lake, standing on the dock, wearing his winter robes, socks, trousers and shoes. He’d thought about putting on swimming trunks or a wet suit, but figured he’d try his hand at transfiguration instead. He shivered as he watched his breath condense into mist in the frigid evening air. The sun was just about to set, and it was cold out.
Cedric, Viktor and Fleur were standing with him, each wearing their robes, and none of them looked comfortable or thrilled about going for a swim at night.
He looked back at the stands packed with spectators; in front of them were four large whiteboards, each he reckoned was about 15 feet high and 20 feet wide, each mounted on stands that held them nearly 10 feet off the ground. The stands were by the lakeside, but close enough to the spectators that even those sitting in the back would have a clear view of them.
Bagman then strolled up to them, grinning, holding four goggles.
“Alright, Champions! Your next task awaits. Here.” He then held out his hand for them to take the goggles. Cautiously, Harry took one pair, wondering how they would fit over his glasses and how he would keep those on while swimming through the lake.
As soon as his goggles were in place over his glasses, he saw one of the screens suddenly come to life with an image of the screens themselves, with his name in bold capital letters across the top. The other three soon activated, showing the stands, Bagman, and themselves.
“Huh, nice,” Cedric said. Harry nodded. Despite himself, he was impressed.
“They are, aren’t they? These goggles will allow the spectators to see what each of you is looking at as long as you wear them. But they don’t transmit sound.” Bagman replied, grinning. He tried to make a flirtatious gesture at Fleur, but it just made him look utterly ridiculous, and the Veela rolled her eyes in disgust.
Bagman then turned to face the stands and cast a Sonorous on himself.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The Second Task is about to begin! Our Champions each have until sunset tomorrow to find their way back here to the lake, collect their prize, and then return here. These screens are tied to the goggles each Champion will be wearing, allowing us to see what each of them sees.”
“Wait, what?!” Harry said, looking up at Bagman, who turned to him. “24 hours!? What are we supposed to do for food? We didn’t bring any supplies!”
“The lake is the second part; for the first part, you will be transported to separate locations, each an equal distance from your chosen objective at the bottom of the lake. You have until—” Bagman checked his watch “— tomorrow sunset to bring them back, which, if I’m right, should be about 5:45 pm. And as for not having any supplies ready, that’s the point. The first Task tested ingenuity and how quickly you could adapt to a changing situation. This Task is a test of your endurance and survival skills. You want food, you’ll have to forage or hunt for it.”
Harry blinked, checking his watch. 5:40 p.m. meant he had roughly 24 hours to reach the bottom of the lake, find all his hostages, and return them all to the dock.
“But…I am not dressed for zis!” Fleur protested, wrapping her arms around herself in her blue school robes. “All I am wearing under zese robes ez a bathing suit! I am not dressed for traipsing zrough a forest at night!” Fleur protested harshly, glaring at Bagman, then the Judges.
“What about Harry’s, uh—” Cedric asked, momentarily flashing Harry an apologetic look “…condition?”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Bagman said, waving him off. “Now then, in case you guys haven’t figured out the clues in your eggs yet, here it is.”
He placed a small crystal ball in a cradle on the table before them and tapped it with his wand. A ghostly female form rose from it. Not quite human, its eyes looked far too big for its head, its face a little too round, and if Harry wasn’t mistaken, he saw gills on its neck.
Next to him, Fleur let out a low hissing growl. He looked at her, briefly caught off guard by the look of hatred and loathing that marred her beautiful features. He decided then and there that he never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look.
Then the apparition started to speak.
“Champions of heart and skill
Visit our realm if dare you will
Hear yee the cadence of our song
But time passes, tarry not long
Trusted with a treasure are we
Whose loss to you would painful be
Lament you would, and cry and pine
For what was yours is now all mine
Sunset is the appointed hour
To return to the castle tower
For what we have we always hold
Ends now this does our story told”
The four Champions exchanged looks. Fleur let out a snarling hiss as she mumbled to herself, then her face twisted into an expression of worry, then horror, then fury. She turned and glared at Madame Maxime and the judges, who stared back at her with neutral expressions.
“Quelque chose qui me manquerait sûrement… non…NON! Tu ne l’as pas fiat! Dis-moi que tu ne l’as pas fait! Tu n’oserais pas!”
Harry and Cedric were caught off guard by the heated glare Fleur was still giving the now dim crystal ball.
Next to him, Viktor scowled, “Kakvó? Kópele!” he snarled.
Harry had no idea what either had said, but judging by the Durmstrang Champion’s expression, it hadn’t been pleasant. Fleur looked positively hostile. He wondered if she’d figured out the clue already. Or maybe she wondered how she’d manage a full 24 hours roughing it.
“As Ludovic said, this Task is a test of your endurance and survival skills, Mister Diggory. Roughing it for a change, you’ll have to hunt or forage for food.” Crouch rasped, “And let me take this opportunity to remind you all, brooms are not permitted, and Apparition is, of course, not possible within the perimeter of the school grounds, which includes the lake. While the Castle’s Anti-Apparition wards don’t extend over the forest, short-range Anti-Apparition charms have been added to the goggles you’re now wearing, with a range of about six feet. If you take them off, and we see you Disapparate at the edge of the lake, or approach the lake without them, you will be penalised heavily in points.”
Karkaroff stepped forward, his stern gaze fixing on Viktor, who matched his hard look. “Your broom, Viktor.”
Viktor cursed again, muttered something in Bulgarian, then reached up and pulled a small pendant out of his pocket that Harry realised was a shrunken Firebolt. For a moment, Harry felt a pang of loss as he still hadn’t been able to replace his own broom, not that it mattered with Quidditch being suspended for the whole year.
“Now, these Portkeys will transport you to your starting locations. Get ready!” Bagman said, a table upon which was an old shoe for each of them.
As soon as Harry touched the shoe, he felt the tug behind his navel, a sensation he remembered from the World Cup, and let out a yelp as he was whisked away.
-=-=-=-
Harry landed in a heap with a grunt, the air knocked out of him. Pain shot through him. His ribs ached as he took a few painful breaths, tears briefly filling his eyes.
“Ugh…” he groaned. “I hate Portkey travel…” he whined to no one.
After a few minutes, he unsteadily got to his feet, taking a moment to survey his surroundings. He was in a round room that looked like it had been lived in once, long ago. There were still a couple of brooms sweeping the floor, but their bristles were so aged that they looked like they’d break with the first gust of wind to hit them. The stairs to the upper levels looked rickety and unstable; he didn’t fancy trying his luck. The last thing he wanted was to break a leg out here. Wherever ‘here’ was.
In the center of the room was a large ornate statue of a wizard he did not recognise.
He turned and regarded the large door. Walking towards it, he pressed against it, but it didn’t move. Raising his wand, he focused. The pain in his ribs was now a dull ache; they seemed to have been spared from being broken.
“Alohamora!”
The door shook, but besides that, nothing happened. ‘Must be sealed from the other side, not getting out that way.’ He knew he could always try Bombarda and blow the door out of its frame, but the building looked ready to collapse. He didn’t want to bring it down on his head without knowing if this door led to the outside.
“Revelio!” Harry closed his eyes as his awareness was filled with the tower’s interior. At the top of the stairs was a landing and a large magical portrait, though it didn’t seem occupied. The roof was breached; he probably could have just flown out if he'd had his broom. The spell also told him the building’s structural integrity wasn’t great.
Then something pinged behind him, and he turned. His gaze fell on the stone wall. It didn’t seem out of place. He cast the revealing charm a second time, and his senses told him that there was a hidden door in front of him, but there was a ward keeping it locked, though the focus of the ward seemed to be on the floor. Cautiously, as Mad-Eye had drilled into him over the past three months, particularly January, Harry approached the spot.
As he got closer, his senses flared, and the floor suddenly seemed to ripple around him. He could sense and see strange magic trails flowing up from the floor at his feet, swirling around him like a whirlwind. It flowed out of the ground like billowing smoke, and his senses alighted with awareness as currents of magic surged through him, causing a tingling sensation to spread through his skin, muscles, and bones. It felt…weird, but not dangerous.
Harry reached down, almost without thinking, and pressed the tip of his wand into the centre of the swirling strands of energy pulsing at his feet. He suddenly felt a pull on his wand, as if whatever he was standing in was trying to pull his wand out of his hand. Gripping it tightly, he pulled his arm up and out, standing up, feeling the pull on his wand snap with a rush of air and magic as he stood tall. The strange anomaly vanished. He looked around, spying the now-open doorway that had been a solid wall a few seconds earlier.
“No other way out. Once more unto the breach.” He muttered.
After he stepped through the door, it closed behind him.
Above, in the large wall painting, a figure with a long beard, an old but kind face, a tri-corner hat, and black robes stepped into the canvas.
“Hello? Is someone here? I thought I heard something.”
Percival Rackham, former Hogwarts Professor and Seer, paused as he tapped into the wards in his friend’s former home. His eyes then snapped open wide with alarm. “No…”
The doorway had been unlocked, someone had just gone through, but they hadn’t come in through the door. Had they Apparated in? Portkeyed? He couldn’t tell who it was, but the fact that they had even accessed the hidden section under the tower concerned him greatly.
The others had to be informed.
-=-=-
Harry stared in wide-eyed wonder at the huge chamber the ornate doors revealed. He wondered about the strange sigil embossed on the door for a moment. It had looked like an egg surrounded by a stylised flame. As he looked around the large chamber he was entering, he could see that symbol replicated in the hanging torches and various fixtures.
Clearly, the symbol held significance, but he had no idea what it meant. It was everywhere, in various motifs, sculpted as lanterns that burned with blue magical fire.
Noting the two flights of curved stairs before him, he headed down one. Ahead was a corridor, at the end of which he could see another doorway, and as he ran towards it, he noticed there was another in the distance, as well as what appeared to be part of a bridge, like the one he stood on, but there seemed to be no way to reach it from where he stood.
“Okay, how to get across…” he muttered.
The cavern was huge. Moving to the railing, he looked over the edge and tried to look down to the floor, but couldn’t see anything. He thought that if he fell down there, that would be it, unless Dobby somehow heard him calling, but he doubted it. If this was part of the Task, and he assumed it was, then the elves were likely ordered to ignore any calls they heard.
He turned, noticing the stairs on either side of a column. Heading down them, he quickly stopped when he saw the air swirl just above a patch of floor in front of him, just like the anomaly he’d used to open the doorway.
Cautiously, he stepped into it, and once again, he was surrounded by swirling strands of magic as the floor rippled at his feet.
‘Gonna have to talk to Hermione about these.’ Not for the first time, he found himself wishing that unconsciousness didn’t ‘mute’ the connection of their Bond.
Reaching down, he touched it with his wand, shuddering as the magic once again washed over him. He pulled his wand up and out, triggering the anomaly. Harry blinked to clear his vision and turned, stopping when he noticed the bridge that now connected the arch at the top of the stairs to the one he’d seen in the wall.
“Huh, that’s…interesting. If this is part of the Second Task, I don’t want to know what the third involves.” He said to no one. Turning, he headed back up the stairs and crossed the bridge.
When he reached the other side, he noticed the long, segmented path in front of him. As he approached its end, it lowered itself on a gentle gradient. It stopped when it reached a new level, and he entered another large room with several more carved symbols, stairs, and something else.
Armed statues. Three of them.
“Got a bad feeling about this.” He muttered, his seeker instincts warning him of danger.
‘Constant Vigilance, as Mad-Eye says,’ he thought.
Something piqued his senses, and as he approached the stairs leading up to where the armed and very dangerous-looking statues were located, that strange anomaly appeared again, but this time, he didn’t hesitate. He jabbed it with his wand, then pulled up, seemingly ‘activating’ it. Then he looked around to see what had changed.
Unsure what had changed, Harry noticed the glowing arch he’d come through. Curiously, he walked back to it and stepped through, surprised to see that the bridge he’d just come across was gone, and the doorway now opened into a passageway that led off to his right. Turning, he cautiously started to explore.
He quickly spied a doorway that opened into a large chamber that contained a bridge, and on the far end was a large statue standing in front of some sort of carved relief. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he slowly crossed the bridge. As soon as his feet touched the platform, the statue started to move. It stood from the pose it had held, raised its rather nasty-looking mace, and slowly started to march towards him. Then he noticed the other two, smaller statues to either side, also closing in.
The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, and he threw himself to the right just as a very sharp and deadly-looking weapon swung through where his head had just been. He looked up from kneeling on the floor, noticing the animated statue that was even then pulling back, readying for another swing, the other two were also now moving.
‘So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Ambush? Fine!’
“DIPULSO!” he yelled, jabbing his wand at the statue. With a bang, it was thrown back off its feet, weapon sent flying. With a crash, it collided with the wall it had previously stood before, but he was already changing his focus to the other two.
“Protego!”
A swing from one of the other two statues was blocked, and a quick Bombarda blew it to pieces. Harry was somewhat amazed that his spells were so strong, then he remembered he’d been performing a power-boosting ritual every time he ate out one of the girls. Though the effects of that were not cumulative, they didn’t ‘stack’, so he couldn’t continually increase the strength of his magic with each performance.
They hadn’t yet worked out how much stronger his magic was, but Hermione had estimated that, on average, his offensive spells were now at least 50% stronger than what would be normal for Harry, at most, 100% more than what would be ‘normal’. Since that day he’d accidentally almost hit Flitwick with his own desk with an overpowered Dipulso, he’d always held back some of his magic when casting. Now, he wasn’t.
Assuming, of course, he made it out of this mess and back to the lake to rescue his partners.
He then turned to the third statue, the now closest, and hit it with an Arresto Momentum, slowing its movement considerably, but not stopping it. Another movement caught his eye, and he turned to see the larger of the two remaining constructs getting to its feet. A few quick Bombarda spells shattered its weapon, then one of its legs, the final one struck its torso, causing it to fall and shatter into fragments.
That left the last one, which was still moving relatively slowly but speeding up.
Then an idea occurred to him, and he grinned.
“Sectumsempra!”
The weapon the suit held, a mace if he was right, was suddenly sliced in half by the white curse. The statue paused, as if unsure of what to do. For a moment, Harry wondered what would have happened had he disarmed either of the other two, would they have stopped, or would they have retrieved their weapons? Then he remembered, with a mental eye-roll, the one he’d knocked back against the wall had been disarmed, and yet, when he’d seen it the next time he looked at it, its weapon was held securely in its hands.
‘So, they’re charmed to summon their weapons if they’re disarmed magically. Noted.’
And yet, the cutting curse he’d found in that potions book, the same one he and the girls had agreed not to use on living people unless absolutely necessary, seemed to override that charm. Still, he wasn’t going to leave this thing standing. These things had just tried to kill him, and things trying to kill him tended to piss him off.
“Bombarda!”
A shower of energy, sparks and charred debris was soon all that remained of the last statue.
With the last armour now reduced to rubble, he was about to turn away when he noticed something odd. All the piles of rubble were glowing with a strange bluish-white light. As he approached, he reached down and poked the first pile with his wand, and suddenly the glow vanished. He felt something enter his wand, his hand, then his arm and finally his spine.
He stumbled back, gasping at the tingling sensation going through him. It was like Pepperup potion, but more intense. He felt magically rejuvenated, and yet, somehow, he got the feeling that what he’d just touched, or absorbed, was something he was meant to use sparingly. “Huh, what are you then? Some form of magic, but none I’ve seen before.” Turning to the other two piles of rubble, noticed the same strange energy, which he quickly absorbed with a poke of either his wand or hand.
Then, once he was done, he turned away from the three piles of inert rubble and headed around the carved relief, noting the oddly carved columns which seemed to resemble the strange symbol he’d seen here. He kept moving, hoping he wouldn’t run into any more of those statues, but knowing his luck, he’d have to fight an army of them to get out.
In the next large room, he noticed it had two levels and a floating platform.
There was a large column in the middle of the room, and several panels in the walls with rings embedded in small plates. It didn’t take Harry long to figure out what he needed to do.
Summoning the platform with an Accio, he climbed onto it and looked around. Quickly casting a second Accio on one of the other rings, he braced himself as he felt the platform beneath his feet move slightly, and then the world around him started to move.
“Huh, okay, that’s impressive,” he muttered. It reminded him of Hogwarts’s moving stairs; except he had complete control.
There also seemed to be several chests dotted around the room. Harry carefully checked each one. Most of the pieces of clothing that didn’t fit him, and he felt he didn’t need them. There were a few potion vials in them as well.
Wiggenweld potion. Healing potions.
Deciding to explore the chamber a bit more, he found several potion vials, containing a gold liquid he recognised as Edurus potion from Sharp’s first lesson at the start of the new year.
“I hope these vials are unbreakable and have been under a stasis charm.” Unfortunately, he could not know if the potions had expired or how long they’d even been in these chests. After more exploration on the other side of the room, Harry came across another of the strange anomalies. When he ‘activated’ it, he noticed the room had changed. Gone was the floor-to-ceiling column; in its place was a rectangular tower that was level with the floating platform. At the centre of which was a large chest.
His curiosity piqued, Harry manoeuvred the platform to the new rectangular pillar and approached the crate cautiously, again finding it unlocked. Opening it with a flick of his wand, he looked in and whistled.
Inside was an ornate sword, a little bigger than the sword of Gryffindor, the blade a little thicker. There was also a satchel, which he discovered had a magically expanded interior. He quickly slipped it on and gently lifted the sword, grunting slightly at its weight. The handle was so long that he needed both hands to lift it fully. It almost looked like one of the swords those damn statues had used.
“Might be worth keeping; if nothing else, I can claim it as a spoil of the task.” He muttered before looking at the box and noticing a smaller wooden box. Lifting it out, he gently opened it, revealing more potions. These were purple in colour. He could faintly make out what was written on them. Thunderbrew.
“What the bloody hell is Thunderbrew? We haven’t covered that yet. Knowing my luck, it’s a NEWT level potion.”
Stashing all his finds in the satchel, he returned to the hovering platform. “Alright, Potter, time to leave.”
Manoeuvring the platform back to the level where he’d activated the anomaly, he paused, turned and eyed the mysterious archway. Curiously, he walked through it, feeling his ears pop as he felt the air pressure change, and that same strange tingling feeling he’d felt from touching both the anomalies and the remains of the statues now caused over his whole body, as if he’d just stepped through a waterfall of the stuff.
Taking a second to adjust, he looked around. He was in a small enclosed room, with a couple of chests containing more potions, but he could have sworn the path behind the arch led down some stairs to another section.
He quickly exited the small chamber and stepped back out into the larger one, then hopped back onto the platform and looked behind the arch. The path continued down a flight of stairs into another large area. Moving the platform, he stepped off and looked through the arch from the other side, but saw only the pathway leading up to it. No hint of the smaller room he’d just been in.
“Huh, some sort of pocket dimension?” he mused, before deciding to continue.
Eventually, he found his way into another room down some stairs, where he spotted more armour constructs.
Thankfully, he made quick work of them. If this were the worst this place had to throw at him, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He was getting the distinct impression that this task, or at least this section, wasn’t meant for someone who either knew Sectumsempra or had his sort of power-boost, if it was even part of the task.
Making his way across the room, Harry ran up the stairs and along the catwalk until he noticed another floating platform, with something shimmering above it, which was starting to look familiar.
Summoning the platform, he stepped onto it, activated the anomaly, and looked around, doing a double-take as he saw the bridge now spanning the room.
‘Okay, this anomaly stuff is getting weird. Some seriously impressive magic going on here.’
Heading down to ground level, he noticed another shimmering archway and cautiously stepped through it. Much to his surprise, he looked back and saw that the bridge was now gone. There was only one way out of the room that he could see, and after some experimentation and what felt like nearly an hour of trial and error, he eventually figured it out.
With an exhausted sigh, he stepped off the floating platform onto the level he assumed would take him to the next stage. He descended a flight of stairs, noticing another chest in an alcove to his right. He opened it and found another Edurus potion. Then he looked to his left and saw another flight of stairs that seemed to flow up and down as he approached.
At the bottom of the stairs, he found another room, with several hanging carved light fixtures and a carved statue, all resembling the anomaly he’d seen. Seven more statues came to life as soon as he stepped off the stairs. Two were larger than the other five and slower-moving. One clutched a sword like the one he’d found; another held a long axe-looking weapon. The other five human-sized statues held an assortment of melee weapons.
Reacting quickly, he fired off a Sectumsempra but was surprised when the sword-wielder he aimed at angled its blade and deflected the shot into the distance. He fired a second at the axe wielder, but it side-stepped.
“What the hell?” he muttered as he moved away from them, putting distance between him and his opponents, just as one of the statues seemed to leap forward and thrust its weapon out, barely missing him as he dived to avoid what would have been a head-smashing strike.
Another crouched, then jumped.
Harry’s eyes went wide as he tracked its ascent, almost 30 feet up, before it descended right towards him.
“Shite!” he yelled as he rolled, the impact of the statue hitting the ground, weapon first, rattling his bones.
‘These things can bloody JUMP?!’
Suddenly realising just how much danger he was actually in, Harry quickly stood and levelled his wand at the construct that had just tried to impale him with its weapon, which was already starting to stand. Focusing through his rising fear, he channelled as much energy into his spell as possible, and a quick Bombarda reduced the statue to fragments.
Either these were charmed to be tougher than the ones he’d already faced or…
…or they were somehow adapting.
That thought did not fill him with confidence, although, it did make some degree of sense. Wouldn’t be much of a challenge for the Champions if these things didn’t adapt to fighting style. He just hoped they also didn’t get more resistant to spell-fire. Last thing he needed now was a group of these things becoming resistant to a Bombarda or Confringo.
A flash of movement in his periphery snapped his gaze to his right and he threw up a quick shield just in time to stop a mace from caving in his skull.
“Levisio! Dipulso! Descendo!”
His quick wand movement sent his would-be executioner flying into the air and back, spinning until it was upside down. Then, with all his magical strength, he slammed the thing head-first to the ground, shattering it. He was done playing around now.
Reaching into the satchel slung over his shoulder, he pulled out one of the gold potion vials, uncapped it and gulped it down. He didn’t care about the taste, but what he did notice was his skin starting to tingle. Looking down at his arm, he noticed his skin taking on a rock-like texture. He was so distracted by it that he didn’t even notice the other statues until he felt something jab him in the back, then something connected with his neck. Turning, he was surprised to see the two larger statues behind him, both of whom had just apparently made what would have been killing strikes had he not just drunk that weird potion.
“Wow, Moody is gonna be really annoyed at me.” He muttered.
-=-=-
Back at Hogwarts, by the lake, the entire stand sat silent, rooted to their seats, not even paying attention to the screens that showed three views of the forbidden forest. Instead, everyone’s attention was fixed on the screen that was showing a rather impressive looking fight with animated statues in an underground tunnel network.
“Bloody hell!” Neville muttered, “Is this part of the task or something? ‘cause if not, then Harry deserves double points! Why is it only him fighting his way through a maze of killer statues?” while his comment was a loud whisper, the majority of those around him heard him quite clearly. There were several murmurs of ascent from the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and even some Hufflepuffs, who felt that this was just a tad unfair, though whether for Harry or the other Champions, they couldn’t seem to decide.
Though Neville did find the odd swirls of magic, and the glowing specs of magic that Harry seemed to keep jabbing his wand into rather fascinating.
At the Judges table, Dumbledore sat looking a might concerned. He had no idea where Harry was, or what he was doing in that overground maze. And Harry’s actions at specific points were odd; he kept pausing and jabbing his wand at nothing, yet the terrain around him was reacting. Obviously, Harry was perceiving things the goggles were not detecting. But the strange carvings depicting a sphere surrounded by an elliptical spiral were rather intriguing, and somehow familiar. He could have sworn he’d seen a locked door in the castle that bore that symbol, a door that neither he nor anyone else he knew of could open.
Bagman had set the Portkeys, and he had thought that Bagman would pick a destination within the forest for all of them. It seemed he hadn’t. Still, if Harry managed to make it out of this maze in time to reach the Lake, he stood a good chance of rescuing his four hostages. While he did feel it was a bit unfair for Harry to have three extra, it did solve the potential problem of him having an unfair advantage via his telepathic link with three of those four, two of whom would have otherwise been in the stands, providing information to him on the progress of his competitors. Not that he believed Hermione, Susan or Daphne would intentionally do that, Miss Bones especially, but still, it had been a potential risk that Dolores had pointed out to him, and subsequently ‘suggested’ the including of Miss Bones and Miss Greengrass along with Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood.
Privately, Albus lamented his aborted plan to try and further engender romantic advancements between Miss Granger and Viktor Krum, he believed this task had been his last chance, with Miss Granger as Krum’s hostage, something might have come of it at least, but with the addition of Miss Bones and Greengrass, not only into the task but also young Harry’s ‘situation’ then Miss Lovegood onto of that…well…he’d had no choice in the end but to abandon the plan entirely. There was no chance Harry would willingly sacrifice himself to Voldemort now, not if it meant also killing four others.
Albus found it slightly concerning that Harry was first resorting to offensive and highly destructive spells. And those potions…the Edurus potion was a Fifth Year brew, and the Thunderbrew was NEWT level, though Sharp had mentioned he’d started brewing more advanced potions in his fourth year classes.
Next to him, Alastor shook his head in disappointment. “What have I been sayin’? What the ‘ell have I been sayin’ teh these brats…? Gonna have teh ‘ave a strong word with Potter when he gets outta tha’ lake. That said, impressive spellwork. I’d love ta know where tha’ place is.” He growled.
Percy Weasley looked rather put out. “Is he using dark magic? He can’t do that!” next to him, the Minister’s Undersecretary puffed out her cheeks, looking every bit like the toad many often referred to her as behind her back. Crouch looked as deathly pale as ever, his breath coming through in rattles. Albus did not believe the man had long left. A shame, really, the stresses of condemning his own son and losing his wife after Voldemort’s fall had taken a heavy toll on him.
Karkaroff looked mildly impressed, though begrudgingly, as he had been the most out-spoken against Harry’s entry into the Tournament, his gaze kept flicking between Harry’s screen and Viktor’s, the latter still working his way through what appeared to be a spider nest, though they didn’t appear to be Acromantula.
Maxime looked more worried for Fleur, who was picking her way through some Devil Snare.
Sharpe was paying particular attention to Harry’s screen. He’d been an Auror for many years, and he knew dark magic when he saw it. He too would have to have a talk with Harry after the task was complete.
Cedric’s screen suddenly caught their attention when they noticed him encounter a pair of Dugbogs.
-=-=-
Harry panted as the last statue collapsed, shattering as it hit the floor. He was doubled over, sweating and gasping with exhaustion. The effects of that strange potion hadn’t lasted long, and his skin had reverted to normal after about a minute. But in that minute, he’d managed to punch the two statues that had tried to decapitate him with enough force to shatter the heads of both, and once that was done, the bodies lost all coordination and were easily dealt with. He’d also seen the same strange wisps of magic and absorbed them with a mere touch. It felt weird, nothing like the magic he was used to, and certainly nothing like the rush he got after drinking from one of his partners. He could feel it within him now, not mixed with his own, but he couldn’t yet access it; every time he tried, it seemed out of reach.
Groaning as he stood, he turned and approached the steps leading down to another ledge and a floating platform. Just before the ledge, there was a diamond relief carved into the floor, and as he stepped on it, that now familiar burst of magic surrounded him, and he quickly dispersed it. Looking off into the distance, he saw the door on a ledge, likely the way out, but closer, just beyond the floating platform, he saw another arch, and a set of steps leading up from it at a right angle to another ledge, that he was pretty sure hadn’t been there before he approached the diamond in the floor.
“I hope there isn’t much more of this.” He muttered as he jumped onto the floating platform, then Accio’d himself closer to the ledge leading down the arch. Jumping down to the ledge, he approached the railing, leaned over, and again, couldn’t see any other way out. He looked to his left at the arch, but couldn’t see anything behind it. He frowned.
“Just because I can’t see anything, doesn’t mean there’s nothing there.” He said to himself. Turning, he looked back at the floating platform he’d just jumped off, then at the ledge and door about 30 feet away, then back at the platform, and noticed the structure underneath was roughly just above the railing he was now next to.
“Hm, okay, let’s see what’s on the other side of this arch.”
When he reached the lower ledge in front of the arch, he turned and noticed a sheer drop on the other side, but ahead, roughly 5 feet above him in elevation, was another floating platform. Raising his wand, Accio’d the second platform until it bumped into the arch. Then, he turned, headed back up the steps, and climbed onto the first. Turning, he spotted the ring panel embedded in a rock pillar to the left of the arch, and he then looked at the arch and nodded.
“Accio,” He held the charm for a few seconds before releasing it, and the platform drifted to a stop just before the arch. Close, but not close enough for him to risk jumping. A second Accio, this time on the second platform beyond the arch, pulled him close enough, allowing him to jump across.
“Okay, now time to get out of here.”
Another Accio later, he was stepping through the door leading out of the chamber into another, with two spiral staircases in front of him. Quickly hurrying up one of them, he spotted a door ahead. Approaching it, it opened, revealing another chamber, with another closed door ahead. Thankfully, there was nothing in this room besides an old chest, which again contained some potion vials, more purple potion, and more Wiggenweld.
As he opened the second door and stepped through it, he saw a large chamber, easily as big as the one with the bridge or the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Another long path led to a large circular floor with several stone pillars.
Everything about it screamed Duelling Arena to him.
Or, if this was one of Dudley’s video games, a boss fight.
Almost as if in confirmation, four human-sized and two larger statues dropped down from the ceiling.
“Of course…” Harry sighed, immediately opening up with a Descendo aimed at one of the larger statues, forcing it down onto its front. The rest started a slow march towards him, so he started moving, firing off some disarming charms at the human-sized constructs, knocking their weapons free. Then, a quick Accio and Dipulso sent the fallen weapons back to their owners at considerable speed.
As each opponent fell and shattered, he kept moving and casting, sticking mainly to the more destructive or disarming spells. He tried staying still long enough to cast a few of the cutting curses, but the statues quickly side-stepped them, and managed to get close enough to try and get hits in, which he blocked or evaded. A hastily cast Dipulso gained him some breathing room.
He also made sure to move close to or over the remains of each one after it fell, so he could absorb the strange magic he could now feel had built within him rather considerably, though he still couldn’t access it. He pulled out another of the gold potions and drank it, and when only one armour, one of the human-sized ones, remained, he stowed his wand and pulled out the sword he’d recovered.
“Time to see what I can do with this.” He said to himself as he ran up to the armour, which lined up its strike on him with its large spiked mace. He doubted the suits around Hogwarts were charmed to be this tough in a fight. Those were security or decoration; these were weapons, designed to fight and kill.
Clang!
Harry grunted with effort as his broadsword met the large club-like mace the statue was holding, the impact made his arms shudder, and if it hadn’t been for the rock-skin he now had, he was pretty sure the force of that impact might have broken an arm, or both.
Taking a chance, he raised a foot and kicked the thing in the left knee. There was a crack, and it went down, almost losing its balance. Taking his chance, Harry stepped to the side and raised the sword with both hands, and with a yell of effort, exhaustion, and frustration, brought the thick blade down, decapitating the statue, which collapsed and shattered. He quickly kicked the rubble, absorbing the strange magic he could see.
“Okay, for a Boss Fight, that wasn’t very—”
He was cut off by a ripple of magical energy at the centre of the floor as a giant 30—to 40-foot-tall suit of armour climbed out. This one looked even meaner than the statues he’d destroyed. Like the others, its body had intricate detailing and designs all over its form, with the addition of back-angled horns on the helmet. It even had a black cape, which rippled and swirled, as if being buffeted by a wind only it could feel.
“…impressive.” Harry finished lamely.
He and the construct stared at each other for a split second before it knelt and ran its hands through the magical wisps of energy surrounding its feet. Meanwhile, Harry looked down at the sword in his hands. It wouldn’t help him in this fight, so he stowed it back in the satchel and started throwing spells at it. The only spells that seemed to do any damage were Bombarda, Sectumsempra and Confringo, but even they didn’t seem to be doing much. Then the armour stood, holding a glowing ball of magic in its right hand, which started to get bigger.
“PROTEGO!”
A red beam shot from the armour’s raised hand and struck his shield. Even with his boost in power, he still grunted and dropped to one knee under the force of the blast. Then the shield failed, and the last of the beam’s energy hit him, sending him flying.
-=-
Harry blinked, then let out a moan of pain, wondering where he was and why he hurt so much.
Oh yeah.
The giant metal construct that had just decked him with a single shot.
As quickly as he could, he reached into the satchel, pulled out one of the green potion vials, popped the cork and drank it. It fizzed in his mouth and throat as he drank, leaving a warm feeling, like he’d just drunk warm lemonade. The aches in his body faded to dull throbs, allowing him to move without experiencing paralysing agony. Luckily, that hit hadn’t broken anything, but he was sure that was because of his shield.
He looked up and saw the armour; it was raising its left foot, getting ready to stomp the ground, and at the same time, it was raising its hands over its head, clenched into fists. It hadn’t approached him, it hadn’t made any move to leave the centre of the circular ‘arena’, which was fine with Harry. He doubted he could lift it and throw it over the platform’s edge; it was too large, too heavy. He would have to find that recipe and ensure he brewed more.
Getting to his feet, he pulled out the last of the gold potions and drank them all, hoping the effects would stack up. He then pulled out one of the purple potions and drank that, not caring what it would do.
The armour slammed its foot and both clenched fists down, sending a wave of magic and debris careening towards him, forcing him to jump to the side.
It was then that he heard the rumble of thunder and saw the flashes of lightning. Looking up, he saw a swirling thundercloud had formed over the ‘arena’, and every few seconds, bolts of lightning were raining down on the armour, which unfortunately didn’t seem to be taking much damage from it, but it was taking some. ‘Huh, so that’s what that does. Interesting.’
“Okay, had enough now,” he panted, raising his wand, he fired off as many slicing, blasting and burning spells as he could at it, but still only seemed to be doing limited damage.
Then it raised its hand again, and another ball of energy formed.
“Glacius!”
When the freezing charm connected with the magic ball, it exploded, causing the statue to stumble, and glowing fragments of magic fell to the floor. Moving quickly, Harry passed over each of them, absorbing more of that magic. Then he felt it, the magic was starting to respond to his will. Backing away safely, he raised his wand to the ceiling and felt his magic shift.
With a clap of thunder, a bolt of energy shot down from the shadows above, slamming into the giant armour’s left shoulder, causing it to stumble, knocking off several glowing fragments, which Harry quickly moved to intercept. The energy he’d felt building within him had diminished, and he got the impression he wouldn’t be able to pull that trick very often.
Harry stopped after intercepting the last glowing fragment as the armour turned to face him. He had no idea if the people watching could see the fragments, and if they couldn’t, then they were probably wondering why he’d just run circles around this thing and not fired at it. “I think I need some help…” he muttered. Turning, he fired at several of the pillars supporting the ceiling, then summoned the fragments, then, with a few more flicks of his wand, he summoned the remains of the smaller statues he’d already destroyed, then transfigured the pile into a golem, that sort of resembled Hagrid, and stood about 15 feet tall.
“Hope you don’t mind, Hagrid.”
With a wave of his wand, the transfigured statue charged the larger construct, swinging its fists, but in a rather uncoordinated impression of his cousin Dudley. The large armour turned to engage the new threat, swinging its own fists, the sound of the two constructs exchanging blows was almost deafening in the large chamber, but Harry ignored it, getting behind his target, he resumed firing, at its feet, its legs, its back, even the head, when he managed to get a clear shot at it.
After a few more minutes, he noticed the armour was starting to slow, as if the magic powering it was draining out. Every hit, be it from him or from the more miniature statue he’d made, left dents or gouges in it and knocked off more than a few glowing fragments of magic, which he was quick to collect. But he never stopped firing spells, and every so often, when he felt the magic within him build enough, he released it in another burst, though doing so sapped a lot of his strength.
