Again, not JKR. Harry Potter universe is not mine, except the plot of this particular story and unnamed characters in the brothel.
Chapter One
~Auction~
Severus stepped into the Silver Serpent, pausing just inside the door as it shut behind him to ensure that the hood of his cloak was in place before he stepped further into the brothel. He would not reveal himself unless it was absolutely necessary that he speak with someone.
His eyes flicked disinterestedly about the place, sliding over the high-class prostitutes – who were much more tastefully dressed as well as more subtly engaged in their business than their cheap, most-likely-rife-with-disease counterparts of Knockturn Alley – and the wealthy members of the pure-blooded elite they catered to. He could not care less what debauchery the wealthiest of the Dark Lord's supporters got up to in this establishment well-known for its catering to the pleasures of Death Eaters and their associates. He was here for one reason, and he hoped fervently that he was wrong.
He'd heard word from his fellow Death Eaters of a particularly triumphant raid resulting in a particular capture and that this was where the captives had been brought. It so happened that three young women, precious to certain members of the Order of the Phoenix and to the two greatest enemies of the Dark Lord, had gone missing around the same time the raid had occurred. This was the last place he wanted to find them.
When he couldn't locate any of the three objects of his nearly obsessive search of the past several weeks, he made to turn to ask to see the proprietress in order to question her. But suddenly a man, rather tastefully dressed in black business robes with green and silver trim, appeared from a side door leading off the main room of the establishment. He strode over to a clear stretch of floor that appeared to be used as some sort of staging area and stood front and center. Directly behind him, out of the floor, rose a round platform made of polished marble, about a foot in height and five feet in diameter. The man held out his arms, and the music and chatter died down. The lights in the establishment died down except for two torches that glowed to life on either side of the cleared stretch of floor.
"My dear friends, esteemed gentlemen, pure of blood. It is my immense pleasure to offer to you tonight a most rare treat for your enjoyment. Such a treat only comes once in a lifetime, so I beg of you, do not allow this opportunity to go to waste. We have available for purchase, either for one night's pleasure or for permanent ownership, three new additions to our establishment. They are available either individually or as a full triad." He paused, somewhat theatrically, to allow his words to sink in. "What makes these treasures so special, you ask? Besides each having a face and body to drive any red-blooded wizard to distraction, each has a distinct primal air about her that will make her a most rewarding addition to any bed. Each also possesses at least one particular trait that will make her conquest especially savory for any supporter of the Dark Lord who makes the purchase."
As he listened to the man's words and caught the almost malicious tone, he began to feel extremely uneasy about these latest additions. He forced himself to wait and be certain. He could not give himself away just yet. He continued to listen.
"My dear friends, allow me to present The Silver Serpent's own special trio, The Elements!" The man stepped to one side with a flourish of his arm, drawing the attention of the entire room to the marble platform, which was no longer empty. There was a sudden rush of whirling black smoke, confined to the space within the boundaries of the platform, and when it cleared, there, standing back to back in a cluster and looking scared, defiant, and resigned all at once, were the last three witches Severus would ever have wanted to see in an establishment like the Silver Serpent.
The marble platform was rotating so that the three witches, who were bound together by thin, glowing silver cords looped about their wrists, remained back-to-back while the gentlemen could still view them. They were all dressed provocatively, their colors deliberately chosen to mock their House ties.
As the platform rotated, it paused so the man could give a description of each young witch's traits while allowing the men to view her, running their eyes up and down her form with unbridled lust. As the platform rotated and the man spoke, the witches were as still and motionless as though they were part of the marble of the platform itself. Unwilling to back down even in the face of such a terrible fate, they gazed steadily back at the crowd, their eyes judging and condemning every man in the room.
"Gentlemen, you see before you the three young women who make up the fairer portion of the inner circle of the once great Harry Potter. First is Luna Lovegood, member of Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts School, and daughter of the unfortunate late Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of the nonsensical Quibbler Magazine which has the unfortunate distinction of being the one publication to openly declare its support of Harry Potter even after the announcement of our dear Dark Lord's return. She has a light, ethereal personality that should prove to be a breath of fresh air for whichever wizard purchases her. For one night, two thousand galleons. For permanent purchase, two hundred thousand galleons."
