Loyal Pet

by H Bregalad

Bellatrix is an animagus and escapes with Sirius, Harry catches her and decides to keep her for a pet, she decides to raise him into a Lord and Master that she can be proud to follow. Rated M for sex and animagus sex. Warning: Polyamory eventually. There is also violence, including towards children and animals. You have been warned. Based on timbarney110's challenge 'loyal pet.'

59. Year 5 Chapter 33

Claims and Counterclaims

Luna started humming the moment they stepped into the library. It wasn't a tuneful hum, not that it didn't have more than one note… it sounded like a purr mixed with a sex noise mixed with an imitation of Singer's evening warbling. Not that Padma had direct knowledge of what that sounded like to humans. She ought to get a recording next time she had access to a tape recorder.

"Well," said Luna after she paused for breath, "It's too big."

"Too big for what?" said Padma.

"Too big to finish reading over the summer," said Luna, "I do so love two-story libraries. Maybe I should marry Harry after all."

Was she a mind reader? Was that a critique of the argument that Padma had been so tempted to use at lunch, but which wouldn't have helped anything because it wouldn't have moved the discussion along, it would have moved it very far back. That she wasn't his, had not promised to ever become his, that wasn't what she really wanted to get addressed. But it had been tempting because it was unequivocally true. Which would have made Padma right and Harry wrong.

But the thing Harry had needed was to not be rejected, but to talk about his loneliness and fear of rejection. Someday it would be Padma's turn to talk about how controlling she found her parents and grandparents on both sides, of how much of what she liked in Harry was that he wasn't like that, and how she knew he wasn't like that because of how he worded his suggestions on how to help Luna without turning her into a carbon copy instead of an original. But today seemed not to be that day.

"But no," Luna sighed, "Mum always told me she hoped for me more than just a marriage of convenience."

"She had a marriage of convenience?" said Padma.

Luna shrugged, "Papa worships her still, but I don't know how she felt about him. I think she was talking about one of her cousins. But I can't quite be sure, she rarely critiqued anyone, and never by name to a third party."

"Oh," said Padma.

"The room in question is inside that corner up there?" said Luna.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you don't want to just add a hammock down here somewhere?" said Luna.

"The hammock isn't the point."

"Alright," said Luna, "can we decorate this entire corner to look like a tree, and maybe add branches sticking out just under the window, and far enough above the window to make climbing easy?"

Padma looked around, "Just how many of our friends do you want to be able to visit us?"

"All of them," said Luna.

"I don't want that," said Padma.

"They're gryffindors," said Luna, "and Harry picked smart gryffindors at that, which doesn't change whether they can, just how fast they could find a way."

Padma frowned.

"Mantis can regardless," said Luna.

Padma's eyes widened a little then she frowned, "drat."

"The point is," said Luna, "they're gryffindors, if they think it is the right thing to do, they will find a way to visit or make one, and if they think it is a wrong thing to do, they will neglect to imagine that it is possible, or neglect to memorise whatever way they might accidentally think up."

Padma stared at her, "Ah. Perhaps you're right. … And I had the feeling Harry could already bypass the password on the door."

"Probably," said Luna, "and I wouldn't be surprised if he soon teaches us how to make that bypass for ourselves, in case of emergencies."

"Oh," said Padma.

"Let's go up and look at the windows," said Luna.

So they did.

Luna tried to vanish the glass of the inside window. Which didn't work. But she could disillusion the wall, so she disillusioned everything above the wainscoting.

Padma freaked out until Luna explained what she'd done and how she'd been able to do it, then they did the entire outside wall except for the window frame, so they could still see it to open it.

"I'd forgotten that the veranda roof was this height," said Padma, "maybe we could convince them to let us put in an entire balcony door."

"I think this kind of roof isn't meant for humans with shoes to walk on it often," said Luna, "I think it should be a monkey-sized balcony door."

"Better and better," said Padma, "maybe a dutch door, just in case we need access up there for maintenance work later?"

"No," yawned Luna, "when they need maintenance access they can use ladders or brooms like normal, not go traipsing through our tree house with boards and nails and things. If they really need an access door out onto the roof, they should put it at the top of the stairs. Maybe? Remind me what kind of landing the stairs have."

She opened the door and leaned out to look around, "Yes, right there, a perfect place for roof access for this side of the house."

"Good," said Padma, "Close the door."

Luna closed it and examined the slate panel now directly in front of her. She picked up the slate pencil and wrote, "Singer's podium."

"Humph," said Padma, "That is what you've turned it into, not what I necessarily wanted it to be."

Luna shrugged.

"Have you turned it into what you want it to be?"

Luna shook her head. "I want contradictory things, disillusioning the rest of the walls on the library side. And cushioning the whole floor."

Why should having a nest be contradictory to hiding more of the walls?

"Like the nest in the Old Cottage?"

"Or like lots of those little mattresses they have downstairs," said Luna, "Or like bringing my yeti-fur rug from home."

Padma nodded, "I think the ideal might be floor mats of some kind, and then sheets, that way we can wash them when they need it, which might be months apart, depending on how much use it sees."

Luna grinned and nodded, "Doesn't need to be normal, just nice to make sure the option is available."

That's pretty much your motto for life isn't it Luna? Only this time I'm sure you just offered yourself to me for sex, and exclusive of the others, rather than in conjunction with the others.

Or am I misinterpreting because I don't know what your yeti-fur rug means to you, only how I saw Harry and Ginny use it?

"I think you should bring your yeti-fur rug," said Padma, "I'm not sure if up here is the best place for it."

Luna ducked her head. Like she'd been rebuked.

She turned away to face the wainscoting/railing and looked over the edge.

"What this library is lacking is a fireplace."

"Hmm, good point," said Padma.

"Humph," said Luna, "we shall either have to demand that be fixed, … or buy enough duvets for all the chairs and maybe charm them like our underthings."

"Sounds like a proposal I could get behind," said Padma.

Luna nodded, then flinched and turned to stare at her eyes narrowed.

What was wrong? Oh, by context, that could be taken as a refusal of the previous offer.

Padma grinned and stepped closer, and whispered, "I like the other proposal too."

Luna relaxed, then licked her lips, then grinned.

Luna looked around at the bare floor, then the bed that really ought to get a sheet first, then out at the library.

"This place isn't our treetop refuge yet," said Luna, "I'm not sure we should claim it that way until it is."

"Not sure that follows."

"I mean, not until we're done letting people in to help us make it perfect."

"Oh, I see," said Padma.

"But the library is as done as it should be, for us to help claim it for the Houses of Potter and Black."

"Exactly," said Padma.

Luna turned towards the door and went out.

On the way, she stopped in front of the forbidden door. "Ravenclaw's honour?" said Luna.

The door clicked open.

Luna gave a satisfied nod and pulled it closed again. And started down the stairs.

"Some things man was not meant to know?" said Padma.

"Not at all," said Luna. She stopped and gave her a thoughtful frown, "mankind is meant to know everything, but there are many things no one should learn before they are ready and willing."

'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'

There was standing controversy about whether that meant:

'Wit, beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'

Or 'Wit beyond measure,' is man's greatest treasure.'

Or whether Rowena meant both, and that's why she hadn't put a comma in either place.

Padma nodded, "A valid perspective."

Luna continued down the stairs.

Padma followed her all the way to the centre of the room, and the widest couch.

Luna stopped and looked around.

"Here, or at the brownish recliner over there."

Padma looked where Luna pointed.

"I can imagine starting all kinds of things in that recliner," said Padma, "but not finishing most of them."

"Sounds like a good way to signal that we want someone to come and start something with us," said Luna, "But since we're already planning something, we don't need to wait there?"

"Sounds like a useful tradition to have," agreed Padma, unbuttoning her shirt.

Luna turned to watch her.

Padma stopped, "I feel like I should have waited for an invitation to undress."

Luna shook her head, "It's your house too, you should dress how you want."

