Chapter 26: Relaxation.
The situation was tense because of the very serious situation that they had to deal with.
"The Minister of Magic will be determined by the end of the fifth month of the year two thousand. Two men who have stepped forward to announce their candidacy for Minister of Magic are Sirius Black, and Lucius Malfoy."
The International Confederation of Wizards peered down at the two men. Sirius gave them a cheery wave, and Lucius looked stoic. He leaned on his walking stick, and narrowed his eyes. His fellow candidate was making an absolute menace of himself, and he was getting more and more annoyed.
"Ladies and Gentleman, it would be a folly to think that there would be any doubt of who should run for Minister, and win," Lucius said in a calm voice. The members of the assembled court all nodded, and waited for Lucius to proceed. "The fact that Sirius Black wants to run for Minister makes a complete joke of sacred traditions and values of the old families. You should have a candidate who would treat the post of the Minister of Magic with respect and dignity."
"I'm surprised you're actually running for Minister, Lucius," Sirius said. He turned to a figure sitting off to the side. "Then again, my campaign manager looked into some facts and figures, as she tends to do. And she came up with some interesting conclusions. Hermione, if you please."
Hermione cleared her throat, and read the notes she had taken. Her expression turned to Lucius and the International Confederation of Wizards.
"One of the new laws on the book placed by Cornelius Fudge was that the Minister of Magic, and any members of his staff would receive complete diplomatic immunity against any crimes past or present. The only way they could be convicted was if the Wizengamot voted them guilty with a three fourths margin. Since the Wizengamot was composed of members of the old families, they would be more likely to vote against conviction. That would mean they would have a favor owed to them that could be cashed in at any time. This system of favors, and bribes killed the previous Ministry. My candidate wishes to help achieve a more balanced Ministry, and one that will function in the 21st century. We can no longer hide in the shadows."
Lucius had a foul expression cross his face. He was half tempted to reach forward, and strangle that Mudblood at this point. The smug expression on her face was more than he could handle. Then again, he knew that if he did so, all of his political aspirations would go up in smoke.
"I would hardly expect a Muggleborn to understand magical culture that has worked for generations," Lucius said.
Hermione just looked at Lucius at this moment.
"It did work for generations," Hermione agreed. Lucius looked smug at this statement. Hermione was far from finished, and could not wait to burst his bubble. "And then it failed to work for generations more. We live in a world that is motivated by technology. We should have stepped out into the light years ago. Instead, we hid behind old traditions. Regular people are finding ways to advance themselves. The magical users of Britain on the other hand were trying to keep the same old failed traditions intact. This caused the education of this country to drop. In a hundred years, the standard exit grade of Hogwarts dropped by an alarming sixty percent."
"That was the fault of Dumbledore," Lucius said.
Once again, Lucius Malfoy failed to place the blame where it belonged.
"The decline was happening before Albus Dumbledore stepped into the role of Hogwarts Headmaster," Hermione said. The papers clutched in her hand showed proof to back up her statement. "The best and brightest in our world had one thing in common, they were so talented that they studied beyond what was considered to be acceptable by the Ministry. Most of our world thought that it was prudent to stick to the status quo, because there was no need to advance themselves. Those people suffered the worst. The alive envied the dead. We need a Minister of Magic who rebuilds a fresh new magical community for those marooned in Britain, not trying to stick the same old failed system up with chewing gum and duct tape."
"Don't knock duct tape, Hermione," Sirius told her. "Muggles have found many creative uses for it. In fact…"
"Is there are a point to this, Mr. Black?" a voice asked from above.
"Actually, yes there is," Sirius said. "Creativity used to be a pillar of magic. The goal of the Founders of Hogwarts was to create a world that would grow, and change. It stopped changing. And when change was forced, it was a shock. We can rebound from this. The same old government doesn't need to be put in place. A fresh government with new ideas that works in harmony with our counterparts in the Muggle world needs to happen. Instead of a government who looks down on them. We don't have to advertise ourselves, even if the cat is kind of out of the bag, and would have been anyway."