The marble platform paused so that Miss Lovegood faced the crowd. She was dressed in a royal blue confection that conformed to her slim, willowy frame and consisted of a short silk under layer that only just barely covered the important parts of her body with little more than strings holding the dress to her shoulders and an outer layer that fell to just below her knees made of lace with short cap sleeves. The neckline of the lace layer was modest, but the lace was so sheer that the silk under layer was plainly visible and thus, the lace served no practical purpose other than to dress up an outfit that would otherwise be little more than an undergarment. She wore no jewelry other than a bronze-colored silk ribbon tied about her neck with a bronze serpent charm, and on her feet were a pair of strappy, two-inch-stiletto-heel sandals the same color as the ribbon about her neck.
The expression on Miss Lovegood's face was calm and serene, so much so that Severus was tempted to believe her mind wasn't all there, for what girl could possibly look so unaffected in the face of a fate such as the one about to befall her? But when he took a closer look at her eyes, he saw that while they were dull and muted as she gazed back at the crowd, in the shadows behind the silver-blue of her eyes lurked a secret, and he had the feeling that whichever wizard attempted to toss her into his bed against her will would find her to be a howling, hurricane-force gale rather than a breath of fresh air.
"Second, we have Ginevra Weasley, whose capture is a greater blow still to the Order of the Phoenix. Member of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School, daughter and sister to six blood traitor members of the Order, sister to one third of the Golden Trio, and, best of all, Harry Potter's school sweetheart. True to her Gryffindor tendencies, she is brash and bold and will prove to be most invigorating for any man able to handle a blaze in his bed. For one night, three thousand galleons. For permanent purchase, three hundred thousand galleons."
And Miss Weasley's chocolate brown eyes certainly blazed now as the round platform rotated around before stopping with her facing the room. She wore a glittering gold two-piece outfit that contrasted with her fiery hair and featured a top with a single strap on her right shoulder, the neckline swooping down to curve under her left arm and adorned with crimson silk ribbon trim. Her midriff was bare, exposing the pale flesh of her belly, and the bottom portion of her outfit consisted of a skirt with an asymmetrical hem, also with crimson silk ribbon trim, that came to her upper thigh on one side before falling to her calf on the opposite side. A curtain of fringe cascaded from the hem to create symmetry; the fringe was shortest where the hem of the dress was longest, and was longest where the hem only came to her upper thigh, and the effect was the illusion of a straight line around her calves. Around her neck glittered a gold necklace, its delicate links curving so that it resembled a vine curling about her throat, with a small, round ruby sparkling at each juncture between links. A gold bangle in the shape of a serpent with larger rubies for eyes twined about her left bicep, and her shoes were a pair of strappy flat gladiator-style sandals the same shade of red as the rubies.
Her expression was still, as indifferent as Luna's, but serene would not be the word to describe Miss Weasley's face. Grim would be a far more fitting term. Her eyes, on the other hand, were fierce and wrathful, and while she stood still on the platform, her body seemed ready to fly into a blazing rage at any moment.
"And finally, in the ultimate coup d'etat, the greatest blow that could be delivered to the Order of the Phoenix by those who fight for the Dark Lord short of the murder of Albus Dumbledore or the capture of Harry Potter himself, I give you their precious Gryffindor Princess, the mudblood Hermione Granger. The female third and the brains behind the Golden Trio. Protégé of Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School, she is the sole daughter to the late, most unfortunate Muggles Richard and Jean Granger. The so-called brightest witch of her age, yet here she is, captured and awaiting her fate at your hands. Steadfast and strong, she will be the hardest to break, but when she is broken, every move within her will be earth-shattering. And incidentally, she is a virgin." Those last four words were delivered slowly, laden with meaning and promise as the platform rotated and stopped to reveal the final member of the triad of young witches standing on its surface. "Naturally, her virgin state makes a gem like her all the more rare, and as we all know, the rarest stones come with the highest price. But surely the chance to break the maidenhead of one such as her will make her purchase worth the price. For one night, five thousand galleons. For permanent purchase, five hundred thousand galleons."