The construct he’d made wasn’t fairing much better than him. Its face, crude as it had been, was now an ugly, dented mess that barely resembled a face; one of its fists was crumpled, and its chest was heavily damaged from the pounding it had taken. But Harry could see the larger construct was beginning to falter; if he held out, he’d beat it, he just wasn’t sure his construct would last long enough.
His fears were confirmed when the large armour suddenly grabbed the more miniature statue, picked it up, and ripped its right arm clean off, then dropped the statue, and proceeded to beat it with its severed arm, knocking it to the ground. It then raised its right hand again, and another ball of magic started to form, and no matter how many spells Harry fired into its back, it ignored him. With a resounding bang, the red beam from the armour’s hand slammed into the chest of his construct, knocking it onto its back. Glowing cracks started to form on its chest.
Then it exploded.
“Bugger me…” Harry moaned in exhaustion and frustration as his one source of help was destroyed. This didn’t seem fair. He hadn’t seen or heard anything of the others, so they weren’t alone with him. If they were, they’d already be here helping him. And if this was the second task, he didn’t want to know the third.
The statue turned to face him, and Harry darted back around it, firing as he went. If he kept moving, it couldn’t hit him. Panting heavily, his lungs, bones, and limbs burning with effort, he felt he was running out of strength and probably chances.
The statue stamped its feet several times, but he could dodge, and then it started to charge its ranged attack again.
“Bombarda!”
The magic sphere exploded, causing the statue to stumble and drop to one knee. More fragments, both magic and pieces of it, fell to the floor. He quickly intercepted the former, using levitation and banishing spells to throw the solid pieces back at the statue.
Several more times, he felt that magic build within him, and each time it reached a certain point, he released it, and each time, the statue took more damage. But by far the most was inflicted when he shot those spheres of magic in its hand.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of fighting, fate decided to take pity on him. With a final Diffindo sent into another red sphere, the statue finally stumbled and dropped to its knees. Harry, finally having had enough, unleashed another pulse of that strange magic, and the statue shuddered, then crumbled, before seemingly dissolving into the floor.
“Finally!” Harry moaned as he dropped to his knees, chest heaving, barely conscious and drenched in sweat. He was so tired, so drained, but he had to keep going. He had to find a way out. Then he heard a clicking sound and looked up to see another bridge unfolding, connecting the platform to a door that had appeared in the distance and another chamber.
Wearily, he staggered to his feet and stumbled forward, muscles aching, but wand raised, ready for anything.
Anything except the large carved stone bust of a bearded wizard’s head positioned over a Pensieve. Why would the second task involve a Pensieve? He already had a pretty good idea where the girls were; he didn’t need a Pensieve to know that.
He couldn’t see any way out, but a quick Revelio allowed him to see a glowing part of the wall, a hidden door perhaps?
“Seriously? That thing was protecting a fucking Pensieve?!” He yelled, feeling utterly cheated as the realisation hit him.
This was NOT part of the Second Task. It just couldn’t be. It meant that he’d almost died several times, fighting armed statues and something the size of a Giant, and it likely had all been for NOTHING!
A sense of all-consuming rage suddenly started to build within him at the utter unfairness of it all. He then turned and saw his reflection in a pool of water. Slowly, he raised his free hand in front of his face, raising his middle finger while glaring at what he knew were the people watching.
Then he turned back to the Pensieve and debated whether he should look. He then reached up and pulled the goggles up to his forehead. He wasn’t sure what memories were in the Pensieve, or if the goggles would even work, but he still didn’t think they deserved to see what was in that thing. He noticed something glowing drop into the Pensieve from the corner of his eye. He turned back just in time to see something resembling the strange motifs he’d seen throughout the maze. It looked like an egg, or an almond; it was surrounded by a curling strand of magic that almost looked like a flame, and it gave off a strange hissing sound as it rose out of the liquid.
Raising his wand, he tapped the anomaly, which vanished with a pop. He suddenly felt a solid lump drop into one of his pockets, just as the Philosopher's stone had in his first year in front of the Mirror. Pulling it out, he looked at it curiously. It was a ball, transparent like glass, and inside, there was a swirling spark of magic. Shrugging, he deposited it into the satchel slung over his shoulder, the sword and remaining potions, and dunked his head into the Pensieve.
-=-=-=-
Harry groaned as, with a sudden jolt, he was unceremoniously tossed out of whatever magical portal he’d entered after watching the memory in the Pensive that made absolutely no sense, and gave him the distinct impression that he was missing a lot of context.
He’d tried to leave the chamber through the glowing doorway hidden in the wall. Oddly, when he’d approached it, it had turned transparent, and he saw what looked like a large circular room with four large portrait frames on the far wall, and what looked like a glass floor surrounded by a railing and a small pedestal opposite the frames.
He had absolutely no idea where that room was, but he saw no other way out of the room he was currently in.
He pressed his hand against it, feeling the stone under his skin, then felt the air shift around him, almost like he was activating another Portkey, only to be abruptly thrown to one side and tossed into the cold night air, where he now found himself somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. He was where he should have been all along, but he didn’t seem as close to the castle as that doorway indicated he should be. He looked up at the sky and noted the dark clouds obscuring the night sky, no stars, and only a faint trace of the moon.
“Lumos,”
He blinked, staring at the illuminated face of his watch. 9 pm.
It had taken him three hours to escape that weird underground maze full of animated statues that kept trying to kill him. Worse, it was now night, and he had no idea where he was in relation to Hogwarts, so he had no idea how far away he was from the lake. He was exhausted, starving, thirsty, and cold.
“Why does everything want me dead?” he sighed. “Like, seriously? Who did I piss off in a past life?”
It couldn’t have taken him three hours to get through that, right? It couldn’t have been that long a maze. He turned and looked around, trying to judge his location in the forest. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell where he was due to the gloom.
But judging by his surroundings and the sparsity of the trees, he was just inside the northern edge of the forest. He still had a long way to go.
And roughly 20 hours and 40 minutes to get the task done.
‘I hope this was where the Portkey was supposed to drop me. Cause if it was, then somebody fucked up. They’re gonna owe me double points at this rate.’
He turned away, silently hoping never to endure something like that again. He wondered for a moment where the others had ended up.
“Point me,” he said, holding his wand up, palm open. It spun in his palm, doing a full circle, before it moved again, pointing off slightly to his left. Gripping his wand, he started walking, ignoring his tiredness, sore muscles, aching and rumbling stomach as best he could. He’d had breakfast then lunch during the day, but hadn’t fed since the night before. After lunch, Lavender Brown had offered when she pointed out that she hadn’t seen Hermione, Daphne, Susan, or Luna anywhere in the castle; no one in Gryffindor had, which had concerned him greatly. He was now almost certain all four of them were at the bottom of the lake, and judging by Fleur’s reaction to hearing the clue just before they Portkeyed, likely her little sister was down there as well.
He had begrudgingly accepted Lavender’s offer, taking her to the Room of Requirement and summoning a replica of the Gryffindor Common Room with a mattress in the middle of the floor. Lavender, face as red as a tomato, but wearing the most eager smile he’d ever seen on her, had torn her knickers in her effort to remove them, before pushing him down the mattress and mounting his face, almost violently grinding her wet lips against his face, her eager panting accompanied by a satisfied growl which turned into a moan, then a scream, as he immediately went to work on her.
As expected, however, he’d gotten nothing from her, other than the experience of her almost painfully trying to crush his skull between her smooth, warm thighs. He’d left the room feeling no different than when he went in. She had offered, face flushed and panting for breath, to return the favour, eyeing the bulge in his trousers with the look of a woman who was starving. He’d respectfully declined, inquiring if she was dating anyone. She’d replied no, but cheekily asked if Hermione and the girls would ever accept an extra on the side.
Dumbledore had later assured him that the girls were safe, and he would see them soon, but Dumbledore couldn’t officially say where they were. The question was, was he? He knew from past experience that he could go at least two days without feeding, but the longer he went, the worse he got, and so would they. Hopefully, depending on how far away from Hogwarts he was, he would struggle to stay conscious by the time he reached them. All he knew was that it would be a long, cold night.
-=-=-=-
Harry stumbled through the trees, almost tripping over a few roots and falling face-first into some nettles.
He was getting even more tired than ever since he’d left that strange chamber. He rechecked his watch: 10:15 p.m. He’d been wandering through the forest in the general direction of Hogwarts for just over an hour, and now he was getting hungry and cold—not the best combination.
Worse still, the wind had picked up, chilling him even more, and on top of that, it had started to snow about half an hour into his wandering.
He’d cast several warming charms on himself and transfigured his clothes as best he could, but he hadn’t dressed for a maze crawl followed by a nightlong walk through the forest in the middle of late winter. He had been meant to go swimming in an ice-cold lake.
He’d found and eaten a few ripe fruits that hadn’t alleviated his hunger. He’d found a patch of Leaping Toadstools and considered trying to eat one, but they’d all jumped away when he'd approached. He didn’t bother chasing them. He’d also seen some regular mushrooms dotted around, but wasn’t sure if it was worth the risk of trying to eat them. The last thing he wanted to do was poison himself, especially since he didn’t have a bezoar on him.
The satchel he’d found in that strange maze was still slung over his shoulder, but all that was in it was a few leftover potion vials and that sword, and the odd object that had come out of the Pensieve, none of which would do him much good out here. He’d retrieved the goggles before he’d left the maze, and now they were helping keep snow off his glasses.
He hadn’t run into either Cedric, Viktor or Fleur yet. He wondered how they were doing, and how far ahead they were. The mental link with the girls was also quiet, indicating they were still unconscious, or just out of range, though he wasn’t sure if the connection even had a range limit. He got a vague idea of where they were, but he wouldn’t be able to find them quickly at this distance unless they were awake.
He was tempted to take off his goggles and throw them away so the spectators couldn’t track his progress. He wondered how long they would keep those screens going. He reasoned that they wouldn’t make people watch all night, surely?
He paused as the wind changed, and he shivered; the meagre warming charms were clearly not enough. Then he paused, sniffing the air now that the wind was blowing towards him. He could smell smoke and what smelled like meat cooking.
A campfire.
“Point Me Campfire.” He muttered. His wand spun again, pointing to the right, and he turned, hurrying in that direction. Hopefully, he would meet up with one of the others, and hopefully, they’d be willing to share what food they had.
After another 10 or 15 minutes of stumbling through underbrush, tree roots, holes in the ground and deepening snow, he finally came to a clearing where someone had made camp.
He paused as he hid behind a tree, peering around to get a look.
There was a figure sitting on a log in front of the fire, with what looked like a pot sat on a cradle above the flames. The smell of cooking meat was coming from the pot. The figure was wearing a hooded robe and definitely didn’t look like one of the others. What was a lone camper doing out here?
Sensing movement to his right, he turned and locked eyes with Viktor Krum, hiding behind a tree about 15 feet away, just barely close enough for the light from the fire to illuminate him.
The two Champions stared at each other in surprise. They had been drawn here by the same thing, but they had each expected one of the others to be here already, it seemed.
Harry pointed at the figure and gestured to Viktor, who shrugged.
“Okay, might as well get this over with.” The figure, a woman, said to herself as she stood. “Hopefully, I can find and bag Potter and get back here before the stew burns. Can’t believe I have to wait out here in this bloody forest freezing my boobs off! That damn payout better by good!”
Harry’s breath caught, eyes widening.
She was here for him? Why? And what did she mean by ‘payout’? He looked at Viktor, whose face had become dark and focused, the same look he’d had at the World Cup when he was focused on the Snitch. He was already spoiling for a fight. They locked eyes and nodded in unison. Harry turned to the woman and levelled his wand.
“Expelliarmus!” he whispered. Unfortunately, the woman’s hearing was better than he thought, as she immediately spun out of the way, letting his shot miss, then raised her wand.
“Reducto!”
Harry rolled to the side as the tree he’d been hiding behind exploded.
“Well, lookie ‘ere! The Mooncalf’s come to the She-wolf!” the woman gloated as she readied herself. Her face was hidden behind a mask, but her eyes were sharp and cold. They quickly snapped to her left as she picked out Viktor, who was taking up position behind his own tree.
“Aah, found one of your friends, eh? It won’t do you any good, I might ask extra for baggin’ one of the Triwizard Champions too!” The woman ended her sentence by sending a shot in Viktor’s direction, but he dodged it easily enough thanks to his years as a Seeker.
“So, you wanna kill me, huh? Get in line! Actually, don’t bother! It didn’t go so well for the last two who tried to kill me! And who the hell are you calling a Mooncalf?!” Harry snapped as he ducked back behind cover.
“What can I say? It’s not every day someone gets to off the Boy-Who-Lived and a Professional Quidditch Seeker. Besides, there’s gold involved. And there’s a lot on your head, Potter!” The woman said, before throwing a curse at him, which he dodged.
“So, a bounty hunter, eh? Someone must really want me dead, I mean, besides Voldemort.” He ignored the momentary flinch the woman made, and he tried to get her with a body bind, but she ducked and raised a shield to stop a stunner from Viktor, and answered with one of her own, but missed.
“Who is it then? Malfoy? Parkinson? Bulstrode? Nott, Crabbe or Goyle? Probably Malfoy, probably still pissed about his little rodent of a son getting twelve hundred years in Dementor Hotel!” Harry snarled. “How much is he offering?”
“I don’t know who’s payin’, and I don’ care! It’s enough to retire on! Dead or alive, the reward is the same! Bombarda!” She cast another spell at Harry, then turned and Disapparated with a crack.
Harry locked eyes with Viktor, only to hear the crack of Apparition right behind him.
“Avada Kedavra!” their attacker yelled. Eyes going wide, Harry dived to the side, barely avoiding the green killing curse that struck the tree he’d been hiding behind. The sickly green tendrils of energy washed over the trunk, down into the roots, and up into the branches, killing it completely.
-=-=-=-
In the stands, those who were staying awake to watch the progress erupted in outrage and panic as they saw the killing curse fly from two perspectives.
It was clear to everyone watching that this wasn’t part of the Task, that someone was legitimately out to kill one, if not two, of the Champions.
The Durmstrang, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students were especially mutinous; many started calling for the Task to be declared void due to outside interference. Surprisingly enough, the Beauxbatons students also agreed.
In his rattling voice, Crouch spoke with a sonorous over the rising voices of protest and condemnation.
“The Task will not be voided!” He rasped, to the sounds of jeers and boos from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
“The Task is a test of the Champion’s speed, endurance and survival skills. This is no different than Diggory facing those Dugbogs, or Krum finding himself in that Spider nest. They will be judged on how they handle this!”
“And if either of them dies?” A Seventh-year Hufflepuff asked.
“Then that is on them,” Crouch replied before cancelling the charm on himself and sitting down.
“Fuck you old man!” Ginny yelled, to gasps from many of the students.
“I say! Ginevra Weasley! Apologise this instant!” Percy yelled.
“And an even bigger fuck you to YOU! Blood Traitor!”
There were even more gasps, this time from most of the remaining Hogwarts students. A look of shock, pain, and betrayal briefly crossed Percy’s face before it became cold and expressionless as he glared at his baby sister, who glared right back at him, arms folded.
“Merlin…I always hoped someone would say it, I just never thought it’d be her…” Fred muttered, and George nodded. Their parents were not going to be happy with Ginny when they heard about this.
The Ministry contingent was stunned into silence; even the Hogwarts professors were speechless. Finally, Dumbledore rose, clearing his throat.
“I think that is enough of that, Miss Weasley, kindly refrain from making such outbursts in the future. Mister Weasley, I advise you to stay quiet for the evening. At dawn, I will provide all those still awake with a Time Turner, at which point, we will go back to the start of the evening and allow ourselves to get some much-needed rest so we can come back fresh-faced and not miss anything.”
Then he paused, as if considering his following words, “The Task can not be cancelled as long as Champions remain in the field. I’m afraid Mr Potter and Mr Krum are on their own.”
This last statement received several calls of protest from the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, but curiously, not the Slytherins. However, it was clear to everyone that Dumbledore wasn’t going to budge.
-=-=-=-
Taking a chance, Harry dived then rolled towards the tree Viktor was hiding behind, barely missing a binding spell sent at him. He answered with several levitated rocks that he threw at her, distracting her long enough for him to reach his ally.
“Please tell me you know an Anti-Disapparation Jinx or charm or something.” He whispered, panting.
“I do,” Viktor growled. “Keep her distracted.”
‘Gladly…’ Harry thought. He leaned out from the tree and fired off his own Confringo which she dodged, giving him a few seconds to run back to his own tree. As soon as she reappeared, he hit her with a Levisio then a rather nasty Descendo, followed quickly by a stunner which she rolled out of the way of, before lining up a shot, sending a Petrifacus Totalus at him, which he dodged easily enough.
She disappeared with another crack, and reappeared behind him, forcing him to swing round the tree to avoid a bludgeoning hex aimed at his head. Looking round the tree, he saw her taking aim at Viktor, who had his wand raised and was muttering something.
Another shot from Harry was blocked by a shield, and she answered with a Glacius which was dodged.
“Done!” Viktor said in triumph.
“Bombarda!” Harry shouted. The ground in front of their enemy exploded, knocking her off her feet and breaking her shield.
"Ossifrango!" Harry yelled as their opponent started to get to her feet.
Their assailant suddenly screamed as several loud cracks had Harry wincing a little, as she dropped her wand, and then dropped back to the ground as her legs went out from under her.
“What the fucking hell…did you do?!” the woman gasped as she lay prone on the ground, the two wizards approached her cautiously, wands raised.
“Just shattered your pelvis. Effectively dislocating both of your hips, and filling your lower abdominal region, particularly around your lower intestines, bladder and reproductive organs with some very sharp bone fragments. I wouldn’t try to move much, if I were you. And I certainly wouldn’t recommend trying to Disapparate or use a Portkey, you’re probably already bleeding internally.” Harry said. Viktor gave him a surprised look, but also one full of grudging respect.
Probably not the most honourable way to end a duel, but certainly effective.
“Who hired you?” Viktor growled as he stepped up, wand raised.
“Fuck…you…” their assailant gasped. Though there was a hood covering her head, and a mask covering the lower portion of her face, her eyes were visible, as were the tears of agony flowing from them. Along with the cold glare of hate she was sending at both of them. A look that promised death once she was able.
“Doesn’t take a genius to work out Malfoy put a price on my head. Anyone else out here looking to collect? Or were you the only one desperate or dumb enough to try? Hm?” Harry glared at her. She glared back.
“Lick…My…Arse!” she snarled, her right hand inching towards her fallen wand.
“No thanks, only my girlfriends get that privilege.”
Viktor snorted. “I vill not tell Herm-mio-ne you say that.” He then turned to glare down at their enemy. “Vat is your name?”
She simply glared at him.
“Answer him or I’ll break something else,” Harry growled.
“Zhou. Gwendolyn Zhou,” she ground out.
“Any more of you out here looking to cash in?” Harry asked. She glared up at him.
“Dunno…price on your head is big Potter…” she gasped, the pain of her injuries making it difficult for her to concentrate. “More than I think the Malfoys have…hunters from all over the continent will try for it, I’d wager…”
“So it’s multiple families, or someone at the Ministry pitched in.” Harry reasoned.
“But vy?” Viktor asked.
Harry shrugged. “We’ll leave that to the Professors to figure out.” With a wave of his wand, Gwendolyn gasped and sighed. Harry then reached into his robes and pulled out the emergency Portkey he’d been given.
“I just vanished the bone fragments. You’ll need to take some Skele-Gro if you ever want to walk again, and I know from experience that regrowing bones a bitch.” He reached down and picked up her wand just as she was about to close her hand around it, instead replacing it with the Portkey.
“Portus,”
With a swirl of air and magic, she was gone. Standing up, Harry examined her wand before casually snapping it and tossing it aside.
“You gave her Portkey?” Viktor asked.
“I might be more willing to play dirty, but I wasn’t going to leave her here to die, and we need more answers, and neither of us can spare the time. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Hopefully, what she was cooking is good, and hopefully I can reach the girls soon.”
Viktor gave him an odd look. Harry returned it and moved to the steaming pot of food, checking on it. Stew. Not his favourite, but he’d make do.
“Vat makes you think Prize is girls?” Viktor asked.
“You haven’t figured it out yet? Someone, I suspect our respective Headmasters, put something personally valuable to each of us at the bottom of the Black Lake, where the Merpeople live. I can only speculate on Cedric and Fleur, but I haven’t seen Hermione, Susan, Daphne or Luna all day, and that is unusual, considering our circumstances. I also haven’t been able to speak with any of them, which means they’re either all unconscious or out of range.”
“Hmm…I do not think…hm…” Viktor pondered as he and Harry sat before the pot and started eating, after letting it cool a little off the fire.
Viktor went quiet as they started to eat.
“How did you find this campsite? I haven’t been in the forest nearly as long as you guys.”
“Got dropped into spider lair. Had to fight vay out, then got lost.” Viktor said. Harry winced.
“Vat you mean? Not in the forest as long as us?”
Harry grunted, “I got dropped into some labyrinth full of animated statues that tried to kill me. At the end of it, there was this giant statue I had to fight, it almost killed me. After that, this Pensieve was under a giant stone head of someone I didn’t recognise. And from what I could tell, that memory it showed me, I think, is part of a larger narrative I don’t know, I’m missing a lot of pieces, none of it made sense. Took me 3 hours to get through it. I only found this pack, a few potion vials, and a sword.” He finished, gesturing to the pack at his side, opening one of the two flaps and pulling out the sword.
“Impressive,” Viktor replied.
As they ate in silence, Harry noticed Viktor giving him odd looks, he seemed to be worrying about something.
“What is it?”
“Harry…I must apologise.”
“For what?”
“Before First Task, Herm-mio-ne and I…ve…in Library…” Viktor said, sounding very uncomfortable, and not meeting his eyes.
“Oh, that, yeah, Hermione told me about that a while ago. I don’t hold it against you.” Harry said.
“Vas fake.”
“What?”
“The memory…something does not seem right. I learn mind magics at Durmstrang. I use lessons to meditate, which helps me focus. Something about that memory seems…not right.”
“You mean you think the memory of meeting Hermione in the library is fake? Or what you two did is fake?” Harry asked. Viktor shrugged helplessly.
“I cannot be sure, but the newspaper says we were seen in the library, so likely we did go, but other thing…” he shook his head, scowling.
“To learn someone has tampered vith memories…it is…” he struggled, “…narushavane. A violation.”
Harry scowled. No, this did not sound good. Something was up.
“Thanks for letting me know. Once this Task is over, I’ll let Hermione know,” Harry said, offering a hand to Viktor, who shook it solidly with a smile.
“Da,”
After a few moments of silence, a thought pricked the back of Harry’s mind—a memory of a meeting between himself, the girls, and Dumbledore just after the school term started. Harry couldn’t quite remember all the details, which he found odd, but he did remember there was mention of learning Occlumency and what it was, but that Dumbledore wouldn’t teach them. The reason for that meeting, though, why the subject of Occlumency even came up, and what became of that meeting, he couldn’t remember.
Why?
‘He promised to talk to McGonagall or Flitwick, but neither talked to us…maybe he got distracted by the trials…but why can’t I remember everything? I’m sure there are bits I’m missing…’
Had his mind been tampered with? The fact that he seemed to be missing several memories indicated that it had. And how had he not noticed anything until just now? Something was wrong…
“Could you teach me? And Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Luna?” he asked. Viktor paused his eating and looked at him.
“Perhaps, but I am not expert, it takes time to learn, is very…vat is word…lichen…intimate, personal. Private memories can easily be seen, I would see things you may not vant me to.”
“At this point, I’d trust you to poke around in my head more than any of our staff,” Harry replied, surprised by how sincere he was by that statement.
Krum snorted with a smile, “You are bonding vith your girls, da? Then that should give you protection already.”
Harry thought for another moment…that was an interesting point. He wouldn’t be surprised if Hermione, at the very least, wanted to complete the Bond with him after the Task. Hell, Daphne might even want to, despite her…hesitations.
A short while later, they prepared to leave after the two had finished eating.
“This vere ve must part vays, good luck, Harry.”
The two boys shook hands, and then Viktor left. Harry decided to stick around and search the bounty hunter’s campsite for anything useful.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
Hope you all enjoyed this part. As I said in the opening notes, I hope to have part 2 ready to publish by the end of the month, while I work on finishing part 3.
Here are the translations of what Fleur and Viktor said at the beginning of the chapter (translated as best i could)
“Quelque chose qui me manquerait sûrement… non…NON! Tu ne l’as pas fiat! Dis-moi que tu ne l’as pas fait! Tu n’oserais pas!”
“Something I would surely miss…no…NO! You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t! You wouldn’t dare!”
“Kakvó? Kópele!” - "What? Bastard!"
Also, with the recent release of Unreal Engine 5.6 and the full integration of the MetaHuman system, I'm planning on doing some fan art for this story, which will also include a couple of pieces I've already commissioned, once I figure out exactly how to use the MetaHuman system properly. I will put it in its own dedicated work, which I will post separately and link to this story as part of a series.
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If you want to, please follow this Link to reach my Discord Server. If you want to come and chat, there are also links to my other stories as well as stories written by other members :)
Chapter 21: The Second Task, part 2
Notes:
Here is part 2 of the Second Task, not sure when Part 3 will be ready, so I won't try to put a date to it (I missed this update's estimate by about a week). Hope you all enjoy it.
The OCs introduced in this chapter I borrowed with permission from the author DirtyUncle, they're from his very hot oneshot Nymphs of the Forbidden Forest, if you haven't read it yet, go read it. All in all, I think this chapter is a rather fitting tribute to that oneshot.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Hogwarts Hospital Wing.
Albus Dumbledore stared down at the unconscious form lying prone on the bed. It had been perhaps 10 minutes since they had all seen Harry give his would-be assassin his emergency Portkey, which had sent her right back to where they had departed from.
He had given each of the Champions the Portkeys just a few moments before Bagman had walked up with the goggles and information about the task's true objectives.
Dumbledore’s instructions to them had been simple. The Portkeys were for emergency use only, specifically in life-threatening situations where no other possible way out existed. As an added incentive, they were told that using them would count as forfeiting the task and likely their place in the Tournament.
Dumbledore had stunned the woman the moment she’d materialised. The staff had quickly surrounded her after a quick examination by Poppy, and Phoenix transported her to the hospital wing, where Poppy was able to run a proper exam before ministering some Skele-Gro.
The door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Amelia Bones and two Aurors entered, none looking happy.
“Okay, Albus, what is it this time? Care to tell me why I was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to answer an emergency call to come here?” Amelia growled, before her eyes turned to the form on the bed. “Who is this?”
“We do not know. She is someone both Mister Krum and Mister Potter encountered at a campsite in the Forbidden Forest. The Second Task is currently in progress and will conclude tomorrow at sunset. The champions are each wearing a pair of goggles that transmit what they see back here to screens we’ve set up so we can watch the proceedings. This lady attacked both Mr Potter and Mr Krum. We saw evidence of several dark spells, and even one usage of the Killing Curse before Mr Potter could subdue her.”
Amelia nodded curtly before turning to Pomfrey. “How was she subdued? I take it they didn’t stun her.”
“No, they didn’t, Albus did. Her pelvis is gone. Someone, I’m guessing Potter, vanished it,” a very tired-looking Pomfrey said.
“Gone? Well that is…unorthodox…” Amelia said, looking impressed. “Moody must be proud,” She muttered.
“There was also evidence of minor laceration throughout her abdomen. Someone hit her with a bone-breaker that shattered her pelvis before it was removed. Again, judging by what we saw, that was most likely Potter. That boy is getting more than a little aggressive lately,” Pomfrey added.
“Alright, alright, I don’t want to leave a woman this dangerous here at the school. She’s coming to the Ministry with us,” Amelia said.
“Might I suggest Saint Mungo’s? Leave her under guard, of course. I suspect she might be a bounty hunter, and if she is, then taking her to the Ministry could give whoever hired her the opportunity to make sure she doesn’t talk,” Dumbledore countered.
“Fine, Saint Mungo’s. I’ll leave some guards with her, with orders to test everything she’s given beforehand,” Amelia said, gesturing to the two Aurors with her, who raised their wands. Soon, she was levitated from the ward to Pomfrey’s office to the open floo.
“By the way, I hope Susan isn’t staying up too late to watch those screens. Staying up this late isn’t healthy,” Amelia said as she turned to follow the two Aurors. Pomfrey had to bite her lip to stop herself from telling her old friend where her niece was.
-=-=-=-
Harry stumbled through the trees; he was lost now. The only sounds he could hear were the occasional hoots of Hogwarts Owls hunting for food, the occasional flutter and squeak of what could only be bats, and the odd distant call of an unidentified animal.
It had been roughly an hour and a half since he’d seen Viktor, which put the time at around 11:30 pm, or closer to 11:45. Another fifteen minutes and it would be midnight. While the food they’d shared had warmed him up, it still wasn’t what he needed.
He was still reviewing everything he’d seen in that weird maze, the memory he’d seen, and that strange form of magic he’d somehow acquired and used. He could still feel it, but when he tried to tap into it while stumbling over tree roots in the dark, it seemed just out of reach, like he was missing something.
He hadn’t recognised any of the Professors in those memories, nor the girl, Isidora Morganach. He vaguely recognised the name Rookwood, and the giant head had resembled the face of the bearded man referred to as Rackham, but beyond that…
Though the transfiguration magic he’d seen Isidora perform had been impressive, she seemed to utilise that same form of magic he’d seen in the maze. He decided he’d have to think about it; maybe the girls would have some ideas.
He was tired, cold, hungry and still hard as a rock. He was reminded of those days after he and Hermione were cursed. He was glad he only had to wait 24 hours this time.
After a bit more stumbling, he paused as he smelled something in the air, something…sweet?
Taking a left, he followed the scent deeper into a particularly dense cluster of oak trees until he came across a small stream, the flowing water acting as a guide. Suddenly, he took a misstep and toppled over a ledge with a yelp. His foot sank into the underbrush, and he just kept going, the group gone from under him.
“Shite!” He yelled as he fell, grunting with pain as he hit the incline and tumbled, his clothes getting caught on rocks, roots and branches as he flailed. His wand slipped from his hand during the fall, but he was too distracted to notice as he felt the various rocks and roots scrape his skin and catch on and tear at his trousers, shirt and robes.
Finally, his fall came to a stop, and he lay there, groaning in pain. Somehow the goggles had stayed on his face, and the satchel on his shoulder, but his wand was gone, and now his clothes were torn and muddied, and he was sure he had several contusions, cuts and bruises.
He wasn’t sure how long he lay there groaning in pain, but he eventually struggled into a kneeling position, then, awkwardly, got to his feet and stepped out of the underbrush, into a small clearing maybe the size of the Hogwarts library.
That strange, sweet smell was strong now, the stream he’d followed from above cutting through the clearing. Cautiously, he stepped forward. There was something…odd about this place. It didn’t feel overly dangerous or anything, just bizarre. It felt…safe…almost like he could stay and not worry about the dangers lurking in the forest.
He blinked, wondering why it seemed so well-lit. For a second, he pondered if he’d accidentally cast a Lumos, but then remembered he’d dropped his wand in the fall.
No, the light illuminating the clearing was something else…something…familiar? It seemed to come from the grass, vines, the roots and even a few trees. It looked like the glow he’d seen in that strange maze, and now that he thought more about it, it looked like that strange glow he’d seen surrounding Fleur.
He realised it looked exactly like the strange glow he’d seen around Fleur, and even his partners had started to exhibit it.
The light wasn’t much, but it was enough to see the vines and tree roots spread all over the ground, nothing that would trip him as long as he was careful. He also noted the light dusting of frost on the ground; there was no snow, just frost.
This place seemed rather nice. It certainly smelled nice. Like a freshly cut lawn, or a meadow after a fresh spring shower. Not that he’d been to any meadows, of course. Walking up to the stream, he knelt and dipped his hand in. It was surprisingly free-flowing, considering the cold; he expected it to be frozen. It was also deeper than he thought.
Reaching into his satchel, and ignoring the twinges of pained protest his battered body was giving him, he pulled out an animal-hide-covered leather flask he’d liberated from Zhou’s camp. Dipping it into the water, he let it fill, brought it up to his face and sniffed. It smelled clean…he took a sip.
It tasted…good. Refreshing even, despite it being ice cold. While it probably wasn’t a good idea to drink near-freezing water in the dead of night in late February, in the middle of a snow-covered forest, he couldn’t afford to pass up fresh drinking water, especially since it was the only thing that could sustain him out here.
Harry turned around, then froze. Where before there had been nothing but a forest clearing, now stood a woman. She was tall, coming in at roughly seven feet, he reckoned, at most, six at least. Her skin was a pale green, and her long, pointy ears poked through tendril-like hair that resembled the canopy of a tree, with bright red blossoms growing out of it that matched the solid colour of her eyes, which seemed to glow in the low light. Yet, unlike last time he’d seen something with glowing eyes — Voldemort’s face — there was no malice or hatred in them, just curiosity, excitement and something else he couldn’t place. Besides the tangle on her head, she had no body hair whatsoever.
The latter fact was very evident to him, for she was completely naked.
The vision of beauty spoke in a soothing, velvety soft, husky voice that sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
“Hello,” she purred in a thick, sultry tone that poured into Harry’s ears like warm chocolate and filled his thoughts and senses.
“Hi...?” he said awkwardly, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, looking up to meet her ruby eyes. Though it was challenging, she didn’t seem to mind his eyes wandering, and even seemed to encourage it as she pushed her breasts out when she saw his gaze drop.
Harry had seen Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Luna naked more times than he could count, so he figured he’d be used to seeing a nude woman by now, but this was something else entirely. Her skin was completely flawless, not a trace of imperfection anywhere that he could see. If he were honest with himself, her skin almost seemed to be…glowing?
He blinked several times…no, she was glowing, not bright enough that it was blinding, but enough that he could see her without needing a lit wand. It looked identical to the strange glow he could see throughout the clearing, which he’d seen in that weird underground maze with those statues.
Her overall figure was a classic hour-glass silhouette; one might even say voluptuous; her breasts were large and firm, seeming to defy gravity in a way that made them look…perfect. Each one was capped by a pink nipple that was not only hard but seemed to glisten with something, which, on a second glance, he saw seemed to be…honey? Her stomach was flat and toned, her skin smooth as silk. Her hips flared outward. Her soft stomach, which surprisingly enough had a belly button, gently curved down to the top of her thighs, where the skin parted to form a pair of plump, soft, and very wet lips if the sheen covering them and the surrounding skin was any indication. At the apex of the slit was a hint of deep pink starting to emerge. He also noticed what seemed to be droplets of gold liquid forming on her lips, some of which dropped to the ground while others clung to her skin.
As he watched, her labia seemed to move of their own accord. They opened, seemingly with the same dexterity and prehensility that the lips on her face possessed, revealing the deep pink flesh within. He caught a very brief glimpse of her opening, soaked in a thick liquid as it seemed to pulse and clench, as if trying to grip something, and above it, there was her clitoris, which almost seemed to reach out towards him as if trying to get his attention. Then, just as quickly, her lips closed.
He caught himself staring, openly panting like a horny dog, and he tore his eyes away from her crotch, only for them to land on her generous chest, his face flushing with embarrassment, guilt and shame.
“S-Sorry…” he croaked, his voice cracking as his throat and mouth ran dry and his dick practically hammered the front of his trousers as if trying to get out. He suddenly wondered if the shivering he was experiencing was just the cold temperature.
Everything about this strange woman screamed femininity, lust, sensuality and sex.
She smiled at him kindly, “It is quite all right, young wizard. Feel free to look all you want. Does my visage please you? Do you find me desirable?”