The members of the International Confederation of Wizards whispered to each other. Lucius was growing more and more annoyed. This was not going the way he intended it to go.
"I can't believe that this convict is being allowed to run for Minister," Lucius said.
"Yeah, I can't believe they're letting you run either, Lucius," Sirius retorted.
It was almost as if Lucius was going to get up to attack Sirius. However, he sat back down.
"Are there any other nominations for Minister of Magic?" a representative asked.
"I nominate….Reginald Perez."
Lucius, Sirius, and Hermione all looked around. This was a name that was unfamiliar to all of them. A middle aged man who looked like he could be an accountant stepped down. He seemed nondescript in anyway. All three of them were thinking the same thing. This was likely going to be the person that the International Confederation of Wizards wanted to put in, and have run. The man walked down the steps, with a bow.
"I humbly accept your offer to run for the prestigious candidacy of the Minister of Magic," Perez said. He stood at the top of the steps, and stared down at the collected group below. He waved at them. "I will do my best to see that the Ministry is established to compliance of International laws. Then perhaps someday, we can return this country to the international landscape. In May, I will serve the people of the country, and lead it to a brand new shining light."
He was rather charismatic all things considered. At the very least, he talked a good game. Hermione had little information about this guy. However, anyone had to be better than Lucius Malfoy. Sirius had similar thoughts. Granted, the lure of sitting in the office of the Ministry of Magic, and being Minister after everything that happened to him was very enticing.
He reminded himself that he only ran to keep Lucius out of office.
Lucius remained in the shadows, and he held a firm grip on his cane. This new player in the game was an unknown to him. Lucius had to reassess the situation, and he turned around to exit.
Sirius did the same, as the Court shifted to other matters. They delved into a talk about the taxes on certain Potions ingredients that can be only found in South America, and how that could devastate the magical economy. Lucius and Sirius locked eyes.
"May the better man win, Lucius," Sirius stated in a cordial voice.
Lucius looked at Sirius with contempt.
"Black, you can never be the better man," Lucius said. "I don't know how you cheated certain death, but…just watch your back."
"You really should be the one who should be watching your back," Hermione said.
Lucius looked at her.
"You dare threaten me. If you do anything to me…"
"Believe me, Lucius, I would if I could," Hermione said. She grudgingly admired Lucius for making himself a Minister candidate. That would mean anyone who attacked him would be considered a war criminal as long as he ran. "Astoria Greengrass could be coming after you before too long. Personally, I hope you two take each other out."
Lucius had nearly forgotten about the Greengrass girl. Simmering hatred flashed through his eyes. The girl had brought disgrace to the entire Malfoy family. He turned around and left.
"I think you got to him," Sirius told Hermione.
"I sure hope so," Hermione said. "So, what exactly are your aims should you get elected?"
"Like every other politician, I think I'll just make it up as I go along," Sirius said with a shrug.
Hermione wished that Sirius would have a more solid plan. Then again, she would be lying if she had any better ideas. That would be a bridge that Sirius would have to cross should he be elected to the post of Minister of Magic.
"So, anyway, I was chasing this truck down the road for about three counties. I thought the rogues had stolen it, and were going to carry out some nefarious scheme. And then the next thing I knew…it was a cake for Captain Cold's niece's birthday party."
Wally West sat around a private section of the new Club Patronus in Metropolis. The club had just opened up that very day. It was the hottest night spot in town that was not run by the various mobs such as Morgan Edge's branch of Intergang. He was currently talking to Nymphadora Tonks. Most of the members of the Justice League were there, except for Batman and Green Lantern. It was a rare night out for all of them. Also, Tonks and Remus Lupin had shown up for a visit.
Tonks looked rather amused at the story.
"Really, you must have been red in the face," Tonks said.
"And you know what Cold did after that?" Wally asked. Tonks invited for Wally to continue. "He hired me to be entertainment at his niece's party. The kids had a blast. And he paid me real money."
Tonks nodded towards him.
"That's surprising, you would half think that would be some kind of scheme," Tonks said. She would have been suspicious about something like that on sheer principle, but perhaps that was just her. It was the Black blood within her.
