Pansy perused the books in the library, looking for the one Hermione wanted. Nature's Nobility, a Wizarding Geneology, was an odd book for her girlfriend to be seeking. Every pureblood family had an original copy of the book. It was extremely important to Wizarding society as it had been organized by the Dark Lord. Only the twenty-eight pureblood families described within, the Parkinsons included, held the immense privileges that gave them their stratospheric position within society.
It didn't take long to find. The fine gold lettering along the spine made it easy to spot, and Pansy wasted no time in pulling it from the shelves and hurrying from the room. Pansy wanted to return as quickly as possible with the book, so as to gain Hermione's approval. Her girlfriend, still very much in the role of Pansy's Mistress, was lounging on the sofa in the parlor. Pansy hurried through the halls of the manor, only stopping to collect herself at the door to the parlor. Pansy opened the door and walked over to the sofa. Hermione was sitting length-wise on the sofa in a dark red dress from Pansy's closet, and as well as a pair of shiny black heels.
"Here it is." Pansy said primly, holding the book to Hermione.
"Thanks." Hermione said, taking the book and opening it to look at the table of contents.
"Can I ask what you wanted it for?" Pansy ventured, quite curious about what Hermione thought she could find.
"Just some information. I've been thinking about the dream world we shared during the term." Hermione said vaguely, already immersed in the book.
"Oh." Pansy answered shortly, not having put much thought into the dream world ever since she had been reunited with Hermione.
"I'm looking for one person in particular. Harry Potter." Hermione murmured, leafing through the book.
Pansy thought for a moment. She had heard the name a couple of times from Hermione but hadn't paid it much attention. The Slytherins in the dream world had occasionally mentioned Potter in a sneering and dismissive way, despite the fact that he had beaten their Quidditch team every single time they played. But Pansy hadn't paid too much attention to them either. Hermione had tended to be the focus of her thoughts when she was at Hogwarts, in the dream world or not.
"Does he go to Hogwarts here, in reality, I mean?" Hermione asked, looking intently at Pansy.
"No, there's no Harry Potter in my year. Maybe he's a mu-, er, muggleborn like you are." Pansy responded, catching herself too late to cover her misstep completely.
"No, he's half-blood. At least I think he is." Hermione said distractedly, seeming not to have noticed what Pansy nearly said.
"Half-blood? There was a pureblood family by the name of Potter, but it died out a year or so after I was born. James Potter was the last one in the family, I believe." Pansy said thoughtfully, trying her best to remember.
"You know that off the top of your head?" Hermione asked in a surprised tone, looking over the top of the book at Pansy.
"Geneology is extremely important to pureblood families. I've memorized most of what's in that book." Pansy said, giving Hermione a wry look.
"Well, what happened to James?" Hermione asked, now giving Pansy more attention than the book.
"That's...not really talked about openly. In the book, there's a note about him suffering some kind of accidental death. But that was around the time the Dark Lord seized power. There were an awful lot of accidents then." Pansy answered uncomfortably.
"I see. What about his mother, then? I think her name was Lily." Hermione said, returning her attention to the book.
"I don't know. If Lily was muggleborn, there wouldn't be anything about her in the book." Pansy answered gingerly, trying not to offend Hermione.
"Well then." Hermione said, somewhat testily, as she closed the book.
"Why all the interest in Harry Potter?" Pansy asked curiously.
"Because I think he has a lot to do with the difference between reality and the dream. He's alive in the dream...and so is Dumbledore. I imagine that Dumbledore is dead here?" Hermione asked, her voice dropping significantly toward the end.
"Yes. Officially, he resigned as Headmaster and died of illness, but among the students, it's pretty widely rumored that Snape killed him." Pansy said, shifting slightly.
"Snape? He teaches at Hogwarts here too?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening.
"I told you, the teachers are all Death Eaters. I was surprised to see that he was teaching in the dream world as well. If anything, he's more unpleasant over there." Pansy said, frowning.