“I…” Harry stammered. He did find her desirable, very much so. Part of him desperately wanted to touch her, bury his face between those breasts, or between her legs and drink from her. Why had he been wandering through this forest? He’d been looking for something…no…someone…maybe her? Had he been looking for her? That sweet aroma he could smell was getting stronger, and his thoughts were getting more hazy.
Smiling, the strange woman raised a hand, beckoning him forward.
“Come…” she cooed. If it were possible to turn the sensation of touching soft silk, warm liquid chocolate and honey into sound, then that is what Harry imagined it would be like as her words reached him and his senses seemed to dull, and all he could think about was obeying her.
Awkwardly, he stumbled forward and reached out a hand, wincing slightly as his battered body protested the sudden movement. Her face was truly beautiful, almost hypnotic, her smile sultry and hungry as her eyes ravelled up and down his body, pausing at his crotch, her pink tongue peaking out and slowly licking her lips as her eyes focused on the rather obvious tent in his trousers as he moved. Her heated gaze ravelled back up to his face as their fingers briefly touched, then she grabbed his hand and reeled him in like a fish faster than he could react, pulling him into her embrace as her arms solidified around him, and their lips met in a deep, passionate kiss.
His skin suddenly started to tingle warmly, and he shuddered. It was as if an electrical current was touching him, but the sensations were far from painful. He was so caught off guard by the kiss and the strangely long tongue suddenly filling his mouth that he didn’t have time to think or react as her hands started to roam over his body shamelessly. One went down to his crotch to lecherously grope his erection, while the other went around his waist to grab at his butt. A deep, longing moan echoed from her chest, the vibrations ravelling along her long tongue and into his mouth, which only served to disorientate him more.
When the kiss finally broke, and he staggered back, panting, his eyes travelled back up to meet hers. Her gaze was intense yet non-threatening—inviting even—as he suddenly remembered he had somewhere else to be. He needed to get something, but what? “I…I have to go…”
“Will you not stay and hear us out?” the woman asked.
“‘Us’?” he asked, his voice thick with confusion and arousal. Several giggles caught his attention, and he turned around, suddenly taking note of the six other women; each of various heights and builds, and multiple shades of green skin — except one whose skin more closely resembled the colour of honey — with strange branch-like hair on each of their heads — and not a trace below the neck — and matching blossoms and eyes, and all as naked as the first and seemingly blessed with an ethereal beauty that easily rivalled that of a Veela.
And each one of them glowed as bright as the ruby-eyed woman.
The smallest and youngest seemed to be the shyest. She hung back among the others, the blossoms in her hair a vibrant cerulean, as were her eyes, which peered at him curiously yet shyly in a way that made her look overly cute. She reminded him of Fleur’s little sister, even though she seemed to be about his age physically.
To her left stood two others, who, on closer inspection, seemed to have matching yellow eyes and blossoms, faces, and what appeared to be horn-like branches sprouting out of their heads like antlers. Given their similarities, it was clear that they were twins.
To the other side of the smallest stood two more green-skinned women, one with purple eyes and blossoms in her hair and the other with pink eyes and flowers.
Finally, to the left of the twins stood the honey-skinned woman, who seemed to be the most endowed among them, which was saying a lot considering how well endowed the rest of them were, even the smallest of them, who at most was maybe five and a half feet tall, had breasts that he thought could easily match Susan’s generous bust.
He shook his head, finally breaking out of the fog his mind had seemed to be in, and he could think again. Yes, he did have somewhere else to be: The Black Lake.
‘What the bloody hell just happened to me? It was like I just wanted to get down on my knees and either eat her out or fuck her…it almost felt like Veela Allure…but…different somehow?’ He thought. He remembered the few times he’d been exposed to the Allure but couldn’t remember it being that strong.
‘Or maybe…’ he thought, ‘…most of the time I wasn’t close enough to get a full blast of it. Fleur never really cut loose around me or directly at me…it was like at the World Cup but…stronger…maybe because she’s closer than those veela were? Are they even related to Veela?’
He tried to step away, around the red-eyed woman, but one of his feet caught on something hard, and he lost his balance. With a yelp, he fell as he turned, arms flailing. As he fell, the satchel slid off his right arm as he collided with something unyielding. He groaned as his still battered body protested the sudden jolting and twisting. He also dropped the flask he’d been holding.
He lay on what he thought was cold, hard ground, groaning and dazed. His discomfort didn’t last, however, as he realised his head was resting on very soft skin. Very smooth, surprisingly very warm, and very naked skin.
“Do not fret, we mean you no harm, young human,” the strange green-skinned woman cooed soothingly as he realised with a start that he’d fallen into her embrace. She’d moved surprisingly fast to catch him when he fell and had positioned herself so that his face would land against her toned, smooth, remarkably warm lower stomach, his face practically pressed into the apex of her thighs. His arms instinctively went round her waist for purchase, his hands coming to rest on what he soon realised with a start was her buttocks. Her arms folded around him in a gentle yet firm embrace.
“Wait…what?” Harry stammered as he moved to get his feet back under him and properly stand.
“Do not worry, all is well,” she replied in a soothing voice, a hand gently caressing his cheek as she pulled him to his feet and embraced him in a warm hug, pressing his face between her ample breasts.
He was shocked at how warm her skin was. As he looked up at her smiling face in confusion, she took the opportunity to lean forward, using a hand to gently tilt his head up until their lips met in another deep kiss.
He was so surprised by it that he offered no resistance as her surprisingly long tongue once again snaked into his mouth and started to explore. Her saliva was sweet, almost sugary, and it quickly filled his mouth as her tongue explored like a live snake, mapping out his palette, probing the inside of his cheeks, evening briefly duelling his short tongue before pushing to the back of his throat where it briefly paused, before gently easing further and down, sliding almost sensuously into his throat until she triggered his gag reflex, where she paused, and then to his surprise, started to gently thrust her tongue back and forth, moaning as she felt him try to swallow around it, the muscles in his throat massaging her tongue as the vibrations of her moans transfused to his throat, making his head spin.
She was fucking his throat with her tongue.
When the kiss finally broke, her tongue slipped out of his mouth with a lewd slurp, a strand of her saliva connecting their lips as they parted. They were both panting heavily, and the coldness he’d been feeling had somewhat faded thanks to the heat he’d absorbed from the few brief moments of contact with her skin. She was warm.
She was so warm that part of him demanded that he embrace her and press as much of his body against her as possible to ward off the cold.
“Be calm, take a deep breath, and relax…” she whispered huskily as she reached up to grab a bright red flower in her hair, pulled it down to his face, and blew on it.
That sweet smell he had been breathing for the past few minutes suddenly became all he knew. More heat surged through him, travelling down his torso, arms and legs so quickly he barely had time to register it, and all traces of the cold he’d been feeling vanished. His heart rate went from a steady beat to a rapid thumping that filled his ears.
The chill in the air seemed to vanish as his skin heated up, and the shivering from the cold stopped completely. His already hard cock throbbed and pulsed with the now-rapid beat of his heart, painfully constricted by his trousers and boxers. He gasped, shivering again, but this time not from the cold, as his arousal suddenly surged back to full effect, so strong that he couldn’t ignore it now even if he were clear-headed enough to try.
“Is that better?” she cooed as she stepped back, brought her hands round to his front, slipped them under his robe, and started to push it open. Her fingers quickly found the buttons of his shirt and began to undo them.
He didn’t respond, just stared at her in confusion.
“Good, now then, let’s get you as nature intended you to be, shall we?” she breathed huskily.
He tried to articulate a response, but all he could get out was a gasping moan. Everywhere her fingers touched his skin, warm sparks of pleasure radiated outward. It was like he’d been hit with the curse all over again; whatever she was using certainly felt like the allure Veela used.
Not that he could be sure of anything at the moment, his senses becoming dulled by arousal, he hadn’t even registered what she’d said as she finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it out of his trousers, while slipping his robes off his shoulders.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” the woman giggled.
“W-w-what?” Harry croaked, barely even registering two more hands that grabbed his arms and started to pull his robe off, while the woman in front of him moved her hands, smiled broadly, her hands dancing over his exposed chest as she licked her lips, her fingers teasing his nipples.
Two more pairs of hands started to fumble with his belt, button and fly of his trousers, though they seemed to spend just as much time cupping and groping his crotch through the fabric. Another pair of questing hands cupped his bum, squeezing it possessively. Then, Harry fully registered that four of the six other women he’d seen now surrounded him. But rather than feel crowded or claustrophobic, it felt…intimate.
“Mmm…not much in the stature department, but he has some muscle on him, and from the feel of it, a rather nice shaft. Hopefully, he knows what to do with it.” One of the twins spoke up, giggling as she gave his shaft a gentle squeeze through his trousers, feeling it pulse in response as he groaned.
“And if he doesn’t, we can have fun teaching him!” Her sister giggled.
“Careful now, we don’t want to overwhelm him.” The ruby-eyed woman said as she began to stroke his neck and cheeks. “Won’t you please hear us out, young wizard? We mean you no harm. I’m sure if we talked this out, we could come to an agreement that would benefit us all.”
“I don’t see why we must talk things out when we can simply take what we need. He is a male; the only thing he is good for is providing us pleasure and fathering the next generation. That has always been our way. Besides, there are so few of us now that we cannot afford to pass up an opportunity when it wanders so willingly into our midst.” One of the other women spoke, her tone sharp and dismissive. Harry turned his head to try to see who it had been, but couldn’t see enough. He shivered at her last few words, as he was reminded of the previous thing Aragog said before his nest full of spiders attacked him and Ron, what? Had that only been 10 months ago?
The ruby-eyed woman scowled. “And attitudes like that have led to our kind having so few interactions with humans. On top of our rapid population decline, we can no longer afford to be so selfish. To ensure our survival as a species, we must approach humans more diplomatically and ask for their help.”
“Also, it is some talk coming from you, Eris, when you say that it is our right to take from men what we want, regardless of their feelings, when you have not touched a man in centuries, preferring the company of human women. You certainly didn’t bother partaking with the last one me and Cybele caught,” one of the twins retorted, looking toward the one who had spoken so crudely.
The other woman snorted, “At least when I do decide to take a male, I don’t throw myself at him and slobber all over him like you and your sister did to the last one to wander in here.”
One of the twins, rather than being offended, just giggled and sighed forlornly. “Ah, yes…him. He was a fun one. We certainly enjoyed riding him to exhaustion, didn’t we, Cybele?”
The other twin, Cybele, giggled, “Then nursed the boy back to health and rode him to exhaustion a second time. Shame nothing came of it, though. He was big for someone so young. Our new friend here seems about the same age, though about half the size.”
“And as for us ‘slobbering’ all over the men we take, well, you’re just jealous you don’t have our appreciation for the delicious flavour of male flesh, or skill when it comes to using your mouth,” Melissa retorted to the pink-eyed Eris.
“I have just as much skill as you do, slut! I don’t like the idea of putting my mouth near one or swallowing their seed. It belongs in our wombs, not our stomachs,” Eris retorted with a roll of her eyes.
Harry tried to follow the back and forth as best he could, but the sight of so much naked female flesh and the feel of their warm hands on his body proved too distracting. He suddenly remembered with a start that he’d dropped his wand in that fall. He looked around but couldn’t see it anywhere.
“Lost something?” the ruby-eyed woman asked sweetly. Her hands had finished sliding off his shirt and were now gently massaging his chest and stomach, while the twins still groped his crotch, but hadn’t yet tried to take off his trousers. The honey-skinned woman and the one with purple hair were still behind him, gently massaging his back and shoulders as they worked.
“My uh…my wand, I dropped it, when I fell down that incline…” Harry muttered.
The ruby-eyed woman turned and moved into the underbrush near where he’d fallen, stooped and grabbed something, giving him a rather nice view of her backside as she did so.
After picking it up, she moved back in front of him and examined it. “Holly, 11 inches, Phoenix feather. Not bad, but not the shaft we’re interested in.”
Harry tried to protest as she casually discarded his wand. It sailed off into the darkness.
“Hey! I need that!” he moved to try and grab it, but the ruby-eyed woman took hold of him, holding him in place with a firm grip on his shoulder, while the twins, the purple-eyed woman and the woman behind him stopped him.
“No, you don’t. The only shaft you need to think about using now is the one between your legs. Speaking of which, it’s about time we got a look at it,” the one with purple flowers in her hair spoke. She was gesturing with her hands, and he blinked in confusion until he felt something slithering into his shoes. He looked down to see thick vines forcing their way into his footwear. He grunted in pain as the vines pressed uncomfortably against his feet until he heard the sound of tearing leather, and his shoes were quite literally ripped apart. His socks soon followed.
He then tried to kick his legs when he felt, and saw, more vines start to slither up his legs until they erupted from the waistband of his trousers, and it was then he realised, the twins, who had been groping his crotch, hadn’t been undoing his trousers at all, they’d just been copping a feel.
The hands holding his arms then took a firmer grip and raised them to meet vines that wrapped around his wrists. Then, more began to slither down his arms and into his shirt, which was now unbuttoned but also under his vest.
With a grunt and a yelp of protest, he was suddenly lifted off the ground and suspended in the air almost a foot, bringing his face level with that of the women who surrounded him. Each one of them was smiling, humming, and cooing, their eyes all glowing with inner light. While he could see their excitement, he also recognised the looks of raw hunger and lust burning within them. Had it been decades or centuries since any of them had last seen a man?
The vines around his ankles tightened, stopping his legs from moving too much as the vines that wrapped around his legs writhed and bulged, and the air was filled with the sound of tearing fabric as his trousers were torn at the seams, and subsequently ripped apart, just as his shoes had been.
He was tugged and jostled this way and that a few more times, and his shirt and vest soon followed his trousers and socks, either pulled off and discarded or torn beyond repair. He was left suspended in his boxers, exposed to the cold February night. The warmth he’d initially got from inhaling the red-eyed woman’s flower was already wearing off, and he was shivering again. But now that he was almost naked, he knew it would be even worse, especially when a powerful and cold gust blew through, making him shudder as the sudden cold hit him.
“There…much better.” The purple-eyed one purred as she stepped around him, knelt, and started to caress his thighs shamelessly. The two yellow-eyed twins were still caressing his crotch through his boxers.
“Don’t get ahead of us, Nyx. You know we would like to get first dibs.” The twin with the larger horns said.
The ruby-eyed woman paused as she brought her hands up to the goggles on Harry’s face, and he finally remembered he was still wearing them. He ideally wondered if anyone back at the castle was still watching, and if they were, he hoped they’d enjoyed his suffering so far.
“Strange, what are these for?” She asked.
“They’re…part of a task…I’m taking part in. As long as I wear them over my eyes…they transmit what I see back to the castle.” Harry replied in a panting breath, cursing his own body for responding so readily to the groping hands massaging his crotch, back and chest. Not that he could help it anyway.
The woman frowned, then gripped the rim of the goggles and lifted them forward and up, pulling them off his head and tossing them to the side, leaving him in just his glasses. When she reached for those, he spoke up.
“Not the glasses, I can’t see without those.” He grunted.
-=-=-
Back at the castle, the Professors and students who had stayed up longer to watch the progress, namely 3rd years and up, sat in stunned disbelief from the moment Harry saw the first naked woman.
“‘Ere! That’s Kassie! And ‘er Grove-Sisters…um…oh dear…” Hagrid spoke up.
“What?!” McGonagall yelped, “Rubeus, how do you know that Dryad?! And why didn’t you warn us they were in the forest?!”
“Er… I didn’t think any Champions would run into ‘em, Professor,” the half-giant replied with a shrug. “As for ‘ow I know ‘em, well, I uh…met ‘em…once…just before that ‘hole mess with the Chamber started,” he admitted, his face turning bright red, an embarrassed, oddly fond smile on his big face.
McGonagall blinked, then turned to the Judges, who were all staring at Harry’s screen with various looks of shock and either disgust in Umbridge’s case, or pure envy in the rest, except for Dumbledore and Maxime.
“Can we turn off Potter’s screen?” Sprout spoke up.
“Um, no. The screen will only shut off properly once the task is completed. If he takes the goggles off, there will just be static.” Bagman replied, focusing more on the screen than the Professor.
After a few more minutes, when it became clear that Harry wouldn’t take his goggles off, the dryad on the screen frowned, reached up as if to take hold of either side of the screen, then it went blank with static.
“Looks like she took his goggles off for him,” Bagman said, somewhat disappointed.
McGonagall sighed in relief. She had been on the verge of breaking the Tournament rules and sending Harry a Patronus message telling him to take them off.
“How the bloody hell does Potter of all people end up in a bloody Dryad Grove?!” One of the Seventh Years complained.
“That’s so unfair…lucky bastard. Hey, was anyone able to work out exactly where he is?” complained another. Several murmurs of agreement echoed that sentiment. Most of the girls just rolled their eyes, as did the female Professors.
Ginny sat, stewing in her envy, arms crossed as she glared at the static-filled screen, wishing she could Portkey to his location and get him away from those…creatures. Harry and Hermione might have told her that she didn’t have a chance with him, that he saw her as a sister more than a potential love interest, but she was sure that wouldn’t last. He’d come round eventually.
She would have rather had him all to herself, but if she had to share him, she would make that sacrifice. Since she was little, her mother had told her that she could be the next Lady Potter if she put her mind to it, so she’d made those pictures for Valentine’s Day, to try and sway him, but they hadn’t worked.
She still intended to do so; she had to figure out how. Now, however, it seemed he was getting entangled with even more women. It wasn’t fair, but she would be patient.
A sideways glance at Ron made her roll her eyes. He looked furious, jealous, or likely both. He could have any girl he wanted if he weren’t such a warthog all the time.
-=-=-
“There, now we’ll have privacy.”
“Who…are you? What…do you want…” Harry grunted, shivering despite how warm he was. He sucked in a breath as he felt a pair of large, warm and very soft breasts press into his back as the woman behind him pressed herself against him and started to kiss his neck, her warm hands running up his sides from the waistband of his boxers, moving round to stroke his stomach, then moving up to caress his chest.
The twins were still stroking his crotch and thighs, which also made him shiver and twitch. They’d even started to lean in to rub their faces against the bulge in the fabric, taking deep breaths and sighing, or perhaps more accurately, swooning.
“I guess some introductions are in order. My name is Kassandra, that is Nyx,” she gestured to the purple-eyed woman, the twins, and the one behind him. “The twins Cybele and Melissa, behind you is Aigle, and over there are Eris and Hagne. We are Dryads, Hamadryads, to be specific. Tree Nymphs born from the Goddess Hamadryas and the son of a Veela. It is from him that we inherited several of their traits.”
“Our ability to use what they call the Allure, but to a lesser degree, our looks, and our ability to determine a human’s true character and virility from tasting their essence,” the one called Nyx added. “Along with the biological limitation that our entire species is female.”
“As for what we want, that’s simple enough.” The one called Melissa said, “We want your seed.”
“My…my what?!” Harry choked, not sure he’d heard her right.
“Your seed,” Nyx spoke up as she knelt next to him. Two more dryads stepped into his field of view, the only two who hadn’t approached him. “Your sperm. We want you to breed us. Impregnate us.”
“Well, it’s more of a case of needing over wanting, but we do very much want you to fill our wombs, as Nyx just said, our entire race is female. Like our Veela cousins, we must rely on males such as you to survive as a species,” the second twin with smaller horns, Cybele, said.
“Please…wizard…Won’t you please mate with us?” A silky, almost hesitant, yet hopeful voice whispered in his right ear. Though from the way she spoke, she sounded equally shy and aroused. He shivered again as warm breath washed over his ear, followed by something hot, wet and thick moving from his earlobe up around the edge, and he realised she was licking him.
Harry looked down at Melissa, Cybele and Nyx, who were all now stroking and groping his crotch and thighs, causing him to shudder in mounting pleasure. Kassandra leaned in against his left side, her wonderfully soft breasts pressing into his side as she moulded herself against him and started to mirror Aigle’s actions with his left ear. At the same time, her hands joined Aigle’s at his chest, then moved lower to his stomach, tracing the muscles she could feel. Their touch, combined with the almost-electric tingle that came with it, made him squirm.
The only ones who had yet to approach him were the young-looking dryad sitting on a small rock, gazing at him with curiosity and wonder as she idly caressed herself. Hagne, was that her name? Beside her stood the last dryad, who looked relatively lean and bored.
“Gently now, don’t want to overwork him. This fine young stud has a lot of work to do,” Kassandra spoke up.
“I know what I’m doing, Kassandra,” Nyx said, hooking her fingers into the waistband of his shorts and pulling them down, then off his legs.
His hard cock sprang free, to the approval of those gathered around him.
“Not bad, human, not bad at all.” Nyx purred, her gaze turned ravenous as she stared at his shaft, her pupils dilated as she leaned in and took a deep breath, shivering and licking her lips hungrily.
“Oh, yeesss…he’s as smooth as we are…is that the style these days?” Melissa wondered, her voice thick with raw lust, her own eyes burning with an intense hunger that reminded Harry of the look Hermione had given him those few days after they’d been cursed, the same look that Susan and Daphne had given him. Even Luna looked at him like she wanted to eat him at times.
Hell, they all still gave him that look, even Daphne, who was still too uncomfortable around him while naked to do anything, but in those instances he’d seen her face, he could see her desire warring with her fears. Though she had made some progress since Draco’s sentencing. She could now look at his cock without flinching or wearing a look of disgust or fear, but she still wasn’t comfortable touching him.
But seeing that same look of raw hunger, desire and open lust on the faces of magical creatures that he’d never heard of before — Hagrid certainly hadn’t covered them yet — was totally out of the blue.
The way these dryads looked at him and fawned over him, he had to wonder…how often did they get to do this? It's likely not as frequent as they would have wanted.
Melissa then raised a hand and snapped her fingers. Two more vines came down from above and wrapped around Harry’s ankles. The ones already securing them released him and sank back into the soil. The new vines then pulled his legs outward, as did the ones securing his wrists. Soon, he was left suspended, naked, in an X pose, with almost no slack to move. The most he could do was thrust and wiggle his hips.
Not that his lustful female captors seemed to mind. If anything, they approved.
“Oooh! He’s putting on a fine display! Such a gorgeous shaft…not as big as the last boy we had, but decent enough. Look at those balls swing! They must be full of fresh seed…” Cybele gushed, her face a mask of lust and ravenous hunger. She was drooling.
Harry shivered and sucked in a breath as he felt her warm hand gently close around his balls, which made him stop moving on pure reflex, while the other took hold of his cock and started gently stroking it, sliding his foreskin back to reveal his glans beneath.
Melissa had positioned herself directly in front of him, her wide, hungry eyes locked on his glans as it appeared, her face less than an inch from it. He shivered again as he felt her warm breath blow over him as she leaned in, her lips making contact right at his slit in a gentle, almost loving kiss.
When she pulled back, her tongue leisurely emerged to slowly lick across his slit, making him shiver and gasp. To his right, Aigle finally stepped out from behind him, her left hand moving down his back to cup his bum while her right moved between her legs to rub at her wet lips. Then she leaned in against his right side and started to rub her whole body against him. Her large breasts, which were big even among the dryads, were soon pressed insistently against him.
Harry panted and groaned as the pleasure continued to mount. Aigle and Kassandra pressed against him, and the biting cold creeping through him started to fade. They were warm, their bodies radiating heat, and he had to admit grudgingly, if it came down to a choice between freezing to death naked in the forest or spending hours being the filling of a dryad sandwich, he’d rather be the filling of said sandwich.
Which he now technically was.
Aigle sucked on his right earlobe as she moaned in pleasure, before moving down to kiss and lick the side of his face and neck, before leaning down until her mouth reached his right nipple, and she started to suckle it. As she did this, she straddled his right thigh. She began to wantonly grind her wet vulva against his leg, panting and mewling into his chest as Melissa and Cybele started to nuzzle his shaft and balls, rubbing their faces against his crotch, moaning and purring the whole time, almost like a pair of horny cats.
“Is this…is this to your liking?” Aigle asked hesitantly, looking up at him, her voice heavy with desire.
“It should be. Males love being pleasured like this. Watch and learn, Aigle, you and Hagne aren’t as experienced as we are,” Kassandra giggled as she started to stroke his stomach with one hand, while her other reached around to take hold of his left buttock. “You’re in for a real treat…” she whispered sultrily into Harry’s ear, “Cybele and Melissa are self-proclaimed experts in using their mouths…not that the rest of us are inexperienced in that regard, but they just seem to have a natural talent and affinity for it, almost as if Aphrodite and Hēdonē themselves blessed them, at least so they claim. Now…enjoy…”
“Speak for yourself, Kas, Hagne has no experience at all!” Eris scoffed. The youngest dryad looked down, an expression of shame and embarrassment marring her cute face.
“She’ll get her chance. Don’t be mean,” Nyx huffed, reassuring the younger dryad, then rolled her eyes as she watched the twins. “Are you two going to share that, or hog it all?”
“Feel free to join in anytime,” Cybele said without looking away from Harry.
Melissa then leaned in, taking another deep breath as she ran her nose down the length of his cock, then pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his smooth pubic mound, then she started to plant sucking, smooching kisses along his length until she reached his glans, where she worked her tongue against the sensitive ridge.
Not to be outdone, Cybele mirrored her, licking and kissing her way up his shaft from the opposite side. When she reached his tip, she started to lovingly explore it with her tongue in exquisitely slow licks, smiling and swooning at the unique flavour.
When a droplet of precum appeared at his tip, her eyes locked on it and she smiled, before slowly dragging her tongue from his frenulum up over his slit, collecting the droplet before taking the tip of his glans into her mouth and gently sucking, before pulling back with a wet slurp.
“Mmmm…delicious…” she moaned, her eyes lidded, her face a mask of desire and hunger. Harry shivered and gasped at the sensation, thrusting his hips forward in a desperate attempt to maintain contact, which caused the two to giggle in approval. They then started to lavish his shaft with kisses and licks, alternating between kissing and licking the shaft. When they each reached his crown, they would bathe it in saliva, using their tongues to massage and caress it in a way he didn’t even know was possible. He didn’t want to admit it, but these two dryads were good. They easily matched the skills Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Luna gained from the curse. Part of him even thought the twins were better, but he squashed that thought quickly.
His capacity for rational thought and reasoning was quickly drowned out, the mind-numbingly exquisite sensations coming from below overriding his brain’s capacity to think. All he could do was wiggle his hips and gasp, whimper and moan in ever-increasing ecstasy, the pleasure so intense, it bordered on pain.
He was barely even aware of Kassandra licking and kissing his left cheek, ear and side of his neck while she gently ground her wet slit against his thigh, her right hand gently massaging his left buttock while her left hand slowly moved down his stomach. Aigle was still grinding against his right leg, her movements more erratic as she hungrily sucked his right nipple, her left hand tightly gripping his bum while her right hand had replaced Kas’s hand at his chest as she mewled and moaned in her mounting pleasure.
Nyx sat to one side, pouting. If Harry had been lucid enough to look down at her, he would have seen the emotions warring on her beautiful face, as she stared at his crotch, licking her lips every few moments as she watched his flesh continuously disappear then reappear between the twins’ dulling tongues and mouths, their impassioned moans interspersed with the wet, slurping kisses they lavished upon him.
“Well, if I can’t have his rod, I’ll take his balls. Now move aside and give me enough room,” she demanded, crawling forward.
The twins moved to either side to make room, their mouths focusing on his glans, their tongues intertwining regularly as they danced over it, collecting the now free-flowing precum as it leaked from his tip. First one of Melissa’s, then Cybele’s hands each reached between the legs of the other, and they started to gently caress each other, moaning and mewling as they did so.
“Nyx might talk tough, but honestly, she’s dying to taste you…she hasn’t tasted male flesh in decades. None of us have,” Kassandra whispered as her left hand finally reached his crotch and she took hold of his shaft, and angled it upward. A brief mewl of protest from the twins was heard before they reclaimed his glans. Kassandra then started to gently stroke his shaft with a gentle grip, pulling back his foreskin entirely, letting the twins eagerly trace the blood vessels that stood out against his shaft before they moved back to his glans.
Nyx went lower, craning her neck as she brought her face up against his balls. She pressed her nose to them and inhaled deeply, sighing and moaning with a shudder as the unique mix of his male scent blended with the distinctive smell of his seed, filled her lungs. She started to lick them gently, almost lovingly, her eyes flicking up as she moaned decadently, savouring his flavour.
Harry gasped and looked down, eyes wide as he panted in bliss. His gaze met Nyx’s purple eyes that shone with blatant lust. He was surprised to see her gazing up at him with a warm, gentle smile that was surprisingly affectionate. She gave him a flirtatious smile, followed by a lewd wink, before she resumed her task with a remarkably gentle enthusiasm.
A mewling, muted cry from his chest drew his attention to Aigle as she jerked her wet slit against his thigh in halting, erratic movements and squeezed his leg between her powerful thighs as he felt wetness spread from her slit as she jerked and convulsed in orgasm. Then, after maybe a minute of that, she went limp against him, taking deep breaths through her nose, her lips still locked around his right nipple. Kassandra was still leisurely grinding against his left leg as she cooed in approval.
“Was that good for you, Aigle?” She purred.
“Mmm…hhmmm…” the dryad hummed and purred as she released his nipple and raised her head, her face a mask of satisfaction and contentment, yet her eyes still burned with arousal. “Very much so…”
Her eyes drooped as she lay against him, lazily planting open-mouthed kisses on his skin, making him shiver as she slowly licked over his skin, causing it to break out in goosebumps.
With a sigh, she looked down at Nyx and the twins.
“Is there room for one more Nyx?” She inquired, sinuously sliding down his body, sinking to her knees until her face was level with his balls, which Nyx was still eagerly licking. Silently, Nyx moved a little, giving Aigle room to claim his right orb. Nyx hummed as she planted a particularly sensual kiss on his left testicle before dragging her tongue across it. Then she pulled it into her mouth and started to suck gently. Aigle soon followed her lead, and soon, Harry was panting heavily, reflexively tensing his muscles as he felt their wet, hot mouths gently suckle and lick his family jewels.
This was hardly the first time his body had been shared in such a way, but for some reason, his fogged mind couldn’t fathom, there was just something about the dryads’ techniques that seemed to surpass those of his human lovers.
Harry panted and whimpered as the combined stimulation from the four dryads kneeling in front of him pushed him ever further toward his climax. His numerous sessions with his human lovers had increased his tolerance for pleasure, increasing the amount of time it took for him to peak, but he was now rapidly reaching his limit.
His perception of time started to pass by in a blur, and the bliss saturating his senses became increasingly intense. His stiff shaft tingled and throbbed almost painfully as Cybele and Melissa licked, kissed and suckled his glans with a passionate enthusiasm that rivalled that of his human lovers, their tongues tracing his foreskin where it joined his head, meeting at his frenulum. Occasionally, they would alternate between worshipping his glans and plying sinfully slow licks to his shaft, even switching, one taking his glans while the other tormented his shaft.
It was all becoming too much for him, and with a loud wordless cry of release, of surrender and guilt, he wiggled his hips as much as he could, thrusting forward as he came. His cry was quickly muted as Kassandra gently turned his head towards her and kissed him deeply while her other hand continued to stroke his dick which she now aimed at the twins’ faces, which pressed together as they moaned in unison, their tongues, which duelled for dominance at his tip, were suddenly pained white with his release, then their green faces were painted soon thereafter with ropes of thick off-white goo.
“By the Goddess…the taste…it’s been so long…” Melissa moaned as she caught a large spurt in her mouth, then a second across her left cheek.
“The smell…mmm…Ambrosia…” Cybele swooned as she stuck out her tongue again, catching another spurt, then let a couple more hit her face.
“About time,” Nyx grumbled impatiently as she quickly brought a hand up to catch another spurt of his cum on her fingers, which she promptly sucked clean, letting out a slight hum of approval, a faint smile momentarily tugging at her lips.
Harry’s cock gave another twitch and a final couple of spurts erupted, only to be caught by Kassandra’s fingers and Aigle’s darting tongue.
“By the Goddess...I can’t remember the last time I tasted a male so…sweet.” Aigle breathed as she stared at his crotch with a look of wonder.
“He does have quite the flavour.” Kassandra agreed, smacking her lips after licking and sucking her hand and fingers clean. The twins pitched in.
“Can’t you taste it, though? He’s the most virile male I’ve ever tasted. And my sister and I have tasted a lot of men.” Cybele and her sister exchanged a look, then with Aigle. “Do you think...he could be...that it could be him?” her tone romping from speculative to hopeful as she spoke.
In the background, Eris snorted, “Don’t be stupid! That’s just a story horny dryads like you tell each other to get off. It’s just a legend.”
“But what if it isn’t!? Nyx, surely you agree! Kas?”
“He’s got some flavour, but I probably wouldn’t go that far,” Nyx replied.
“But what if we’re right? And he is the one? We can’t let him go!” Melissa protested.
Harry blinked in confusion as he attempted to restart his brain. “Wait…what?” They weren’t going to keep him here, were they? They couldn’t!
“Forgive them, wizard. Cybele and Melissa are obsessed with an old dryad prophecy, more of a legend. Well, some say it is a baseless story shared between overly frustrated Grove-Sisters, others say it is a true legend, and some say it is a prophecy whose true origin is lost to the ages,” Kassandra said as she leaned in and started to kiss his chest, her tongue circling his left nipple before she closed her lips around it and began to suckle.
“He’s still hard…shouldn’t he have started to soften yet? He did release a lot,” Aigle noted as she reached up and took hold of his shaft, angled it towards her and leaned forward, gently circling his glans with her tongue, moaning as she collected the last few traces of off-white liquid, licked her lips, then when she felt his shaft twitch in her grip, she planted a gentle kiss right on his tip, her tongue flicking over his slit just in time to catch another spurt of seed. Her eyes fell closed as she leaned forward, wrapping her lips around his glans with an agonisingly slow slurp and decedent moan.
Then, she sucked.
Harry grunted and moaned at the intense stimulation; the combined efforts of the dryads had driven him to a level of sensitivity he didn’t know he could reach. Not even the enthusiastic ministrations of Luna, Hermione and Susan had made him this sensitive.
Kassandra reached down and gently cupped his balls, her warm hand gently cradling them, making him shiver. She released his nipple and moved back up to kiss and lick his left ear.
“Hmm…I think he still has some left, and you’re right, he’s still hard and ready,” she then whispered huskily into his ear, her voice deep and sultry. “How are you still so hard? You should have softened even a little bit after that. How long can you keep going?”
Harry gritted his teeth as he tried to think clearly, which was being made increasingly difficult by Aigle slowly drawing his erection into her warm, wet mouth, her tongue coiling around it like a live snake until she bottomed out. He also felt Kassandra’s hand release his balls, only to once again feel two tongues start to lick them from either side. Looking down as he panted and moaned, his body tensing again, he saw the identical faces of Cybele and Melissa hungrily and eagerly worshipping his balls, lustful smiles playing across their faces as they both looked up at him with expressions that seemed oddly affectionate, yet also full of lust and hunger.
As Aigle started to bob her head along his length leisurely, the twins began to worship his testes in earnest, then almost as if they’d planned it, the two gently started to drag their tongues across his balls in unison, just as Nyx and Aigle had done.
“Are they right about you?” Kassandra whispered into his ear, “Could you be the one our kind have been waiting centuries for? Could you be the one who will save our kind from extinction?”
Harry grunted, his senses quickly becoming overwhelmed to the point where he couldn’t focus on what Kassandra was saying, only on the pleasure that was again building to such intensity it would soon border on pain.
“What...are you...” he tried to say, but a particularly strong suckle from the twins cut him off.
“What do you know of our kind?” Kassandra asked. Harry could only shake his head in answer.