"Nah, that's the thing about the Rogues, when they're off the clock, they're halfway decent people," Wally said. He smiled at the thought. Of course that made it more frustrating. They were capable of being better, yet they chose not to. "They hang out at the bad guy bar downtime. It's just a career for them. Most of them go out of there way not to kill people. In fact, the other Rogues don't like it when one of them puts too many innocent lives in danger."
Tonks smiled, and looked around. She saw Diana and Shayera in the foreground. They were speaking about League business. Clark was current in the corner, talking to Remus and J'onn about something in the background. This was the actual grand opening of the club tonight. Harry, Kara, and Karen were all off somewhere to indicate things had gone smoothly.
"So, punch?" Wally asked.
"By all means," Tonks replied with a smile, and Wally zoomed off, nearly running over one of the other guests in the process.
"One of these days, he's honestly going to run into a wall at super speed," Shayera said. She shook her head calmly. Diana followed her. It was at that point that Hermione turned up, looking a bit tired.
Diana opened her mouth, but Hermione cut her off. There was a scowl on her face.
"I was in the presence of politicians all morning, I'm not in the mood," Hermione said crossly. "How I let Harry talk me into this, I never know."
Diana just smiled at her younger sister. She had felt her pain, she really did. Politicians could be rather frustrating to deal with. She offered Hermione a drink, which she accepted.
"It could use a little more alcohol, but its fine," Hermione said, and Diana looked at her with a stern expression.
"Remember, you can't drink until you're twenty one in this country," Diana admonished her.
Hermione sighed. She really hated American drinking laws. "Yeah, and the fact that I have a soul of a three hundred year old Amazonian princess doesn't count for anything. I guess the physical form of Hermione Granger is going to have to be where the law lies."
Diana laughed. Her sister's spirit was still that of a teenager no matter how old she seemed to be.
A sour expression appeared on Hermione's face at that moment. She shook her head immediately. Wally had long since returned with the punch. The music was blaring in the background.
"I must say, it's refreshing to actually spend time together where we're not getting nearly killed,' J'onn said.
"I share those sentiments, equally," Clark said. "It's a shame Lois couldn't make it, but she's following a hot story about Intergang, and their smuggling operation. So if I have to dash out of here…"
"She's just staying true to form, and getting herself in trouble."
Kara had spoken. She was dressed in a flowing blue dress. The dress was wrapped tightly around her body. Her long legs were displayed nicely, and she wore a pair of high heels. Her hair was tied back so it was out of her face. Karen followed her, wearing a red dress. It was tight around her, and attracted a great deal of attention when she was out in the main part of the club. The only attention that mattered to both of them was Harry's.
Speaking of which, Harry popped up right next to them.
"So, is everyone having a nice time?" Harry asked.
Everyone nodded their heads.
"So, what inspired this little club?" Wally asked. He then added, "Don't get me wrong, it seems like a nice relaxing spot to hang out and unwind with friends. All I wanted to know is why you came up with it."
"Well we saw that most of the clubs in town are indirectly owned by the mob, and thus the profits are being funneled into Morgan Edge's back pocket," Harry said. "Metropolis is either owned by him, or earlier on Luthor. It's amazing how much money the citizens of Metropolis is funding organized crime."
"We figure if we cut into those profits, we should be able to damage Intergang's hold on the city," Kara said. She smiled. "Although, this is something we had been toying around with for a long time. We're just getting around to putting it into practice."
"It does make certain sense for tax reasons," Karen added.
That got some laughter out of several members of the League. The drinks were flowing, and the music was playing. Kara looked around to see that one member of the League had been missing.
"So, I take it Batman can't take one night off from being Batman," Kara said.
"He would have actually made it this time, but there was a situation in Gotham City," Clark said. That could mean anything. "He said that he has it under control, and he will radio for back up if absolutely necessary."
Harry, Kara, and Karen all understood that absolutely necessary would mean an inch away from death.
"And Lantern's away on duty on Oa," Shayera chimed in. "Apparently the Guardians wanted him to prep a new Lantern for more mundane stuff on Earth, since he's working with the League. "
"Who is it?" Kara asked.