And there was another quintessential Luna-ism.

"That's not quite what I meant, but thank you."

"You meant, request for consent for sex," said Luna, "that's fine you ought to want consent, but begging for consent is a lot more awkward than just offering consent."

That was a valid statement about language and communication. But felt off … felt against instinct … because of fear of rejection. If you were to turn down my offer. Not that the possibility of rejection went away with the begging instead of offering.

"Alright," said Padma, "Luna, would you like to help me undress."

Luna smirked and walked up close and knelt. And started fumbling with Padma's skirt's belt buckle.

"I also notice that putting the consent question before the undressing makes the undressing part of the sex. And undressing by myself without waiting for consent. Makes it completely my decision."

"Exactly," said Luna, "undressing together means one thing, about being together. Choosing to wear skyclad is a different decision, about where you are or are going, and who will be there, but still, a personal decision."

"Sounds right," said Padma, "Do you want my underthing on or off?"

"I like you both ways," said Luna, "what were you thinking?"

"Probably taking it off and sitting on it."

Luna shrugged, "you could do that with your blouse just as well, how cold or warm do you want to be?"

"Would you be my blanket?" said Padma.

Luna smiled indulgently, "If you want, but … I was thinking of something else actually."

Padma stared at her, so extra damn untouchable for not wearing clothes.

"The problem with you wearing your birthday suit," said Padma, "Is I don't know how to take it off you."

Luna flinched, "What?"

"You've put on clothes, that I don't know how to take off," said Padma, "How do I undress you from that."

Luna understood with a nod and an eye flash, then stepped forward started to offer a kiss, then frowned and backed away again.

"Probably be easier to reach if you were sitting down."

Padma sat down.

Luna preened or stretched or something, "It's really just a very nice set of pyjamas that I got for my birthday," she slid her hands across her stomach and hips, and then another up her side and neck and across her scalp, "smooth and soft, like flannel only better."

Padma giggled.

"They're so comfortable to snuggle in, but also easy to take off for sex. Here, let me show you." She took Padma's wrist, and then her palm.

"They're footy pyjamas, with a zipper and everything, so very easy and convenient to use."

Luna lifted Padma's hand and sucked her fingers for barely a second. Then lowered her hand, and folded it until only Padma's newly wet index finger stuck out from the rest, Luna placed it on her collarbone, then pulled it downward, between her breasts, made a tiny detour around her navel, and then diagonally down one thigh, then she picked up her foot so she could reach, and dragged Padma's finger all the way to her ankle.

Luna let go of Padma's hand then put her foot down and fixed her balance. Then Luna shrugged and slid her hands down her arms, exactly like she was shrugging off zip-up pyjamas. Or like patting down goose flesh.

"I see," said Padma, "thank you for showing them to me."

Luna smiled.

"You look cold without them," said Padma, "would you like to come and snuggle?"

Luna's eyes went wide, and the Sher-mark on her arm flashed from fading grey back to bright black.

Padma sighed, "I'm sorry Luna, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"I meant, now that we are naked together. Instead of me being half naked for you, and you being nude for yourself. What do you want to do next?"

"Oh," said Luna, and relaxed. After a second she got a crafty look, "I'm not sure what it's called, but I saw someone once."

Padma raised an eyebrow.

"There are parts of the astronomy tower visible from the Ravenclaw tower's balcony," said Luna.

That wasn't exactly true enough to be worth mentioning. On the other hand, Luna had spent a lot of time invisible. And perhaps she'd walked in on some things happening on the Ravenclaw balcony, or several other places for that matter. Things that wouldn't just stop the moment she arrived, because she was invisible and inaudible to those without permission to see through her mark.

"Never mind how you saw it," said Padma, "What is it?"

"He licked her down there, she seemed to really like it," said Luna.

"Ah!" said Padma.

"I think some people like the outside touched more than the inside."

"Probably true."

"I like both," said Luna, "I mean, I like either one, but both together is even better."

"Agreed," said Padma.

"May I try licking you?" said Luna, "I realise that makes it very difficult to also kiss me."

"Yes, you may, Luna," said Padma, "I've heard of that too, but never seen it, or tried it. So I can't teach it to you, only tell you how I'm feeling, so we can both learn it together."

"That sounds fine," said Luna, "we're allowed to learn things not from books. Or make things up."

"True," said Padma.

"I mean," said Luna, …

Luna will talk forever, just like me. Padma lifted a hand and pointed at the floor.

Luna's brows rose, then she knelt and scooted closer between Padma's ankles. Padma slouched back to give her better access.

After several strokes of her tongue, she picked up her head to look at Padma's face and show her a questioning look.

Padma nodded, "pretty good, don't stop there … unless you want to."

Luna smirked and went back to licking.

This was terribly one-sided.

"May I err … I want to brush your hair or something, but you don't have any at the moment."

"Yes, you may pet me," said Luna, "and it's been at least twelve hours since the last time I opened my trunk, so I sort of have enough fuzz to rub, if you like the peppery feeling on your fingers."

Padma tried it.

Peppery was a very accurate word. It wasn't like her father's chin when he'd not shaved for a day. Because Luna's hair was that much thinner. And maybe she had less of it.

"Do you like the peppery feeling on your scalp?"

Luna sat up and stared at her. Then nodded, "It's very distracting. Best only for sex-cuddle petting, not for reading snuggles. For other kinds of snuggles, I can shave again, or put on a hat, I have a lot of hats now."

"Fair enough," said Padma, "you said about opening your trunk? You added it to the locking charm?"

Luna nodded, "it made several people very angry. But they stopped trying to open my trunk, after a while."

That's what that meeting had been about. Luna had finally found a way to force the bullies to tell on themselves or leave them so obviously marked that it only took one of them complaining to effectively rat out all of them.

"Genius," said Padma, "Sad about your hair though."

"What?"

"I liked your hair," said Padma, "especially with flowers in it."

"We'll just have to put flowers in my hat instead."

"Sounds perfect," sighed Padma.

They smiled at each other.

"I think," said Padma, "I might be the worst possible person to help you learn this."

"Why?" said Luna.

"I talk so much," said Padma.

Luna's eyes widened and they stared at each other for several seconds.

"Then either we need to find someone else for you to talk to," said Luna, "or Singer and Hider."

"Ah," said Padma. She looked up at where the monkey nest was supposed to go. Up there was where a monkey or two belonged. Singer and Hider could live up there, could woo up there, even without walls to hide them, that would be fine. Down here, this was Padma and Luna.

Padma stroked Luna's almost bald scalp.

"That's fine, but I didn't mean to be asking for either of those things," said Padma, "I meant to be saying, 'I'm sorry I talked, help me figure out how to distract you towards licking me, instead of distracting you away from licking me.'"

Luna shrugged, "Forgiven," she shrugged again and bent again to stimulate Padma's folds and clit with her tongue.

Padma returned to stroking Luna's head and neck and shoulders.

"I managed mostly without talking last night," she mused, "I think by trying so hard to listen to everyone. When it's just one person it's easier to try to talk."

Luna tried to pick up her head. Padma kept her hand on the back of Luna's head, didn't tense and force her not to disengage. Just gentle pressure, encouragement, and permission not to answer. Luna tensed anyway, not just her neck, but her legs as well.

Padma let go.

Luna stayed tense.

"Sorry," said Padma, "talk or lick, I didn't mean to force you, I just meant permission not to answer. It wasn't even a question."

Luna didn't move.

"Are you ok?"

"I don't want to be invisible anymore," said Luna, "Or at least not at home."

"Visible and nude at Potter Manor and Old Cottage?" said Padma.

"Yes," said Luna.

"I want that for you also," said Padma.

"It's more than that," Luna sat up.

"More than that how?"

Luna frowned and stood, "I don't want to be distracted with licking until I figure out how to say this, widen your legs."

Padma spread her legs.

Luna turned away and sat down between them then scooted firmly back.

She was a little off-centre.