“I don’t...even know...what you want...with me,” he replied, between grunts and whimpers, which were matched by the hungry moans, sighs, and muffled giggles from the tree dryads working him over.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’ve already told you. We want your seed. But if you want it spelt out for you, fine. We want, no, need you to breed us. All of us,” Nyx replied as she watched her sisters work, a look of impatience on her beautiful face.
“We Dryads are a long-lived race, and each of us is bound to a magical tree in a truly symbiotic way. We die only when our trees do. Any damage the tree suffers is reflected in us. As Nyx has said already, there are no male Dryads; we must rely on the generous donations of others, such as lucky humans like you, for us to have daughters. And in our specific case, the Centaurs and Unicorns refuse to help us,” Kassandra explained.
She then leaned in and whispered sultrily into his ear. “Will you not mate with us? Provide us with daughters? I promise it will be well worth your time and effort. You do taste incredibly virile, it should be easy for you to make our wombs swollen after only one try each, and if not, well, you can spend the next few days trying.”
“I…have…to get to…the lake…” Harry panted through the euphoria he was feeling. “I have to save…them…” he panted in response.
He then went into a somewhat awkward and desperate explanation of his situation and why he’d been wandering through the forest. When Nyx spoke up and said it was doubtful that the merpeople would hurt anyone if they were taking part in a test, he mentioned the curse he was under.
“How long have you been under the effect of that magic?” Kassandra asked. Harry gritted his teeth as he thought back.
“About…three months.”
“Then you must be very popular among the girls at that school if you have survived this long. I thought something about you tasted different to other males I’ve had. It’s the magic of Aphrodite I can taste,” Melissa spoke up briefly before returning to her work.
“I can’t feed from just anyone, I’ve tried…four of my friends were also affected, I’ve been feeding from them, and feeding them. They’re at the bottom of the lake now…I have to get to them…” he panted.
Kassandra tilted her head. “We know this magic you speak of, though we have rarely seen it; we know what it leads to, at least for any female affected with it. It seems to have also affected your flavour, making you sweeter than any other male we’ve encountered, possibly even increasing the amount you can produce. Short of divine intervention, you may never have it lifted, I’m afraid. But is that such a terrible fate? Spending the rest of your life drinking from a woman’s wellspring of life?”
Wellspring of Life? He’d never heard it be called that before. However, it did sort of fit.
“You say you could not feed from just anyone? Are you sure you truly wanted to at the time? There is a mental component involved. The one feeding must want to.” Nyx asked.
“What?” Harry asked. Fleur hadn’t said anything about this…
“Yes. For a man, or woman, affected by that spell to survive by feeding from anyone who isn’t also affected, they must truly want to do so; if they do not, it won’t matter how many men a woman pleases, or how many women a man services. If you truly wanted it, then any woman could have sustained you. Now, when it comes to beings such as a Centaur, Elf or even a Unicorn, or indeed, us, you would be able to draw nourishment from them even if you did not wish to. We would be enough to sustain you, or perhaps even one of those elves you keep in the castle.” Kassandra explained.
Harry almost choked as he processed what she had just said. If what she was saying was true, then he could have fed from Luna —before she cursed herself— Parvati and Lavender if he’d wanted it. He honestly thought he had at the time, but apparently, he hadn’t, on some subconscious level.
She was also implying that he could have fed from a female Centaur, Unicorn or even a House-Elf?!
Well, the book had mentioned that being an option for those affected, but hadn’t Fleur said the book was not entirely accurate? There seemed to be a mix-up somewhere.
“The magic of that spell takes out that requirement when two are under its effect and feeding from each other. And in the event one were to feed from a magical being, that would also negate that requirement. So yes, you could happily put your head under a unicorn mare’s tail, a centauride’s tail, or between our legs, and that would be enough to sustain you. And it is something we will gladly do, in exchange for your help in increasing our population,” Kassandra said, smirking.
“What…?” Harry grunted as he felt his pleasure begin to spike; he was getting close. Again.
“What is your name, young wizard?” she asked.
“Harry…” he grunted.
“Well, Harry, when was the last time you fed from a woman?” Kassandra asked, ignoring his question.
“Last night…24 hours ago, maybe. Though I did try earlier today, nothing came of it,” he grunted.
“Then you must already be feeling the effects of withdrawal. The more you exert yourself, the longer you go without feeding, the weaker you will get. However, if you were to feed from us, the innate magic within us would be enough to give you what you would need.” Then, to prove her point, she brought up a hand and lifted her left breast while using her other hand to tilt his head down, until his mouth found her nipple.
“Drink,” she commanded.
Harry’s eyes widened as his mouth closed over her nipple, and he tasted the moisture that covered it. It was honey, only it didn’t seem as thick.
“It is nectar, the kind that flowers produce. Do not fear, it will not harm you. Quite the opposite. Drink, and be rejuvenated.”
With a sigh of resignation, Harry tightened his grip on her nipple and started to suck. A runny, sweet, and warm liquid started to fill his mouth. It tasted like honey, but not as thick. It reminded him of Hermione’s and Susan’s milk, but slightly thinner and sweeter. He began to swallow.
Heat surged through him, and he shivered. It was like he was drinking from Hermione, Susan or Luna, his body shuddered as warmth filled his head and ravelled down his throat, then radiated out from his stomach as he continued to gulp, eagerly now as Kassandra quickly switched breasts. He continued to drink hungrily and eagerly.
He felt his strength return, the fatigue that’d been steadily getting worse all day fading rapidly. He then grunted and gave an involuntary thrust of his hips. The surge of heat reached his crotch, and his cock and balls reacted to the influx of energy. His balls drew up, despite the efforts of Melissa and Cybele lovingly sucking them.
His shaft twitched and pulsed with renewed arousal as Aigle drew back to suckle on his tip, Nyx moving in to join her just as his orgasm hit, and their mouths were flooded.
The reaction from Aigle and Nyx was immediate. They both started to moan and ravenously gulp down his release. Their tongues duelled at his spurting tip as they fought for dominance, the sensations quickly overwhelming Harry, and his moans of pleasure soon turned to moans of discomfort. However, he continued to drink from Kassandra’s breasts, which seemed to have an endless supply of warm, enriching nectar.
Eventually, though, after what seemed like hours but was likely only a minute, the flow of nectar ceased, as did his climax, and Nyx and Aigle pulled away from his over-stimulated glans, which were now red and swollen, but still leaking semen, which the twins were quick to claim, moaning euphorically as they did so. At the same time, Nyx and Aigle passionately kissed, their tongues fighting over the seed in their mouths.
“How was that?” Kassandra purred, stroking Harry’s hair affectionately. “Was that enough to persuade you? Will you impregnate us?”
“That was…amazing…” Harry panted, still trembling from the aftershocks of his climax, his body still hot and tingling with pleasure, his shaft still hard and leaking, but the twins were taking care of that.
“No one, say perhaps a Veela, can compare to a Dryad,” Eris spoke up. Harry looked up at her. She was still standing with her arms folded, looking somewhat bored, though her gaze did flick down to his crotch now and then. The small dryad next to her, Hagne, had a look of wonder on her face as she openly ogled his crotch, not a lick of shame or embarrassment on her face.
‘What’s her deal…?’ he thought brokenly, ‘She never seen one before?’
“I still…have to get to the lake,” Harry panted. “…my friends are stuck down there and getting weaker by the minute.” Even though he’d just climaxed, Cybele and Melissa were still busily working him over. Melissa took the opportunity to move to his tip and with a smile, she enveloped it back in her warm mouth again, making him suck in a breath as her twin took the opportunity to claim both of his balls for herself, and started to caress them with slow, sensual, loving licks.
Harry panted, head lolling to one side as he gave up trying to focus and just let his mind sink. Kassandra took the opportunity to kiss him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth passionately, once again exploring. Her serpentine organ easily reached the back of his throat and teased it, before pulling back.
When the kiss broke, he was still panting, his pleasure building again as Cybele and Melissa continued to worship him lovingly. Meanwhile, Nyx and Aigle had fallen to the ground and were still kissing, their hands passionately exploring and pleasuring each other.
“Why…me?” he asked with a grunt.
“As I have said, we Dryads must rely on others such as yourself to help us procreate. And those opportunities are few and far between. There are so few of our race now in this world. Each day, more and more of the forests we call home are destroyed by humans. Trees we are bound to cut down carelessly, killing the dryads bound to them. Once, our kind were many; now, we number perhaps less than a hundred the world over. We sense it when one of our sisters dies. We are not aggressive by nature, though we can fight to defend ourselves or our trees, utilising the natural environment around us. However, our skills lie primarily in the carnal arts, including seduction and illusion. And while we can breed with others besides humans, that is not always a certainty. And the humans we do breed with must be magical. And not many of your kind are willing to help us. A non-magical human has no chance of impregnating us, and with wizards…we cross paths with your kind with growing infrequency.”
“But there is a legend told among Grove-Sisters, that says that one day, a human will find himself among us, one who is so strong and virile, that with his help, our people could recover their number, in just a few years. And you have the sweetest, most virile seed we’ve ever tasted. If you truly are the one, then you must breed us.” Cybele spoke up before quickly returning to work.
“Can’t you just…move somewhere closer to humans?” Harry asked. Eris spoke up from the sidelines in response.
“We are bound to our trees. We can not move too far from them. However, we can migrate with the help of others, using our Silver Acorns.”
Harry grunted as he took in what she’d said, trying to think through the haze of bliss, when an idea struck him.
“Okay…how about this…let me go, and I’ll help you move somewhere closer…to humans…” he grunted.
Kassandra thought for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision.
“Very well, we will let you pass, so you can reach the lake and save your friends, if they are truly under the effects of this curse.”
“What?!” The rest of the group, minus Hagne, who had yet to say a word, protested.
“In return, you will take a Silver Acorn from each of our trees and plant them somewhere else, somewhere rich in magic, but free of predators and dark creatures. A place you have regular access to. Those Acorns will grow a copy of our trees, which we can then migrate to, and can claim a new Grove. And once we have re-established ourselves, you will come to us. And you will breed us. As often as we wish.” Kassandra said in a tone that seemed to indicate she wouldn’t budge.
She turned to Eris and Hagne, gesturing. “Eris, Hagne, please go and collect our Acorns.”
Harry turned to watch them leave, noting that even the youngest among them was breathtakingly gorgeous, and he found his gaze drawn to her small, firm backside as she turned and walked away, the taller Eris by her side.
“Now, while they do that, I think it’s time I have a taste of your honey…and you mine.” Kassandra purred. She stepped back, raised her hands, and started gesturing, like she was conducting an orchestra.
Or working puppet strings.
Harry was momentarily confused until he noticed vines shoot down from above to wrap around his ankles; the ones already restraining him were released and sank back into the earth. Then, almost faster than he could track, he was flipped upside down, still spreadeagled, his arms and legs having nearly no slack to move.
“Hey!”
He grunted at the sudden shift, blinking as his glasses fell off his head to land on the ground. Now effectively blind, hanging upside down, with blood starting to rush to his head, he began to struggle, though his restored strength didn’t do much against the vines holding him. His legs were pulled even further apart, and his arms were raised a little.
Then he noticed a blurred shape move closer, and the green flesh of Kassandra’s inverted thighs and lips that were dripping with golden liquid that he could even smell now, came into focus.
He was amazed at just how sweet she was. That fragrance he’d first caught a lungful of when he’d first entered the Grove, then again when Kassandra had shoved a blossom under his nose, was now once again filling his senses, only now, it was far more intense.
He couldn’t help but stare at her upside-down vulva as it dripped before him. Kassandra’s natural, warm scent that reminded him of the Hogwarts Greenhouses flooded his lungs every time he took a breath. Part of him wanted to turn away, but then he remembered something that gave him pause.
A memory suddenly stirred in his mind, seemingly from out of nowhere. The vow he’d made to Hermione months ago, after he’d nearly starved himself to death refusing to feed from any girl who offered. That vow now compelled him to accept any offer from a girl or woman to provide him with what he needed.
He hadn’t thought about it when Lavender had offered to feed him, even though it hadn’t worked. And it hadn’t worked because he had subconsciously not wanted it to. He wasn’t sure how the vow he’d made didn’t catch that minor oversight, but, with non-human magical females, like Kassandra and her fellow dryads, and any other female magical creature that made the offer, that didn’t matter.
The vow he’d made was going to compel him to feed from Kassandra and the others, whether he wanted to or not.
Would it also really compel him if a female house elf made the offer? Not that he thought any would, of course. What about that unicorn mare? She couldn’t communicate with him verbally to make the offer, but if she ever made it clear enough, would he then be compelled to eat her out or risk losing his magic?
Did magical creatures even fall under the umbrella of that vow he’d made?
Mentally, he rewound the clock, back to that moment when Hermione had berated him for being so thickheaded that he nearly killed himself, and the vow she’d extracted, he tried to remember her exact wording…
“Harry James Potter! I cannot believe you would be so reckless! Even for a Gryffindor, this is pushing it!”
“I know, Hermione! I’m sorry, I—”
“Don’t you ‘I’m sorry’ me, mister! You could have died! You very nearly did! Then, where would that have left me? Sucking random dicks like some Nocturn Alley whore just to stay alive and prove that little ferret, right? I don’t think so. Yours is the only penis that will EVER touch my lips, Harry.”
Harry scowled. That didn’t seem fair to him. She was willing to let him eat out other girls, but she wasn’t willing to seek help from other boys if she needed it.
“How is that fair, Hermione? I get to eat out other girls, but you won’t feed from any bloke who offers to help you? That seems pretty hypocritical.”
“Because of my cycle. I didn’t think you’d want to eat me out while I’m constantly bleeding. I asked the other girls for help, so you wouldn’t have to deal with that. I don’t need to suck a whole bunch of dicks to survive, I only need one. Yours. I only want one. Yours.”
Harry winced; she had a point. The thought of getting a mouth full of blood while eating her out did not sound appealing.
“Okay, I’ll do it, but I’m unhappy about this. And I want the same from you.”
“What?”
“I want your vow that, if offered, you'll feed from someone who isn't me.”
"I already said yours is the only cock I want in my mouth, Harry."
"What about non-human?"
Hermione seemed to think for a moment, a frown on her face.
“Alright then, but only if yours isn’t available, and I can’t physically get to you.”
Harry nodded. He still wasn’t happy, but he’d take it.
“Right, I want your vow, on your magic, right now, that you will not refuse an offer to feed from a female, no matter who or what, human or otherwise. If the offer is ever made, even if it is non-verbal. If you get an offer to eat pussy, no matter who or what that pussy belongs to, you will take it. Understand? Then I’ll give you mine.”
Harry sighed. He figured he wasn’t getting out of this, even if he wasn’t happy about it.
“I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic that I will not refuse an offer to touch or lick, and drink from, any vagina that is willingly offered to me…”
He winced as he felt blood start to pool in his head. That vow had been ridiculously vague; he’d promised to eat any vagina offered to him, but he hadn’t explicitly stated whether the owner of that vagina would be human or not. Which meant he would be compelled, by his magic, to go down on any female that presented to him.
Like that Unicorn had done, and these dryads were now doing.
‘Is that why I nearly touched that mare? Why I nearly ate her out? Was it the vow?’
Movement to his right caught his attention, and he turned to see that a relatively thick vine had dropped down and formed a loop, roughly about level with his ribs. A glance to his left confirmed a second. He then felt Kassandra’s hands grip his waist as she lifted a leg and fed it through one loop, then the other, hooking her knees over the vines. He then looked forward only to see her wet vulva now slightly spread as her hips had been turned, bringing the dryad’s sex directly level with his face.
“Wouldn’t…wouldn’t this be easier…if I were on the ground?” he grunted. He shivered again as he felt Kassandra cross her legs behind his back, pulling them together. An instant later, he felt her warm breath on his flesh as hers was brought to his face, and the warm, sweet fragrance he had smelled earlier now became overpowering. He couldn’t help himself; he moved a little closer until his lips almost touched her, and he took a breath, shivering as Kassandra pressed her warm body fully against his. She wrapped her arms around him as well, taking hold of his arse.
“Maybe,” she purred soothingly, her hot breath caressing his exposed and defenceless balls and penis. “But if I put you on the ground, on your back and just ride your beautiful, handsome face, Cybele, Mel, Nyx, and Aigle wouldn’t be able to join in the fun. Come, Grove-Sisters, let’s partake in this bounty while we can.”
With that, she took hold of his shaft and gently started to rub his tip against her face, then kissed and licked it lovingly as he felt more hands, breasts, lips, and tongues press against his backside, thighs and balls as the other dryads once again crowded round him.
He then felt a hand behind his head pushing him forward. With an eye-roll, he relented, opened his mouth, and started to lick Kassandra’s hot, wet, succulent flesh. He was soon once again overtaken as that now-familiar heat of arousal surged through him, as honey, actual honey, started to flow into his mouth, and he began to awkwardly gulp it down, feeling that warmth spread, and his strength started to return.
“Do we really…have to…let…him…go?” Melissa protested while standing to one side, using her surprisingly long tongue to deliver loving licks to his balls. Her twin stood opposite her, mirroring her actions. At the same time, Nyx and Aigle busied themselves with his rump, the four of them kneading and massaging the muscles, playfully kissing and biting them gently.
“We can keep him…he can breed us to our hearts’ content…we can feed him…sustain him for the rest of his life…by Hamadryas, I can still taste his seed, even now…” Cybele added between long licks with her tongue as it danced over Harry’s balls, duelling with Melissa’s.
“Can’t…risk it.” Kassandra gasped between passionate sucks, licks and kisses of his shaft, which continued to surge and throb with need, and leak a constant stream of precum, and even a few traces of off-white cream, which she hungrily slurped up as her pleasure mounted. “Not with…the castle this close…and if they’re watching…they may come looking.”
“Shame…” Aigle lamented, as she grabbed a nearby hanging vine, suckled the tip to coat it with her saliva, then, with a grin, gestured to Nyx, who took hold of his cheeks and spread them, exposing the tight ring of muscle.
Leaning in, Aigle locked eyes with Kassandra, winked, then pressed a wet kiss to the ring of muscle between them, giggling as she felt it twitch against her tongue, coating it with saliva. Then she pulled back, guiding the wet vine tip, gently pressing it into the ring of muscle, giggling when Harry started to wriggle in protest and tried to say something. Still, she kept his head pressed to Kassandra’s pussy, which continued pouring honey into his mouth, even as he struggled to drink it.
Harry was starting to get seriously overwhelmed now. The exquisite pleasure from Kassandra, Cybele and Melissa’s mouths, combined with the other two caressing his flanks, thighs and lower back, and now what felt like a vine being pressed against his prostate, combined with the increasing blood pressure in his head, was starting to scare him. He felt like he was going to pass out soon.
‘Is this what Draco put Daph through?’ he thought. That sudden thought was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head, as the answer came to him.
This was very similar, only these creatures weren’t being malicious; they were being desperate.
And what was worse, he had put himself into this situation by making that vow, only then fate seemed to conspire against him: having him run into a group of perpetually horny tree nymphs who were eager to offer their pussies to him in exchange for him impregnating them. And he could not refuse.
He was more than happy to submit to Hermione, Susan, Luna and Daphne; he trusted them, he knew them. These dryads? He did not know them. They’d stripped him naked and started molesting him the moment he met them. Even if what they said was true, and their species was in decline, if they needed his help to breed, they could have just asked.
‘And if you’d said no?’ a voice in his head, that sounded a lot like Sirius, asked.
He tried to think…to come up with an answer, which was getting more difficult, and as novel as the experience was of engaging in sixty-nine while standing — or hanging, in his case — he wanted to get this over with, so he pressed his tongue into Kassandra’s pussy as much as he could, focused, then started hissing.
The reaction from Kassandra was immediate. Her eyes bulged as she took his shaft to the root and screamed around it, as the most amazing sensations she’d ever felt exploded out from her crotch, radiating in waves as she was treated to what was, in her opinion, the best cunnilingus of her entire 1727-year life.
Harry let out a muffled cry of his own, the vibrations travelling along his cock, coupled with the powerful sucking of Kassandra’s mouth, the two tongues licking his testicles lovingly, and the vine now pressing and wriggling insistently against his prostate proved too much, and with a few rapid thrusts of his hips, which only seemed to encourage the dryads to tighten their grip on his body —and pushed his stiff shaft deeper into Kassandra’s sucking mouth, until he reached her throat— and another powerful pulse shot through him, as again, he poured his seed down Kassandra’s gulping throat as the flow of warm honey from her finally started to slow, and he was finally able to pull away, gasping for breath, his chin, neck, cheeks and nose covered in sticky golden goo.
“By…Hamadryas…” Kassandra panted for breath herself, finally releasing his shaft, which she lovingly kissed and rubbed against her face for a moment, before finally resting her head on his right thigh. “That…was…wow…”
“What did he do? Sounded like you were in pain.” Aigle asked as she continued to gently caress and stroke his buttocks, planting gentle kisses and nibbles on the firm muscles.
“I…don’t know. I think he…hissed?” Kassandra said as she disentangled herself and stood on shaking legs. Then, with a wave of her hand, the vines holding him loosened, and Harry found himself being lowered to the cold ground. The warmth he’d got from the dryads pressing against him started to fade as the cold of the night air began to creep in again, though the warmth from the honey he’d drunk mitigated it somewhat.
He winced in surprise and shock as icy coldness suddenly shot through him as his back made contact with the ground, and he gasped. It was then that he noticed it had started snowing. There was already a faint dusting on the ground.
‘Oh great…now I’m going to freeze to death,’ he thought.
His head was swimming, he felt both energised and out of it, both from the blood rushing into it from his extremities and the cocktail of what he’d just drunk. His taste buds told him it was honey, but he suspected there was more to it.
There was also that strange glow that suffused them all; it was the same glow he’d seen Fleur give off. With Fleur, it looked like smoke; in that maze, it had been a gentle glow. Here, at least from the dryads, it also resembled a gentle glow, like the light of a candle.
He could feel that strange magic within him, like a coiled spring being held under tension. He tried to focus on it, tried to draw on it, if for no other reason than to use a warming charm on himself. He sucked in a breath as his body started to tingle warmly, as if a low electric current was flowing through him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of cold night air, hoping it would help clear his head.
Opening his eyes, he noticed the five dryads now kneeling around him in a circle. Kassandra was by his head, stroking his hair and face lovingly. His blurred vision was suddenly filled by an upside-down green face that was flushed and smiling broadly.
He started to rise, quickly looking for and finding his glasses and putting them on, before the face over him lowered, and caught him in an upside-down, very passionate kiss. With a deep moan, Kassandra’s tongue delved into his mouth and gently probed at his before going deeper to tease at his throat.
“That…that was divine…” Kassandra whispered when they finally separated. “I’ve never, ever had someone service me like that before. Thank you, Harry…” She then sat up, and Harry was able to look up, his vision now clear, as he saw the other dryads sitting, kneeling or crouching around him, each one of them staring at him in what seemed to be awe, even Nyx.
His gaze jumped between flushed faces, arousal and lust written clearly across all of them, and each one of them was openly masturbating and breathing heavily with lust as they stared at him, their gazes flicking between his face and his still-hard penis.
“He’s still hard…” Cybele breathed in wonder. “By Hamadryas…he has to be the one!”
“We have to breed him!” Melissa said, as she moved to straddle him, her free hand reaching for his stiff shaft, taking hold of it.
“Wait. We can breed him later, once we’ve relocated to an area with more regular access to him. As we agreed.” Kassandra said, raising a hand to stop her counterpart. Harry shivered as he felt the warm, soft grip of Melissa’s hand; the view of her smooth, swollen and leaking lips poised just above his swollen glans was a very appealing sight.
He could even feel the heat radiating from those dripping lips, as well as the warm golden liquid dripping from them onto his shaft. At the top of her lips, he could see the pink nub of her clitoris, pushing through, almost as if it was begging for attention. He looked back up at Kassandra, but couldn’t see her lips, the ones he’d been smothered by at least, and he’d been so disoriented and distracted that he hadn’t paid much attention to her anatomy.
Not that she seemed to be complaining.
“But…but…!” Melissa and Cybele protested in unison. Aigle’s face was a mask of disappointment, and Nyx frowned. He looked to his left and saw that Hagne and Eris had returned. Hagne now held a large leaf that had been folded into a sack, and inside seemed to be something significant. Or many small things. Both Hagne and Eris were staring at him with aroused looks, though Eris seemed disinterested. Hagne had a wide-eyed, awe-struck expression that had him wondering just how inexperienced she was.
“How about this? We let him go, and one of us goes with him to ensure he keeps his word?” Nyx asked. “And in exchange, we all get a turn sitting on that mouth of his.”
Harry blinked, trying to process what she was saying.
“But who will it be?” Aigle asked.
Kassandra paused, thinking, noticing the hopeful, eager looks on the twins’ and Aigle’s faces, Nyx’s slightly more reserved expression, then movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
“Hagne? You wish to go with him?”
Harry looked up at the smallest dryad, who looked down at him and blushed, before averting her gaze, which landed on his stiff shaft still in Melissa’s hand, and her blush deepened as she looked the other way, her gaze meeting his again, and she nodded mutely.
“But she’s too young to be out in the forest on her own! And she hasn’t even taken an interest in men yet!” Melissa cried, releasing her hold on him and standing.
“Oh, please. Look at her! She’s as turned on as the rest of us. Yes, even you, Eris. We know you prefer the touch of women, but you can’t deny that you were ogling his shaft from the side.” Nyx replied, the last part of her statement directed at the lanky dryad, who folded her arms and huffed.
“I might prefer the touch of a woman, but that is only because they can go longer than any man can.”
“Not this man.” Cybele grinned.
“He’s no man. He’s a boy. He looks as young as the last one you caught.” Eris countered.
The twins grinned salaciously. “That just means we get to look forward to decades of breeding him. Just think of the daughters he will sire!” Cybele proclaimed.
Harry tried to sit up, but Kassandra put a gentle hand on his shoulder, pinning him down. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being a father. He certainly had nothing to draw from for comparison. “I think I’m a bit too young yet for that talk,” he muttered, giving voice to his inner thoughts.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time for that,” Cybele replied. Before she stepped forward until she was standing next to Kassandra, she knelt next to him. “In the meantime…Harry…” she purred, reaching down to stroke his face with a finger, collecting some of the honey that remained and sucking it off her finger. “How about it? You do to each of us what you did to Kas, and we’ll let you go with Hagne? You have to promise to be very gentle with her. She has never touched a man before. Never been touched by one, and she was still too shy to look at the last one we caught decades ago. Shoo, Kas.”
Harry could do little as Kassandra moved away and Cybele swung her hips over his face and smiled down at him, her blush deepening as she slowly lowered herself to his face. That sweet aroma once again filled his senses as her dripping slit filled his vision. With a sigh and a smile, Cybele seated herself on his lips as she looked down at him, her smile becoming a bit bashful as she wiggled her hips against his mouth, and finally, he took the hint and started to lick. He dragged his tongue through her lips, collecting the warm honey that was freely flowing from her twitching entrance. Now that he wasn’t in danger of passing out, he could take the time to appreciate the unique taste of the dryads.
As he gulped down more of her honey, he started to examine the flavour, trying to place it mentally. It wasn’t quite bees honey, there was a slight tang to it, almost smokey, like caramel or bonfire toffee, with a hint of nut, along with a unique flavour that he couldn’t place. If he were frank, it was pretty delicious.
Then he realised: she didn’t taste like treacle tart. He had been too out of it to determine Kassandra’s flavour properly, but he was pretty sure she was the same as Cybele, but now, maybe not…
‘Maybe it’s because they’re not human?’ He thought.
The warmth of her body and thighs surrounded his head as she got comfortable. She let out a moan as he dipped his tongue into her twitching entrance, then dragged it up over her lips. It was then that he finally noticed that she only had a single pair; unlike humans, there were no labia minora. The pink bud of her erect clitoris just seemed to be covered by her singular pair of labia, something he hadn’t noticed with Kassandra. Then again, he had been upside down at the time, so he hadn’t gotten the chance to get a good look at her.
Deciding to see just how responsive that little nub of nerves was, when he reached her clitoris, he took it between his lips and sucked. Hard.
Cybele sat up straight, gasping, her eyes going wide, then arched her back as she let out a scream that turned into a moan. “OOOoooh! Mmmmm! Oh that’s nice…good boy…ooh…good boy…”
She began to rock her hips gently against his mouth, reaching down, she gently ran her fingers through his hair. “Oooh…you sure know what you’re doing…don’t you…”
‘I should bloody well hope so.’ Harry thought as he got to work. Finally having his hands free, he brought them up to take hold of Cybele’s rather lovely, firm arse. The warm, surprisingly firm globes of muscle gave way under his fingers, drawing an appreciative moan from the dryad riding his face.
Her hands then came down and took hold of his, dragging them up to cup her heaving breasts. The soft, smooth, warm and pliant flesh filled his hands as she pressed them against her chest with a gasp of approval. His fingers brushed over her hard nipples, which were coated with a fine layer of sticky, cool liquid that could only be her nectar.
He then felt a hand take hold of his erection, before a voice spoke up.
“If we can’t ride his rod, we might as well suck him dry. How about you, Aigle? Kas? Eris? Hagne?” Melissa asked.
“You’ll never see me putting one of those things in my mouth,” Eris’ voice sounded off to the side, sounding vaguely disgusted.
“Your loss. How about you, Hagne? Ready to get your first taste of human meat? You’ve been staring at it since we got him naked. So…how about it, little sister? Want to feel this warm…firm…succulent shaft push past your lips and over your tongue…? Are you ready to taste his delicious nectar and feel his warm, sweet seed splash against your tongue and fill your mouth before you swallow it for the first time? Hmmm?”
Melissa finished her comment, leaning down and planting an open-mouthed, sucking kiss to the tip of his glans, just in time to catch a small trickle of white, keeping her gaze locked with the wide-eyed stare of their youngest sister, who was openly gawking at her, the hand that wasn’t holding the make-shift bag of silver acorns was busy between her twitching legs, rubbing eagerly as Melissa smiled back encouragingly.
Not that Harry could see any of this from his current position with Melissa’s twin enthusiastically riding his mouth. He moaned into her pussy when he felt her sister’s mouth on his tip, then grunted as he felt that warm, wet mouth envelop his shaft and suck hard. Her tongue coiled and danced over his skin as she descended, her lips and fingers rolling back his foreskin to its maximum extent.
He whimpered into Cybele’s flesh as he felt the muscles at the back of Melissa’s mouth close around and massage his glans before she bottomed out, pressing her lips into the base of his shaft, while his head entered her throat, and she started to swallow and suck even harder.
Then she started to hum.
He grunted and thrust his hips up into her sucking mouth, to which she hummed and moaned even harder, and suckled even harder in approval. Then she began to draw her mouth up his shaft, using her fingers to keep his foreskin retracted as she went.
When she came off, he winced slightly at the freezing air on his wet skin before another warm mouth descended from a different angle; he guessed it was Aigle. Then he felt a hand gently cradle his balls before another mouth started to gently kiss and lick the orbs, which had drawn up closer to his body in the cold air. That had to be Nyx.
His hands meanwhile busied themselves with Cybele’s ample bosom, gently massaging it, though Cybele seemed to be a little disappointed with his delicate touch. Placing her own hands over his, she looked down at him and said in a hoarse panting voice,
“Harder, squeeze harder. I can take it. Make my nectar flow!”
In response, Harry did precisely that, tightening his grip on her breasts until he was almost trying to clench his fists, his fingers were being coated with warm sticky liquid from her hard nipples, pressing into her pliant flesh. In response, Cybele arched her back and cried out in bliss, grinding her hips down into his mouth, even rolling them back enough that his tongue slipped between the firm globes of her rump where he was surprised to find a tight ring of muscle that he curiously wiggled the tip of his tongue against, which got a rather interesting reaction from her.
“Ooooh…oh my…that’s…that’s my…mmmm…oh that feels…interesting…”
“What’s he doing?” Eris asked.
“He’s licking me…back there…” Cybele giggled and wiggled her hips, pushing her rump down insistently against his probing tongue. “It tickles!”
“Well…can’t say I’ve had that done to me before…” Nyx said, her warm breath bathing his balls before she resumed suckling them gently.
With a swoon, Cybele re-orientated herself until her vagina was once again over his mouth. She looked down at him and smiled at him adoringly. “While I do appreciate the unique attention, I don’t think that is what you did to Kas to make her scream like she did. Try again, darling.”
Harry couldn’t help but smirk into her lips as he flicked his tongue against her clit, drawing it into his mouth and sucking, which got another moan from her. Then he struck.
Moving his sticky hands down to her hips, leaving trails of nectar as they went, he took a firm hold of her, then pressed his tongue to the underside of her clitoris, and started reciting the lyrics to some random song in Parseltongue.
The reaction from Cybele was just as immediate — and as violent — as Kassandra’s had been.
With an ear-splitting shriek, she arched her back and tried to rise, to instinctively pull away from the source of overwhelming sensations, but Harry’s grip on her was too firm and he pulled her down against his tongue, moved it to her opening and began to probe it, still hissing. Cybele panted, gasping for breath, eyes wide and unfocused from a combination of shock and ecstasy. When she felt his tongue at her entrance, she began to jerk her hips erratically, not thinking about technique anymore; she just wanted more.
“Oh…oh…oh…oh…ah…ah…aah…oh by Hamadryas…oh Goddess…yes…yes…yesyesyesYESYESYES! Oh fuck…fuck…fuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCKYES!” Her gasping cries of pleasure steadily increased in volume and tone until she was screaming.
Her motions became more erratic, uncoordinated, and aggressive. The gentle rocking and circling motions of her hips became abrupt gyrations and almost violent thrusts as she began to bear down against his mouth, and for lack of a better term, began to fuck his face.
Harry did his best to hang on for the ride as Cybele forced her entire vagina into his open mouth, stretching it open to the point that it started to hurt. He began to worry that she might either knock his teeth out, break his jaw, or force his teeth to draw blood with the force of her thrusts as his head rocked back and forth to keep pace with her erratic, violent thrusting. Then his mouth was suddenly filled with warm honey, and he almost choked. That steady trickle from her vagina had suddenly become a raging torrent, more like water being pushed out of a pressurised hose than a flowing stream.
He did his best to gulp it down, but the flow was coming so fast and so strong that he barely had time to suck air in through his nose before he was forced to swallow or choke. And breathing through his nose wasn’t exactly easy, considering Cybele’s hard clit was pressed up against it, and the top of her labia was covering his nostrils. All he could smell was her, all he could breathe was her.
Just when he thought he’d have to push her off of him, she gave one final jerk and scream of climax, which was accompanied by a final gush of honey, before the flow stopped. She sagged, gasping for a moment, then rolled to the side, her raw, swollen lips leaving sticky trails of gold liquid on his mouth, nose and cheeks as he gasped, his lungs filling with the cold night air, making him shiver involuntarily.
“By the Goddess…I’ve never seen her have that reaction before. What did you do?” Melissa asked as she sat, openly gawking at her semi-conscious twin who lay opposite Kassandra, gasping and mewling, her body shaking with aftershocks.
“§Nothing really, just spoke Parseltongue§,” Harry replied, too distracted to realise he was still speaking it.
The dryads, all except Cybele, exchanged looks.
“Is that the language of serpents and dragons?” Nyx asked.
“I believe it is. Though I had no idea it could be used for this, and would get this kind of a reaction.” Kassandra said as she leaned down over Harry, stroking his sweat-soaked hair and smiling at him. “Feel free to do that to the rest of us, though, with Hagne, I think you should hold off. Don’t want to overwhelm the poor thing for her first time, do you?”
Harry tried to devise a viable response, but something quickly blocked his view.
“My turn!” Melissa exclaimed eagerly as she promptly took up her sister’s previous position over his face. She looked down at him and grinned. Come on, Harry, let's see if you can make me sing like my sister,” then she sat down.