"Some guy named Guy Gardner," Shayera replied.
"A guy named Guy?" Wally asked. "Well he sounds like a winner, and you got to like a guy who has the alliteration going on."
That statement got some laughs. Wally sat back down, and Sirius was in the back of the club.
"So, are you in or out in the Ministry race?" Harry asked.
"I'm in, and so is Lucius Malfoy," Sirius said.
They figured about that much. Lucius could not let go of the past. He wanted to win, and Harry had a feeling that Lucius could be a problem. He was sinking a lot of money into Sirius's campaign to make sure Lucius did not win. As long as there was a Minister who really was able to work honestly, Harry was willing to put down the money.
"He's not going to win, believe me," Harry said. "Hermione should be able to help you put together a focused campaign."
"Yeah, Harry, I should be able to help him, but you owe me big time," Hermione said.
Harry just fired back with a smirk. He was unblinking to a dangerous glare that would have sent most men packing for the hills. "Hermione, your workload at Patronus is being cut since Karen got here. I figured that this would give you something to do, and besides we could get some change into that world."
"Harry does have a point," Diana said. "You helped develop most of the curriculum for that new magic school, and it's had the highest grade point average in the first month of any magical school in history."
Hermione was proud of that, but she was not sure about this campaign for Sirius. It stood to monopolize a great deal of her time by her calculations. As long as she took enough votes away from Lucius Malfoy, she found herself unconcerned about who really won.
"Well, if it means anything, I have a campaign platform that I'd like to share.," Sirius said. He then paused. "It involves duct tape and…"
"Does that involve duct taping your mouth shut?" Tonks asked in an innocent voice.
"I'll help with that if that's the case," Remus said, not being able to resist that.
"That would be something many would jump on," Diana said.
"I agree," Kara said.
Sirius shook his head, and offered a mock pout.
"Padfoot, you just get yourself into these situations sometimes," Harry said. Harry sat down on a bean bag chair off to the side. Kara and Karen went over, sat down, and cuddled against him. Harry pulled both of his wives closer to him, as they snuggled against his body. "Never mind, enough talk about politics. This is a night for us to unwind, and actually have some fun."
Everyone agreed, and the music continued to blare. The members of the League, along with their allies sat around to enjoy the night. Even though they were all waiting for the other shoe to drop, and eventually the calm before the storm would happen.
Amanda Waller walked down the hallway of one of the main Cadmus facilities with a purpose. She had kept switching meeting locations so no one could track them. While they had used every skill at their disposal to make sure no one could follow them, nothing was for certain. Especially given that there would be members of the government who could get cold feet, and shut them down at any moment. They had to keep on their toes.
She had a briefcase which contained an agenda. This would be the items that drove everything. She stepped forward, and spotted a figure through the crack of the door. Lex Luthor was busy at work examining something underneath a microscope.
"May I help you," Lex said in an indifferent voice.
"You were supposed to be at the board meeting ten minutes ago, Luthor," Waller told him.
"Sorry, it must have slipped my mind," Lex remarked casually. "My sincerest apologies."
Lex sounded anything, but sincere. Waller took a step forward, and grabbed the edge of the chair. She spun it around, and faced the bald man. He got up to his feet, barely able to stand. The pain wracked through his body. There was a tense moment between both Luthor and Waller. He winced, and held onto the wall. Weakness was not anything that he could afford to show.
"I'm sorry if my cancer is more important than you comparing notes about how your latest experiments have failed," Lex said with a wince. He tried to keep himself on his feet. "Did your latest clone army degenerate?"
"The genetic flaw has been corrected, and their first test run was a success," Waller said.
"I'm sensing a but in the air," Lex said.
Waller gritted her teeth. Lex Luthor seemed to take uncanny pleasure of throwing her failures in her face, while taking credit for her successes. Despite all this she pressed on. She would not let Lex get the better of her in a game of wits.
"They only lasted for six hours, until they vanished into nothingness," Waller said. "If we can correct the flaw…"
"Then you may have a clone army that lasts for six hours and one minute, bravo," Lex said.