"What do you want?"

"Please yourself on my hip, and not talk, and let me think how to explain what I want."

Padma picked herself up and pulled Luna farther back until Padma was pinched between her back and the couch. That should do it.

She lifted herself and rubbed against the back of Luna's hip, she pet Luna's head and arm.

"I'm good," said Padma, "think for as long as you need."

"I don't want to just be naked," said Luna, "I don't want to just show off my outside to my family."

Do you want to go naked at school?

"I want you to be able to see what's inside me also."

A completely different kind of creepy.

I mean, what?

Seriously, what?

"Padma Patil, of the Family Patil of the House of Black, may I have permission to wear your mark on my outside instead of only inside my heart?"

"Oh," said Padma and sighed with relief, "Yes, of course. Where would you like it?"

Luna shrugged, "The back of my head, or the back of my neck, I can't quite decide. I want the others down the rest of my spine."

"Hmm," said Padma, "In what order?"

"I don't know exactly. Um, are chakras a real thing?"

Padma took a deep breath, "I'm not sure. But … if they are a useful way to contain or focus your meditations, then they might as well be real. If they are a useful way to communicate or symbolise things in case others wish to communicate with you. Then they are real enough to use in place of words or whatever."

"Does that mean, if I think they're real, then they're real?"

"Partly that," said Padma, "and partly like the words for tribes or nations or colours or the letters for sounds. They might not represent one thing, but a subset of a whole group of somewhat similar things, a useful concept to have, even if at its root, it's only an arbitrary separation."

"Ok, but?"

"So, who cares if they are real? They're mostly on your front anyway. But if you want our marks along your spine. And the placement would be extra meaningful to you by putting them at the same height that chakras traditionally are represented. Then … it's a valid strategy for representing … to the people that you let see them … what we mean to you."

Luna nodded.

"Shall we look them up?" said Padma.

Luna nodded.

"Right now?"

Luna stood up.

"Let's see," said Padma drawing her wand, "Point me, a book about chakra."

There seemed to be more than one, but with a little focus…

She darted across the room and released the ladder, then climbed up and pulled herself along until she got to the right book.

She climbed down again bringing it back to Luna.

Luna attempted the page-finding charm but failed.

She might not have a clear enough understanding of chakra to visualise what might be on a page about them, or she might just be a fourth-year and not good at that spell yet.

Padma concentrated as carefully as she could on the picture she wanted, even though she couldn't fill in enough details. (if she could she wouldn't need to book).

The book flipped most of the way over, they flipped a few more pages.

They read them over.

"Definitely Harry's mark should be the same place you have yours," said Luna.

Padma snickered.

"Yes," said Luna, "I want yours on the back of my head."

"I almost hoped you were going to say neck again," sighed Padma.

Luna let go of the book and stood up straight, "Why?"

"Throat chakra means self-expression, I've spoken for you several times and helped you to speak for yourself. I wouldn't have been surprised by it. The third eye chakra is intuition, and direction in life, I'm not certain I'm comfortable being represented as that for you. Or not unless … we were planning to marry."

"If I did marry you, could you be sure it wasn't just for your libraries?" leered Luna.

Padma rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, no," said Luna, "I think I'm too narcissist to marry you."

"What?"

"You're even less like me than Harry is. And he's getting even less like me now, at the same time as getting more like how I was because he has a home and a family now. And needs to learn how to have those things. And I'm growing up and need to learn how to not need them all the time."

"Hmm," said Padma, "and … you're your own type?"

Luna nodded, "and we're a lot alike, but not enough for me to marry you." She shrugged, "Sorry."

Padma waved the apology away, "that's fine. Just not at all the logic that I expected … anyone else to use, so it took me a moment to understand."

"Anyway, Not for representing it for me," said Luna, "You representing it by me."

"What?"

"Parvati is good with intuition and self-expression also, she doesn't speak for me as often, but she speaks for herself. I want to be like that. I want to be like her about that. I want to be like you about you knowing your sense of purpose."

"Oh," said Padma.

"Ginny is for heart chakra of course."

"Of course," said Padma. Neglecting of course that Ginny wore Parvati's mark for the heart chakra and Harry's somewhere near the solar plexus, that was Ginny, this was Luna.

"Parvati might be able to move your Sher-mark where you want it, instead of taking it off and putting it on again."

"Ah … I remember that," said Luna, "So … may I, wear your mark?"

Padma nodded, "I've never put one on someone before."

"Harry says you're 'mine' may I have permission to call you 'mine' or something."

"I know," said Padma, "But I don't feel like I want to say that."

Luna shrugged, "I don't want to be your property, I want to be your … little-sister, student, library-snuggle-pet, Singer-audience."

Padma crossed her arms and stared.

Luna stood to attention but also … basked under the scrutiny. That definitely wasn't cowering and dragging the cover of Harry's rune over her.

"Would you like to sing with Singer sometimes before bed?" said Padma.

Luna raised an eyebrow, "I might not be very good."

"Not really the point," said Padma, "as long as you try, and if we decide you really aren't any good, could you sit nearby anyway, maybe turn Hider and snuggle until I finish?"

"Yes," said Luna, "That's what I really meant by adding Singer-audience, after library-snuggle-pet."

Padma nodded, "good, that's exactly how much and what kind of married I want to be to you."

Luna flinched, "so … if people ask we don't say married because they will be confused, we say, I'm your library-snuggle-pet, and you're my singer-monkey-pet?"

"Let's say that I'm your mentor, and you're my snuggle-pet and let them wonder about the rest."

"Library-snuggle-pet," said Luna.

Padma shook her head.

"Library-pet?" said Luna.

Padma smirked, "perfect."

"Wait, would that make you my librarian-pet."

"Pet-librarian," said Padma, "almost the same thing as a mentor, err, for some people."

"For me?"

"Definitely they're the same thing for you."

Luna smiled.

"Come here then, my library-pet," said Padma. She reached out and almost grabbed her wrist. … that might just give Luna another mark on her wrist.

"How do we put it on though, where we want it, Harry said wand fingers?"

"He did mine with a wand the first time. And I did his with my wand the second time."

"He did mine without a wand."

"He sort of didn't quite say he did someone's with a kiss," said Luna.

"What?"

Luna shrugged, "anyway, I thought of it when you kissed the back of my head. I wish you would put it on with a kiss… But I'd rather it was right side up."

"Of course," said Padma, "turn around."

Luna turned around. Padma kissed the back of her head. My pet. Luna Lovegood.

Nothing.

She shrugged and wrapped her arms under Luna's arms, pulling her close, with her forearms, and carefully not touching with her fingers.

She kissed again, Luna Lovegood. My pet. My pet. My pet.

Nothing again.

"Humph," said Padma, "I guess we'll have to ask Harry for advice later. Shall we go back to the couch?"

Luna sighed, "Yeah."

So they went.

This time as Luna settled, Padma kept her feet together, then propped them heel to toe, so that they made a stable platform for Luna to grind against as she slid her tongue up and down along Padma's folds.

Padma returned to petting, and humming and trying to figure out a way to hum differently for different levels and kinds of sensation so that Luna would know how good she was being, so she could alter her technique appropriately.

It was good to have Luna as a library-pet.

And good to have had Luna formalise what she wanted in their relationship. How much she wanted, and how much of their previous relationship she hopefully had managed to outgrow.

It would be good to be Luna's pet-librarian.

.

She kissed the back of Luna's head several more times. Even once as Luna brought her to climax.

Still nothing.

Whatever.

.

"Luna, are you my library-pet all the time, or only some of the time?"

"All the time, until I find someone enough like myself to ask Ginny to sell me to him."

Him again. Luna, you might be straighter than you let on.

But that's fine, I'm much straighter than I let on.

Although, you've gotten really good at this in only half an hour.

Padma said as much.

Luna moaned something, that might could have been words if she hadn't had her tongue busy, and hadn't recently been holding her breath for better control of how her hips tilted and her crotch pressed and rubbed against the bridge of Padma's foot.