"Hmm. Is that the difference, then? That Snape murdered Dumbledore?" Hermione asked in the murmuring tone she reserved for speaking to herself.
"Does it really matter?" Pansy asked, sitting down on the coffee table opposite Hermione.
"I don't know. It might be helpful if we knew where everything went wrong." Hermione answered quietly.
"Helpful for what?" Pansy asked slowly, having a sinking feeling about what Hermione was going to say.
"For changing things!" Hermione responded in a stronger tone, some color appearing in her cheeks.
Pansy said nothing. She knew what Hermione's personality was really like. Underneath all of the enforced humility of her upbringing, Hermione had a very clear view of right and wrong. She would never be content to keep what freedom she had received for herself alone. Getting Hermione a wand and encouraging her to adopt a more confident attitude was always going to lead to something like this.
"You know we have to do something, right?" Hermione said boldly, looking directly at Pansy.
Pansy looked away. Personally speaking, Pansy felt no obligation to lift a finger to help anyone other than Hermione. It wasn't like she expected strangers to make sacrifices for her. They all had problems of their own. So did she. Except for Hermione, everyone that Pansy had known was ultimately looking out for themselves, even if their actions seemed to obscure that. Pansy's parents included.
Her parents had provided for Pansy all of her life, but she knew that it wasn't entirely selfless of them to have done so. Her father was a brilliant businessman and had totally reversed the flagging fortunes of the Parkinson family. But the fact remained that he could barely be considered a wizard. According to her aunt Minette, a Rosier, her father had only graduated Hogwarts after her grandfather had made a sizable donation to the Hogwart's fund for destitute students. His dreadful spellwork was the reason why her father was not a Death Eater. Her mother was much better with a wand, though she lacked the temperament needed to be given a Dark Mark. It made the Parkinson family seem lesser in the eyes of most of the other pureblood families, despite the fact that they were wealthier than any other family aside from the Malfoys. Pansy had grown up knowing that her parents had high hopes that she would be accepted as a Death Eater, thereby giving their family the respect that had eluded them.
But Pansy didn't particularly care about their plans. She had been formulating some vague ideas about somehow faking her own death and escaping the country with Hermione. Living together with her love in some flat in Italy or Spain was the only future she wanted to pursue. But even if Pansy could persuade her girlfriend to come with her, Hermione probably wouldn't be able to be truly happy like that. Not with her fellow muggleborns, not to mention the rest of society, under the thumb of the Dark Lord.
"I know we have to do something. But I was trying not to think too much about it." Pansy said with a frown, unable to keep a sulking note out of her voice.
"I'm sorry. We can talk about it later." Hermione said kindly, her voice dropping back to normal.
Pansy nodded. They didn't have to start facing the future for another few days. For now, they could enjoy what time they had left until Christmas break was over. Over the last week, Hermione had adapted very well to being the one in control between them. Enough so that it was less of a conscious role and more of a new dynamic between them. Even when they were not actively pursuing the game, Hermione had changed considerably in the last week.
She no longer kept herself ready to respond in a way that Pansy might want, even from a supposedly dominant position. Instead, Hermione would take Pansy's preferences into account before making a decision she felt was best for the both of them. Pansy didn't always agree with her girlfriend's decisions, but the fact remained that Hermione had always been excellent at judging Pansy's needs. Being in the role of Pansy's Mistress simply gave Hermione the confidence to act on her own judgment. The results spoke for themselves: By allowing Hermione to largely determine what they would do, Pansy had found herself mostly free of stress and anxiety over the last week.
Hermione also spoke a little differently. There was no more split-second hesitation where Hermione had seemed to analyze her words for anything that might not meet Pansy's approval. Now Hermione said exactly what she felt. Pansy found Hermione's newfound honesty refreshing...mostly. Her girlfriend did have the habit of acting as if she was always right about things, and now that Hermione no longer tamped down on that impulse, Pansy found herself nodding and agreeing even when she didn't see eye to eye with Hermione. There was little point in arguing when keeping her love in a good mood was critical to getting any satisfaction of her own.