Waller was going to pretend she did not hear that. She pressed on, and did some in a determined matter.
"These are just the first line of weapons," Waller said. "As you know, we're taking extra care in conditioning the main weapon. Her Kryptonian DNA is something thwill allow her to last for years and years as the ultimate soldier for Cadmus."
"Once certain memories have been erased from her base DNA," Luthor said in a cold voice.
"She's not even awakened yet, and we still have to run more tests," Waller informed him.
Lex turned around. The female model would only serve as a prototype. He had other plans for Kryptonian DNA, ones that Cadmus need not know about. It would allow him to actually become mobile again. The small sample of Superman's DNA that powered his exo-skeleton was proof that this was a worthy line of study. He just had to do it discreetly. And then there was the blood that he had taken.
He injected a drop of the blood into lab rats, and they had experienced extraordinary powers. They could lift objects with their minds, and blow holes through walls to get the cheese in the center of the maze. It was amazing how much they evolved. Yet, there were drawbacks. Their hearts gave out in the end. Lex would need a human test subject, to see the prolonged effects of what this blood would do to them.
"Make sure she's conditioned well before she's sent out," Luthor said. "I'm sure Psimon will be happy to make sure her mind works in the right way."
A sadistic malicious grin spread across Luthor's face was he said this statement. Waller wondered if she was biting off a bit more than she could chew working with Luthor. It did seem like a devil's bargain. She shook her head, and prepared to move towards other levels of the department.
There was a contingency plan in place to help deal with every single member of the Justice League, and many other freelance heroes around the world who could be potential League recruits in the future. The problem was that too many of these plans resulted off of chance. With lives at stake, chance was not something they could afford to deal with. Waller needed results that would make sure humanity would survive the potential onslaught.
The fact that the League had an orbiting tower in space did not fill Waller with any confidence whatsoever. While it was true that Nygma breached the tower's defenses once to leave a passive, albeit taunting message, the same trick could not be done twice. Then there was Patronus Incorporated. She had been trying to uncover everything she could about the world that Harry Potter came from. What little information she could fine was not promising at all.
The only solace that she felt was that particular race of magical users seemed to lack the ambition to do much with their powers. Otherwise, they could conquer the entire world with a few simple words. Defenses would fail, and all it would take for a few key government officials to be bewitched. The Justice League or Cadmus would not be able to stop them. Her contact in that world warned her, and Waller felt indebted that this person killed so many members of that world.
Waller walked into the lab. Emil Hamilton turned his back towards her. She had easily gotten him on board with Project Cadmus after he had been threatened by Superman after the Darkseid fiasco. Hamilton had brought much scientific knowledge to the table, along with genetic samples he had in his lab from both Kryptonians.
"Everything is on schedule, but I must warn you Ms. Waller, this should not be rushed," Hamilton said.
Waller nodded. "I understand. Galatea needs to be made to specifications, and be the ultimate weapon in case the Justice League ever becomes a problem."
Waller turned. Floating in a glass case, suspended in stasis fluid was a Kryptonian girl who looked to be about twenty one years of age. She was Supergirl matured a few years by the cloning process. Her memories were being reworked slightly by the sadistic menace known was Psimon. Every single happy childhood memory was being ripped away, leaving nothing but bitterness of spending most of her life on a war torn world. Hamilton personally thought this was a bit much, but he said nothing. The last thing he wanted was his mind to be turned into a vegetable by Psimon.
Once she was completely online, she would be Supergirl, only better. She would be stronger, have more stamina, and be more skilled. The Justice League would not stand a chance against her should she go rogue.
Her heart rate spiked at the oddest times, and Hamilton could have sworn he heard her whisper the name "Harry" over and over again, repeatedly, with a blissful look on her face. It was rare, yet there were times that he noticed it. It was quite extraordinary.
He decided to not mention anything, mostly because there was no scientific explanation behind it. Hamilton checked his clipboard. He joined Waller for the staff meeting.
Waller and Hamilton left, and a few words escaped Galatea's mouth. A look of ecstasy crossed her face.