Harry was prepared this time, and he had no intention of dragging it out with Melissa as he had with Cybele, so he took hold of her hips and pulled them down to his waiting tongue, and got to work.
Melissa’s reaction was almost as extreme as her sister’s, but he was ready this time. He gripped her hips more tightly so she couldn’t move as much, which also allowed him to breathe more clearly. However, it was still a surreal experience having another of the dryads go crazy, though the bountiful flow of honey she gave him in response certainly wasn’t unwelcome. After three full doses, he was starting to feel relatively well-fed. He felt like he’d had a decently sized meal and felt great. The honey they were feeding him would likely see him through the rest of the task, whether it was intentional on their part or not he didn’t know, and honestly didn’t care as he diligently pushed Melissa to her breaking point until she, too, peaked then dismounted him and joined her sister in a stupor next to him.
Nyx was next, her purple eyes firm and challenging, as if daring him to try and topple her so quickly. She even said as much.
“Don’t think it’ll be so easy to satisfy me, human. Your kind should know your place, and that is under us, serving our needs and wants. We take our fill from you, and you perform your duties. You won’t see me turning into a gibbering fool begging for more.” She grinned. Harry grinned back. He knew she was putting up a front. The affection she’d shown him so far belied her harsh tone. She was putting up a front to save her bravado, though he didn’t think she needed to. But he would play her game.
“Come get it then,” he grinned back with a ‘come here’ wiggle of his fingers, then he stuck out his tongue and wiggled it playfully as she reached him. Instead of immediately mounting him, she leaned in and kissed him deeply, moaning as she did so. Then she straddled his head. Her 7ft frame made for quite the imposing visage as she gently lowered herself onto his waiting tongue, but strangely, Harry didn’t mind.
Nyx’s bravado and confidence lasted all of five seconds, until she felt a strange vibration wash through her like a wave that just kept coming. And although her reaction wasn’t as violent as the twins had been, it was certainly enthusiastic as she started to ride his mouth and voice her approval in gasping moans that quickly turned to incoherent babbling as she too poured liquid sugar into his mouth in an almost constant cascade.
Harry quickly lost track of time, too caught up in exploring the delicate feminine flesh being pressed insistently into his mouth. He closed his eyes and just let his Parseltongue do the work as the dryad perched on top of him went crazy with her release, but Harry didn’t stop.
He smiled with smug pride as Nyx clamped her warm, toned thighs almost painfully against his head as he started to drive her towards a second peak, one of her hands dug into his hair, her nails scratching his scalp somewhat uncomfortably. Still, he barely noticed it over the pleasure coursing through him as he felt four tongues start to lick him.
Eventually, after her second climax, Nyx unsteadily moved off of him, panting as she rolled to lie beside him. Harry panted, sucking in cool air as he looked down, seeing the twins, Kassandra and Aigle, all now crowding around his legs, looking up at him and smiling as they each duelled the other with their tongues for room on his highly aroused and over-sensitive flesh.
Aigle soon pulled away after giving his glans a particularly lewd suck, then eagerly, but hesitantly, crawled up his prone form, leaving the twins to take her place while Kassandra claimed his testes with an almost loving croon. Off to the side, he could see Eris and Hagne now. Eris still had a look of disinterest on her face, but she did keep sneaking glances at him, so he had to wonder just how sincere her stance was. Hagne was still staring at him with a look of wonder and eagerness on her face.
When Aigle’s face was over his, she leaned down to kiss him gently, and Harry took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her in a hug, which she returned. Her warm arms wrapped around him, making him shudder as his body absorbed her heat. Her larger form curled in on itself, allowing her to wrap her arms and legs around him as she began to pepper his face with kisses. Her whole demeanour was the polar opposite of Nyx’s.
“Please take your time, don’t rush this, I want to enjoy this, and I promise to give you as much to drink as possible,” she babbled, her dark complexion getting even darker as she blushed, straddling his face. Then, in one swift move, she spun around, and with a purr, gently lowered her folds to his waiting mouth, then lay down on top of him, rejoining her sisters in their efforts.
While Harry was tempted to dive in with Parseltongue and end this quickly, Aigle had been one of the nicer dryads of the group, and she was certainly doing her best to make this as good for him as she wanted it to be for herself.
He took the opportunity to get a good look at her assets; her plump, dark labia had parted to show the flushed pink flesh behind them. Her clitoris stood proud and erect, as if begging for attention. Below — or above, depending on the perspective — was the tiny urethra, or at least, what he assumed was one. And further up, he saw the flexing, twitching opening of her vagina, which even now was freely leaking thick gold liquid, the sweet smell of which was almost overpowering. And just beyond her slit was the tiny twitching ring of her anus.
It honestly surprised him that their anatomy would be so…human, considering they weren’t. They were tree-nymphs; they were able to merge with and live as trees. So logically, they should not need a digestive system.
‘Well, they also have a human reproductive system and breasts, something only mammals have.’ He thought. He idly wondered how Aigle would respond to a little anal play, as Cybele had been receptive enough, but that was sort of a moot point as Aigle’s current position made it difficult for his tongue to reach that far, so he just decided to give her what she wanted. Anything else would have to wait until they met in the future, whenever that would be.
Aigle moaned and wiggled her hips against his mouth when he started to lick her in earnest. As he began to suck on her clit, she responded with a shuddering whine, muffled by his dick. She pulled back, opened her mouth as wide as she could and swallowed not only his shaft, but his balls as well, using her tongue and fingers to pull them up.
Her sisters voiced their protests, but she chose to ignore them and instead started to gently, hungrily suck, feeling him moan into her folds in response, which made her moan in reply. They quickly created a feedback loop of pleasure, each responding to the other’s stimulation by adding to it. When Aigle’s offering came, he happily accepted it, lapping, sucking and gulping it down as he steadily worked the dryad to the peak she so clearly wanted. Had he been a bit more clear-headed, he would have pondered on the fact that none of the dryads thus far had demonstrated having a gag reflex, meaning they could each take him as deep as they liked and have no issues.
Indeed, Aigle was doing precisely that; eagerly and hungrily swallowing around the head of his cock, the muscles at the back of her throat persistently massaging his tip while her tongue worked his shaft and her lips and tip of said tongue massaged his balls. The vibrations from her ever-intensifying moans were driving him further and further towards his climax, and driving him to suck, kiss and lick her folds, clitoris and inner flesh with ever-increasing eagerness. Which in turn, caused her to pour more and more honey into his mouth, which only drove his stamina, arousal and eagerness higher.
Hers in particular had a deep caramel taste to it, along with a specific flavour that was as unique as Nyx’s, Melissa’s and Cybele’s had been, and he was beginning to find he couldn’t get enough. The more of the honey he drank, the more he wanted to drink it. The more of it he made her produce, the more he wished she would create. It was just so good.
Eventually, Aigle seemed to reach her limit. Her movements against his face had grown steadily more urgent and desperate, the flow of honey more copious, her sucking more and more forceful, until finally, with a muffled cry that reverberated through his abdomen that drove him towards his climax, she reached her own, and he was rewarded for his efforts. He, in turn, hit his limit and finally gave Aigle what she wanted.
As both of their climaxes slowly faded, Harry once again became aware of the twins and Kassandra, who had repositioned themselves by his head after losing access to his crotch. Rather than dive back to it, they helped Aigle roll off of him, only to tackle her. Each of them moved in to kiss Aigle deeply, trying to steal what traces of his seed that she hadn’t yet swallowed. Kassandra, meanwhile, had started stroking his sweat-slicked hair.
“You’re doing wonderfully, don’t worry, the first part of your task is nearly complete, only Eris and Hagne are left to take their turn, then Hagne will escort you from here to the lake. From there, you must go alone, as we dryads are not that good swimmers,” Kassandra said, looking down at him fondly before she looked up across the Grove.
“Well, Eris? Will you partake? Or will you abstain for now?”
The pink-eyed dryad cocked her head, thinking, before seemingly making a decision.
“Don’t I get a say in this?” Harry asked groggily, his head swimming. That dryad honey was some pretty strong stuff. His head felt surprisingly light; simply raising his head or trying to sit up sent a wave of dizziness through him. Had he been more clear-headed, he would have realised he was, very likely, drunk on the stuff.
“Unless it’s about which position we take for you to worship our lips, I’m afraid not,” Kassandra said, smiling down at him.
“Might as well. If he’s good enough to make those two sluts, Aigle and Nyx, scream like the damned in Tartarus, then he should be adequate to service me.” She then looked down at Harry as she approached him and deftly straddled his head before lowering herself. “Just don’t expect me to touch that thing with my mouth or hands. I prefer women, but I won’t pass up the opportunity to be serviced by a male.” With that, she promptly lowered herself down.
Feeling a little put out by her words, Harry showed her how ‘Adequate’ he was. As soon as her lips connected to his, he slipped his tongue into her, gripped her hips tightly, and hissed.
Eris’s cockiness and bravado dissolved with a yelp and a cry of shock and pleasure, as heat surged out from between her legs, making her shiver as she arched her back, and started to grind against him.
“Mmm…so, how is he, Eris? ‘Adequate’ enough for you?” Melissa grinned as she sat up, leaned forward and started to stroke his still-hard shaft idly. She giggled at Harry’s muffled groan as Eris’ movements became more erratic.
“As…if…this…meagre…effort…could…be…enough to satisfy…me…” Eris panted as she began to gyrate and rut against Harry’s face. Scowling, Harry redoubled his efforts, pressing the flat of his tongue against her clitoris and letting out another long hiss as he started to mutter nonsense in Parseltongue.
Eris went wild and lost all her composure; her movements became just as erratic and abrupt as the others had been as the powerful sensations pushed her rapidly towards her end. Soon, she was arching her back, tilting her head back and crying out her release as she poured warm honey down Harry’s throat.
“Don’t…you…dare…stop…licking…!” Eris gasped as she thrust her hips almost painfully against Harry’s mouth. For his part, Harry could do nothing but hang on for the ride. He soon realised that she wasn’t stopping, and was in fact, building herself towards her first climax. The warmth and surge of strength he got from drinking her essence was making his cock tingle and throb almost painfully in the grip of the others. When he felt four mouths gently kiss his glans at once, he whined and tried to wiggle his hips to pull away, his cock now so sensitive that each lick almost hurt.
He’d been so caught up in what the dryads had been doing that he’d failed to notice that the more of their honey he drank, the more sensitive his body became. Those simple kisses had almost felt like electric shocks. Not only his cock, but his balls had gotten more sensitive as well, as had all the other areas of his body that he usually found receptive to stimulation from the girls, and he could have sworn his testes were starting to ache, as if they were being refilled by the honey he’d been drinking.
Finally, Eris reached her peak and dismounted his face after pouring what seemed to be another few gallons of liquid sugar and probably other things down his throat. He gasped for breath as she moved to the side and slumped in a heap next to Kassandra, who was grinning down at him. He tentatively ran a hand over his slightly bulging stomach. He felt full; he honestly wasn’t sure if he could drink anymore without bringing some of it back up.
“Well done. We’ve never seen her react like that to a male before. I think you may have impressed her,” Kassandra praised, gently stroking his hair. Harry’s chest heaved as he took deep breaths of cold night air. He honestly wasn’t sure if he could go another round. His stomach was full, he felt full, and his dick and balls ached with arousal so much they were starting to hurt. There was more to the honey than just restoring his strength.
“Hagne, are you ready for—what are you doing with that?” Nyx asked.
As one, the entire group turned, including Harry, to see that Hagne had sat down to watch the proceedings and was now leaning against a tree, her legs spread wide. Between them, her small hand held Harry’s wand, and she was currently trying to figure out the best way to work it in and out of herself.
The small dryad froze, looking up, eyes wide with embarrassment and shame at being caught.
“Well, it’s about time you took an interest in males,” Nyx said as she crawled towards her.
“She has been blooming for a couple of months now. And for the first time, too.” Kassandra said.
“Put that thing down before you hurt yourself. There’s a perfect one for you to have right here.” Nyx said, gently prying his wand from her sister’s hand and casually tossing it aside.
Hagne looked from Nyx back at Harry, then to the others, who all offered looks of encouragement.
“Come, little sister, have a taste of his shaft and delicious ambrosia,” Melissa said, angling his shaft towards Hagne, giving it a little wiggle. Hagne’s wide eyes tracked it like a hawk.
“Or mount his face and ride him till you scream,” Cybele added with a giggle.
Hagne continued to look between her sisters and Harry, before she crawled forward until she was between his legs, then sat down, tilting her head to watch Melissa gently stroke his engorged shaft, her beautiful blue eyes still wide with arousal, curiosity and awe as she watched his glans slip in and out of his foreskin, before she reached out with a tentative hand to grip his shaft and began to copy Melissa gently. Harry sucked in a breath at the new sensations, the feather-light touch of her fingers sending warm shocks down his shaft.
“That’s it…gently…up and down, mind your nails, grip him a little harder, he can take it. See that ridge around the head? That’s one of the most sensitive parts, and where the ridge meets the skin that covers his head? That’s the most sensitive part.” Melissa whispered, watching with a smile as Hagne got more confident, and a smile started to spread across her face. Melissa turned to grin at Harry. “You have no idea how lucky you are. Yours is the first penis she has ever seen up close. The first she has ever touched. The first she will ever taste, and the first that will fill her, and seed her virgin womb, and fill it with life. It’s an honour for a male to be a dryad’s first.”
Harry gritted his teeth as he looked down and studied Hagne as best he could. He noticed the large scar on her neck that covered nearly the left half.
“That scar…did a wizard…?” Harry asked. Hagne looked up at him, a look of embarrassment flickering across her face before she averted her gaze.
“A summer storm. When a dryad’s tree is damaged, that damage is reflected on the dryad. Unfortunately, cloning her tree via her acorn won’t reverse that damage, as the acorn grew after the strike that hit it. She prefers to talk as little as possible, as doing so is painful for her. She is still beautiful, is she not?” Cybele asked.
Harry could have sworn he felt the air drop below freezing, if it wasn’t already that cold, as he studied Hagne more closely. Physically, she was maybe as tall as he was, at least. Her overall physique, while still clearly feminine, also looked young. Physically, she resembled a young teenager, at least Luna’s age. Her breasts were small compared to her sisters, but compared to a human, she was roughly somewhere between Hermione and Susan. Her heart-shaped face made her look cute. Her wide-eyed expression added to her charm, and her smile was beautiful. Overall, she was beautiful, like all her sisters, almost unnaturally so.
“You are beautiful,” Harry said, honestly surprising himself by how sincere and honest he felt. “It’s okay…you…you can do what you want,” he added, surprised at his own words.
She looked at him wide-eyed, a look of genuine surprise on her face. Then she looked down at his shaft again, before leaning in, her nose tinkling as she sniffed, her fingers now caressing his head, gently prodding and poking, working his foreskin back, before her small tongue flicked out to give his slit a hesitant, exploratory lick, her blue eyes fixed on his face, watching his reaction.
His cock twitched in her hands, and she drew back, startled, her eyes widening with a flash of fear and uncertainty.
“It’s okay, Hagne, they tend to do that when you lick or kiss them. That’s a good reaction.” Kassandra purred reassuringly.
Hagne paused, looked up at Harry’s face, then up at the sky, as if seeing something through the thick canopy of branches. She squinted, then suddenly stood, stepped forward, and reached down, taking one of Harry’s hands and, with a grunt, pulling him up to his feet. Harry also winced as his stiff muscles protested the sudden movement.
“What are you doing?” Eris cried as she and the others jumped to their feet.
Hagne looked at her, then the others, before gesturing to the sky, then to Harry, then into the distance, making a few other gestures that Harry couldn’t understand.
“Are you sure?” Nyx asked. Hagne nodded.
“Er…what’s she saying?” Harry asked.
“She’s saying that it’s time for you to continue with your journey; she’ll go with you to where you need to be to plant the acorns and then return here,” Kassandra said.
“What?! She’s too young to go wandering around the forest alone!” Eris protested. Hagne gave her a stern look before she made a few more gestures. It almost looked to Harry like a form of sign language, not that he’d seen much of that.
Harry tilted his head, then shrugged, as the cold started to bite once again. He walked over to where his wand was and picked it up, feeling the hungry stare of the dryads watching him as he moved. Rather than feeling embarrassed, though, he enjoyed them ogling him. Then he looked at what was left of his clothes, seeing that his socks and boxers were all that remained intact. With a sigh, he raised his wand and focused, feeling that strange magic stir within him and flow into his wand. The remains of his clothes and shoes suddenly rippled and lifted into the air, merging into a ball of matter and reassembling into a thick, fur-covered hooded robe and a pair of fur-lined boots. But nothing else. He sighed.
“Great…” he muttered as he awkwardly slid the boots on, which were surprisingly comfortable. Then the cloak, slipping it on, fastening the clasp, which also conveniently pulled it closed around him, sealing the two sides together like an invisible zip. He then reached up, rather awkwardly and pulled the hood over his head.
With another wave of his wand, he picked up and shouldered the satchel, taking a moment to quickly check its contents to make sure none of the potion vials were damaged. He also retrieved the fur flask with an Accio.
He then turned to Hagne, who approached him, her gaze running up and down his frame, admiring the fur robe.
“Are you certain about this, little sister? You have no idea how dangerous the forest is! Wondering alone through the forest is too dangerous for one so young!” Nyx said, taking Hagne by the arm, a look of concern on her beautiful face. Hagne smiled at her and nodded resolutely, before turning to Harry.
She made a gesture then turned to leave.
As they started to move, Harry remembered his goggles and Accio’d them into his hand, before slipping them onto his head and over his eyes. He then felt a hand on his other arm and turned to Kassandra, who regarded him with a measured expression.
“We dryads usually don’t venture far from our trees. We only do that if we must, or if we’re establishing new Groves. Hopefully, wherever you intend to plant the acorns, it will not be too far. The magic in the acorns will sustain her away from her tree, but she will still need your assistance. We are trusting you with her care.” Kassandra said.
“Don’t worry, I have an idea where to plant them. I’m sure you ladies will be happy with it, and don’t worry, I’ll look after little Hagne. If the journey is too much, I’ll send her back to you.” Harry replied with a warm smile.
“No. Stay.” Hagne rasped in a hoarse whisper that he could barely hear. A pang of sympathy went through him. Just how badly was her voice damaged? He hesitantly lifted his hand to her neck, then gently ran a finger down the scar tissue.
“If it hurts to talk, then try not to. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe,” Harry said. Hagne smiled and leaned forward, planting a gentle peck on his lips.
“Safe journey, little one,” Kassandra said, leaning in to hug the petite nymph. The rest did likewise, then, once they’d said their final farewells, Harry and Hagne left the Grove, hand in hand.
-=-=-=-
Harry moved through the underbrush, flinching as the branches of trees and shrubs he passed caught in the thick fur of his robe. Thankfully, the thick boots he wore now helped keep his feet warm, but he was still shivering under the thick robe. The warmth he’d got from feeding from the dryads had already worn off, but the arousal had not.
“I’m probably the only bloke alive with a raging hard dick in sub-zero temperatures,” he muttered. He still couldn’t believe the dryads had effectively destroyed his clothes.
He took a moment to check his watch, eyes widening as he looked down at it—1 AM.
He’d been in that dryad Grove for about an hour and a half. He found himself smiling, despite the situation, when he felt Hagne wrap an arm around his waist, her hand soon moving down to cup his arse, taking full advantage of the opportunity to explore his body more. She seemed to take every chance she could to touch him, and her gaze, when it wasn’t on where they were going, was solely on him, or parts of him, he’d noticed.
The look of curiosity and innocent, child-like wonder she’d worn back in the Grove was still there, but now there was also an eager, almost hopeful look on her cute face. And he had to admit, she was pretty. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to drop down to focus on his shaft more often than not, even when she couldn’t see it. He wasn’t surprised to find it still hadn’t softened even a little since leaving the Grove.
Usually, after he’d cum a few times, it diminished to at most a semi-aroused state, but ever since he’d drunk from the dryads, he hadn’t softened one bit, and Hagne had been taking full advantage to ogle him whenever she could.
Around them, the forest was blanketed by a soft dusting of snow and frost. It was pretty beautiful, if ridiculously cold. Icicles hung from branches and rock overhangs, creating a rather beautiful scenic view for the light from his wand to pass over.
“Are you okay?” he asked her, noticing how she pressed herself against him. Pausing for a moment, he pulled his right arm out of the sleeve, opened his robe and pulled her against him. Then he wrapped the robe around her as best he could, casting a small expansion charm on it to make sure there was enough of it to cover both of them and let it reseal around them both. He then cast a few warming charms on the inside of the robe.
He suspected Hagne had it worse, though, as she was naked, not even wearing boots.
“Mhmm,” Hagne murmured, nodding as she wrapped her left arm around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze, then let her hand drift down below his waist. She leaned in, resting her head against his shoulder as they slowly walked.
His gaze flicked down to the scar on Hagne’s neck, which ran from her jawline down to her collarbone. He felt bad for her. That scar was so large and deep that it damaged her vocal cords, and if what the others had said was true, growing her new tree wouldn’t repair that damage.
‘That must have been one hell of a lightning strike…’ he thought. ‘If talking is painful for her, how’s she going to handle a scream-inducing orgasm?’
Then the strange, sweet scent he’d first noticed in the Grove hit him again as one of the small blue buds in her branch-like hair fell closer to his face, and he sniffed. It smelled rather lovely, though he was no plant expert like Neville, so he couldn’t really place it, but it certainly had an affect on him when he shivered again, but this time, not from the cold, as a fresh wave of warmth and arousal ran through him, and his shaft throbbed back to full mast in no time.
Hagne seemed to take note, and with a giggle, slipped her hand back around his waist to his front, copping a feel shamelessly under the thick robe.
“Is mine the first one you’ve ever seen or touched?” he asked quietly, almost whispering as his breath caught at the touch of her exploring hand. She turned to face him as they walked. Her gaze came up to meet his, her face darkening in a blush. She nodded and turned away, smiling shyly, her face the very picture of embarrassment.
“You know you could have explored me back in the Grove, right? I honestly wouldn’t have stopped you,” he said with a smile. Not mentioning that her sisters probably wouldn’t let him stop her.
She looked at him again, still smiling and gave a light shake of her head, then gestured to the snow-covered forest around them with a tilt of her head, off into the distance, and then nodded at him. It took him a while, but he eventually seemed to get it. She didn’t want him to be delayed any longer, and he found that…oddly endearing, that she was the most caring and considerate out of the entire group.
“Are you alright, Hagne? You seem to be struggling. You didn’t know how far I have to go, did you?” he asked, bringing his wand hand up to gently place his wand behind his ear, as he’d seen Luna do. He reached down to cup her face gently as they came to a stop. He gently embraced her, awkwardly pulling his left arm out of that sleeve, then wrapping both of them around her, pressing her fully against him as she too embraced him in a fierce hug. Hagne looked at him, blinking as their gazes locked, their noses almost touching, their combined breath misting as she shivered in his grasp.
She was freezing. The Grove must have somehow held off the worst of the cold, but out here, she had no protection. He hoped she’d be able to make it back on her own.
Harry didn’t realise just how close their faces were until he felt her warm breath wash over his lips as it misted in the air. A second later, their lips met in a gentle, curious kiss.
He was taken off guard, so much so that when he felt her tongue curiously, hesitantly probe his lips, he offered no resistance as her tongue entered his mouth and started exploring, a rather cute moan emanating from her throat as the kiss deepened.
Emotions surged within Harry as he felt Hagne press herself against him, her arms tightening around him, her hands starting to roam up and down his back, tracing the lean muscles she found there, even tracing over a few of the faint scars he had there. Remnants of his time with his cousin. Her hands eventually moved down to his hips before stopping.
They were both panting when they separated, their breath condensing in the frigid air. Each locked eyes with the other, cerulean blue and emerald green, both lidded, both dark with emotion. Curiosity, desire, eagerness, uncertainty, hesitation…
Affection.
Harry was genuinely surprised by the intensity of the affection he saw in her blue eyes, the gratitude, eagerness, hope, desire, and anticipation he saw there.
“Is it true what your sister said? Is your species that close to extinction?” he whispered.
A nod, her face turning solemn.
“And you believe I could help with that?”
Another nod, her expression turning hopeful. “Sisters believe, hope,” her voice came out as a hoarse rasp, like her throat was parched and full of sawdust, like she had a sore throat or hadn’t talked in years. What she got out was barely a whisper.
“And you’ve never seen a naked male or touched one before me?”
A headshake, “You are first I touch,” she said in another whispered rasp.
“Was that…was that your first kiss?”
Another nod, an affectionate, hopeful smile.
He felt her hands on his hips move down a little hesitantly. He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. “It’s okay, Hagne, explore all you want.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, showing a mixture of surprise and gratitude, before he felt her hands move down, over the firm muscles of his bum, giving each an exploratory squeeze. Harry smiled and chuckled, despite himself, then Hagne let out a gasp as his shaft, which had been pressed against her leg, slid between her thighs, and she clamped them tight around it as it pressed against her warm, wet lips, and she moaned in approval.
She rested her chin on his shoulder as he hugged her, and she gave her hips an experimental thrust, grinding against him. She grunted, moaned, then shivered. Harry held her steady, not moving. Once, perhaps a year ago, he might have baulked at the idea of letting a naked girl he didn’t know grind against him like this, especially in a snow-covered forest at night in the heart of winter, but now, oddly enough, he was okay with it. Hagne was exploring her sexuality, and his. Was their current location the best place for this? No, but he didn’t see any alternatives. She was cold; this was the best way to warm her up, so he would indulge her curiosity as much as he had to.
Plus, it did feel rather good having her pressed against his skin like that. She was hot; if anything, she was helping to keep him warm, rather than the other way round. The warming charms inside the robe had done the job.
Soon her thrusting became steadier, less erratic, and she turned to press a kiss into his neck, before she whispered into his left ear a thick rasping plea, “Touch me…”
He paused for a moment before slipping his hands into the front of the robe until they found the warm, smooth and firm globes of muscle at her hips, giving them the same curious squeeze she’d given him. She hummed in approval, her thrusting becoming a little faster, her breathing a little heavier. He started to feel warmth spreading along the top of his shaft as her thighs, which were also getting wet, slid along its length. Was she trying to bring herself to orgasm by grinding on his dick?
Had she even had one before?
Curiously, he brought one of his hands up and around, awkwardly slipping his left arm out of the robe sleeve so he could touch her as she wished while keeping his arm and hand inside the robe, and keeping the robe closed around them, to help trap the heat that was now building within it. For a moment, he wondered if they got down on the ground, would the robe bury them like a thick blanket?
A perfect little improvised love nest for the curious and oversexed little dryad to fully explore and ravish him? He was going to keep this robe, he decided, he just hoped the transfiguration was permanent.
“Touch…me…please…” she rasped again, and this time, he obeyed. His left hand went to her right breast, which was pretty modest in size, her nipple erect and her breast coated in a layer of nectar that had also transferred to his chest. His other hand went lower, to her thrusting hips, where it encountered the sticky goo now covering his cock and her pussy and thighs. His fingers soon found her lips, which were hot, wet and covered in thick liquid he guessed was honey. His fingers soon delved into those lips and found her clitoris and clenching entrance, which didn’t feel any warmer than a human did.
The instant his fingers made contact, she stiffened, squeaked, then let out a rasping moan which turned into a halting cry that echoed through the trees, as with several jerks of her hips, he felt her lips suddenly close on his fingers, as if they were like the lips on her face. The finger he’d gently started to push into her tight vagina was suddenly gripped and squeezed by the clenching muscles. Her shutting motion, combined with the limited space for movement, forced the first and then a second finger into a clenching muscle as she clamped down on him. The added friction caused by the honey she produced meant that his fingers had very little room to move. Still, it seemed that was enough for her. With another cry, Hagne arched her back, thrusting her hips against his trapped hand and shaft, sending another cascade of warm, thick honey flowing over them and her legs, as well as a few stray traces on him.
Harry stood still, amazed at the situation. He held the panting dryad as she sagged against him, her arms still wrapping him in a hug as she hummed and mewled in her afterglow. Had this been her first orgasm? Had she just had her first climax grinding on his dick and hand? She must have been incredibly pent up, he reasoned.
He felt equal parts disbelief, elation, hysterical humour, and barely controlled lust and frustration as he realised just how close he had been to spraying cum all over her green thighs and pussy.
After a few minutes of heavy breathing and panting on his neck, Hagne seemed to collect herself and gently kiss his neck, before whispering “Thank you,” in his ear. Then she pulled back and looked down, her satisfied expression turning to one of wonder, lust, and hunger. When her gaze returned to meet his, he was surprised to see how turned on she looked. She smirked, then leaned in and quickly kissed him, before whispering in a hoarse voice.
“Now…your turn…”
Before he could say or do anything to stop her, she dipped under the robe, the bulge that indicated her presence sinking until it was in front of his legs. The hem of the robe was just about level with the ground, and seemed to do a pretty damn good job of trapping all the heat they’d generated; his legs were no longer freezing, at least. For a second, he wondered what she would do; he tried to look down the robe but couldn’t get a good view. He considered opening it, but didn’t want to let out any of the heat. He felt her hands on his cock and balls, her fingers gently gripping and exploring his equipment, before rolling back his foreskin, an instant before he felt warm air brush over his glans, then something hot and wet flicked against his very tip, his glans, the ridge around it, under his foreskin, then the shaft, trailing a slow, curious path down to his balls.
She was licking him.
Exploring him.
Her movements were hesitant and unsure at first, but as the seconds turned into minutes, she seemed to gain confidence quickly. She also seemed to pay very close attention to the sounds he made, using his reactions to guide her movements.
Harry tensed as he felt her start to explore him, her fingers dancing over his shaft and balls as her tongue and lips moved along his length, coating every part of it she could in gentle licks and almost chaste kisses as she worked her way down towards his sac.
Part of him wished he could see her, but another part found the fact that he couldn’t see her even more of a turn-on.
When she reached his balls, she started to gently and curiously explore them with her mouth, humming with approval and arousal in equal measure. When she tentatively took one into her mouth and began to suck on it gently as her sisters had done, Harry couldn’t help but let his head fall back and moan aloud, not caring who or what would hear him. Hagne giggled around the testicle she was gently nursing, apparently that had been the response she hoped for.
‘This dryad might be a virgin, but she’s still a damn tease!’ he thought.
When she moved back to his glans, her lips brushed over them, sealing around the ridge as her tongue danced over it, and she started to eagerly suck, her fingers cupping his balls and wrapping around his shaft, and she started to stroke curiously. She seemed to have the awareness to be careful with her nails and her teeth, as she somehow managed to avoid accidentally letting either touch his shaft for more than a second. Harry was so turned on at this point that it didn’t take him long before he arched his back and gave a little thrust, with a loud groaning cry of his own. He felt his cock twitch in her hands, and he gasped out a warning cry.
Whether she heard him or not, he wasn’t sure; all he was aware of was the surge of pleasure that washed over him as he reached his peak. She moaned in bliss as her mouth was filled with warm, thick goo, which she hungrily sucked out of his shaft and swallowed, her tongue dancing over his sensitive head as she worked to extract every drop.
Harry panted, his knees shaking as he felt Hagne finally release him and deliver a gentle kiss to his tip. Then she stood, her head once again poking through the robe. Her eyes were bright and happy as she smiled, a look of delight and satisfaction on her face, though she did look a tad unsure.
“Was it good?” she whispered, her arms going around him again in a hug.
“Yes, very good. Do you dryads have a natural talent for that or something?”
She smiled, blushed and shook her head.
“Then you must have been paying attention to what your sisters did. Well, you were good regardless. If you’re feeling up to it, we’ll keep going, I’ll try to keep you under the robe, hopefully the warmth doesn’t fade too much.”
“I’m fine now, robe is for you,” she whispered as she slipped out of the robe, and he fed his arms back into the sleeves. Then she took his hand, and they started walking again.
-=-=-
After some time, Harry wasn’t sure how long, Hagne suddenly froze, looking out into the darkness. Harry also paused, looking out, but he couldn’t see anything.
“Revelio,” He muttered. His senses pinged several times, from several different directions. A chill went through him that had nothing to do with the cold. Wolves. There were about fifteen of them. And the closest was about 20 feet away.
Then he heard the growls and low howls.
Movement caught his eye, and he saw one of the predators enter the light from his wand, its eyes glowing from the reflected light, teeth bared as it snarled, head down, fur and shudders raised. Then it pounced at them.
With a cry of alarm, Hagne pressed herself closer to Harry. At the same time, Harry raised his wand.
“Dipulso!” Harry snapped. With a rush of air and a yelp, the leaping wolf was suddenly catapulted backwards into the darkness, landing somewhere among the trees with a thud. More snarls and growls closed in, and two more wolves came charging. Harry shifted his aim when Hagne gestured with her hands, and two thick vines shot out of the trees to wrap around one of the wolves and pull it back into the trees with a strangled yelp, one of the vines coiling tightly around its throat.
The second wolf closed to striking distance, and a hastily cast Protego stopped its charge. A quick Levisio and another Dipulso sent it flying into a nearby tree, with the sound of cracking bones and a cry of pain, which turned into pained whimpers as it hit the ground.
Harry honestly felt bad. He knew these animals were hunting for food. It was unfortunate that they had chosen him and his companion to be that food because he was pretty sure he wasn’t on their menu tonight.
The rest of the pack quickly rushed them. With flicks of his wand, Harry sent two more of them flying, only for them to be caught mid-air by vines and strung up. He sent a blasting curse to the ground in front of a third, causing it to jump back with a yelp. But the rest managed to close the distance and pounced. Harry did what he could, dodging, diving, and taking cover behind trees as he pulled Hagne with him. Still, a couple managed to make it through.
Harry was tackled to the ground with a grunt under one of the large, heavy animals. He raised his hands to shield himself as the wolf started to claw at him and tried to close its jaws around his neck, but instead caught his arm. Harry let out a cry of pain as he felt the jaws close around his arm and bite down. He gritted his teeth as he felt the wolf’s teeth dig into his muscles, drawing blood, causing him to lose his grip on his wand. His hand soon started to tingle as blood drained from it, the wolf’s teeth shredding the muscles, blood vessels and nerves in his forearm. For a split second, he thought the thing was about to bite his hand off, especially when he felt its teeth scrape the bones in his forearm.
A hoarse scream caught his attention and he turned, blinking back tears of agony, to see Hagne throw up her arms, causing vines and tree roots to shoot out of the ground and branches down from the surrounding trees to intercept the wolves leaping at her, catching several of the wolves and with vines, and with a flick of her hands, tossed them out of sight.
Twisting, he punched the wolf, which was chewing his arm, in the face, kicked it off him, swapped his wand hand, and hit the wolf with a Levisio, then a Diffindo. With a dying scream and yelp, its body opened up as if it were a beanbag being unzipped, and a combination of warm blood, viscera and internal organs spilt out onto him. The corpse fell on him, adding to the gore. With a groan of effort, he rolled the carcass off of him and rolled onto his hands and knees, fighting the urge to vomit as adrenaline surged through him.
He winced in pain as he put weight on his mangled arm, pushing himself up into a sitting postilion, took aim at the wolves circling them, and fired off several more shots, catching two with a Confringo, setting the fur of one alight, sending it into a howling panic as it ran off, screaming and yelping in pain, and blasting the second apart, the burning chunks sent flying.
A snarl drew his attention to the remaining wolves that had dodged his shot charge in, only for most of them to be caught by vines and strung up by the neck, all except the last one that managed to dodge the vines and lunged at Hagne.
A large black dog suddenly came charging out of the trees, snarling. It pounced at the wolf, tackling it to the ground. In turn, the wolf growled and barked, turning to retaliate, and soon, the two large animals devolved into a full-on fight.