Good pet, loving pet, wish I could sing worth anything with my human throat.

She kissed Luna's head again.

Luna moaned again and grabbed Padma's hips again. Which didn't really help her grind harder, but Padma had understood the first time and had obeyed most times when she was sufficiently alert. Padma lifted her foot as hard as she could, giving Luna the extra pressure she wanted between her legs.

She also tensed her thighs against Luna's breasts, but she wasn't entirely sure Luna liked that better than relaxed muscles.

Luna moaned again and worked harder on the grinding and not so hard on the licking. That was fine. It was time and past that Luna get a climax of her own.

Padma deepened the kiss and spread her lips a little.

Luna relaxed enough to resume rubbing again, only to tense up again and just tremble instead.

Good pet. Enjoy yourself, enjoy me being here for you.

Peppery head. So weird. I mean, completely normal, but the juxtaposition of calling it peppery instead of prickly.

Feeling whimsical, Padma stuck out her tongue and licked.

Yup, Peppery was a good word.

Luna moaned again.

Speaking of sensations that broke logic, Luna's hand was casting a blindingly bright shadow on her thigh.

It took her a few moments to decide what it might be.

She pulled away and saw the thing that she'd hoped and dreaded to see.

A dark monkey with a white face, embracing an invisible monkey with a dark face. Her own personal rune staining someone else's skin.

Now she'd also joined the ranks of the enslavers. Not that she hadn't done that the first time she'd loaned away something she knew couldn't ever be repaid. But that was a private grudge that no one else ever knew about, no one ever would know about. This thing, Luna would show to everyone she felt like.

It made Padma feel dirty, hollow, and a hypocrite.

And an adult.

Also, the thing was the wrong way up from the way Luna wanted it.

Maybe Parvati can show me how to turn it the other way up.

Padma couldn't own Luna.

That was the worst part of it all, not the owning people thing, but the idea of Luna being owned at all.

Luna more than anyone Padma knew, should be free. Free to give herself where she wanted when she wanted, and not be held back just because Padma or anyone else didn't want…

Fragile little Hider though…

Hider did need looking after now and then. Sometimes he needed bullying to even know he was allowed to relax. That there was Help to be had, and that there was someone paying attention. That must be why Ginny succeeded with him. Focused attention, and enough force to get the point across.

Padma could be that kind of adult, if she had to be, sometimes she had to be for Parvati, and once in a while for Harry. Usually though, only for the first and second years. Being a prefect had been good practice.

Padma grabbed Luna's cheeks and picked up her head.

Luna still looked a little out of it. But also looked apologetic, maybe as if she feared that Padma was going to object that she'd taken a break from licking.

My pet shouldn't feel bad about that.

"Good boy, Hider," said Padma.

Luna's eyes went unfocused and confused. Better than apologetic.

"Good boy, you pleased me and you pleased yourself, you're a good boy."

Luna blinked hard, when she again opened her eyes she was sane and alert. Finally.

"You're such a good pet," said Padma one more time to make sure.

Luna smirked, but there was extra tension on her face. She reached up, one at a time and moved Padma's hands from her cheeks to her ribs, under her armpits.

Oh, alright, sorry. Not that I could have reached there before you sat up.

Then Luna straightened her legs, not to stand up, but to leap into Padma's lap. And curl up.

"Good pet," Padma said again.

"Luna," said Luna, "I think 'Hider' needs a new name."

"Oh," said Padma, "Yeah, that sounds … like a positive sign."

They held each other in silence for almost a minute.

Padma moved her hand down Luna's side and across to her navel, then stopped, "Do you want to do anything else?"

Luna didn't answer just rocked a little. Finally, she shook her head.

"Then I have a suggestion."

"What?"

"I think you marked my hip when you climaxed, would you like to check?"

Luna checked, "Yes, I'm a cat looking at a fish in a bucket, except … I'm a monkey holding the bucket with a fish in it."

"Why would that … wait … your birthday is in mid-February?"

"Yes."

"And fishes represent knowledge?"

"Knowledge or wisdom," said Luna, "it depends on which mythology."

"And which fish species," said Padma.

"Probably."

"Good," said Padma, "You really are perfect to be a librarian's pet."

Luna smirked and rolled and snuggled tight again.

"And you are a perfect pet to be my librarian."

Touche, Luna, Touche.

"I might not be as perfect as all that," said Padma, "I got my mark to go on the back of your head, but it's upside down as you feared. I'm hoping Parvati can turn it the right way up for us."

Luna tensed for several seconds, then shrugged twice, "if she can't turn it right side up for everyone else to look at, it will still be right side up for you to look at."

"Ah."

Maybe. If we ever do what we just did again, rather than any of the many other positions that might be better.

Luna yawned.

"Do you want to lay down for a proper nap? Or shall we go find the others?"

"Hmm."

"We did have a late night, and a short sleep. It's not like we don't deserve a long night's sleep soon."

"True," said Luna, "but … let's find the others and get everything done that we can before we have to leave."

"Alright."

Padma donned her underthing.

And folded the rest of her clothes.

Luna unfolded her skirt again and put it on.

Which wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been the belt-adjusted kind.

"Feeling cold?" said Padma.

"No," said Luna, "you got dressed in some of my clothes, so I got dressed in some of yours. I hear it's a traditional behaviour among muggles that have sex while courting."

Padma chuckled, "That's partly true. And also a mixed metaphor in at least three places."

...-...

The Potion Labs

Ginny let Parvati drag her through the house, pointing out which potions labs were which. As if Ginny hadn't been able to see that much from Wotcher's gestalts and Susan's map.

But Ginny had cooped herself up in the kitchen rather than explore. And all the rest of them had explored.

Ginny sighed, She'd probably done the wrong thing. And the next time they came back they'd all be ready to start working and know where to start working and Ginny would still only know where the kitchen was, and be prone to get lost if she went anywhere else.

On the other hand… she'd known where the kitchen was to start with and hadn't needed to wander around looking for it. And all the rest of them had needed to wander first.

So next time … maybe while she wandered would be the right time to let Harry do the cooking.

She sighed, she didn't really want him cooking alone. And she wasn't entirely sure if that was protectiveness of 'her' kitchen which she should get over, or protectiveness of 'her' Harry that from the sounds of his protests of experience, she also needed to trust him not to blow himself up or scald himself or anything, or if she was protective of the fact that half the things he said about cooking made it sound lonely or clinical, rather than living and loving and nutrition is an important part of health and therefore the quintessential kind of service, and if that really was his love language, she should make sure he was rarely alone in the kitchen, not because he needed a spotter, but because he needed an audience to absorb the love he was trying so desperately to perform.

And perhaps Parvati was trying to perform some kind of love also.

She and Lavender took each other places to show each other things from time to time. And … Ginny was fairly sure she'd had the habit before they'd met. Maybe both of them had had the habit from before they'd met and that's how they'd become friends.

It must have happened before Ginny knew them, so first or second year. So much of Ginny's out-of-class time had been a blur that first year, she'd almost lost Luna too, probably.

"Parvati?" said Ginny.

"Huh?"

"Could we … slow down … a lot?"

"What?"

"Can you stop dragging me down to the quidditch pitch for a game, and just lead me around the lake for a looking around date?"

Parvati's eyes went huge.

"Oh," she said, "… yeah, I can try."

"Thanks," said Ginny, "I know where all the rooms are marked as potions labs. And I know that tends to mean all the workshop spaces, even if they aren't used for potions labs, they just happened to have been made that durable, because Harry's ancestors were rich enough to do things that way. I figure that there are rune labs and sewing workshops too."

Parvati nodded, "and a jewellery workshop. Though … maybe that's just another rune's workshop."

"Possibly," said Ginny.

"If you want to leave the sewing and runes workshops for Harry to show me later, that's fine too."