"Yes, Harry, bend me over and fuck me!"
The blonde Kryptonian moaned those words. She then slipped back into her catatonic state.
The map Astoria Greengrass unearthed a number of weeks ago was just the tip of a bigger iceberg. The Slytherin positively drooled at the possibilities She had heard rumors about a grander treasure left behind by the Founders of Hogwarts. They had been rather wealthy witches and wizards, and had left behind sizeable fortunes to their heirs. Most of those heirs had squandered those fortunes over the years, leaving them with nothing. However, there was what they did not leave behind that Astoria was interested it.
It was rumored to be a lost treasure, hidden beyond prying eyes that would give her wealth and prestige beyond her wildest dreams.
She held the rune stone belonging to Salazar Slytherin in her hand. The stone was said to have ancient powers, but Astoria was not concerned by that. Any power would be for someone else to discover once she pawned the stone off on somebody. What she was concerned by was the untold riches that she would potentially get her hands on. She positively drooled with desire at the thought of being rich beyond all measure. Her scheme the previous year had put money in her pocket, now she wanted a great deal more.
The dreams of greater wealth danced in her eyes.
Now she had the great Muggle Billionaire Lex Luthor and his associates in the palm of her hand. Luthor was such an easy fool to manipulate. She had promised to help him bring down Superman, and the rest of the Justice League. The fact was she had no intentions of doing that. She found herself uninterested whether or not the League lived or the League died. They were nothing to her plans, but a means to manipulate certain parties into assisting her. All Astoria was concerned by was if she could find this founder's treasure.
She had been going from hotel room to hotel room around the world. It was simple to keep one step ahead. The girl could ill afford another slip-up like what happened in Albania. She also had the most willing hostage money could buy. Then again, the best hostage was one who did not know he was being kidnapped. Astoria even strung him along with promises to help him find his lost friend Luna. Neville also got the idea in his head that she might be willing to give him an heir.
Astoria found the idea quite amusing. Not that Neville was bad looking, but the fact that someone would willingly have an heir. That meant that there would be someone who would be in line to inherit a mountain full of gold over her. Someone who could potentially knock her off if worse came to worse.
The people Astoria always trusted the least was from her own bloodline.
She had a whole list of coordinates where the second stone could be. She figured it would be the stone of Ravenclaw or the stone of Hufflepuff. Astoria gritted her teeth, and suddenly there was a knock on her bedroom door.
"Astoria, can I talk to you for a second?"
Astoria groaned. Neville wanted want to have a talk about something. When she was busy working. Yet, despite that, she fixed her face into a bright and cheerful expression. She did likewise with her voice.
"Yes, of course Neville, come in!" Astoria yelled in a bubbly voice. She felt immediately sick for stooping herself to that level.
The door opened, and Neville entered the room. He still had a few scars that would remain forever from his encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange. Astoria looked at him with a bright and inviting smile. Secretly, she mentally counted down the days where she would stick the knife in his back once he had outlived his usefulness.
"What do you want to talk about?" Astoria asked.
"I wanted to know what you've been up to, you've been locked up in this room for the last couple of days," Neville said. Neville seemed concerned. Astoria would have found it cute had she not found it so pathetic. "There's nothing wrong, is there?"
Astoria was quick to answer. "No, there's nothing wrong. I'm fine, it's just I wanted some time in solitude."
"You said that a month ago," Neville said.
"I was a Slytherin, you're a Gryffindor, we come from different worlds," Astoria said. This statement was framed like it was the most natural thing in the world. "It isn't unusual to spend hours on end on your own in the Slytherin house. In fact, it's really kind of expected."
Neville decided that this made sense. He felt bad for invading Astoria's personal space. Yet, as a Gryffindor, he was foolishly brave to an insane degree. Even though his braveness, and dare he say recklessness paled to most in his house, he still had some of it. He stepped forward.
"Astoria, what is that?"
Astoria sat rigid. She still needed Neville; otherwise she would kill him down on sight. Plus, a small part of her would miss his company, as annoying as it could get some time. For the members of the Slytherin House, there were certain behaviors that second nature. Lying was one of them. Astoria was so smart, and so slick, she thought up a lie and she thought it up quick.