In all the commotion, it took Harry a few seconds to recognise the large canine. ‘Sirius…’
He was distracted, however, as the wolf he’d thrown into the underbrush with a Dipulso came charging back, this time aiming for Hagne, who didn’t see it coming. With a surge of adrenaline, he got to his feet and ran, using his Seeker reflexes to tackle the wolf as it pounced at her. She finally noticed it with a panicked scream. He dropped his wand in the charge, so when he collided with the wolf and tackled it to the ground, he had nothing to fight it with except his remaining good fist. The wolf snarled and turned, trying to sink its teeth and claws into him, but it only succeeded in pulling away the heavy robe, which was fine by him. It was covered in the blood, internal organs and viscera of one of its pack mates, anyway.
He rolled, punching the lupine as it snarled, bit and clawed at him, but now that it was wrapped up in his thick cloak, the fight was a little more even. After a few moments of tussling, he finally punched it in the head, knocking it back against a tree, where it lay still. He was about to get to his feet once again when he heard another growl and turned to see another wolf come out of the darkness and charge at him. It lunged for him, mouth wide and teeth bared, flecks of drool flying from its mouth.
Several vines suddenly shot out of the darkness from above and wrapped around the wolf’s neck, waist and hips, causing the animal to swing forward a little, but not by much, as it started to snap its jaws and bark. Harry stared, wide-eyed with shock, at where the animal’s teeth were as it tried to bite down on flesh but only got air.
His almost-painfully hard erection bobbed less than an inch from the wolf’s snapping teeth. It had wanted to bite his dick off. He looked over to see Hagne standing with a hand outstretched, a frightened but furious look on her face. It was honestly scary.
The expression on her face was a mix of terror and fury. Though the latter started to overtake her expression as she looked where the wolf had been trying to bite, then back at it as it still snarled. Her face had twisted into an expression that truly made Harry shiver, and silently hope he was never on the receiving end of it.
“MINE!” Hagne snarled in a rasping cry, then with a flick of her wrist, the wolf was lifted into the air so fast, its snarls turned into a strangled yelp before Harry heard something snap, and the wolf’s body went limp.
Harry blinked, panting hard as he struggled to get to his feet, picking up his wand, wincing at the pain in his arm, as he started to shiver from exposure, his warm robe now ruined. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Hagne nodded and gestured to him. He looked down at himself. Apart from being naked again, he had a bleeding bite on his mangled left arm and a few other scratches and bruises, but he was okay, if in a lot of pain. A growl and a yelp drew their attention to the last wolf and the black dog, which seemed to be finishing their fight.
With a yelp, the wolf separated from the dog. It eyed them for a second, then turned and ran into the forest with its tail between its legs. The dog barked a few more times before it turned back to them. Harry saw Hagne tense as the large dog approached, tail wagging and tongue lolling.
“It’s okay, Hagne, he’s a friend. I hope we didn’t just orphan a litter of cubs…”
Hagne eyed the dog, then him, and relaxed a little. The wolves caught in the vines that were still alive snarled, whined, and struggled, but were no longer a threat. Then, Harry remembered he was still wearing the goggles over his eyes. Reaching up, he lifted them to his forehead. If anyone was watching back at the castle, he didn’t want them to see Sirius. He was sure that would dock him a lot of points.
The Grim’s form rippled, then suddenly, the dishevelled form of his Godfather stood before him.
“Hey, Harry, I never figured you’d be the type for a naked moonlit brawl with some wolves in the forest with a dryad,” Sirius grinned as he drew his wand, then gently took Harry’s wounded arm and started muttering a spell as he waved the tip over the bleeding wound. Harry winced as he felt the wound throb as the bleeding stopped, then it closed, but it still hurt like hell and looked like raw meat. “Does Hermione know about this? Sorry about the arm, healing magic ain’t exactly my best, but that’s as good as I can do.”
Harry rolled his eyes as he hugged his godfather tightly. “Shut up, you mutt. What are you doing out here?”
Sirius awkwardly hugged him back, trying not to ogle Hagne, who eyed him warily. “I was hoping to run into you. I’ve heard there are some bounty hunters out looking for you.”
“I know, already dealt with one,” Harry replied.
“Well, just keep your eyes open. I can’t stay long, I’ve already taken out three of ‘em. There might be more, so I’ll keep going once I’m sure you're okay,” Sirius then pulled back and waved his wand, quickly cleaning off both Harry and Hagne, for which she was grateful, and conjuring a thick coat and some pants for Harry. “There, the best I can do on short notice. Now, Harry, what’s the deal with the dryad?”
Harry spent the next few minutes giving Sirius the short version of the last six or so hours.
When he was finished, Sirius sighed and shook his head. “Honestly, those idiots fucked this up. Who the hell decided it should take 24 hours to complete this Task? Especially considering the condition you, Hermione, Susan, Daphne and Luna have to deal with now. Still can’t believe she did that to herself. Anyway…what are you going to do with those Acorns?”
“I figured I’d plant them in the Greenhouse,” Harry shrugged. Sirius snorted.
“Oh, I’m sure Sprout would love a group of horny dryads taking up residence in her domain,” Sirius chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Listen, I know just where to plant them, I just need to go get the place ready and get the all-clear, just don’t move from this spot and I’ll be back in about 5 minutes or so, then I’ll come back and take the acorns and this lovely lady to her new home,” he said, giving Hagne a flirtatious smile. She giggled and smiled at him, blushing.
“You sure?” Harry asked.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll plant them soon, and by the time you leave Hogwarts, they should have germinated and sprouted. Your friend and her sisters should be all settled by then.” He then turned on the spot and Apparated with a crack.
“Okay, so…now what? And where did all the wolves go?” Harry asked as he looked around, trying to spot where the wolves’ various remains were, but couldn’t find any of them. Even the one he’d knocked out was gone, seemingly buried by the vegetation. He looked around and quickly discovered his satchel, retrieving it. Quickly, he looked inside, and much to his relief, saw the potion vials were all still intact, but that relief faded when he noticed some of the Wiggenweld vials had somehow opened and spilt. He sighed with annoyance and, with a quick flick of his wand, vanished the mess. A second inspection confirmed it; there was only one Wiggenweld left.
“Plant food,” Hagne rasped, that angry expression briefly returning.
“Eh, what’s one more scar?” Harry shrugged. Before she could respond, the air rippled again, and with a pop, Sirius reappeared.
“Alright, good news. The way is clear, and you and your sisters can move in. If you’ll hold on to me, I’ll side-along Apparate us both to your new home, and you can plant those acorns, then your sisters can join you.”
Hagne paused, shook her head and turned to Harry, an expression of panic and sadness marring her beautiful face. She stepped in close, pressing herself against him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
“No…stay…” she whispered.
Sirius smirked, “Looks like she wants to keep you company, Harry, you lucky bastard. Take care of her, and you look after him.” He gave Harry and Hagne a quick hug, taking a moment to whisper something into Hagne’s ear. She nodded eagerly, a smile and blush spreading across her face. Then, he pulled back and took the leaf bag of acorns from her.
Sirius gave Harry a final wink, then, with a twist, Apperated with a loud crack, leaving no trace that he was ever there.
“Okay, now the Acorn problem is solved, I guess you can return to your sisters and wait for them to germinate,” Harry muttered with a chuckle. Hagne giggled and nodded, blushing cutely.
Hagne looked down at his arm, then moved in and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug and started peppering his face and neck with kisses. Harry tried to talk, bringing his arms up around her, when he tried to say something, Hagne pushed her tongue into his mouth and hummed as she melded against him.
“Are you okay?” he whispered once the kiss finally broke. Their faces were so close that their noses rubbed together as they panted. Hagne nodded, her eyes heavy with what he assumed was exhaustion, but quickly proved to be something else. Hagne looked down and took hold of his arm, rolling up his sleeve to examine the still bleeding bite hidden under the soaked bandage.
“Don’t worry about that, Sirius closed it and stopped the bleeding, but it’ll probably scar. But hey, what’s another one of those, right?”
Hagne shook her head, “I heal.” Her expression became insistent as she reached up with her hands and called down two thick vines, which curled into loops that she took hold of. Then, slowly, she was lifted into the air until her hips were level with his face, and she hooked her legs over his shoulders, her intention clear.
With a mental shrug, Harry took hold of her hips, then pressed his mouth to her wet, sticky slit and started to lick. She sighed and put a hand on the back of his head, and looked down at him as she began to rock her hips gently against his face, encouraging him.
The warm, sweet, slightly tangy scent filled his lungs, making his head spin, and with renewed eagerness, he dived in and started licking. Like with the others, he couldn’t seem to get enough of the beautiful nymph’s delicious honey.
“Lick…drink…heal…” she cooed.
With an eagerness that surprised him, Harry did precisely that, though he wasn’t entirely sure that servicing her while his arm throbbed painfully was such a good idea. As he began to lick her folds gently, Hagne arched her back and let out several cute squeaks, whimpers and moans as she arched her back and started to rock against his mouth, encouraging him to go deeper. When he teased the entrance of — then slipped his tongue into — her vagina, she started to rock more instantly against his face, using her legs on his shoulders to give her more leverage. Then her honey started to flow, and he eagerly drank it down.
As he drank, he became vaguely aware of the fading pain in his arm. He raised it until he could see it, his eyes widening as he watched the swollen, red wound on his arm start to close fully, as the pain and swelling lessened.
When he moved his tongue up to her clitoris and started to lick it eagerly, Hagne squealed in approval, clamping her thighs around his head as she began to hump his face in open lust. Soon, he was gulping a steady stream of warm, sweet honey as his tongue danced over her flesh, teasing her hard clit, caressing the back of her lips, which seemed to drive her wild, and circling her entrance, then thrusting his tongue in and out of her, pushing Hagne to ever-increasing heights of pleasure.
She stared down at him the entire time, her beautiful cerulean eyes wide with wonder, excitement and eagerness. Slowly, her expression changed to something more primal, more carnal, then to something more affectionate, and as he sensed her climax approaching, he looked up at her face to find her gazing back at him with an expression that was equal parts lustful, eager, thankful, and surprisingly affectionate. If he were the betting type, he’d even wager that she was looking at him with an expression that was almost…smitten.
Suddenly, she arched her back and let out a hoarse, rasping cry as she started to thrash and gyrate against his licking mouth, and an extra strong pulse of honey poured into his mouth, and he eagerly drank it down. He used his tongue to prolong her climax, the warm honey increasing his arousal, filling him with a wonderful sense of warmth, as if he’d just eaten a fine meal, as it had when he’d drunk from her sisters. Curiously, he noted that it tasted sweeter than the other dryads. Maybe it was because she was a virgin? Or that she was so young? He wasn’t sure, but she tasted like the sweetest caramel he’d ever had, but thankfully, it wasn’t too overpowering.
Eventually, the flow stopped, and he pulled away, his mouth and chin covered in her nectar. He gave her swollen lips and exposed clit a final lick, which made her jerk her hips and gasp with an adorable cry. Soon she sagged, panting in rasping breaths as she let go of the hoops and practically curled around his head as he gave her swollen lips one final kiss before he gently eased her down, until they were face to face and she kissed him again, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly.
Eventually, he set her down on her feet, then she pushed him back against a tree, and then started to pull off the clothes Sirius had given him. When the kiss ended, he was taken aback by the almost feral gleam in her eyes, but the affectionate, smitten look was still there, as was the lust.
She leaned in and started to lick up the honey around his mouth, then began to kiss her way down his neck, then his chest. Every new area of skin she uncovered, she attacked with her mouth and tongue, until she knelt before him, and almost violently divested him of his trousers. She paused for a moment, admiring his freed erection that stood proudly before her, the glans just visible under the foreskin, swollen and already leaking precum, along with yet another pearl of white was already forming at the tip. Was that normal?
‘At least this time, I’ll get to watch her,’ Harry thought.
Hagne’s eyes zeroed in on that white droplet; her expression once again turned hungry. She reached up and gently took hold of his shaft, then looked up at him as she leaned in, her tongue extending to catch that drop of white. Her eyes rolled into her head, and she moaned as she once again savoured his unique flavour. Part of her was disappointed her sisters hadn’t been present to share in the joy of her first kiss, or her first climax, ground out on his — in her opinion — beautiful, perfect shaft. Any first-time experience was precious to a dryad. But on the other hand, she was glad she got some privacy and got the chance to explore on her terms. Her sisters would have distracted her or hurried her.
Her tongue exploded with flavour as she once again tasted him. The qualities that made up his character translated into unique flavours that all blended to paint a mental image in her mind of what kind of male Harry was. It was a trait both Veela and Dryads shared, and thankfully, one that did not need any training to master; her brain just seemed to be programmed to process everything and tell her what she needed to know.
Another trait the dryads shared with their veela cousins was their insatiable appetite for sex.
Thanks to her first taste of him under that robe, she now understood why her sisters had been so eager to suck Harry dry, and why Melissa and Cybele had worked so diligently until they were experts in the art. And after the treatment he’d just given her, she wanted more, and she intended to get it. She was certainly no Cybele or Melissa, but she was still a dryad and a fast learner.
Gripping his shaft, still looking up at him, she gently peeled back his foreskin, exposing his glans, then started to kiss and lick the exposed flesh, doting his glans with loving affection, eagerly catching and swallowing any precum or leaking semen she could, before working her way down his shaft to his balls, which she started to nuzzle lovingly, letting out cute little mewls and moans as she did so. She gave his balls a few adoring licks before closing her lips around one and gently sucking on it, then moving to the other, as her sisters had done earlier, before she licked her way up his shaft to claim it with her mouth. She started to awkwardly bob her head, as she’d seen her sisters do.
Harry panted, the combination of her honey, his constant arousal and her eagerness was pushing him rapidly towards another climax, the fact that he got to watch her this time added to his euphoria. Her evident eagerness blended with her curious explorations as she found her technique was highly thrilling to him.
There was just something about these beings that stoked his arousal just by being around him, like being around Veela, only more noticeable. It didn’t take long. He gritted his teeth, biting back a cry as his balls and cock twitched and pulsed in Hagne’s grip, her tongue busily dancing over his flesh in awkward, erratic moves, and was soon once again coated with thick, warm, sweet cream she quickly found herself craving. She moaned around his dick, looking up at him with that affectionate smile as his cock pulsed several more times, and her mouth was quickly filled, her cheeks puffing out before she was forced to swallow.
Her throat bulged as she gulped, sucking air through her nose as several more spurts came, and her mouth was soon filled again, and again. She swallowed, moaning each time. Harry hadn’t noticed, but Hagne had discreetly grabbed and emptied his water flask and was now holding it under her, the neck of the flask resting flush with the opening of her tight vagina, letting a steady stream of her honey flow into it.
Eventually, the flow of Harry’s cum slowed to a stop, as did the flow from Hagne, and with a final loving kiss to the tip of his glans, and a whispered “Thank you,” Hagne stood, and kissed Harry again, before repeating the words, then handing him the full sealed flask. He took it, eyeing it in confusion.
“Use sparingly,” she whispered. Harry panted his mind in a whirl, struggling to catch up to the situation.
“Thanks, you…you can go back to your sisters now, tell them the acorns are being planted, and I’m sure we’ll meet again at the end of the year, its not safe for you out here, and I don’t know how much further I have to go, but I don’t want to put you in danger, and I get the impression you can’t get too far from your Grove,” Harry said, reaching up to cup her face. Then he took hold of his wand and transfigured another thick fur coat, slipping it on her. She looked herself up and down, looking at the coat, frowning. She wasn’t used to wearing anything, but she seemed to adjust pretty quickly. “That should keep you warm until you get back to your Grove,” he added.
She looked at him intently, her expression becoming downcast as she nodded reluctantly. She then stepped forward and embraced him again, giving him another deep, passionate kiss, before they separated and she started to back into the trees.
“We will meet again, Harry,” she declared in her broken, rasping voice as she disappeared into the trees.
Harry stood, holding the flask, before he collected himself, marvelling at the fact that drinking her honey seemed to have healed his injuries entirely; it wouldn’t even scar. Redressing himself, he turned and cast another pointing charm before continuing on his trek through the forest, alone but full of energy and determination.
Notes:
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Chapter 22: The Second Task, part 3
Notes:
Here is part 3 of the Second Task. The chapter ran longer than I anticipated, so, as with the previous part, it's being split into two. The final part will be the next chapter, which is almost finished. I hope to have that ready either before Christmas Day or the new year, so if I don't post that before then, Merry Christmas!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Riddle Manor, at the same time.
Tom Riddle, or rather, what was left of him, sat watching the small canvas screens showing what each Champion was looking at and doing.
It was getting very late, and he was getting tired, but he forced himself to stay awake, silently cursing the frailty of this body his rendered soul now inhabited.
He had been impressed that the Tournament Committee had devised this method of keeping track of the Champions’ progress through the forest, and he’d ordered a set to be brought to him so he could watch. After hearing about Potter’s performance in the First Task, he decided he needed to observe the next Task to see how it went.
He’d also ordered Crouch to make sure Potter made it to the lake and to eliminate anything or anyone that might try to stop him. Crouch hadn’t been able to reach all of the possible threats as Potter and Krum had faced off against that bounty hunter, though how she had been dispatched impressed Riddle.
He had no idea Potter could be so cold in a fight. The boy’s temper had limits. And he seemed to have a bit of a mean streak. That strange underground maze full of animated statues he had spent hours wandering through had not been part of the Task, as none of the other Champions had been in a similar situation.
The maze intrigued him. Every piece seemed to be wrought from Goblin metal. It was immediately clear to Riddle the moment he saw it that the labyrinth was a test of some sort, but not part of the Task, which meant someone had interfered. The final battle with the giant statue had impressed and concerned Riddle. Potter was progressing further than he thought and was gaining more abilities.
But it had also concerned him that Potter was essentially trapped down there, and if he died or got stuck, then Riddle’s plans would have to be reassessed, and he was loath to do that.
Riddle did not recognise the statue over the Pensieve. Nor was he able to make sense of the memory, at least the bits of it he could glean from Potter’s mind after he exited the maze. This certainly warranted further investigation. Something he would put Crouch on after the Task was done.
Unfortunately, it was getting harder to enter Potter’s mind while he was asleep now that he was Bonding with four witches at once. While he could still get in while all of them were in a deep sleep, it was difficult to target a specific mind, and the longer he stayed connected, the greater the risk of detection. While they still hadn’t approached any of the Professors to ask about Occlumency training, as he knew they had approached Dumbledore about that, it was starting to get to the point where they didn’t need to. Their Bond was getting so intense that Riddle couldn’t risk trying to connect. And that was before the Lovegood girl joined in.
He’d tried to make a connection halfway through the week before the second Task, at night, while they were all asleep, and he’d ended up stuck in some chaotic mess of thoughts and dreams, all extremely lewd and focused on Harry. He’d forcibly disconnected himself rather than try jumping to another mind and risk getting detected. When he’d woken up, he’d vomited up the potion Wormtail had given him before he’d slept.
Now he just had to contend himself with scraping the surface of the boy’s mind while he was distracted, but what he’d learned hadn’t been much. Evidently, the memory Potter had seen had been out of context; pieces were missing, but Riddle’s interest was caught now. He wanted answers.
The Durmstrang Champion had been dropped into a cave network full of giant spiders; Diggory had been dropped into a small clearing but otherwise had a relatively easy time of it until he ran across a couple of dugbogs, which he was able to deal with easily enough.
The Beauxbatons Champion, the Veela, had also had a relatively easy start, other than running into some wild dogs, which she had dealt with quickly enough, despite the Portkey dropping her into a vast patch of Devil’s Snare.
Then had come the unexpected part of the night: Potter’s encounter with the dryads.
Riddle recognised them the moment Potter saw them, though thankfully he had removed the goggles fairly quickly. It didn’t take a genius to work out what would happen next. Riddle immediately closed the mental link between himself and Potter. He did not want to be the proverbial fly on the wall for that encounter; thank you very much!
Eventually, the screen cleared of static, and it was clear that Potter was on the move again, though he had an escort this time. Riddle watched with mild amusement as Potter dispatched the attacking wolves.
Then, the last form appeared, looking more like a large shaggy dog than a wolf, which Riddle immediately recognised as Black, thanks to the description given by Wormtail. Then the screen turned static again, indicating Potter had removed his goggles, likely because the blood traitor had shifted form. For the moment, Riddle turned his attention to the other screens.
-=-=-=-
Cedric stumbled through the underbrush, using his lit wand to check his watch.
1:22 am.
He sighed; he was exhausted.
Thankfully, his knowledge of Herbology served him well. He’d easily picked out several fruits and edible fungi; he’d even caught a couple of fish from a stream an hour earlier and settled down for a nice midnight meal. He needed to keep his energy levels up; he couldn’t sleep, not out here, where any number of wild predators could get to him.
Like the dugbogs he’d accidentally run into about 5 hours ago while fishing. He’d tried to levitate what he’d thought was a piece of wood out of the water so he could use it to help him cook some fish later in the night when that piece of wood turned out to be a pair of very angry dugbogs, who had apparently been about to get into a fight over territory, but instead, chose to put their temporary rivalry aside and eat the foolish human that had disturbed their dispute.
Needless to say, he’d been unprepared for that. Fortunately, a quick Confundo charm had distracted them long enough to allow him to escape, and the two animals quickly started scrapping.
After that, he’d managed to avoid running into most other dangerous animals, giving some large horse-sized spiders a wide berth. There was no need to fight unless he had to, after all.
He went over the Mermaid song again in his mind, trying to figure out what they'd taken for what seemed like the millionth time.
Or perhaps, what they had been given.
He couldn’t think of anything valuable that he would miss the most besides his parents or broom, and he doubted they were down there.
A thought occurred to him that it might be Cho, but he dismissed it. He’d ended his relationship with her just over a week ago over her bullying of Luna Lovegood. As a Hufflepuff, he found the targeted harassment intolerable. He’d even voiced his displeasure with his housemates for wearing those stupid badges Draco had created.
After a moment, he decided it was best not to worry. He’d find out once he reached the Merpeople village. He just had to survive getting to the lake first.
A snap to his right caught his attention, and he brought up his wand, a spell already on his tongue, ready to go, when the sound of flapping wings in the trees drew his aim.
“Probably just an owl,” he muttered.
Or bats.
Or something else.
The vegetation to his left suddenly moved, and Cedric turned, aiming a Lumos on the plants, but he didn’t see anything besides the plants. Then he saw it, a small silver head peering at him curiously, with large, curious yet timid eyes, and a small horn sticking out of its forehead.
An adolescent unicorn, a filly by the look of it.
Cedric didn’t move, lest he either frighten off the little foal or attract the attention of its herd. He smiled at it.
“Hey there, little one, where’s your herd? You don’t want to get too far; it’s not safe out here. It’s past your bedtime anyway. Time for little fillies to be in bed!” he chuckled at his own words, as if the animal could even remotely understand him.
The small unicorn blinked at him curiously, the light from his wand shining in its eyes as it tracked him as he started to back away. More movement in the vegetation behind it revealed the large white body of an adult, a mare, who snorted the moment it saw him.
“Easy ladies, I’m going, see? I’m not a threat,” Cedric said as he slowly backed away, arms raised in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture. When the animals were on the edge of his wand’s illumination, he turned and hurried off, casting a quick Point-Me in the direction of the lake.
-=-=-=-
Fleur scowled as she tossed another ball of fire at the large spiders that had ambushed her as she’d been making her way along a path. The fireball hit home, and one of the four horse-sized arachnids let out an ear-splitting shriek as the greasy hair that covered its head caught. The creature was quickly engulfed, and out of reflex, panic, and pain, it started running around in a futile effort to escape the fire, which was quickly cooking it. At the same time, it screamed a high-pitched shriek of agony before another fireball from her silenced it. Permanently.
With a hiss, the other three backed away but didn’t go far. One of them suddenly started to dig and soon disappeared.
Fleur’s senses heightened; she’d heard about this species, burrowers. They liked to attack from below.
Fleur focused; she did her best to ignore the scurrying arachnids still on the surface as they closed on her.
Reaching out, she let her allure flow from her like a wave, washing over the ground, then sinking into it as she tried to sense the approaching threat.
She resisted the urge to shudder in revulsion as her allure washed over — and violently recoiled from — the spiders on the surface, making her acutely aware of their presence, positions and intentions. It was the one underground she was looking for.
The two spiders on the surface paused as they each felt something wash over them that they had never felt before, and each seemed to freeze, then shiver, as their nervous systems lit up.
“Female…” one of them hissed, its hunger suddenly warring with a near overwhelming sense of lust and instinctive caution. Females killed and ate males, after all.
“Mate?” the second asked.
“Meat. Food. Eat,” the first hissed back.
“Mate. Then eat,” the second hissed.
“Mate. Then eat,” the first agreed, and they started to advance again.
Fleur couldn’t understand their hissing and clicking language, but through her allure, she could read the subtle changes in their emotions and judge their intentions.
When they had first attacked her, they wanted to eat her.
Now, it seemed they wanted to fuck her, then eat her.
“No, thank you! I prefer humans,” Fleur replied in French.
As a rule, Veela typically didn’t use their allure on animals, not directly, as their more primitive minds weren’t able to cope with its effects properly, and while the allure was tuned explicitly to only work on humans, and near-human beings like centaurs, house-elves, Goblins, Dwarfs, Leprechauns or Dryads, the impact it had on animals was…a bit more varied. Typically, a Veela would only ever resort to using her allure on a male animal and subsequently mating with it, if she was desperate, or frustrated, enough, herself.
It either didn’t always work, like in situations involving female animals, which typically a veela’s lust would not affect, or it just amplified the intentions the animal was already feeling, as well as throwing near-uncontrollable levels of lust into the picture, as with these horrible spiders, or it could have any number of effects, such as imprinting the veela’s own lust onto the creature being subjected to the allure.
But a Veela could project more than just lust or desire through their allure, any emotion was possible; they could instil a sense of fear, happiness, anger, caution, or in the case of the nesting female dragon, calmness into anyone or anything their allure was focused on, it just so happened that usually, the target was male humans, and a Veela typically would only channel their lust through their allure in those instances. Fleur’s allure had worked on the dragon during the First Task because she had learned enough control to focus her allure enough to lull the nesting mother into a calmer state, plus, a lot of other magic had been thrown into the mix.
But these spiders were far more primitive than that dragon, both physically and mentally.
That wasn’t to say that a Veela turning to animals for sex wasn’t unheard of, it was just very rare. If it ever happened at all, it was usually a very young Veela going through her Awakening who, for one reason or another, couldn’t find a human partner, and so, was forced to make do with whatever penis was to hand, even if it was domestic or even a wild animal.
Perhaps one of the most famous examples was a Veela by the name of Queen Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos of Crete, and mother of the fabled Minotaur, who had seduced its father, the white bull gifted to Minos by Poseidon, rather than the other way round via curse, as the muggle legend described. The wooden frame she had commissioned Daedalus to build for her had not been intended to trick the bull, but rather, just to support its considerable weight so it wouldn’t crush her when it mounted her, which she had it do many, many times.
Though there had been a time in their history, after the Changing as it had come to be known, where Veela of all ages past their Awakening had been so feral and sexually obsessed, that they had gone after anything with a penis, no matter how many legs the owner of that penis had, or how primitive their brains were.
After all, the cultural exchange between Veela and Centaurs resulted from such mingling.
Fleur’s senses pinged, the burrower was close…wait…wait…
With a yelp of effort, Fleur threw herself to the side as the two ravenous spiders pounced just as the burrower exploded from the ground right where she’d been standing with a shower of mud, dirt, loose soil, rocks and vegetation, and a hulking mass of muscle, hair, limbs and snapping, dripping fangs.
Fleur hit the ground and rolled until she was facing the writhing mass of spiders that were now clawing and hissing at each other as the two she’d affected with her allure started trying to mate with the one that had just emerged.
Perfect.
Stretching out her hands, she conjured a large ball of fire and then threw it.
It connected with the mass of limbs and quickly engulfed the three monsters, who all shrieked in pain as they were incinerated.
Fleur lay prone, panting as she listened to the dying shrieks of the spiders, which soon thankfully ceased. She then stood and brushed herself off, and quickly hurried past the burning remnants, heading in the direction of the lake as she started to wonder, not for the first time that night, what could be at the bottom of the lake held by…them… that she could potentially miss more than anything else? She thought back to when she first heard the message, and the reaction she’d had, it had been one of panic, a reactionary reflex, but what if, Goddess forbid, they’d…
She paused as a chill, unrelated to the cold temperature, suddenly passed through her, and her eyes widened in fear and horror.
‘No…no…they wouldn’t dare…Madame Maxime wouldn’t dare!’ Panic suddenly gripped Fleur, and after casting a quick guiding charm to point her at the lake, she set off running.
All the while, she prayed to the Goddess that she was wrong.
She had to be wrong! Dumbledore and Maxime wouldn’t dare put her with…them!
‘Please Goddess…let me be wrong…they can’t possibly mean…’
“Gabrielle!”
Fleur’s terrified, despairing scream echoed out into the frigid night. Of course, there was no answer.
Emotions surged through her; her more primal side screamed at her to be entirely let out, so she might take to the air and reach the lake in a fraction of the time it would take on foot; consequences and the Task itself, be damned.
But no, she held tight onto her other side; she might be wrong, and her sister might be safe and sound back home with their parents, so there was no need for her to cut loose fully and risk being penalised for no reason, as once she was in that state, it would be difficult for anyone to fully calm her down quickly.
However, she allowed some of her other side to come out. Flames erupted from her body as she ran, her underwear, winter clothes, shoes and blue robes quickly burning away, leaving her naked to the cold night air, not that she felt it as the inner heat took over, providing enough warmth to stave off the cold, even as the flames died. The last vestiges of her garments turned to cinders and fell away, steam rising from her body as her hot skin made contact with the cold, damp air.
The only article of clothing that survived was her wand holster, charmed to be fireproof, and her wand, which, thanks to her grandmother’s hair in its core and synced with her magic, was also fireproof. And her goggles, it seemed.
A transformed Veela, or even a partially transformed one, could comfortably walk around fully naked in what would be considered arctic conditions and not even feel it.
Her thighs and calves thickened, the muscles gaining in mass and volume as her feet lengthened, as did her toes. Her second toe on each foot grew to twice the size of what was usually her big toes and rolled back, as each nail turned into six-inch-long, curved and very sharp claws, as the nails on her remaining toes, which had also lengthened, also turned into more minor, but no less deadly claws.
She ignored the tingling at the base of her spine as it started to lengthen and stretch out, the surrounding musculature of her glutes shifted to accommodate the lengthening bones, and soon, Fleur had a tail as long as she was tall, as she was forced to angle herself forward as she picked up speed, her longer legs providing greater strides. Her chest expanded as her lungs and heart doubled in size to provide the extra oxygen her new form would need and to cope with the higher blood pressure.
Another pang of worry for her little sister was her undoing, though, as her other side fully manifested, and Fleur entirely shifted into her Harpy form as she ran. Her neck lengthened, as did her skull. Her beautiful, perfect skin mottled, becoming covered by scales, her hair receded into her scalp as her head lengthened, her mouth filled with small yet sharp, serrated teeth as she began to pant with effort, her eyes turned yellow, and her pupils became vertical slits that immediately expanded to take in as much light as they could.
Her fingers and hands also lengthened, her fingernails becoming sharp claws, like those on her feet. The final parts to manifest were the large pair of dragon-like wings that sprouted from her back.
If anyone were to catch sight of her at that moment, they would have seen a rather odd thing indeed. A Dromaeosaurid dinosaur, as tall as a human, with grey scales with gold and black patterns, spread down her back, sides, and tail. A pair of large, dragon-like wings sprouted from her back, and oddest of all, a pair of breasts on her chest and between her legs, at the base of her new tail, where a cloaca should have been, was a clearly visible vulva and anus.
In this form, Fleur’s more human mind became drowned out by her baser, more animalistic instincts.
Driven by her overwhelming fear for her little sister, Fleur could only focus on getting to the lake and reaching her.
She would either try to avoid anyone or anything that crossed her path, or try to stop her or kill it if she could not.
Regardless of whether they were friend or foe.
That was why a Veela in her Harpy form was so dangerous. They were ruled by their instincts and governed by their emotions—namely, abject terror, homicidal fury, or all-consuming lust; the three primary emotional states that could trigger a transformation. Extreme physical stress could also do it, but that was less common.
If a Veela’s terror triggered the change, then in their primal form, the Veela would be driven to either fight or flee from the cause of that fear, or fight to protect another they feared for, and would either try to avoid or kill anything that got in their way.
If anger triggered the change, the Veela would be driven to attack the source of that anger and either drive it off or kill it, along with anything that tried to protect it.
And if it were lust, well, the Veela in question would then endeavour to hunt down whatever had stoked that all-consuming lust — usually some hapless human male — and fuck him until the Veela’s lust was sated, regardless of the consent of the male in question, as all the Veela’s mind would be able to process was sex. A Veela’s allure could, and usually would, ensure any male was receptive, willing and able to service her.
That didn’t mean that a Veela in the full grip of feral lust was utterly unable to reason; it was just challenging, and rational thought was usually only possible after the Veela had completely sated their carnal drives. After all, it had taken several centuries before they had managed to regain their human appearance. Their cognitive abilities had returned faster, but it had still taken a few generations before even the Harpy Veela could function somewhat normally.
But in this fully transformed state, Fleur was more animal than woman, driven by the desire to protect what was hers.
She would bring death to anyone who crossed her path and tried to stop her.
-=-
Cedric stumbled through the trees, panting. His legs hurt, his arms were heavy, and he was even more exhausted than he had been when he’d passed the unicorns. Thankfully, he hadn’t run into anyone or anything else. His body screamed at him to rest, but he knew he couldn’t. He thought he’d heard the very faint sound of spellfire and explosions, but he hadn’t been able to tell where they were or who was casting, evidently one of the others, but he was at a loss as to who. He hoped it wasn’t anything too drastic.
As he rounded a tree, he froze. There, on the ground before him, about 50 yards away, was what looked like a lone wolf; it was busily eating something, no, someone. Some poor soul had apparently been out in the forest and had fallen victim to the predator, which was now busily feasting.
Cedric paused, quickly casting a disillusionment charm on himself, as he ducked behind the tree he’d just rounded. He thought it was odd that the wolf was alone; they usually hunted in packs. Then another thought struck him.
Why had someone been out here in the forest in the dead of night in February? There were only supposed to be four people out in this forest tonight; himself, Fleur, Harry and Viktor.
So who had this individual been? Cedric edged a little closer, praying to whatever god was listening that the wind direction didn’t change and blow his scent towards the wolf, as he tried to identify the body.
Once he was close enough, he was able to get a look at the person’s face, half covered by a face-mask. He sighed in relief, not one of his friends then.
As he watched, the wolf paused and whined as it moved, seeming to limp, as it moved around the body, then dug back into its meal.
He pondered for a moment, wondering why the wolf was alone, but then decided it didn’t matter. He checked his wand, cast the location spell again, then ducked back into the trees and started to make his way slowly past the thankfully occupied lupine, taking care not to step on any fallen branches.
Once he was safely past the wolf, he picked up his pace, but he didn’t drop the disillusionment until he was sure the wolf wouldn’t see him. He looked up, trying to see the moon or the stars, but all he saw was dark grey clouds. The temperature was just above freezing, and he was cold.
He applied another heating charm to himself, sighing as he felt the cold recede, but he knew it wouldn’t last.
His thoughts went back to the start of the Task, and he couldn’t help but wonder what precautions, if any, the fools who organised this mess had taken once Harry’s condition became public knowledge. He’d even brought up the subject himself, but Crouch had dismissed it.