Parvati considered this, then nodded, "sewing and runes are on second, really close to the ritual room. The real Potions lab for drinking potions seems to be on the first floor, closest to the infirmary staircase. And another one on the fourth floor that hasn't been used in ever so long. I think that is … nominally where non-drinking potions were made. It's right next to the … I think it's a glass workshop. Which is next to the jewellery workshop."

"So … in theory, we'd make hair potions up there, and healing potions down here."

"Right," said Parvati, "And that one has the nice armoured fume hoods and everything for experimental potions and experimental transfiguration."

"Ah," said Ginny, "that's why they put it next to two other kinds of furnace work."

Parvati nodded and smiled.

"Do you do the kind of experiments that need fume hoods?" said Ginny.

"Usually not," said Parvati, "I try to proof my formulas before I mix them." She shrugged, "every once in a while I run into something I can't solve, and have to mix up a tiny batch to see which speed the overreaction happens, so I can have more data on how big the exponents are, or how tall they're stacked."

"I hate exponents," said Ginny.

Parvati shrugged, "I'm not the best at them, but so far I've always managed to determine ahead of time whether an experiment might need a fume hood."

"Alright."

Ginny took another turn about the room and opened the ingredients cabinet, though she could already see that it was empty.

It was empty and it was fairly clean, except on the lowest shelf, a beetle had gotten in, and reproduced until its children had eaten all of whatever it was. And then they'd all starved.

She closed it again and looked around.

"Alright show me the next one."

This time they held hands and strolled together. Which was better than being dragged. She even had time to make some observations about the hall they passed through: Wood floors, the plaster was blue here instead of white or red like downstairs.

The lights were gas, though they weren't needed at this time of day, and possibly had turned themselves off; though whether by enchantment or by artifice Ginny couldn't guess.

On the next floor they glanced into the workshop that might either be enchanting or sewing and by common understanding they didn't stop, just kept strolling to make a circuit of the floor, before going up.

Sometime in there, Parvati had started chattering about the vagaries of adding scents to potions, without changing their underlying meanings. Ginny didn't try to keep up. Mostly she just memorised the times that Parvati associated an herb with a person. Either as something they liked or as something that they reminded her of.

They went upstairs and again circled the whole floor at a stroll. Now Parvati chattered about how the layout was different from the second and third floors, which had sections portioned off where the bedrooms ran along the sides of the house. Harry was calling those 'wings' because Theo had called them 'wings,' even though technically 'wings' meant 'a building built next to another building with their corridors connected so that they could be used together as a single building.'

In which case, The upstairs bedrooms at the burrow were all wings, even if no one calls them that.

They finished their circuit, and rather than walking halfway around again, they took a shortcut through the glass furnace room.

She'd seen some of this kind of equipment used at the market in Ottery St. Catchpole. She knew a lot of the customers that bought things other than decorative or symbolic things like pendants and figurines and candle prisms, were alchemists. She looked around. Yes, the ingredients cabinets on the other half of the room, away from the glassworks, weren't ingredients but a collection of flasks of all sizes and shapes.

"This isn't just a glassworks," said Ginny.

"What do you mean?"

Ginny pointed to the cases, "Alchemist's lab."

"Oh, wow," said Parvati, "I missed that."

Ginny shrugged.

"Padma will be so excited."

"She's interested in alchemy?"

Parvati shook her head, "Only a little, but she hopes I'll go to university for it and potions."

"Are you going to the introductory alchemy class next year?"

"I don't know," said Parvati, "I'm not devoting quite as much time to all my revising as I think it deserves. If I could drop history and astronomy and I don't know what else, I could take it. But …"

"Yeah," said Ginny, "but I thought you liked astronomy."

"I do," said Parvati, "and I think it might be dangerous for me to take the mage version of alchemy and then the muggle version, there's no telling what I might blurt out in the middle of class. Better to take the muggle version first, and then the mage version."

"Hmm," said Ginny, "I'm not sure that's the best way to learn it. But I can see what you mean about it being the safer way."

.

They made their way through the jewellery and probably enchanting lab, (and maybe sewing again also, it wasn't clear) there weren't any looms at any rate.

Parvati looked resolutely straight ahead. Ginny humoured her. Right, Parvati had wanted to rush, but Ginny had gotten her to slow down by suggesting that they could skip rooms. Ginny wouldn't linger to look at things that would only make her want to stop and stare and talk to Harry at length.

They attained their goal. The potions room with armoured fume hoods.

The potions lab, where Margaid was looking around quizzically.

Parvati went tense. Really tense. And then dropped Ginny's hand.

Damn. Interfering busybodies.

"Ah, you're here," she said.

"We are," said Parvati.

"All of the obvious places to put blackboards are covered by cabinets or lab benches."

"I see that," said Parvati.

"So … how much blackboard area do you want, and how few desks can we remove to make that happen?"

"Turn all the lab benches around so they are backed against each other instead of the walls," said Parvati, "Then the ingredient stores along the sides of the ends of the lab bench island."

"Hmm, good. That manages to only lose the two desks at the end and the two desks next to them. The fume hoods cannot be moved so easily."

"True," said Parvati, "That's fine.

"You do realise that we could just remove those four desks and put the blackboard up in their place, netting us shall we say 4 desk spaces turned into blackboard spaces."

"That might be enough blackboards," agreed Ginny.

"For teaching," Parvati agreed, "Not for contemplating experimental modifications."

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

She's expecting to share this space with me … and maybe with Margaid.

Right. Not long-term brewing, just long-term experiments to improve recipes. She didn't need all the desk space ever like Snape's private lab, which only NEWT-level detention victims sometimes got to see. No, Parvati could make do with one or two benches but was serious about the blackboards.

"What if …" said Ginny, "if we made the workbench island like she said, without getting rid of the end desks or moving them even, that gives us eight spaces for blackboards."

Margaid nodded and looked around again, "That is true," she tapped her chin, "It might be a little cramped on the ends, but … I suggest let's start with that. And by the time we're sure that we need more blackboards than that or more walking space than that, we might also have a more exact estimate of how many additional benches to sacrifice."

Parvati agreed to that.

Ginny still wasn't sure, she did all her potions revising on parchment, and had only done the bare minimum of recipe modification… of potions, she fudged kitchen recipes all the time, but that was usually just substituting different fruits for each other, or different flours, or different starchy-root vegetables for each other, and adjusting the added water to adjust for the extra juice or extra absorption, or extra cook time needed.

Things that might scorch if she both calculated wrong and wasn't sufficiently alert, but nothing that might explode.

"Whatever Parvati says," said Ginny, "until I know why Parvati's saying it."

Margaid nodded, "8 desks worth, but how big are desks?" she conjured a string and stretched it along four desks, then tied a knot in it, and carried it away.

"Thank you, ladies." she said at the door, "carry on."

Parvati groaned, and then sighed, and then took a deep breath, and then another, then she faced Ginny, "Where were we?"

Ginny grinned, "at least three places. Or at least I was."

Parvati shrugged.

"But the part I'd been wanting to say for the longest:"

Parvati's eyes widened.

Ginny stepped close and took Parvati's right hand in her own right hand, then instead of leaning over to kiss it or anything, she brought their hands up between them like some kind of dance step.

"I'm glad you're my wife, and I like it here, working on doing real things, because … when we're away from revising for long enough it's easier to see you and for you to see me, and we can forget that you're a year ahead, and everything."

Parvati smiled, "how long have you been wanting to say that?"

"Since about one room after you listened to me and stopped dragging me."

Parvati smiled wider, then sobered, "Yeah, sorry about that. It's just that … well … I'm a horse, I like to move fast, I know you can move fast too, compared to the others, I didn't think about whether 'can' and 'want to' are the same."

"Huh," said Ginny, "I'd just been thinking … that I'd moved the fastest and got the kitchen clean and working, and gone to work, while everyone else had just been exploring and cleaning. And that by doing that I'd cheated myself out of exploring with everyone. And it was my turn to explore now and … you weren't letting me."