"I didn't want you to find out this way, Nev, I really didn't," Astoria said. Her voice seemed apologetic. "It's something that I'm working on for Harry."
On the list of things that Neville expected to hear, this was low on them.
"Wait, you've been talking with Harry?" Neville asked. He seemed surprised, and a little hurt that Harry would contact Astoria. Yet, he would not want to talk to him.
A small part of him thought something was up. Yet his natural curiosity got the better of him.
"We really didn't want to tell you, because it's so dangerous," Astoria said to Neville. "It's about a treasure that many witches and wizards would kill their own siblings for. And I think that…Neville I'm really sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this."
"What is it Astoria?" Neville asked.
Astoria adopted a tearful expression at this point.
"Well, I think that Luna and her father knew something about this treasure," Astoria said. "So she might have died. And it must have been brutal, because no one was able to find the body."
Astoria burst into tears, and Neville stepped over to console her. When Neville was not looking, a triumphant smirk spread across Astoria's face. She never liked Luna Lovegood, so she hoped she was dead. If anyone deserved a painful death, it was that oddball. She straightened up, and wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"Harry didn't want you to be involved, but he figured that no one would suspect my involvement, because I'm a Slytherin," Astoria said. "Please don't tell him that I told you, because Harry would be so mad. He's gambling a lot trusting me. It was supposed to be between the two of us. That's why I've been working so much up here."
Neville nodded. He wished that he could see Harry, to apologize for the way he acted last time. He was blinded by his rage. He was also beginning to have a few doubts of Astoria's motives yet, he figured that if Harry seemed to trust Astoria, then he could put away any misgivings he was having about her.
His trust in Astoria was firmly cemented because Harry trusted him.
"Will I get a chance to see Harry?" Neville asked.
"I don't know, he sends a go between, he thinks that there are still a few Death Eaters watching his every move," Astoria said. "It's really risky. He and Kara are the only ones who know."
Neville nodded. He was not surprised by that fact.
"Neville, there's something else I need to tell you," Astoria said. "Lucius Malfoy sent an assassin after me. He thinks I killed his son."
Neville's face flooded with a dark expression.
"Don't worry Astoria, I'll take care of him," Neville said.
"You will?" Astoria asked. "Thanks, but I don't want you to get in trouble."
"It won't be any trouble," Neville said.
After all of the trouble that Lucius Malfoy had caused, someone had to take him down. Neville wondered if he was living on borrowed time some of the time. He knew that he would get in trouble if he was caught in the murder of a Minister of Magic candidate. That was the key phrase, if he was caught.
Neville did not intend to get caught. Malfoy would pay.
Astoria watched Neville leave. A wicked smile spread across her face, and she could pat herself on the back. She went back to hammering out the location of the next piece of the map for the Founder's Treasure.
Soon the riches would be hers.
Harry stood outside the door of a house, dressed in a tuxedo like he was going to go to the prom. And for all intents and purposes, he was for this role play. His wives had such devious and creative minds. And he had inputted a few ideas of his own, to make things interesting. Of course, when they got caught in the moment, any idea could go out the window. He took a moment to get into character, and knocked on the door. The door opened just at that moment, and Karen opened the door.
Harry took a step back, and saw her in all of her glory. She wore a white half shirt that was tightened around her large bust. When she bent over, there was a decent amount of cleavage. In fact, Harry was surprised that her breasts did not just tumble out of her top. Harry's eyes moved down to her toned and tanned midsection. He saw the tight jeans she wore that might as well have been painted on. They displayed her shapely hips. He spotted her gorgeous blue eyes, and her blonde hair. The woman looked at Harry with a grin on her face.
Harry was transfixed by her white-hot beauty. He cleared his head.
"Um I'm here to pick up Kara for the prom," Harry said, deciding to remember his character.
Karen grinned. "Oh, you must be that guy she was talking about. My daughter seems to think the entire world of you."