It wasn’t just Harry’s life on the line here, but Daphne’s, Susan’s, Luna’s and Hermione’s. That was three pure-blood family lines that were at risk of losing their sole heirs. While Cedric himself didn’t particularly care much for the politics of their society, he knew there were many who did, and the Bones and Potter families were old, and had been around a long time, he wasn’t sure how long the Lovegood family had been around, and they didn’t really have much influence, if anything, they were more of a footnote in recent years.
The Greengrass family carried almost as much influence as the Bones’ did, mostly due to their…darker history over the last century, though that was also why some did not really trust the Greengrasses and were wary of them.
The Potters were one of the wealthiest families in Britain, Harry’s grandfather had built up quite a successful business, which had helped him amass quite the fortune. Cedric didn’t know the specifics, but there were rumours here and there that Harry was one of the richest wizards alive.
Cedric didn’t know what would happen to a family’s vaults if the line went extinct, but he was sure the Goblins didn’t just let the contents sit there untouched.
“It’d be a good motive to have Harry taken out, if the Ministry could lay claim to his vaults, since I doubt he’s made a Will…boy these Organisers are in for it once this Tournament is over…” he shook his head. He had a feeling a lot of heads were going to roll once the final winner of the Triwizard was declared.
He paused to check his watch, 2:35am. He’d been out here 8 hours? It honestly felt like longer. He wondered if the Organisers had made any allowances in the time allotted to them for sleep, they couldn’t really be expected to stay awake for a full 24 hours in freezing cold, then go swimming in a freezing cold lake, surely?
He snorted and rolled his eyes. Of course they were. Then he began to wonder if this was all really worth it. Fame and Eternal Glory? Really? He couldn’t even remember the name of the last winner of the Tri-Wizard, as the tournament held before this one had resulted in the deaths of all the participants, as well as several of the judges.
Then there was the monetary prize: 1000 Galleons. Sure that might seem like a lot to a 3rd or 4th Year, but his dad made roughly that in a year. Professional Quidditch Players like Viktor made that in six months easy.
It slowly started to dawn on Cedric that the whole concept of the Tri-Wizard might be just a big con. The real prize was bragging rights, some empty accolades someone might put on your tombstone, but nothing that would really get you anywhere, or ultimately mean anything.
He briefly wondered how the Judges would react if all four participants finished the final Task together.
His train of thought suddenly ended when he rounded a corner into a small clearing and saw two lumbering hulks of Trolls busily eating…something.
Cedric started to back up and turn away when his foot came down on a particularly large twig and snapped it.
He looked down quickly at the offending tree limb he’d stepped on, then back up at the Trolls, both of whom looked up at the same time, saw him, and roared.
“Fuck.”
Cedric brought his wand up and started moving as the two Trolls each picked up a six foot long stone club and charged him. Thinking quickly, he ran through the list of spells that would hurt one of these things, unfortunately, there weren’t many he could legally use.
“Bombarda!”
The club being held by the nearest Troll exploded as he dived to the side, the creature barrelling past him, the loss of its weapon confusing it, leading it to run face first into a large tree. Cedric then ducked to avoid a swing from the second Troll, then another, then a third, then finally, as the creature raised its club over its head, reading to bring it down, Cedric rolled again, feeling the ground shake under the impact of the club.
“Flipendo!”
The club suddenly twisted in the Troll’s hands until it smacked the creature right in the face, making it stumble backwards, a look of confusion on its face as it glared down at its own weapon.
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Cedric’s attention, and he turned, eyes widening as he saw the other Troll lift a giant boulder over its head and throw it.
“SHITE!”
Cedric rolled, barely avoiding the rock as it sailed past him and collided with another tree. The offending Troll grunted in frustration, picked up another boulder and got ready to throw it, as with a roar, the other Troll started to charge him, its club held high.
He was getting boxed in; there was no way he was going to win this fight if he didn’t put some distance between them. Thinking quickly, he fired a burst of sparks into the faces of the two creatures, momentarily blinding both of them, as he moved to the other side of the clearing to gather his senses.
Once he’d put a good bit of distance between himself and his opponents, he turned back to see them spinning round, apparently confused, but it didn’t take long for them to see him. He briefly thought about using Arresto Momentum, but wasn’t sure it would work on creatures this size.
A Stupefy proved ineffective, as did a bludgeoning hex. As he dodged more swings from the Troll still holding its club, he fired a tripping jinx at it, then a leg-locking jinx at the other, but neither one had any real effect.
“Confundo!”
The confusion charm hit the unarmed Troll and sent it fumbling off in another direction, causing it to run into another tree. It fell back to the ground, dazed, leaving him to deal with the one with the club.
With a grunt and a roar, the troll lifted the club and charged. Cedric early dived to the side and fired off a blasting curse and a tripping jinx at its feet and the ground in front of it, the tripping jinx didn’t work, but the explosion of cold mud, snow, stone and root that it ran into disoriented it long enough for Cedric to get his parings.
A deep growl behind him made him turn, and he noticed the other troll he’d Confounded had recovered and got to it’s feet, alarmingly quickly, and was getting ready to charge.
Three strange-sounding barks suddenly echoed through the trees, making all three combatants pause. The barks were unlike anything Cedric recognised, and the two trolls looked around in caution, when suddenly, with a strange, high pitched shriek, something came barrelling out of the trees and leaped into the air towards the troll with the club.
Cedric took a few cautions steps back as…something roughly 8 or 9 feet long at least, with large wings that had maybe a 12 foot span and a long tail, leaped onto the armed troll and started scratching, clawing and biting at it, all the while hissing, letting out high-pitched shrieks and growls, none of which sounded like any animal Cedric had ever heard before.
The troll roared in surprise, pain, and anger, and began swinging its club wildly, trying to dislodge its attacker. Cedric decided not to pass up a free distraction and turned his attention to the unarmed troll, and decided to end the fight quickly.
“Bombarda! Diffindo!”
The bombardment charm and the cutting charm both hit their mark. The Bombarda hit the troll’s chest, as the cutting charm then hit it in the neck. With a pained cry, the troll stumbled back, its hands going to its throat, trying to close the wound, while the pain and damage from the Bombarda made it stumble, before it dropped to one knee, then fell forward. It wasn’t dead, but it was definitely out of the fight, for now at least.
He turned back to the other two combatants and was forced to dive to the side to avoid the winged body being thrown at him by the extremely pissed off troll.
With a shriek and a grunt, the creature landed on its back before quickly rolling over and getting back to its feet. It turned to face the troll and let out a loud hissing shriek in challenge, which the troll answered with a roar.
Then the thing, whatever it was, set itself on fire, which gave Cedric his first good look at it, and he almost fell over when the realisation hit him.
The long neck, long snout, the large toe claws and tail, it looked just like those creatures he’d seen in that Muggle movie Hermione had shown him and their friends in the Room of Requirement, what had they called it? A Velociraptor?
Then he noticed the breasts on the creature’s chest, the light from the fire engulfing it, which seemed to be doing no damage, letting him see everything, he also spotted a pair of odd goggles on the creature’s head, the lenses still somehow positioned over it’s, no, her eyes, and he realised with a gasp, and a rush of blood to his face, and other places, that he knew what, and who, this was.
“Fleur!”
He didn’t know much about Veela, but he knew enough to know that their Harpy form was hazardous to be around, and to provoke one to transform deliberately was near suicidal. He also knew that there were only three things that could trigger it: murderous rage, mortal terror or ravenous lust.
So what had triggered this? He doubted it was lust; there was nothing out here she’d find attractive. He doubted she’d be pissed enough at the trolls to transform, or anything else she could run into out here, so that left fear. Fear of what, though? He unfortunately also had no idea how to make her revert, if that was even possible.
“Fleur! Are you alright?” he called. She turned to look at him, and he froze as those yellow eyes, with vertical pupils that reminded him so much of a snake, or cat, or crocodile, that he momentarily worried she might attack him.
Instead, she barked once, then turned back to the troll, who picked that moment to charge.
With a shriek of rage, Fleur rushed forward and jumped into the air, throwing her feet forward. Cedric couldn’t help but wince as he saw those long, hook-like claws on her toes connect with, and dig into, the troll’s face as her hands came down on its head, followed a moment later by her jaws closing around the back of its neck as she seemed to bend over double, wrapping herself around its head as it began to flail, roaring with pain and rage as the fire surrounding her body started to spread to her victim.
“Fleur! Move! I can’t get a clear shot!” Cedric yelled, unable to get a clear shot at the thing, at least until it turned round. He got a clear shot at its back, and he fired off a few Confringo shots at it. The troll screamed in pain and rage as his hits struck home, opening furrows in the creature’s back, though the magically resistant nature of the beast reduced the amount of damage it took. The troll continued to thrash, swinging its club wildly, then Fleur let out a scream of pain as the thing grabbed one of her wings and pulled, forcing her to release her grip on its head as it then threw her to one side, swinging its club around as it let go.
“Fleur!” Cedric yelled as the club connected with her with a teaming crunch, sending her flying until she collided with a tree and fell limp to the ground, the flames that had covered her dying down.
“Fuck…” he swore. He quickly moved to her side. She wasn’t moving, but a slight rise and fall of her breasts told him she was still breathing, so that was a plus, but she was out cold; clearly, that impact had done some damage. This was not good. Raising his wand, he aimed it at the troll, aiming for a kill-shot. It was time to end this fight, screw ‘honour’. He was probably going to lose all points for this, but at this point, he didn’t care; this troll needed to die.
“Protego Diabolica,” he snarled.
Cedric threw his arm out in an arc, as black flame, which actually looked closer to purple, erupted from his wand and hit the ground, following the arcing trail of his arm, forming a ring of flame around him and Fleur, and the tree she’d hit.
“Come on, you arsehole! Come and get me!” he yelled at the troll, who roared back and charged blindly towards the fire. Cedric braced himself; he’d heard about this protective charm and how it worked. The fire protected the caster and their allies, and incinerated anyone who bore ill intent and tried to cross—apparently, something Grindelwald had used once.
He heard and felt the troll’s heavy footsteps as it charged the fire, obviously too stupid, or too enraged, to recognise the danger. He saw the silhouette of the troll in the flames a second before it burst from them, staggering as it screamed, its whole body aflame, it soon dropped to its knees, then fell forward, its dying screams fading quickly as its body was consumed. He looked to the other troll, and saw that it was struggling back to its feet, dark blood pouring from the wounds in its chest and neck.
It seemed to regard the fire, then turn and stumble away, though it didn’t make it far before it collapsed, either dead or too injured to move.
With a sigh, Cedric cancelled the charm, and the fire died down, then vanished. He turned back to Fleur and knelt by her side. She was alive, just unconscious. He gently moved to her wings and checked them for damage. Nothing felt broken, but there was a lot of bruising around her stomach where the troll’s club had hit her.
“Fleur, can you hear me? Are you alright?” he asked, placing his hand on her scaled neck and feeling for a pulse. There was one, and it was strong, so that was good. He did his best to ignore her breasts, but it was difficult. Suddenly, her visible eye opened and focused on him, and before he could say or do anything, she was on him.
He grunted as his world spun, and faster than he could react, he was on his back on the ground. Fleur crouched over him, her hands on his shoulders, her claws digging into his robes as she hissed in his face menacingly.
“Fleur!” he ground out, trying to ignore the pain of his head hitting the ground, “It’s me! Cedric! Cedric Diggory! Remember? I’m your friend!”
Fleur’s reptilian eyes narrowed as her hissing leased, and taking that as a good sign, he continued. “Yes, that’s it. It’s me, Cedric. Look, I know you’re scared, but just try to calm down and think for a second, ‘kay?”
She stopped hissing and cocked her head, her pupils widening a little, which he took as good news. “Okay, you gonna let me-mmmph!”
His words were cut off by a long, hot and wet tongue sliding into his mouth as Fleur pressed her muzzle to his lips in the close approximation of a kiss, and Cedric’s eyes bulged in shock.
-=-=-
All she knew was pain. The fight with the hulking brainless beast had hurt her; the thing had pulled on her left wing and hit her in the stomach, temporarily knocking her out. Now it seemed dead; both of the lumbering creatures were. Now, this guy was trying to talk to her. At first, she hadn’t recognised him, but a brief sample of his scent had settled her fears.
Cedric. Friend.
Those two words echoed through her mind, sparking something among the sea of fear and terror and anger about her sister’s situation, a sense of self. She remembered now. She was in the Forbidden Forest outside of Hogwarts, competing in the Triwizard Tournament, and her sister had been placed at the bottom of the lake, where a colony of Merpeople lived, who now despised Veela despite sharing common ancestors.
What had Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime been thinking?! They knew the history between Veela and Merpeople, yet they still put her little sister Gabrielle down there?! Testicles would burn, and heads would roll for this.
Her thoughts about Gabrielle’s situation only served to stoke the flames of fear and anger within her, giving her primal side more strength, which almost buried her emerging rational mind once more. Since her fear for Gabrielle’s safety and anger over the stupidity of the Tournament Organisers had triggered her transformation, the only way to mollify her more primal side now was to either rescue her sister from those…fish, which in her current physical and mental state, was very unlikely, so that left…
Sex.
Fortunately, there was a perfect male right under her.
She tilted her head and regarded him. He was saying something, but she couldn’t make it out over the surging emotions and impulses now driving her, but she knew he wasn’t a threat, that he was safe.
He will do
Her allure surged, exploding out from her and enveloping him. She leaned in as he started to say something and pressed her lips to his, cutting off whatever he was saying, as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. He tasted good, she felt him stiffen under her, and she purred in approval as her allure did its work. She spread her wings, ignoring the ache in her left one and the pain in her stomach, which would soon be drowned out by euphoria.
“Mmmm!” the male moaned as her allure phased through his clothes like they weren’t even there, and made contact with, then sank into, his skin. She felt him stiffen again, as her allure set his body alight with pleasure, and he started to fidget. She saw in his eyes the exact moment he began to lose himself, though he didn’t go as mindless as some other males would; his fortitude was strong enough to resist and maintain lucidity partially, but not wholly, and that was what she needed.
Moving her hands down, she worked her fingers into his clothes until she was touching bare skin. It was smooth, muscular, and warm, but not hot, not in the way she liked. She could also sense the flow of blood within him using her allure; his cock wasn’t hard. That would not do.
He would be ready to be taken by her. Her will commanded it, her allure would see to it.
Using the skills she had perfected over years of bedding boys, Fleur focused her allure on Cedric’s crotch. She felt him moan into her kiss again as her allure coiled around his sex, mapping it, painting a picture within her mind of its physical characteristics, she could sense the ripeness of his fruit; they were mature, swollen with sacred life-giving seed. He clearly hadn’t cum for a while. If she remembered right, he’d had a lover up until recently. Evidently, she had not seen to his needs while satisfying her own. He also apparently had not masturbated recently, which was good. A male should never waste his seed like that; to do so was worse than a sin, it was downright sacrilege!
Some older, more experienced Veela could even map the internal structure of the testicles, penis and prostate, stimulating them without physically touching them, but that skill was beyond Fleur in her current state; the most she could do was feel his body with what basically amounted to a sixth sense, a secondary sense of touch. She could sense the sperm in Cedric’s balls, feel the stirrings of an erection beginning, which was good, but she wanted him hard. Now.
Some Veela could even see the concentrations of magic within the human body, using their allure like a second sense of vision on top of touch, but doing that took skill beyond most Veela her age. She wasn’t even sure if her mother could do it, her grandmother could, however.
Breaking the kiss, she watched him stare back at her, his eyes glazed and confused, as he mumbled, trying to make sense of the situation. She quickly scooted back until her head was level with his crotch. She could feel his cock hardening; she could even smell him now. Leaning in, she pressed her nose into his crotch and sniffed, taking several deep lungfuls of his scent, which was thick with male pheromones that her body reacted to, and so did her allure, which his body promptly responded to in a rapid feedback loop of arousal.
“Fleur…” Cedric gasped. She ignored him as she pulled back, then with a quick flick of her claws, she sliced open his trousers and underwear. Gently, she peeled back the fabric, releasing his shaft. She watched it intently as it bobbed, growing harder with each beat of his pulse as it filled with blood. Her allure mapped its progress the whole way, letting her feel the organ without actually touching it. Her allure pulsed along with both her arousal and his, wrapping tightly around his shaft and balls, making his sex almost itch with pleasure, which made him moan again. So overtaken was he that he didn’t even register the warmth of her breath as her long mouth opened. Her tongue descended, making contact with his shaft, then coiling around it as she lowered her head, then closed her mouth, sealing her lips as best she could. At the same time, her dexterous tongue curled around his dick like a snake, caressing, exploring, tasting, dominating.
Fleur growled in approval and lust at the taste filling her mouth, she closed her eyes as the flavour surged along her tongue, into her nerves and up to her brain. The vibrations of her growl only added to Cedric’s over-stimulation, and with a jerk of his hips and a twitch of his cock and balls, Fleur felt his cock expand seconds before her mouth was flooded with with a thick warm liquid that sparked a kaleidoscope of flavours on her tongue, which her mind was quickly and easily able to translate into a complete character profile of the male she was currently sucking off.
A myriad of flavours assaulted her, and she quickly mapped each to a specific character trait; the strongest among them was loyalty, which was to be expected, given his house placement. It made the honey-sweet taste of his kindness, and the alcohol-like kick of his bravery linger on her tongue long after she’d swallowed that first sweet mouthful, and was already taking a second.
He was a good male, pure of heart, kind, brave, loyal. All traits that made him taste rather pleasant, nothing really extraordinary, but serviceable. Under different circumstances, she would have appreciated the fine subtleties of his flavour, even savoured them, and might have considered him as a possible mate, but that was not the goal here, he was just a male, playing his goddess-defined role.
The sweet taste of his semen had done its job, though; her lust had overridden her fear and anger, now her pussy was hot, wet, and hungry.
Swallowing the last of his seed in her mouth, Fleur released his shaft and moved to mount him, positioning her hips while using a hand to hold him steady, as her allure kept his arousal going; it would not do for him to go limp so quickly.
Normally, she would tease her partner at this point, until he begged her to put it in, but in her current state, that was the last thing on her mind. With a single downward thrust, she took him to the hilt in one go, her internal muscles constricting almost violently around his shaft, the coarse internal texture of her walls in this form, along with the increase in her body temperature, scoured his flesh, causing him to arch his back and cry out as she gripped him, then started to bounce her hips rapidly, drawing another cry from Cedric as she gave him no time to adjust, no build up, no tenderness, just raw animalistic sex.
“Diggory! For Merlin’s sake boy! Take those damn goggles off!”
A stern, feminine voice suddenly rang out, and Fleur turned to look, spying a small silver, ethereal tabby cat seeming to glare at her partner, who lay prone beneath her as she worked, panting with effort.
The apparition faded away, and the male under her made no move to comply with its command, so Fleur paid its interruption no heed. Instead, she focused on increasing her pace, savouring the feel of her muscles massaging and working the flesh they held captive, her Hēdonē’s Cage working overtime as it moved with her vagina while simultaneously being pushed and stimulated by the flesh that same passage held, facilitating the spread and flow of pleasure as it flowed out from her core, spreading through her abdomen then to the rest of her.
All the while, her allure whipped and lashed out from her body, latching onto Cedric and digging in, taking control of his nervous system and circulatory system, as she subconsciously directed the flow of his blood to where she wanted it, channelling near unbearable levels of ecstasy through his nerves, drowning out whatever discomfort he felt from the treatment her vagina was subjecting him to.
Cedric groaned and writhed. He reached up to try and take hold of her bouncing hips, but her hands intercepted his and pinned them to the ground as she leaned down and growled at him, which had the desired effect.
He stopped moving, stopped struggling, stopped trying to take control, and just let her lead. Good. She could feel herself approaching her peak as she sped up, her hips becoming almost a blur, the slap-slap-slap tempo of their flesh meeting becoming so fast she was quickly managing two bounces a second.
All too soon, her peak arrived, and she arched her head back and shrieked her climax to the world, not caring who or what would hear, as her inner muscles holding Hēdonē’s Cage constricted it and her vagina around the penis they held captive, which only added to their mutual pleasure.
With a sudden cry, Cedric arched his back and writhed on the ground beneath her. Fleur let out a cry of her own as she felt his cock pulse and twitch, as her allure allowed her to follow the surge of semen from his testes through his vas deferens. Up his shaft, enjoying the feel of it swelling as it did so, her internal muscles squealing his shaft along its length in a pulsating rhythm, from the base up to the top, the space around her cervix closing against his glans, creating a sort of suction, until she felt the warm fluid splash against her cervix, which opened on reflex, like a flower, or inner mouth, it reached out and embraced the very tip of his head, catching the rest of his release and channelling it further.
The entire process worked like the action of swallowing, producing an audible gulp from her lower abdomen as her womb quite literally drank his release.
Cedric groaned as he looked up at the shivering form above him, as Fleur seemed to moan. Her body began to shift and melt into itself, her wings sinking into her shoulder blades, her tail reseeding back up into her lower back, her claws shrank, her head returned to normal human proportions, as did her neck. The final thing to change was her skin losing its scaled texture and reverting to soft, pale human as Fleur gave a final moan, then fell forward onto him.
For a moment, neither moved. Cedric just basked in the glorious afterglow of his climax as his arms went around Fleur, and she let out a hum of contentment as she seemed to stir.
“Mmm…Cedric? Qu… qu’est-ce qui se passe… oh… merde.”
Cedric chuckled as he ran his hands up and down her back, trying to warm her up, though to his surprise, she was still very warm. “Uh, hey, you…you okay?”
Fleur raised herself up off his chest and looked down at him, her face flushing with embarrassment as she reigned in her allure. “Um, oui…sorry,” she mumbled, looking away.
“Hey, I understand, I know a little bit about Veela and their Harpy form, I know what can set it off,” he said, trying to reassure her.
She sat up, covering her breasts with her arms as she began to shiver, the cold beginning to bite as her body temperature normalised. She felt…great, sex was always an energising, rejuvenating experience for a Veela, especially if they were in great pain or in their Harpy form. Her memory flashed back to what had triggered her transformation, and her eyes widened.
Gabrielle!
At the thought of her sister, Fleur felt her primal half stir a little, but it had been satisfied by Cedric, so wasn’t really ready to come to the surface again so soon. She still clamped her mental restraints down on it all the same, though.
“You know ‘ow ze transformation eez triggered, but not how it can be reverted.”
“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious,” he replied as he did his best to fix his torn clothes with what mending charms he knew. She winced and gave him an apologetic look as she produced her wand from a holster he had no idea how he’d missed, and used it to conjure some winter clothes for herself and started to put them on.
“So what triggered it?” Cedric asked.
“My leetle seester, Gabrielle, eez at ze bottom of ze lake.”
“Shit…seriously? Huh, I wonder who my hostage is then,” he mused as he finished sticking up the tear in his thick trousers.
“No one close to you?” Fleur asked as she stood, having put on a pair of transfigured knickers, thick socks, and thick boots, while she worked on transfiguring more clothes and getting dressed. Veela typically had a higher body temperature than humans, especially in their harpy form. It was so cold out here in the dead of night that even she could feel it.
Cedric shook his head, “Not since I broke up with Cho over what she did to Lovegood. Can you believe she had the gall to approach me the other day and said she’d still be waiting for me once I’ve ‘come to my senses’?” he rolled his eyes in disgust.
Fleur scowled, “I ‘ave known girls like ‘er, zay are not good girls.”
Cedric nodded, trying to keep his gaze away from Fleur, who chuckled and rolled her eyes, “You might as well look, you’ve already seen me naked.”
Despite her offer, Cedric didn’t look, so rather than let things awkwardly hang, he changed the subject. “So, what’s the deal with you and the lake? Why are you so worried about your sister? Surely the Professors wouldn’t let anything happen?”
Fleur paused, then sighed, “Eet eez, ‘ow you say, a long story. But ze short version, zere ez, bad blood between my people and…Merpeople.”
The way she said ‘Merpeople’, as if it left a foul taste in her mouth to say the word, made him consider as they started walking together, once again heading in the direction of the lake, while Cedric kept his senses alert for any other dangers.
“That must have been one hell of a falling out,” Cedric muttered.
Fleur nodded as they picked up the pace. “Eet led to war. Een ze end, a truce was established; one eat decreed no Veela may enter zair territory, or she forfeits ‘er life.”
“Merlin…what the bloody hell were they thinking? Surely they must have looked at other options once your name came out of the Goblet?” Cedric pondered. Fleur shrugged.
“I do not know. ‘Ad I known ahead of time, zat part of zis Tournament would involve ze lake, I would not ‘ave entered.”
Cedric nodded. That made perfect sense.
“So what are you going to do?”
Fleur scowled as she clenched her fists. “I weel do what I must. I am going to be ‘aving words wiz Madame Maxime after ze Task eez fin, ‘owevair,” she finished with a growl.
Cedric nodded, he honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to watch that or not.
-=-=-
Cedric and Fleur continued on for a good while, stopping every now and then to eat some berries or other fruit, or some edible mushrooms, both of them using their knowledge of Herbology to identify what was safe to eat, and what was not. Eventually, they came to a stop when both of their wands seemed to point in opposite directions.
“That’s odd, they should both be pointing the same way, at the lake,” Cedric muttered as he repeated the pointing spell for the third time.
“Per’aps zis ees indication zat we must go separate ways, non? We are supposed to reach ze lake on our own, wizout ‘elp.”
“I guess, though it seems rather odd to force that,” he replied. Fleur nodded in agreement.
“Zen I guess zis ees farewell for now. Merci, for your ‘elp earlier. Zat eez two Champions I’ve ‘ad now,” she said with a giggle and a smile, giving him a wink, “You are a good man, Cedric Diggory, you weel make a lucky girl very ‘appy one day. And you ‘ave a really nice cock.”
With that last comment, she giggled again and set off in her own direction. Cedric stared after her before continuing on his own, wondering who his own hostage could be and internally raging that the staff would even try this.
-=-=-=-
Sometime later, Cedric wasn’t quite sure when, he heard footsteps approaching through the underbrush to his right and readied himself for an ambush, when the lumos spell he was using to light his way showed a familiar face.
“Harry?”
“Cedric? You alright?” his Gryffindor counterpart said, as he stepped out of the underbrush.
“I’m fine, are you?” the Hufflepuff replied.
“I’m alright, you wouldn’t believe the night I’ve had.” Harry huffed, tightening the fur coat he was wearing as he shivered.
“That bad?” Cedric asked as the two continued walking. Harry spent the next 10 minutes recounting the last 6 hours to him. Several times, Cedric cursed, spluttered or raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Then he recounted his own, rather uneventful trip through the forest, ending with the fight with the two trolls, and his encounter with a Harpy-form Fleur, which caught Harry’s attention the most. However, he thankfully did not ask, and Cedric did not elaborate on how he managed to ‘calm her down’.
“Hmm, any idea on the one who placed the bounty?” he speculated. Harry shrugged.
“My gut says Malfoy, since I just put his little shite of a spawn away for over a selenium. Then there’s any number of people at the Ministry who back Skeeter.”
Cedric chuckled, “Boy, you really must have pissed someone off in a past life.”
Harry snorted, nodding, as he reached into the satchel and pulled out the flask and took a little sip, smiling a little as the warmth spread through him.
“You’re really drinking cold water in this temperature?” Cedric asked, brow raised.
“It’s not water, it’s…uh…honey. Dryad Honey.” Harry said with a blush.
Cedric blinked, recalling the vague mentions Harry had made to his encounter with the seven Dryads, he shook his head at his friend’s Olympic amount of luck to have run into them, and more impressively, managed to negotiate a deal without actually getting fucked half to death.
“Hang on, that flask is full of Dryad Honey?” Cedric asked.
Harry nodded, “Yeah, one of the dryads filled it for me before she returned to her grove-sisters.”
“You need to be careful with that stuff,” Cedric warned.
“Why?” Harry asked.
“Harry, Dryad Honey is one of the most powerful healing agents known, as strong as Phoenix Tears or Unicorn Blood and milk. It’s also a key ingredient in Amoraestia, but in its raw form, it’s highly addictive.”
Harry quirked an eyebrow at that, “Well, I drank from all seven of them, for over an hour, I think, and I still haven’t drained this flask, though the one who filled it warned me to drink it sparingly. I’ve never heard of that potion before. What is it?”
“Amoraestia? It’s like Amortentia but a LOT stronger, but it’s also sometimes known by another name, the “Essence of Himeros” and causes whoever drinks it to be overcome with pure lust for the target, rather than falling in love with them.” Cedric paused and took a good look at Harry. “Hmm, either you have a really high tolerance to addictive substances, or her suggestion carried a lot of weight.”
Harry mulled that over and checked his watch: 3:25 am. He couldn’t believe it had been only 6 hours. It felt like a lot longer. He was about to say something when he heard something, and he raised a hand to stop Cedric, gesturing for him to be quiet as he moved forward through the trees.
“…bugger off! That bounty is mine!” a voice echoed through the trees. Both boys came to a halt and readied their wands.
“Piss off, arsewipe! Those Galleons are mine! You can ‘ave one of the other Champions.” Another voice echoed out. Both were male; one sounded like they were from London, with a heavy cockney accent, and the other seemed Irish.
“That Boun’y is only for Potter, you idiot! The others are worth nothin’!”
“Prick, I’ll show you whose ‘worth nothing’.” Cedric growled to himself as he started forward, but Harry grabbed his arm and gave him a ‘Seriously?’ look.
“I’ll haggle then!” the first voice replied as the two boys crouched low and moved forward, using disillusionment charms to stay hidden. Eventually, they saw the arguing pair, who had their wands drawn on each other, both looked ready to cast. Harry found himself silently hoping they’d take each other out.
“You s’upid wanker, you don’ ‘aggle’ a boun’y!” the Londoner snapped, his accent coming through thickly. Harry couldn’t help but smirk; he knew hearing that man’s voice would have driven Vernon crazy. He hated the Cockney accent.
“Not like you’re gonna have to worry since you won’t be collecting on that bounty! Avada Kedavra!” the Irishman snarled.
The other man tried to dodge, but wasn’t fast enough. The curse clipped his left shoulder, and he dropped limply as green tendrils arched over his body and his eyes glowed green for a second, before turning glassy and unfocused.
“Fuck…” Cedric muttered.
“Ideas?” Harry whispered.
“Stun him? Use my Portkey?”
“And if you need it later? Already used mine.” Harry pointed out, Cedric snorted.
“Not planning to use mine,” Cedric replied.
“So, Petrificus Totalus?” Harry suggested, Cedric shook his head.
“We do that, he won’t be able to talk.”
“No guarantee he would anyway, the last one didn’t,” Harry replied.
“Well, looks like that gold is as good as mine. 10,000 Galleons better be worth freezing my balls off,” the hunter muttered as he turned away from his fallen opponent.
“Petrificus Totalus!” Harry whispered. The man grunted as the spell hit him, his body going rigid, his arms and legs snapping straight as he fell forward with a thud and a muffled groan.
Harry stood and walked out of the underbrush, keeping his wand trained on the prone form as Cedric followed behind him, looking more than a little frustrated.
“Incarcerous,” thick chains shot from Harry’s wand and wound around the prone form, coiling around him like a snake, complete with a padlock and iron ball. Harry stared at the chains in shock, as did Cedric, who turned to Harry and raised a questioning brow. The Gryffindor just shrugged helplessly. Harry knelt next to the body and with a grunt, rolled it over and looked down at the muddied face glaring back up at him with raw hatred.
“Hi! Heard you were looking for me. I trust you’ll be a little more cooperative than the last one of you guys I ran into. So, here’s the deal, I release the body bind, you start talking and answer our questions, then we send you back to Hogwarts, and you get to join your friend in the nice, dank, wet and cold dungeons. Okay?”
The man’s eyes spoke more loudly than any words possibly could at that moment.
“Finite Petrificus Totalus,”
The man immediately began to thrash, but the heavy chains weighed him down.
“Oh, and, uh, in case you’re thinking about Apparating or Portkeying out of here…” he turned to Cedric, “…you wouldn’t happen to know the Anti-Disapparition or Anti-Portkey wards or charms, would you?”
“No.”
“Well, looks like ya can’t stop me from leavin’ can ya you little shite!” the man snarled.
“Dobby!”
With a pop, the small, energetic House-elf appeared. “Harry Potter! Sir, you be needing Dobby?”
“I thought we couldn’t call on the House-Elves for this Task?” Cedric asked, looking confused.
“We can’t call for their help in completing the Task, or I would have asked Dobby for help getting out of that maze, but this isn’t part of the Task; this is someone trying to interfere. And I want to know who,” Harry growled. “Alright, mate, now I’ll give you the same choices I gave Zhou: Start talking, or start screaming.”
He caught Cedric’s surprised, and slightly worried look out of the corner of his eye, even Dobby seemed a little put-out by that remark. The man’s eyes widened just a little, but then narrowed.
“And how you plan on doing that, eh? The Cruciatus? You won’t do it, you’re the Boy-Who-Lived, you don’t have it in you.”
A scowl momentarily crossed Harry’s face, “I don’t need the Cruciatus curse, I can just do this. Ossifrango,” he growled.
Several muffled, but definite snapping sounds could be heard as the man’s forearm seemed to twitch on its own, and he started to writhe and scream.
“AAAAHHHH! WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?! YOU LITTLE COCK-SUCKING FUCK!”
Cedric looked up at Harry, eyes widening as he took in Harry’s neutral expression, and he began to reevaluate his opinions on Gryffindor’s Golden Boy silently. Harry’s delivery had been…cold. Harry was starting to show a bit of a vicious streak, and Cedric wasn’t sure he liked it.
Even the House-elf had frozen, his eyes wide with shock, and a little bit of fear, as he looked at Harry, then back at the screaming, chained-up man.
“Now, talk,” Harry growled.
“I dunno who offered the bounty! It was anonymous…all it said was to make sure you don’t make it to the lake…” the man whimpered through gritted teeth.
“Ten thousand Galleons? That’s what? Fifty Thousand Muggle Pounds. That’s barely a year’s wages for my Uncle.” Harry muttered, “Though for that kind of money, I’d be tempted to turn myself in.”
“How can it be anonymous? You must have instructions on where to deliver proof that you’ve got your target. What did they want? Harry’s wand? And who would you know to present it to?” Cedric asked. The man just glared at him before answering.
“Suppose’ t’ deliver Potter’s wand…to a contact in Knockturn Alley…as soon as one of us had bagged you, but I don’t know who…”
Harry and Cedric exchanged looks, before Harry made a decision, with a wave of his wand, he vanished the bones in the man’s whole arm. Their captive stopped groaning as the pain faded to a dull, few, sharp aches as he felt his arm deflate, he then turned and glared up at Harry again.
“Don’t worry, a dose of Skele-Gro will fix that. Okay, Dobby, take him to the Headmaster, please.”
The House-elf regarded Harry a little warily for a moment, before he placed a hand on the man and they both vanished with a pop.
“We didn’t learn his name,” Cedric muttered.
Harry shrugged, “That’s for Dumbledore to worry about.”
-=-
Dumbledore turned away from the giant screens as he saw the house-elf and the chained-up stranger vanish, then heard the distinctive pop of a House-elf Disapparating, and both the elf and the chained-up figure appeared before him. Almost every wand present was then drawn and aimed at the man.
“Dobby?” Dumbledore enquired, the little elf turned to look up at him, eyes wide.
“Please return to the spot you just left and collect this man’s wand, as well as the wand and body of his…associate and bring them back to the Hospital Wing. They will need to be identified; however, do not disturb Harry or Cedric. Professor Moody, Professor Sharpe, would you please assist Madam Pomfrey with our latest…guest, and see to it he finds his way to the Hospital Wing?”