Parvati snorted, then nodded, "that's partly true, but … we did a lot of work to do all that cleaning. Even if it was spread out all over the house."

Ginny shrugged and nodded, "I … should have figured something like that… it's hard to remember work that happens behind your back."

Parvati nodded, "which reminds me, if you like going through the crates at Gladrags, I've got some crates for you to go through before we take them to Gladrags."

Ginny nodded and shrugged.

"And before you say it, I already sorted the dragon hide from the rest."

Ginny smirked, "Good, Harry will be pleased."

"And you?"

Ginny shrugged, "I kind of like cow and deer better, not counting for armour and potions."

Parvati stared at her, then moved her hand pointing at each of them in turn, "We … need to get on the same page more often."

"I'm not going to contradict that. But … you might want to elaborate."

Parvati opened her mouth, then closed it and nodded, "shag first. Then the pawn shop fashion show."

"Sure, move fast," said Ginny, and looked around, "where exactly?"

"I don't know, what do you want?"

Ginny looked around and then drew her wand.

"In the pantry, I cleaned it and made it mine, then when Harry came by, I conjured a cot under him. Well, sort of, not quite."

Parvati snickered.

"Anyway, that was … to ceremonially prove it, and to … say that it was a house claiming not a personal claiming. Though my guts haven't quite caught up with that last part."

Parvati shrugged.

"I was thinking," said Ginny, "You know how you want this room to be different? Let's make it different." She brandished her wand indicatively. "Then it's yours, then you can share it with me."

"Sure," said Parvati and drew her wand, and turned away, "Wingardium Leviosa."

"Wingardium Leviosa," said Ginny and floated a lab bench carefully away from the wall, gave it a half turn, and floated it toward the middle of the room.

Which is when she noticed that she'd miscalculated, but that Parvati hadn't.

Parvati had already moved 2 ingredients cabinets out of the way and was working on the third.

So she waited and then moved it into position and put it down.

Once they were moving things in the correct order it went smoothly. Soon they were done.

"Thank you," said Parvati.

"For helping levitate things?" said Ginny.

"For permission to move fast," said Parvati.

"Oh, sure," said Ginny.

"Now that our lab is ready … as ready as we can get it before Margaid's oh-so-special kind of blackboards arrive …"

"Right," said Ginny, "Now that it's ready…"

"May I show you this experimental potions recipe I've been trying out?"

"Sure?" said Ginny, "How does it go?"

"It's most comfortable to work in a clean environment," she cast several cleaning charms across the nearest of the lab benches they'd just moved.

"Certainly," said Ginny.

"Then you select your ingredients, Wingardium Leviosa."

Ginny floated off the floor. She realised Parvati was going put her on the lab bench, and quickly kicked off her shoes.

Parvati paused, "Only the best ingredients will do."

"Certainly," Ginny agreed.

"Every once in a while you find one that peels itself," she glanced at Ginny's shoes on the floor then back to her face, "but usually you have to help peel your ingredients." Parvati put her down.

"That does sound more traditional," agreed Ginny.

Parvati put her wand away and looked expectantly up at Ginny.

Ginny suppressed her giggle long enough to say, "Right, Wingardium Leviosa. Only the best ingredients."

"Thank you," said Parvati, "there are controversies about when in the preparations, you should begin tasting your ingredients," a quick kiss, "to check if they're ripe and so on."

"I could see how—" Ginny started to agree, before another slightly longer kiss interrupted her, "that sort of controversy could arise." A longer kiss, with a little bit of lip sucking too.

"When some ingredients—m" kiss, "are as addictive—mm" kiss, "as you are. Hmm?"

But Parvati didn't return that kiss, "Wait what?" she said instead, "What do you mean by that?"

"I really like kissing you," said Ginny, "It can get distracting. From um, going fast?"

Parvati blinked, then blinked slower, "fine, one more, and then you have to get undressed."

They kissed for a long time, as soon as Parvati let go of Ginny's bottom lip, Ginny slipped around and caught Parvati's and they started again.

Then Parvati pulled away, her eyes were only half open, "only the best," she whispered.

"Only the best," Ginny agreed.

"Put your wand away," murmured Parvati.

"Nu huh," said Ginny, "once we're ready to not be standing up, cushioning charms."

Parvati rolled her eyes, "Agree to cushioning charms, disagree with undressing while your wand is out. Nobody wants for it to get snagged or snapped or anything."

Ginny put her wand away.

They undressed each other.

They cast cushioning charms, crouched, sat, curled around each other, conjured lubrication in the places they liked it, and just generally rubbed each other everywhere that either of them liked it.

After a long, long time, and most of it in fact not kissing, they stopped, and panted instead.

"Circe, I love you," said Parvati.

"My name is Ginny," said Ginny, "and I love you more."

"It's not a contest," said Parvati, "but … I suspect I love you more."

"How do you figure."

"You're more lovable," said Parvati.

"Seriously?" said Ginny.

"Yep," said Parvati.

"Not disagreeing," said Ginny, "but … that's not a way I would have contrasted us."

"I on the other hand," said Parvati, "am more lustible."

"Hmm," said Ginny, "not disagreeing until I have more data."

"So you concede?"

"Which point?"

"That I love you more. Ginny Potter."

"No," said Ginny, "My mark means love. Yours meant something else … intelligence and intuition related or something."

Parvati snorted, "Yours was love expressed by physical care and affection. And mine by mental care and affection."

"Whoa, wow, OK," said Ginny, "maybe I'll get better luck at channelling you with your mark, now that I know what it's for."

"Nah, I think it's instinctive."

"Um?"

"I think you did alright over lunch. Getting Padma to pause, and listen to your experience with arguing with communication in mind instead of only with anger. Harry … wasn't great, but he was better than I'd have expected for someone his age. I'm not sure which part was your mark and which part was mine."

"You say that like you're not the same age."

"Girls get that dump of hormones at a different age than boys," said Parvati, "and whoever said that about rights was correct, anger is energy to make a change, and usually it's about an impression of a violated right. But … you've got to be careful about whether the right you're angry about is a real right, and not just a habit pattern that no one has yet told you is violating their rights, actually."

"Hmm," said Ginny, "and sometimes it's just hormones?"

Parvati shrugged, "I'm never sure if those just mean there's more of it, or if they put it closer to the surface."

"And we get monthly repeats of some of that."

"True," said Parvati, "My point was he's different with both our marks on him."

"Yeah," said Ginny, "and I think he is different, like he said, with something alive to call his family. Instead of only a legacy. That he can only really remember with the help of adults, many of whom are motivated to lie, or were motivated to forget."

"Yeah," said Parvati, "Did he tell you that part, I only ever heard him say it once. But maybe I don't remember the other times, only the first time he said it that I really got it."

"Which part."

"After I signed my contract," said Parvati, "before we snogged, he said something, and I thought he meant something about how lustible I am."

"(I still think lustible isn't a word.)"

"But he said he meant, he's not an orphan anymore because he had me now. Except he didn't mean orphan he meant existing as a family of one in a house of one."

"No," said Ginny, "He didn't tell me that, you told me that."

"Oh," said Parvati, "Good … I'll try to remember this time that I've told you."

"Can I be on top again now?"

"Am I not moving fast enough for you?" said Parvati.

Ginny smirked, "You're not moving at all, and anyway, it's not that I want to be moving, it's that I want to be kissing."

Parvati kissed her. And while they kissed she wiggled them close to the edge of the bench, then rolled them over, away from the edge.

That worked better than Ginny might have predicted.

And anyway, after that Parvati was stuck, so Ginny could be in charge of how much kissing they were doing.

.

Parvati tried to say something.

Ginny pulled back so she could speak.

"Padma and Luna are coming," said Parvati.

Ginny formed the correctly shaped wonder to remember a gestalt of the house. Yes, there they were on the stairs. And Harry was outside in the greenhouses, with Grandma, or maybe not with Grandma. She was so big it was hard to tell where she was or what she was doing from the gestalts.