Severus found himself staring as intently as every other man in the room, but in complete shock. That was Hermione Granger? He was almost convinced that whoever had captured the three young women had made a mistake. Surely that goddess couldn't be the same insufferable know-it-all he'd known at Hogwarts, always thrusting her hand into the air, ready to ask or answer any question imaginable.
Her crimson silk dress was Grecian in style, flowing luxuriously over her petite form but styled in a way that hinted at, rather than hiding, her curves. The fabric, which was shot through with shimmering gold thread, fell to her feet, but any trace of modesty was swept away by both the neckline, which plunged between her breasts to fall just above her stomach, and the slit that soared clean up to the golden belt that was loosely looped about her waist just above the curve of her hip. Moreover, the slit was really less of a slit and more of a gap in the fabric, and it, along with the plunging neckline, made it quite clear that Miss Granger wore nothing underneath her dress, and the flush tingeing her face told Severus that her outfit was most definitely not chosen by her. Unlike both Miss Lovegood and Miss Weasley, Miss Granger wore nothing about her neck. Instead, she wore two gold armbands similar to Miss Weasley's, in the shape of serpents twining about her biceps, but oddly enough, instead of rubies, they had emeralds for eyes. On her feet glittered a pair of strappy gold shoes similar to Miss Lovegood's, only an inch or so taller, and her thick, heavy mass of curls was left unbound to spill down to the small of her back.
While the expressions in Miss Lovegood's and Miss Weasley's eyes made it clear they would not make things easy for whichever wizard purchased them, it was the look in Hermione's eyes that made Severus think that whoever was stupid enough to even think of buying any of the witches would do better to leave well enough alone. Miss Lovegood's pale eyes were dull, while Miss Weasley's chocolate eyes blazed fiercely, but Hermione's bright brown eyes were hard as stone. The color of tiger's-eye agate, they gleamed with hatred, and held a cold promise of retribution. It would be foolish in the extreme to underestimate the smallest of the three witches.
But suddenly, as his gaze slid over her body once more, his Slytherin traits began to assert themselves, and he began to plot and plan. He had, after all, been instructed to help search for the missing girls, as it had been suspected that they had been snatched by Death Eaters. Well, he'd found them. Now it was a matter of getting them back into the hands of the Order without giving up his role as a spy. If he made the purchase…
And here was where the most Slytherin of his traits began to assert themselves. He had quickly realized that she was beautiful. In fact, she was absolutely fucking gorgeous, and he couldn't believe how well she'd grown up while he wasn't paying attention. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman without having to pay, but this time he would be paying to save the woman in question from a worse fate. And despite the fact that he truly was on the side of the light and could not bear the idea of such a brilliant young witch being subjugated to the life of a whore or kept woman against her will, he was still a Slytherin.
As his eyes slid over her body, he quickly concluded that the perfect repayment for his efforts would be just that: her body. Of course, it would be all the sweeter if she came to him of her own will rather than in repayment, so there would be no need to mention anything about a debt of any sort. He would have her, and there would be no resistance, only passion and obedience. While he knew he wasn't the most handsome man in existence, he knew he wasn't monstrously ugly, and he was a skilled enough lover that he would be able to give her the time of her life, whether she thought she wanted it from him or not.
And so, his decision was made.
The platform began rotating again, this time without stopping, so that the audience could look at all three of them. "Gentlemen, once more, I give you The Silver Serpent's ultimate offering, The Elements. Each of these three gems is a prize in her own right, no matter whose bed she graces, but for ten thousand galleons for one night or one million galleons for permanent purchase, the full triad will be yours to do with as you please."
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then suddenly the room was full of male voices calling out as every pompous ass in the room forgot about his current female companion, much to said female's dismay, and began shouting in the hopes of claiming one of the triad for his own.
"Three thousand galleons for one night with the red-head!" shouted one voice
"Two hundred thousand for the Ravenclaw bint!" called another.
"Five hundred thousand for the Mudblood bitch!" screeched a third.
Other calls sounded as well, but then, over all of them rose a dark, silky voice familiar to many of them, as many of them had sons or daughters who were taught by and members of the same House as the owner of said voice, which was currently amplified by magic. "For the complete trio, one. Million. Galleons."
So, so, so? Questions, comments, concerns? Critiques? I'm a giddy new FanFiction writer, you have the advantage, people!
RP