Pansy stood up from the coffee table and moved to sit on her knees next to the sofa. The days where Pansy felt free to touch Hermione anywhere and at any time felt long past. Pansy honestly didn't know what would happen if she tried now, but in any case, it wouldn't be keeping with the spirit of their game. Instead, Pansy leaned forward to give Hermione's shining black heels some quick kisses. It was a good way for Pansy to communicate her interest in a very respectful way. Plus, it never failed to bring a smile to Hermione's face. It was almost certainly why her girlfriend had her feet up on the sofa to begin with.
"Oh? Have you finished cleaning all of the windows on the first floor?" Hermione asked, a smile already forming.
"Yes. I think I might have the whole manor clean by now." Pansy said ruefully, having never done so much manual labor in her life.
"Not quite. But you might by the end of the week." Hermione said cheerfully, evidently appreciating not having to do it herself for once.
Pansy made a face but didn't otherwise complain. The first day or two of cleaning the manor had left Pansy fairly exhausted. She hadn't experienced that kind of physical activity since...never, actually. But after that, Pansy found that the work didn't leave her as tired as before. She could clean for hours now without needing to rest. Which was a good thing. Getting a little more physically fit would not be amiss, especially if Pansy's life was going to become a lot more dangerous in the future.
"What are we up to now, four?" Hermione wondered lightly.
"Five!" Pansy said with some alarm, honestly worried that Hermione had forgotten the number.
"Oh, right. It's so hard to keep track of these things." Hermione said teasingly.
Pansy grumbled as loudly as she dared. Hermione had turned out be quite serious about requiring Pansy to pleasure her five times for every one time that Pansy got off. It wouldn't be too bad by itself; Pansy found that bringing her girlfriend to orgasm was very nearly as fun as receiving one herself. The problem was that Hermione loved to pleasure Pansy in return, but then, after bringing Pansy very close to climax, she would simply...stop. It was enough to drive Pansy nuts. Not that she truly minded it. Being sexually frustrated did at least keep Pansy's mind off of what awaited her after graduation.
"Wait, I have an idea. Hold still." Hermione said brightly, reaching behind her head to where her willow wand was lying on an end table next to the sofa.
Hermione retrieved her wand and looked at Pansy, obviously excited about performing some kind of spell on her. Pansy swallowed slightly in anticipation, knowing that her girlfriend could be inventive when it came to things like this. Hermione raised her wand and rotated her wrist in an odd motion. A moment later, Pansy felt something settle around her neck. She automatically raised a hand to feel just what it was, but then Hermione started to slowly pull back with her wand hand. At the same time, Pansy felt herself being pulled forward by her neck as if there was some kind of invisible leash on it. Pansy didn't fight the sensation and allowed herself to be pulled onto the sofa so that she ended up straddling Hermione.
"You could have just asked me to do this." Pansy said ruefully, gingerly touching the invisible presence around her neck.
"But this is so much more fun! And it's good to experiment sometimes." Hermione said brightly, now moving her free hand over the point where the invisible leash connected to her wand.
After a moment or two, Hermione managed to seemingly unhook the leash from her wand. It did not vanish, however. Pansy still felt the weight around her neck, and now Hermione was holding the other end in her hand. Pansy's heart beat a little faster at the thought of how completely at the mercy of her girlfriend she was. Thankfully, Hermione had shown herself to be entirely worthy of Pansy's trust. She was the only person Pansy trusted, in fact.
Hermione pulled the leash down gently but firmly, drawing Pansy downward until her lips were inches away from Hermione's own. Crucially, Hermione had left that tiny bit of space for Pansy to willingly cross to kiss her. Which Pansy did, as enthusiastically as her climax-starved body demanded. Still though, in what was quickly becoming the new normal between them, Hermione began using her tongue first. Pansy eagerly accepted it into her mouth, briefly wondering if it was possible to orgasm by kissing alone.