"Were you … are you watching the whole house at the same time as snogging me?" said Ginny.

"No, just … a while ago I asked Wotcher to let me know any time someone asks her where I am. I figured a quarter of the time I might be bored out of my mind and want an excuse for a walk, instead of waiting for them to come to me."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"And the fact that I didn't ask you to move, just alerted you, should tell you that I didn't want to talk to them instead of you, nor am I embarrassed that they might find us here, like this."

"Luna wouldn't care."

"And Padma told us to," said Parvati, "and then she came to us before we got up to find something else to do."

"True," said Ginny.

Parvati wiggled a little.

Ginny went back to kissing her.

Parvati pushed hard against her.

For a moment Ginny thought she wanted to start making out again. Then she realised Parvati wanted to sit up.

They sat up. Though they tried to keep kissing anyway.

.

They were still sitting there when Luna and Padma found them.

"Hi," said Parvati with a smile.

Padma looked embarrassed. But … not about seeing them naked or kissing, and not about only having on her underthing, and not about Luna wearing her skirt.

Parvati wasn't saying anything, just smiling at them.

"What's wrong, Padma?" said Ginny.

"Not wrong exactly," said Padma, "Just … we may need Parvati's help."

"Help with what?" said Parvati.

Luna just smiled wider.

"Well, we started out to 'claim the library'," said Padma.

"Right," said Parvati.

"But what we ended up doing was 'claiming each other'," Padma pulled up her underthing, to show a new black symbol. At first, it didn't seem to be any language Ginny knew.

But then among all the other lines she saw a bedraggled cat's face, and then it was Hider's face, and then the rest of it was Hider carrying a much too big fish bowl, while also being distracted by the fish, and might trip and spill it at any moment.

Padma might be the last person in their group that Ginny would have expected Luna to mark, but she wasn't jealous that it had happened that way,

"Nice!" said Ginny.

Parvati cooed something different, but it meant the same thing. She started poking and stretching her sister's skin to get all the details.

"Anyway," said Padma then whispered, "Turn around, pet."

Luna turned around.

A new symbol was on the back of her head.

"Humph," said Parvati.

"I put it on upside down, do you think it can be turned right side up?"

"I don't see why not," said Parvati, "probably you have to do it, it's your mark."

"OK, but how?"

"It's a symbolic picture, formed out of magic, displayed on her skin, right?"

"Sure."

"And it's your magic, being displayed, and doing the displaying, with permission from her magic to be there, of course."

"I guess."

Parvati stuck her hand out with two fingers spread, then turned her hand, "pretend it's a piece of paper on a table and turn it the way you want. Except it's not really your fingers doing the moving, it's your will controlling your magic in her through the control of your magic in your fingers, or … just barely sticking out of your fingers under her skin to where your magic and her magic are."

Padma blinked and shrugged, then turned to Luna, grabbed Luna's shoulders and turned her around until they were straight to each other, then she reached up and tried to turn … yeah that … that seemed to turn it.

Luna snickered.

"Does that tickle?" said Padma.

"A little," said Luna.

"It's moving a little bit," said Padma, "but not a lot… I … I think it's moving."

Luna snickered again, "maybe try with your tongue."

"What?"

"It's tongue-shaped, right?"

"Um, a little bit," said Padma.

"Try it," said Luna, and leaned over until the back of her head was vaguely level.

"You are so weird," said Padma and circled to stand in front of Luna.

Then she placed her tongue flat over the mark. And rather than licking or doing anything even remotely normal to do with a tongue, she walked sideways to circle back behind Luna. Which worked until their hips bumped, and then they lost their balance.

Padma caught them both and stood them up, then she stood behind Luna again. Tilted her head, and pressed her tongue against Luna's head again, this time she rotated until her head was upright, and pulled her tongue back.

"There," she said, "That's better."

"No offence, Padma," said Parvati, "But you're not getting your tongue anywhere near my face until you've safely put your mark somewhere else on me."

Padma shrugged, "Where do you want it?"

Parvati shrugged.

"Well, think about it," said Padma.

"And next," said Luna, "I want you two to put your marks on me too. Ginny between my shoulder blades, and Parvati on the back of my neck."

"Sure," said Parvati, "as soon as I remember how to do that."

Ginny got up, circled to look Luna in the eye, and then around again to see the requested space.

"Are you sure?" said Ginny.

"Yes," said Luna.

Ginny circled again to see Luna's face, "I'm not sure my mark's magic is something you need any extra help with."

Luna nodded, "I think I already have your mark inside, I want it outside."

"Why?"

"Because," said Padma, "What is the opposite of hiding from everyone?"

"In plain sight?" said Parvati.

"Right," said Padma, "And what is the opposite of lost in a crowd of strangers."

"Found? Oh, At Home," said Ginny, "with people that love you."

Padma nodded again. So did Luna.

Luna's eyes widened, "Padma, can we trade clothes back?"

Padma smiled weirdly, "Of course." Then she mimed taking off a skirt and holding it out to Luna. Luna took off the skirt she was wearing and held it out, they traded.

Padma folded it and stacked it on a folded-up blouse that was neither Ginny's nor Parvati's.

Luna mimed putting on the nothing that Padma had just handed her. Then pet the goose-flesh off her hip and other knee, almost like adjusting some pleats. Really Luna?

"What did you two just say," said Parvati, "Because, I'm missing, at least two-thirds of it."

"Maybe it can't be said in words," said Padma.

"What are you getting?" said Ginny.

"She wants to be nude," said Parvati, "but maybe only here at home, or in front of just Lion's-Keep members."

"Or members of the Families of Black and Potter," said Padma.

Luna shrugged, "almost the same things."

Ginny nodded, "They say that home can be in your mother's arms. Even when there's not a house to go with that."

"Or in your husband's," said Parvati, "or wife's or sister's."

Padma nodded.

"Why? What part did you understand?" said Parvati.

"Luna has been going naked at home for years, for most of her life I think. Or at least, mostly naked."

Luna smiled.

Padma put up a finger, "not naked, sky-clad, or nude, not sure which."

"What's the difference?" said Ginny. My only experience with that word was muggle-borns worrying if there were evening rituals involving taking off their clothes. Usually one of the prefects manages to convince them that there were, but very rarely and it was for adults only anyway. And most of magic was just wands and charms and recognising magical plants and animals so you'd know what to do if you saw them. Run away or capture them and raise them for valuable ingredients.

"Naked means having fully finished naking, that is, to be finished removing clothes. So 'all clothes removed.' It might also apply to removing other kinds of protection, such as the wand holster, the escape portkeys, and the symbols of family protection. It is a word that can imply a lot of trauma even if that trauma is mostly mental. Or it can imply the good kind of vulnerability, which is to say intimacy."

"Sure," said Ginny.

"'Nude' isn't that you took off your clothes, it is that you neglected to put any on, as a fashion choice. It has a connotation of integral power and self-determination, maybe even self-worship. Or that might just be people who like conformity too much, try to assign evil intent to those with a healthy amount of non-conformity."

That might be Luna, on some days, maybe even on days when she chose to wear clothes, depending on the clothes.

Ginny nodded.

"'Sky-clad' is kind of between the two," said Padma, "It's not as intimate as naked, and not self-glorifying as nude. It's usually about friendship ceremonies, rather than lover activities."

"Ceremonial non-pretension," said Parvati, "I can get that, clothes choices can be very performative, rejecting the performative nature of clothes, instead nude rejecting the conformity of clothes?"

Luna nodded, "I was going to say 'honesty'."

Parvati nodded, "but it doesn't always work that way, performing non-performance can get contradictory."

Luna shrugged, "and it's hard for you all to tell by looking, whether I'm sky-clad or nude or naked."

"Which are you right now?" said Parvati.