"Daughter?" Harry asked, and he cleared his throat. "Sorry, it's just the way you look, you could be her older sister."
A grin spread across Karen's face. She looked him up and down, and licked her lips with desire.
"Flattery will get you places," Karen said, and she led Harry in by the hand. The blonde woman smiled at Harry.. "Kara's upstairs getting ready. Hopefully she should be done in a little bit. It would be rather rude for her to keep a nice, handsome young man like yourself waiting."
Harry looked pleased at these words of praise. Karen sat down on the couch next to Harry. She tapped her foot on the ground, and took a few deep breaths. She moved around immediately. She waved her hand.
"Kara should be down in a little bit, but if you don't mind, I'll slip into something more comfortable," Karen said. Harry looked at her strangely. "It's just that I've been in this house all day, I would hate to have to sit around talking to you in these sweaty clothes. That's not a problem for you, is it?"
Harry shook his head. That was not a problem for him at all. Karen moved off, and he sat there. Kara did not show herself for the time.
Karen returned, and she was wearing a very thin bathrobe. As she moved, Harry saw glimpses of her nice firm thighs. She turned around to adjust a plant on the table. Her legs spread slightly, and Harry saw the lack of underwear she had on. She lingered for a moment. Harry watched her toned ass in all of its glory. Karen sat down next to Harry.
"Much, better, wouldn't you say?" Karen asked, brushing her bare leg against Harry's.
"Yeah, better, much better," Harry said, trying to shake the cobwebs off.
Karen smiled, and she leaned forward, to clear off a bit of the clutter on the table. This gave Harry more peaks of her cleavage. Harry's gaze lingered, and he saw her nipples poke out from behind her robe.
"My daughter should be down here in a minute," Karen said, and she nearly tripped. Harry got up to his feet, and caught Karen. Karen smiled with Harry cradling her in his arms. "You're a gentleman, you know that….but what's that?"
Karen's grin grew wider, as she looked at Harry.
"It's nothing," Harry said.
"It's a really big nothing," Karen said. She was not fooled for a minute. Her eyes traveled downward, and she was staring at it shamelessly. "It looks to be about ten inches of nothing, and it's growing too."
Karen smiled and squeezed the bulge to test it. Harry grew with desire.
"You can't go to the prom like that, people will talk, and the girls will never leave you alone," Karen said. She shook her head. "You'll never get any peace at all."
Harry shook his head.
"I better do something about that," Karen said.
"Are you sure we shouldn't wait…"
"Kara won't be down for several minutes," Karen said to Harry, and she put her hands on both sides of his hips. She stared at him directly in his eyes. "Besides, it's my duty as a mother to check out if the merchandise is in working order. I want Kara to have the most memorable night of her life."
Karen pulled Harry into a kiss, and he returned it. Her fingers caressed his body, and his did likewise. Then they began to get into the heated passions of making out. Their tongues clashed for dominance, as they felt up each other's bodies.
Smut/Lemon Begins.
-PROFILE
Smut/Lemon Ends.
Harry, Kara, and Karen once again all got it out of their systems. The sex felt amazing, and it had caused them to unwind after a busy few days of work. They were down on the ground, breathing heavily and just snuggling in the bliss of a job well done. Karen congratulated herself on the idea that she had, and her two spouses were content as well.
"So, I guess its Kara's turn to come up with the role play next time," Karen said.
Harry would have to agree. He contributed ideas. They were always considered. However, he knew that both of his wives had a better flair for the dramatics then he did. Plus, they were all having fun anyway, and he contributed suggestions based off of their initial ideas.
"I've got it, twin schoolgirls get in trouble for making out in class in front of everyone, and they get thrown in detention, where they seduce the detention monitor," Kara said.
Harry and Karen exchanged a look at that. They both smiled. The possibilities were promising. Neither of them had any problem with that scenario whatsoever. For now they were content with what happened. None of them experienced the pleasures of prom night, however who needed to go to a dance when they had fun like this.
The next day would bring new exciting opportunities for the three of them. As of right now, they went to sleep, thinking about what would occur next.
To Be Continued in the Next Arc, Society.