Thankfully, Pansy didn't need to find out. Hermione shifted herself slightly until her legs were intertwined with Pansy's. This was a familiar and much-enjoyed position for them both, and neither of them wasted any time before starting to grind against each other. Pansy gasped (or tried to, considering that her mouth was currently busy) at the feeling of, well, anything touching her bare pussy. Two days of teasing, as well as watching Hermione enjoy what looked to be some very satisfying orgasms, had left Pansy's body on something of a hair trigger. It was only the thought that Hermione would prefer them to climax together that kept Pansy from grinding herself off the edge in a hurry.
Hermione, who was still wearing her knickers (as well as having been very well satisfied over the last few days) naturally took longer to approach orgasm. Pansy had to provide Hermione with as much friction as she could with her legs while keeping her own pussy free from anything more than a gentle rubbing. It required a lot of patience on Pansy's part, but thankfully, her week as the maid of the manor had let her begin to develop some.
After perhaps five minutes of this, Pansy could hear Hermione begin to let out muffled shrieks. Pansy broke off the kiss, thinking that Hermione might derive more enjoyment if she was free to shriek to her heart's content. But Hermione did not approve. Her girlfriend's brown eyes flew open, and Hermione pulled down on the invisible leash quite firmly until Pansy was once again kissing her.
Pansy, grateful that she did not pay anything further for her error in judgment, quickly accepted Hermione's tongue back into her mouth. If her girlfriend preferred to french kiss her instead of letting out her telltale shrieks, then Pansy was fine with that trade. Hermione had begun to buck with her hips against Pansy's legs, and that was the signal that Pansy needed to finally begin grinding her pussy against Hermione's legs in earnest.
An absolutely glorious several minutes in which Pansy and Hermione climaxed together ensued. Pansy, who had been increasingly desperate for this over the past two days, was awash in explosive, all-encompassing pleasure. She had the dimmest of awareness that, as she writhed on the sofa, Hermione was writhing against her, with both of them kissing each other like their lives depended on it.
They were both exhausted afterward. Pansy wordlessly shifted over on the sofa so that she was lying beside Hermione now. Her girlfriend still had a hold on the invisible leash around her neck, but her grip had slackened. Pansy wanted nothing more than to take a long nap beside Hermione, who, to her surprise, was in complete agreement with that idea. Pansy awoke after twenty minutes to find that Hermione was still asleep. Pansy then nestled closer to her girlfriend, wishing she wearing something a little warmer than her maid outfit, and dropped off again. She awoke to Hermione gently kissing her cheek.
"So, was it worth it?" Hermione asked languidly, stretching out on the sofa.
"Absolutely." Pansy answered, a touch tiredly.
"Good to know. I won't feel bad about saying that you'll have to work hard to get me up to five again by the end of the week, then." Hermione said, the wicked tone in her voice sounding less and less forced by the day.
Pansy laughed and tried to get off of the sofa. Her nap had caused her to forget that Hermione's invisible leash was still around her neck. Hermione, who was looking at her curiously for a moment, had evidently forgotten as well. Her girlfriend felt around the sofa for the end of the invisible length off...whatever it was, and picked it up within seconds. Hermione's eyes cast around the room for a moment, and Pansy was struck with the utter certainty that Hermione was thinking, perhaps just for a second or two, of keeping the leash on Pansy's neck and attaching it somewhere. But the moment passed, and Hermione instead picked up her wand to perform the countercharm. The invisible weight vanished from Pansy's neck as soon as she did.
"Thanks, love." Pansy said with some relief.
"Don't mention it." Hermione answered easily, with some amusement in her eyes.
Christmas Break was nearly over, and it had been everything that Pansy had expected and more. As a pleasurable interlude before the last part of the last year of Pansy's time at Hogwarts, it had certainly been an entertaining experience. Pansy had learned a few things about being patient, humble, and how to begin putting the happiness of someone else first. Hermione, for her part, seemed to have more or less fully shaken off the forced subservience of her upbringing. Hermione was definitely going to need that sense of boldness if she was truly serious about trying to undermine the Dark Lord's regime. And Pansy knew, as clear as day, that she was.