“What about Amelia? She’ll want to know why she’s being called back to the castle just over 5 hours after the first time,” Sharpe pointed out, as he and Moody freed their prisoner from his chains and cast a body bind on him, then levitated him as Pomfrey ran her wand over his form, scowling at him the whole time.
“You’re lucky I’m bound by an oath not to harm, or I’d personally remove your testicles, remove the bones in your legs, and not give you Skele-Gro!” the mediwitch growled at her new patient.
“I’ll go and get Amelia myself,” Dumbledore said, raising his arm, “Fawkes!”
-=-
Harry and Cedric had moved on from the spot where they’d encountered the two bounty hunters. Harry did his best to ignore Cedric’s occasional glances in his direction. Finally, after catching at least the tenth glance his way, Harry decided he’d had enough, “Yes, Cedric? What is it?”
Cedric paused, and Harry did too.
“Look, Harry, are you okay? I’ve never seen you act like that before, you were so…” Cedric began, his expression worried and uncertain.
“Brutal? Cold? My recent experiences with life-and-death situations have taught me some harsh lessons, and I’m not just talking about that fight that stopped Draco and his goons from hurting my friends, and of course, fighting my way through that maze. If you’re worried I’m going to start ending every fight by maiming my opponents, don’t worry, I’ll only resort to that if they’re actually trying to murder me.” He tried to give Cedric a reassuring smile, but the older boy didn’t seem convinced.
He still looked worriedly at Harry from time to time as they continued to walk in silence. Harry took another sip from his flask, a bit larger this time, he paused as he swallowed the thick, sugary liquid, trying to do his best to ignore the fact that doing so not only restored his near permanent hard-on, which was very embarrassing in the company of his fellow Champion, but also gave him the impression that he should drink a little more, but Cedric’s words stayed his hand.
When they paused for a break, Harry checked his watch, seeing it was almost 4 am, and after he and Cedric had had some berries, Cedric pulled a flask of his own that he’d conjured hours earlier, and filled it with water, he took a sip and sighed, emptying it, then refilled it with his wand.
“If you want to go on, Cedric, I’ll be alright. I’ve made it this far, I think I can manage another 12 hours, which, if I’m right, is how long we’ve got,” Harry said, giving Cedric a reassuring smile.
“You sure?” Cedric said, giving him a concerned look, “We’re both exhausted, I think we’re all going to be sleeping for at least a day after this.”
“Yeah, I’m sure, you go on, I’ll be fine,” Harry replied. After a moment, Cedric nodded, before offering Harry his hand, which he took.
Once Cedric had turned and headed off into the forest, Harry leaned back against a tree, buried his face in his hands and let out a muffled groan.
His shoulders started to shake as he replayed what he’d done with the bounty hunter. He’d gone straight for causing pain, which went against everything he knew a Gryffindor stood for. Moody might have praised him, but he doubted anyone else would. Causing an injury like that during a fight to the death was one thing, but this? This had been an act of pure torture, as a means of interrogation, something more akin to what he’d expect from a Death Eater, not someone like him, or indeed himself.
Twice in one night he had inflicted grievous wounds on opponents that required medical attention to deal with, he’d done the same with Draco and his associates just two months prior, and he silently wondered, as a stray tear of self-loathing fell from one of his eyes as he pushed the goggles up to his forehead, massaging his face and temples with his hands as he silently wondered what else he’d either be forced, or worse, willing to do to complete this damn Task and free his lovers from the bottom of that lake.
He recalled what Cedric had said about encountering Fleur in her full Harpy form, and what she had said about it, and what could trigger it, and what they were like in that state, and he silently came to the conclusion she must have realised who her hostage was, just as he did in that moment, the only person it could be; her little sister Gabrielle. He remembered Fleur’s explanation of the curse’s history, and the history of the Veela, and their cousins, the Merpeople and the Sirens, and apparently, Dryads, which Fleur had not mentioned at the time.
He thought back to that story she told, and silently cursed when he remembered that, although Fleur had said that the Merpeople had been born from a union between Poseidon and a group of Veela, she hadn’t elaborated further; instead, she had got sidetracked into discussing the curse, and none of them had thought to bring up the subject again.
“For her to go full Harpy upon just realising Gabrielle is in the lake…that must have been one serious falling out,” he muttered. He hoped, for her sake, for Gabby’s, and the other hostages, that the Merpeople abide by whatever terms the Headmaster had set when he’d likely negotiated their involvement. He wondered how much grief they’d given him once they realised they had to host a Veela, and not harm her.
He wished he could go back to the castle and curl up in bed with his four lovers embracing him, drown in their love and support, or even surrender fully to those Dryads he’d met only hours earlier, he’d happily surrender to their desires to mate him and use him like a breeding stud until he wasted away if the alternative was becoming something he did not like.
Sighing, he pulled the goggles back down over his eyes, another thing he couldn’t wait to be finally rid of, and started walking again. He looked down at his watch, 4:30. He’d been sitting there only half an hour, and he was now freezing again, but at least he wasn’t hungry or thirsty. The Dryad Honey was doing its job, though the temperature wasn’t doing much for his current arousal state.
He paused suddenly, as if his inner sense of danger warned him; he felt as if he were being watched, stalked, hunted. Idly, he wondered if it was another pack of wolves; he didn’t have Hagne here to help him this time, nor Sirius. He braced himself.
The sound of trees creaking and branches snapping caught his attention, and he turned, just in time to see a massive arachnid, easily the size of Hagrid’s hut, climb over a slight rise and down towards him, hissing, its eight eyes locking on to him, showing a mixture of fury and hunger. It didn’t look like Aragog, certainly not with the purple skin, almost complete lack of hair, and large, red eyes and clawed feet, though he counted only seven; one of its legs appeared to have been blown off just before the first ‘knee’.
“Human!” it hissed, the tone of its voice betraying it as a female, likely a matriarch, “You can run no longer! I will have your life for the destruction you wrought upon my nest!”
‘Oh, terrific,’ Harry thought as he readied himself; clearly, Krum had forgotten to kill this thing before he left the nest.
“I’m not the one who destroyed your nest!” Harry yelled as he readied himself for a fight, going over what fire spells might work.
“Do you think I care?!” the giant arachnid hissed as she came closer, “One of your kind slaughtered my children! You may not be the one who did, but you are the only one here, so YOU will be the one to pay!” Then she lunged, rearing up on her back four legs and driving forward, her fangs coming down for his torso. Harry dived to the side, barely avoiding her. As he rolled, he pointed his wand at her, feeling that source of magic within him surge, and there was a clap of thunder, like there had been in the chamber with that giant statue he’d fought. A bolt of magic slammed into the creature, taking off another of her legs.
With a shriek of pain and rage, she backed up, allowing him to get his bearings and better prepare himself. He wasn’t sure how many of those ‘shots’ he had in him, and he wasn’t sure how many it would take to kill her. She reared up again, preparing another strike.
“Descendo!” he yelled as he backed up. With a crunch, the spider’s body was slammed back down to the ground, and her head ended up buried in the dirt. Her legs flailed for a moment before she pulled herself free and hissed at him in rage.
“For that, I shall make your death slow, human!”
She then raised her head, and he jumped to the side as two streams of liquid shot at him, impacting the ground with a splat. He turned to look and saw that the liquid was already hardening into silk. Webbing, she’d just tried to trap him in her silk webbing. He honestly had no idea giant spiders could do that.
A silk-spitter? He didn’t even know spiders could do that.
He tried to circle, get in her blind spot, but she turned to follow him and loosed another stream of silk, which he blocked with a shield. Then he fired off a Confringo, scoring a direct hit just above her head. She screamed and backed up, the blast taking a rather sizeable chunk out of her thorax, but not really setting her on fire as he’d hoped it would. Just how long had this thing been tracking Krum anyway? He and Krum had parted ways hours ago, so there was no way she would mistake his scent for Victor’s, which meant she’d been following his scent, yet he hadn’t been anywhere near her nest…so why?
“You’ve been tracking the one who killed your nest, then escaped you. He and I crossed paths hours ago, but then separated, yet you still followed me. Why?” Harry asked.
“Your scent is stronger,” she hissed, her tone tinged with pain and rage, “You are stronger, your magic is stronger, you will make a good father for my next brood, and a good first meal for them.”
“Wait…WHAT?!” Harry yelped as he processed what she’d just said, as she readied to strike again, so distracted was he that he didn’t dodge her attack fast enough, and suddenly found himself covered in her silk as his back hit a tree, and several more jets hit him, sticking him in place. He began to struggle, trying to free his arm.
She advanced, her mandibles clicking, liquid dripping from her fangs as she approached, “Yeesss…I can smell the magic on you, within you. You are strong, your seed is strong, it will sire many, they will be numerous, and they will feast on your flesh, after I have my turn…”
“What the fuck…” Harry muttered, her words creeping him out in the worst possible way; she’d gone from wanting to kill him to wanting to fuck him in the span of only a few minutes of combat. He stared at her in disbelief, the sudden shift in her demeanour making no sense, then he remembered what the unicorn had done, even the Horntail, now that he thought about it, that dragon hadn’t flashed her pussy at him accidentally, she’d deliberately raised her tail, so had the unicorn, and two of the foals in class had fed from Susan and Hermione, so it wasn’t just him that magical beasts seemed to be suddenly interested in.
It was the curse, it was definitely affecting magical beasts he encountered; the dragon flashed him, the unicorn kissed and propositioned him, now the spider wanted to fuck him rather than eat him…
‘What’s next? I get hit on by centaurs or a fucking ghost?! If I don’t get out of this quick, I’m going to end up a ghost…’ he thought, as he continued to wiggle, struggling to aim his wand hand, which was strapped under the webbing.
“Are you ready?” she asked, her clicking fangs about two feet from him now, her red eyes burning with a mixture of hunger, residual pain, and anger.
“Go fuck a Basilisk,” he snarled.
The spider hissed and recoiled, moving back several feet, “You dare speak of that Abomination?!”
‘Oh yeah, that’s right, spiders HATE Basilisks,’ Harry smirked, “Yeah, I dare, what are you gonna do about it, huh, you six-legged freak?”
The spider hissed again and began to advance when, suddenly, the underbrush rustled and a distorted whine echoed through the air. A single beam of light suddenly shone on the spider, and Harry turned, just in time to see what looked like a car burst from the underbrush and barrel towards the arachnid. It took him a second to recognise the battered remains of what was once Arthur Weasley’s Ford Anglia, and from the look of it, its time in the forest had not been good to it.
One of its headlights was gone, it was missing the tyres on its front wheels, and from what he could see, its right back door was gone, its body plating was dented in so many places, the bonnet was bent about halfway along the plating, and the entire body looked rusted to all hell. The whine he heard was apparently all that remained of its horn.
The car’s engine revved, somehow, as it slammed into the arachnid and started to push it along, away from him and towards a nearby tree. The spider shrieked again and began to struggle, her legs flailing as she tried to turn to engage the new attacker. Harry couldn’t help but watch in wide-eyed fascination — and no small amount of relief — as the car pushed the giant spider towards the large tree, with a final burst of its damaged horn, it slammed the spider into the tree, then with a final whine that Harry got the distinct impression was directed at him, the car exploded.
The arachnid shrieked in agony as fire engulfed her. She tried to push the mass off her back, but it weighed about as much as she did. The fire quickly spreading over her was making her panic. The pain, coupled with the flames finding and entering the wound on her thorax, setting her internal tissues ablaze, was sending her into nervous shock, causing her limbs to flail randomly, no longer responding to her increasingly erratic instructions.
Finally, the spider’s giant form fell limp as it continued to burn, and the tree soon caught as well, and Harry momentarily worried that a forest fire would break out. With a final grunt, he managed to aim his wand and muttered a few spells, quickly cutting away the webbing and freeing himself.
He staggered away from the tree, covering his nose to try to block out the sickening stench of burning flesh. Roasted spider smelled very unappetising.
After staring at the burning tree for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts, he raised his wand. He cast Aguamenti several times, spraying the tree with water, which hissed and quickly turned to steam. Still, eventually, he managed to put the fire out, leaving behind a smouldering tree, the incinerated carcass of the spider, and the burned wreck of the car.
Hoping he’d have no more trouble for a good while, he cast the compass charm again, and once more set off in the direction of the lake, going at a bit of a faster pace this time.
-=-=-=-
Several hours later, Harry stumbled through the underbrush again, once again feeling exhausted. He’d managed to stop himself from taking any more sips from that flask, still wary of what Cedric had said. He looked up and noticed that birds had started chirping. That was good; bird song usually only happened during the day or near dawn. He checked his watch: 8:10 am. The sun had risen about 40 minutes ago, and the trees were already filled with the sounds of singing birds. He’d also seen a few rabbits, hares, and even some deer running around; how he hadn’t spotted the deer at night, he couldn’t tell. He came across a stream and started walking along it. In the distance, maybe 10 miles away, he could make out the faint shape of Hogwarts, the homestretch.
He rounded a corner following the stream and froze. There, about 15 feet ahead of him, was a unicorn and a more miniature silver foal. They were both drinking from the stream when the adult looked up and saw him. Her head came up, and she snorted a warning, then paused and nickered, the younger one following suit.
Then he spotted it, the scar on the adult’s neck, and his heart sank, “Oh no…not you again!” he moaned, rolling his eyes as the mare turned and approached him, her eyes alight with happiness and recognition as she nickered in greeting, dipping her head to press her soft, snuffling muzzle to his neck. With an awkward sigh, he brought his hands up to pet the mare as he looked at the younger equine, seeing that it too was a female, she hung back, giving him a wary look, he wasn’t sure if he recognised her as one of the foals from class, but he honestly wouldn’t be surprised at this point if she were.
Awkwardly, he started to pet the mare, who continued to press her nose into his neck, taking breaths of his scent for some reason. He locked gazes with her and saw the intelligence hidden within, the curiosity, and the excitement she clearly felt at seeing him again, so she clearly remembered him. Her ears flicked as she gave another gentle nicker and moved her muzzle away from his neck, then licked the side of his face, from his jaw to his hairline, her tongue momentarily catching on the goggles strap and his glasses arm under it.
Yep, she remembered him.
“Uh, thanks, glad to see you too,” he muttered as the younger unicorn approached and extended her muzzle. He held out his hand, palm up, letting her sniff his fingers. After a few curious sniffs, she seemed satisfied, and he gently gave her nose a pet. She was kinda cute, if he was honest with himself.
And so was her mother, who was now giving him a curious look, eyeing the satchel on his shoulder.
“Nothing in there for you, either of you,” he said, gently tapping the mare on the nose, “And before you even think about doing what you did in class the other week, please don’t, I really don’t want to test whether or not that vow I made to Hermione applies to you or not, because I’m honest not sure.”
The mare just blinked at him.
Harry was about to turn away when he heard a distant scream that instantly made him freeze, his hair stood on end, and he immediately went on high alert, palming his wand again. He turned, tracking the sound of the scream when it came again, followed by another, higher-pitched one; they both sounded feminine and human.
“Point Me!” Harry snapped, his wand spinning on his hand before it stopped, pointing off to the right. He looked, noticing a branch of the stream heading in that direction. He took off running; the thump of hooves behind him told him the unicorns were following, though he didn’t know why.
As the stream widened, he heard splashing, hissing, growls, the sounds of struggling and crying. After maybe 50 or so yards, he emerged from the trees as the stream widened into a small lake. On the opposite side were two young centaurs, both female; one was trying to shield the other, smaller one, as three Dugbogs sloshed through the water, hissing and growling, their long, sticky tongues hanging from their jaws.
“Stay back!” the elder Centauress yelled as she turned her back to the reptiles and started to usher her companion back. Harry watched, taking in the scene. He’d never met any female centaurs before, and he found himself wondering why they were away from the herd. Then he snapped out of his reverie.
‘Focus, Potter!’ raising his wand, he wracked his brain as he tried to remember what he knew about how to defend against an attacking Dugbog, something to do with their tongues…
As the two started to move out of the water onto the bank, one of the Dugbogs reared up, then threw its head forward, sending its long tongue shooting out, as did a second one.
“Levioso!” his spell struck one of the tongues, sending it upward, and lifting the creature it belonged to out of the water, leaving it suspended, dangling, this got the attention of the third Dugbog, which turned to face this new threat, but it also caught the attention of the two centaurs, who both turned at the sound of his yell, staring at him wide-eyed in shock. Unfortunately, this also meant they slowed, and the tongue Harry hadn’t been able to stop hit its mark just as the elder Centauress swished her tail in panic, meaning that the tongue connected right under it.
She let out a scream of alarm as the creature began to pull her backwards. Her smaller companion came round the side and started punching the tongue, trying to knock it loose, but had no effect.
“Hold this,” Harry said, taking the satchel off his shoulder and looping it over the elder unicorn’s head as he reached in and pulled out the sword, then he turned and ran into the water, brandishing that and his wand. His first target was the Dugbog that had snagged the centaur. He quickly made his way towards the dangling Dugbog, and without any hesitation, he drove the sword into its exposed underbelly and dragged it down, opening the creature up like a piñata. He then turned and continued towards the Dugbog, where the Centauress was snagged.
Then he felt something impact his back and start to pull him backwards, making him stumble and fall into the ice-cold, silty and now bloody water. He wrestled as he went under, the two centaurs letting out a scream as he did, which quickly became muffled, and he realised the last Dugbog had snagged him with its tongue and was now pulling him back towards its open jaws.
Working quickly, Harry did what he could to slip out of the coat Sirius had conjured for him; he wrenched himself free of the garment, the cross-guard of his sword tearing the sleeve as he pulled it free, and he stood, shivering as water cascaded down his body. The Dugbog behind him chomped its jaws down on his coat.
He then turned back to the Dugbog that had the Centauress, and once he was close enough, swung the sword with all the strength his cold body could manage, ignoring the aching protest of his seizing muscles, as with a single downward stroke, he sliced cleanly through the tongue, spilling more blood into the water, and the creature fell backwards. Grunting with pain, both centaurs fell onto the bank, the eldest whimpering in shock. Harry looked to where what was left of the tongue was stuck, right below the Centauress’s tail, right over her…he winced. From what he remembered about Dugbog tongues, removing that was going to hurt.
He turned to face the last reptile, just in time to have its tongue slam into his lower abdomen. Fortunately, it hit his trousers, but the impact was still enough to knock him off his feet and into the water, and then it started to pull him in.
“Relashio!” he snarled, the tongue peeled off his trousers, and as he stood, he glared at the reptile, before quickly turning his attention to the other one, which was apparently getting ready to throw its tongue at him as well, despite missing half of it. Clearly, any bleeding wounds they suffered clogged fast, unless they were fatal.
‘Good thing I already killed one of them then,’ he thought, he really didn’t fancy his chances with two, let alone three. However, it seemed the one he had wounded realised the useful part of its tongue was now missing, so rather than try to lash at him, it instead charged. It barrelled through the water with surprising speed, he grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, and he was once again sent into the water, the air knocked from his lungs as the sword was knocked from his hand. Fortunately, he kept his grip on his wand. As the thing finished running him over, he winced as its claws left their marks on his stomach and chest, and just as his head broke the surface, he felt the other reptile’s tongue hit him again.
This time, however, his head was pulled under, preventing him from casting, which forced him to use his free hand to push the waistband of his trousers just past his hips right as the Dugbog gave a hard tug, he quickly wrenched his feet free, causing him to lose his boots as well, as he stood in the knee deep water, now naked, as he glared at the creature that was now eating his clothing.
“Okay, now I’m mad,” he growled.
He focused on the wounded Dugbog first, as it reared up and prepared to charge him again.
“Levioso! Bombarda!”
With a splash, the creature was lifted out of the air by what was left of its tongue. The bombard spell struck, and the lower half of the creature disappeared in a shower of gore, shattered bones and viscera. This got a yelp from the two centaurs and a whinny of panic from the two unicorns. He hated having to scare them, but he needed to end this fight.
That just left one more, he turned to face it just as it was getting ready to throw its tongue at him again, and he didn’t have anything else he could lose to the thing.
“Levioso!” he snarled. The creature was soon dangling from its tongue, its underbelly exposed.
“Sectumsempra!”
The white cutting curse sliced open the Dugbog, far more effectively than his sword did; in fact, the spell also seemed to cut a lot deeper. The reptile thrashed uselessly as its internal organs spilt out into the water, but it didn’t do so for long.
“Oh, by the great Pan!”
Harry looked behind him, his gaze meeting the wide-eyed, horrified gaze of the elder centaur, who had a hand firmly clasped over the eyes of her younger companion, and was desperately trying to turn her away.
He winced as he used his wand to Accio his sword, then he stepped out of the water, cautiously approaching them. The elder backed away, her eyes widening as they moved down to the sword, then flicked back up to his face, her own, a mask of terror.
“It's alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” Harry said, turning to the unicorn mare, he beckoned her over, she approached, cautiously, her own daughter trailing behind her, eyeing him fearfully. Moving slowly so as not to startle her, Harry approached the mare and gently put the sword back in the satchel, then turned to the elder Centauress.
“There, see? It’s gone, I wasn’t going to use it on you, your friend or the unicorns.”
The Centauress seemed to relax a little as Harry approached, his arms outstretched. He quickly placed his wand into the holster he was wearing, and he saw both of the centaurs relax more. Now, they were focused entirely on him; the elder no longer covering the younger filly's eyes.
“Here, let me help with that tongue,” Harry said, quickly yet cautiously moving to the Centauress’s right flank and drawing his wand again. He winced to himself when he saw exactly where it was lodged, right under her tail.
“Relashio.”
The tongue dropped to the ground with a plop, but the female winced, letting out a yelp of pain as, as he had predicted, the small barbs on the tongue and the very sticky saliva pulled away a good portion of her fur. They pulled rather painfully on her flesh as well, though somehow, she managed to avoid losing any hair from her tail. He gave the area a very quick once-over before quickly moving back in front of her.
“There, it’s gone, sorry that hurt a bit,” he said awkwardly as he moved in front of her, “What’s your name?”
“Carla,” she said, sheepishly, her cheeks tinting dark pink as she looked him up and down for the first time, her eyes widening, a gasp escaping her as a smile tugged at her lips, and she giggled. He didn’t need to look to know what she had seen, and to his chagrin, her younger companion looked as well, letting out a giggle of her own. And judging by the gentle nickering from the mare, she’d gotten an eyeful too.
“Our males usually don’t enjoy fighting that much!” the younger one giggled, which made Harry’s face heat up.
“Uh, sorry, can’t really control that,” he said awkwardly.
“Neither can our males!” the younger centaur tittered.
“Okay, let’s get you ladies, uh, mares, out of here, and away from this mess, back to your herds.”
Soon they were on the move, though Harry had no idea where the centaur camp was, or where the unicorn herd was, so he was wandering through the forest at this point, hoping this wouldn’t take too long.
“So what were you two doing by that small lake? I didn’t think females left the camp,” Harry asked.
“We, we weren’t supposed to, but my little sister said that we had to, that the stars had shown her a month ago, that something important was waiting for us out here, but all we found was three hungry dugbogs.”
The unicorns both snorted and nickered. Carla turned to them and smiled, “You’re right, we did meet him, and you.”
“Wait, you understand unicorns?” Harry asked, and the two centaurs giggled.
“Of course! They are our cousins after all, all horses are, being children of Poseidon, after all — oops!”
“Shh!” the younger Centauress hushed her sister, whose face was now a mask of embarrassment and a little fear, Harry was momentarily confused, until he remembered what Fleur had said about how the Centaurs as a species had come to be, and that it was a secret not meant for outsiders like him, so he chose to ignore the slip for her sake.
“And what’s your name, then, young one?” He asked the younger centaur, who was about to respond, when the sound of thudding hooves rapidly approaching, then an adult centaur, another female, rounded the corner ahead of them and came to an abrupt stop, her face an expression of worry.
“Carla, Kiara, what are you doing out here? You know mares are not permitted to leave the camp!”
“Kiara said we should be here; she told me she saw it in the stars, that we would find something important here. She was right.” Carla replied.
Harry shifted uncertainly as the adult’s gaze fell on him and turned both inquisitive and cautious. He saw surprise momentarily cross her features as she took him in, her eyes widening ever so slightly before narrowing as they moved down over his body. Her gaze then came back up to his face, then flicked up a bit, then to the side as he sensed the two unicorns now standing at his side.
The unicorns both snorted and whinnied, well, the adult did more than the filly, but the elder centauress definitely took note of what she was apparently ‘saying’.
“I see,” she said, her tone somewhat amused, “Hmm, it seems Celestia here wishes to join your herd, along with her daughter, Twilight. You must have really made an impression on her.”
“Wait, she what? But I…I don’t have a herd… well, there’s Luna, Hermione, Daphne and Susan, they’re my partners, my girlfriends…lovers, we’re a group, yes, but I wouldn’t say we’re a herd.” Harry protested, his face flushing as he looked between the adult Centauress and the unicorn mare, who was looking at him rather strangely.
“You might have a different name for it, but you do have a herd, and Celestia, along with her daughter, wishes to join, as it seems you have indeed left an excellent impression on her,” the Centauress replied. She eyed him for a moment, her gaze lingering on his anatomy a couple of seconds longer than he felt comfortable, her lips tugging up in a slight smile, before she leaned forward and sniffed the air, her eyes widening a little. The adult unicorn snorted, huffed a few times, making several vocalisations, which the adult centaur paid close attention to, before turning back to Harry and giving him another smile, and to his surprise, she pulled her shoulders back and thrust out her chest.
Harry, for his part, felt very uncomfortable. Being naked around the unicorns and juvenile centaurs, and having the eldest make a move on him was one thing, but their mother too? Did every female in this forest want to fuck him lately or something? He also couldn’t help but notice the older centaur’s rather impressive breasts.
Her eldest was about his height, and her breasts were modest, closer to Hermione’s in size. Her younger sister looked about Luna’s age, if not a few years younger, and her chest was relatively flat, her breasts only just starting to bud. Still, their mother, at least, he assumed she was their mother, was closer to the dryads in terms of size and proportions, her breasts more voluptuous, large and firm, each capped by dark pink nipples and areola, like those of the dryads; they seemed to defy gravity, and he couldn’t help but steel glances, his cock involuntarily twitching, which to his chagrin, all three centaurs noticed.
“You will come with us, Harry Potter. You two are welcome also,” she said, the latter part of her statement aimed at the two unicorns.
“Uh, sure, um, what’s your name?” Harry asked the adult as she turned until her right side faced him, then she lowered herself, gesturing for him to climb on her back. He noticed then that she didn’t have a quiver full of arrows, nor a bow.
“My name is Hylonome. Thank you for rescuing my daughters.”
-=-=-
Harry wiggled his hips a little, trying to get comfortable on Hylonome‘s back. It felt strange riding on the back of the Centauress, as the last time he’d been on the back of something this large had been Buckbeak the previous year and Firenze his first year. And in both of those situations, he’d been wearing clothes; now he wasn’t. He felt cold, exposed, and entirely too self-conscious of the erection pressing into the centaur’s back, which he was sure she could definitely feel, and both her daughters and the unicorns still stole glances at him when they thought he wasn’t looking.
He found it rather odd that the unicorn mare was interested in him, then again, given her past actions with him, he mused it shouldn’t be, she seemed obsessed with him for some reason, and the two young centaurs he noticed, made no attempts to cover their chests, if anything, Carla appeared to encourage his gazing when she caught him looking, giggling and blushing each time, which didn’t help his current…stance, to any degree.
He kept his hands firmly on Hylonome‘s waist, feeling the firm and powerful muscles under her skin where the thick fur of her equine half gave way to a light dusting of short fur that covered her upper torso. Idly, he wondered how long they would travel for, and how she stayed warm in the winter months. He was hungry and exhausted, especially after fighting the Dugbogs. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice Hylonome taking hold of his hands and bringing them up to her full naked breasts, his fingers reflectively squeezing the mounds of warm flesh as her nipples started to press into his palms as they hardened, and he could have sworn he heard her sigh, which was when he realised where his hands actually were, he tried to pull away, but a quite, almost imperceptible “No,” stopped him.
His mind whirled at the possible implications, this adult Centauress was not only letting him hold her rather magnificent boobs, but also not letting him release them, but…why? He decided he was too tired to ponder on it fully, he’d think about it later, once this damn day was over, and he was back in bed with his four lovers, and boy, did he have a story to tell them! He just hoped they’d be understanding of his situation.
-=-=-
Harry wasn’t sure how long they travelled for. Still, eventually the sound of activity reached his ears through the trees, and Hylonome paused, allowing his hands to fall from her breasts as she lowered herself and gestured for him to dismount, “If the others see you on my back, it would greatly offend them.”
He understood, he remembered the barbs thrown at Firenze back in his first year that night when the other centaurs had seen him riding on Firenze’s back.
As the camp came into view, and they approached, they were quickly spotted, and all activity around the camp ceased, many of the males drawing their bows and knocking arrows, but not drawing them, yet.
The one Harry recognised as Bane stepped forward, his nostrils flaring in challenge as his suspicious eyes pinned Harry; that suspicion turned to surprise as he took in Harry’s current state, then turned to indicate.
“Hylonome! What is the meaning of this? You bring a human here to our camp? You know, Hagrid and Dumbledore are the only ones whose presence here we tolerate. Barely.”
“He saved my daughters’ lives, risking his own in the process, at great cost to himself,” Hylonome replied firmly, fixing Bane with a glare of her own.
“He does not seem injured to me,” Bane said, eyeing Harry’s naked state with a look of disgust. “He cannot stay here; we were told not to interfere with their Trial that they are supposed to be doing today, which means he is not supposed to be here.”
“We can provide him provisions and direction, and should he wish it, some basic attire, but Bane is correct, he cannot stay, and we cannot escort him further,” another of the male centaurs spoke up, one Harry did not recognise.
“And why exactly were the two of you outside the camp? You know it is forbidden!” Bane snapped. The two young females flinched back, and Harry moved to stand between them and Bane. This might be an internal centaur matter, but he wasn’t about to let two young girls get bullied, especially by someone with apparent anger issues. Bane’s eyes snapped up to Harry, and they hardened again, his lips curling in a snarl, “Stay out of this, boy.”
“We were there because the Stars ordained it!” Kiara spoke up, stepping around Harry to glare back at Bane, who looked at her in surprise, her words causing the other centaurs to shuffle and murmur.
“What? Explain!” Bane snapped.
“Several months ago, the stars showed me that something important would happen, something important that concerned me and my sister’s future, but only if we were in that spot, at that time, though I did not know the exact time until last night, when the stars revealed the exact time and place to me.”
“Nearly getting eaten by Dugbogs was important to your future?” Harry asked incredulously.
“No, meeting you was,” Kiara replied.
“This is outrageous! Clearly, the young filly needs to work on her interpretations,” Bane snapped. “Do you really expect us to believe your meeting this boy at that spot was meant to happen?”
“We cannot know for sure, but what is done is done. Now it is time for Harry Potter to continue his journey. The stars say many things, and not all of them are immediately clear, but I have seen several changes coming to his life in the near future. Many new friends to be gained, lost loved ones returned, but also new and old enemies, and even some friends may be lost. There are challenging times ahead for you, Harry Potter, but you will have those who will support you,” Firenze said, before he headed deeper into the camp.
He soon returned, holding a small bag and what appeared to be a rabbit-skin pouch.
“Harry Potter, in thanks for your help rescuing Carla and her sister from those Dugbogs, here is some fruit and fresh water for your journey through the forest.”
As Firenze stepped back, Harry nodded in thanks. Before he could turn to leave, however, Carla approached him. She mumbled her thanks before placing her hands on his bare chest, her warm palms covering his nipples as she gently started massaging them, her expression nervous, yet, almost…hopeful? Harry just stood there, embarrassed, unsure what to do, surrounded by the centaur herd, several of whom gave rather surprised snorts at her actions.
“Foolish filly! You cannot be serious! He does not understand our ways!” One of the males Harry didn’t recognise called out.
Without thinking, he brought his own hands up to cup her modest breasts, his palms over her nipples. The look of hopefulness on her rather cute face turned to one of surprise, worrying him. Had he just made a mistake? That worry quickly turned to confusion when the look of surprise gave way to one of excitement and joy, and she smiled beautifully, then nodded, her face flushing as she continued to massage his chest gently. He, somewhat awkwardly, started to do the same, which only seemed to make her happier.
There were snorts and rumblings from the surrounding herd, and Harry wondered if he’d done something wrong, so he quickly let go, but Carla didn’t seem offended; if anything, she seemed ecstatic. He cast a quick look at her mother, who was eyeing him critically, then gave her eldest daughter a look before looking back at him and giving him a respectful nod and a slight smile, then turning and guiding both of her daughters away. Carla and Kiara both looked back, smiled at him, and waved.
He didn’t miss the rather blatant flagging of Carla’s tail as she walked, but he quickly looked away and instead turned his attention to Firenze, who eyed the retreating fillies curiously.
“What just happened?” Harry asked as Firenze gave him an odd look he couldn’t place.
“Something…most unusual and unprecedented. But I do not believe it is anything you need to concern yourself with right now, Harry Potter; it is a Centaur matter, and we will try to resolve it as best we can. The next few days should be most interesting.”
Firenze then looked up at the sky, then looked back at Harry, before turning to the unicorns.
“Carla was not wrong in her interpretation…the stars did foretell of many unprecedented things happening lately, several months ago. Your saving Carla and Kiara was not entirely unforeseen, nor was your meeting with the Dryads, but what Carla did was not foreseen. It seems the Fates have smiled upon you, Harry Potter.”
Harry didn’t feel like it. He also felt rather exposed, the chill of the morning air making him shiver.
“When did you and Kiara have these ‘visions’?” Harry asked, Firenze scratched his chin, thinking.
“I cannot say for Kiara, but I first gleaned what the stars were foretelling the night you returned to the school. Then, more details on the night of what you call All Hallows’ Eve, were revealed to me, and then the final, most clear foretelling, was 16 nights after that.”
“Halloween? That was the night my name came out of that damn goblet, wait, two weeks after that?” Harry asked, and Firenze nodded.
“Indeed,”
Harry froze. November 16th? That would have been the night before Draco cursed him and Hermione…that meant Firenze knew ahead of time…he’d known at least a hint of what was coming a full 2 months ahead of time…
“You knew what was going to happen? Why didn’t you warn us? Did you know my name was going to come out of the Goblet?” Harry asked evenly.
“Nothing so precise, only that many things about your life were about to shift, over the coming months. Your entry into this Tournament of yours may still have happened either way. It is not within our nature to try to avoid what the stars ordain; trying to do so more often than not leads to disaster. But consider this: if I had warned you and you had changed the outcome that day, would you still have the support you have now? The close circle of friends? The future members of your support base, whom you have met and fought beside last night and this dawn?”
Harry thought hard, and the realisation came to him, that no, if he had avoided Draco’s curse that day, by striking first, then there was a strong possibility, no, a certainty, that Hermione, Luna, Susan and Daphne would not be by his side now, and Draco likely would not have ended up getting arrested, likely neither would Snape, and the abuse of the Slytherin girls would have likely continued.
“You’re right, things probably would have been a lot worse,” he said, Firenze smiled knowingly.
“Do not lament the changes that have happened in your life, or those yet to occur; instead, embrace them, both good and ill, you will only be stronger for it. Your herd is growing, Harry Potter, protect it, nurture it and those within it, no matter who or what they may be. Now I believe we have kept you long enough; it is time for you to continue your journey. Celestia and her daughter, Twilight, will accompany you the rest of the way. Good luck to you, Harry Potter,” the centaur said, gesturing to the two unicorns, before he turned and left. Harry turned and approached the mare, wondering just how he was going to get on her back, when she gently lowered herself down to her knees, and let him climb on, the supplies Firenze had given him secure in his satchel.
-=-=-=-
Notes:
Next chapter shouldn't take too long :P
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