"None of them I think," said Luna, and tapped her wand holster. Then shook her foot so her anklet bells tinkled. "I'm wearing my family's formal symbolic protection, and my magic. And enough of Harry's magic that no one can see me if I remember to not let them. She looked up into Parvati's eyes, "Sometimes nude means 'look at me, I'm great.' And sometimes it means, look at me, because you're allowed."

Parvati smirked, "if you want people to look, the trick is to be very careful to choose exactly what they're allowed to see, in a way that invites them to contemplate how much they aren't being allowed to see."

"How?" said Luna.

"The Purcell sisters have it down fairly well," said Padma, "I haven't seen such a simple performance in a while."

Everyone looked at Padma.

"Which is more naked," said Padma, "This?" she stood straight up. "Or this?" she pushed the strap of her underthing off the edge of her shoulder.

"Um?" said Luna.

"They both cover the same amount of skin," said Padma, "But one says, 'I'm a normal person, wearing clothes like a normal person,' and the other one says, 'my clothes aren't part of me,' 'they do come off,' 'they might come off,' 'perhaps I might be convinced to take them off.' "

"Circe," said Parvati, "Is that how Lavender does that?"

"That's a good thing to know how to do if you want," said Luna, "But that's not what I want to say."

"What do you want to say?"

"I want to say: I already took my clothes off for you, you may look. That I'm wearing your mark instead of clothes, which means it's you that I took them off for. I'm not naked because I've got on my wand, and I have on my family's symbols, and I am dressed and protected, just not in clothes, I'm dressed in magic, in other people's magic, in each of your magics."

And Padma who never touches anyone, or at least not without a fairly strong invitation, had touched Luna several times just now, and sometimes roughly. Not that Luna was tiny the way she used to be.

"And touching?" said Ginny.

Luna nodded.

"What?" said Parvati.

"Nude means untouchable. She doesn't want to be untouchable she wants to be dressed for naked snuggles at a moment's notice."

Parvati hummed with interest.

"Just now, when you came in, and Padma grabbed your shoulders and moved you around, that wasn't bullying? That was … you already told her to touch you just as much as if you had clothes on?"

"Or more than if I had clothes on?" said Luna.

As much as Luna normally touched Padma in other words. Though Padma had perhaps interpreted it more roughly than Ginny might have. But perhaps Ginny had had more time to practice. Or maybe most of Ginny's practice was out of date.

So back to the original question, would I dress Luna in my own magic?

"Yeah, I'll try," said Ginny and circled behind Luna again.

She drew her wand and touched Luna's back, "Um, here?"

"Close enough," said Luna.

"I'm not sure how to … realise that you're mine more than you already are," said Ginny.

"Maybe I already have enough of your magic," said Luna, "Maybe you don't need to give me more, maybe you just need to pull a little of it out of my heart, out to the surface where it can peek out and wave at you."

Again an image of taking. Rather than giving.

Harry used the word 'mine' but if you asked what he meant, he meant giving protection.

Ginny vaguely remembered giving Harry and Parvati marks by wanting to give them something.

It had been partly love and care and help, and partly something else … permission to help her with loving and caring and helping.

As if Luna needed any more permission for that … but … if she felt like she needed it.

She'd managed to convert the Purcell twins' dark marks, but that had been more about … giving them permission to be good instead of bad.

Luna wasn't bad. But she barely concentrated on being good either, she just was herself. Which in Luna's case, was probably a much more difficult thing to be than either good or bad.

I give you my permission to use my magic to know more about how to be good.

My helper Luna.

You have my permission to use my magic to know more about being good.

My friend Luna.

You have my magic for doing good.

My sister Luna.

Is there an extra shadow around the tip of my wand?

Ginny pulled her wand back. The bubble popped from a circle to the five-pointed inside-out pieces of a circle. It was very small.

Ginny frowned, the right spell, but not enough magic.

Have more of my magic for doing good.

My helper, my friend, my sister.

More black.

She pulled her wand away.

A bigger picture of Mantis. Better.

Why wasn't that right?

She touched her wand to the centre of the picture one more time.

My Luna, you also have permission to cooperate with Parvati and Harry and me, about using my magic to care for people. Oh, and to make sure my other helpers have enough of my magic for doing their parts.

The mark went silver.

Ginny pulled her wand away.

"Perfect."

She stood back, "Your turn Parvati."

Parvati looked, "Is your mark always white?"

"No, I have to do it twice: once to make a black mark about working together with me and my magic, and again about working together with everyone else I've given a mark."

"Oh, Alright."

Parvati frowned and tried several different poses with her wand on the back of Luna's neck. Then shook her head and put her wand away.

"I don't remember how, maybe, if I remember, I'll try then."

"Alright," said Luna, "But, could you at least move Harry's mark to my back?"

"Sure, where?"

Luna pointed at the base of her spine.

"Mine is a bit higher than that, you know," said Padma.

"I think it's where I want it," said Luna.

"Alright," said Parvati. She picked up Luna's left hand and tried to push the mark. Tried to pull the mark.

"Stop fighting me," said Parvati.

"I'm not trying to," said Luna.

"Alright," said Parvati, "I'm not going to pull it up your arm onto your front, OK, I'm just going to move it onto the back of your arm, that will be closer to where you want it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Luna.

Parvati dragged it sideways around Luna's arm, until her wand holster got in the way, then up as far as Luna's elbow, where it got stuck again.

Parvati stopped and walked around to face Luna.

"You put this one on by yourself, right?"

Luna nodded.

"Good, I think you can move it by yourself."

"Oh," said Luna.

"You might need to watch yourself in a mirror of course, but I think you can manage."

"It's just magic clothes like you said," said Padma, "perhaps not any harder to arrange than your other kind of inside-of-you instead of outside-of-you clothes."

"Hmm," said Luna. she poked at it for a few seconds, and got it to move up as far as her shoulder. "I guess it's time for that mirror."

Padma conjured one, floor to ceiling against the wall and moved Luna in front of it.

Luna turned around to an angle where she could see the mark and most of her back in the mirror, and tried to slide the mark up and around. After several tries with very little progress, Padma stepped closer and whispered something in her ear. Luna went red and rolled her eyes.

Then went back to poking at it. After a few seconds, she frowned. "Oh," said Luna, "it might be magnetic." She took off her wand holster and lay it three paces away next to Padma's clothes. Then she moved back in front of the mirror. And poked at the mark, this time with her wand.

It slid away immediately, then flipped and sank to the bottom of her ribs. Luna giggled and pushed it farther down. When the wand again proved too volatile she went back to moving it by hand.

When she had it mostly in place, she asked Parvati to check if it was actually centred.

Parvati tried to move it, without enough luck.

"No, move it this way another finger's breadth."

Luna moved it.

"Good," said Parvati, "looks good, are you sure you don't want it a tiny bit higher?"

"Why?"

"So it peeks just above your underwear line, to remind Harry to take them off you now and then."

"I don't wear drawers anymore, usually," said Luna, "I wear Harry's underthing."

"Your underthing," said Padma.

"No," said Luna, "He made his Leona sized by accident, so I told him to make mine too big, so we could trade. So he wears mine, and I wear his."

Now Padma was red.

"That was … very resourceful," said Padma staring off into space, "I'm proud of you both."

Parvati was having trouble not giggling.

"Why are you laughing at me," said Luna.

"Not at you," said Parvati, "I was just wondering if he remembers that well enough that … if I asked you permission to borrow your underthing, and you said yes. Whether he'd understand why I picked up his … yours that he's used to wearing."

Luna shrugged.

"Or ask him permission to borrow his," said Luna, "and then take it off of my shelf, his is closer to your size, now."

"True," said Parvati.

"Or take his off me," said Luna, "that might be funniest."

"Alright," said Parvati … "anyway, the best jokes have to wait for the right moment."

"What's next?" said Padma.

"The Zoo!" exclaimed Luna, "I was supposed to meet Margaid to see what she has, and how much of them ought to be freed or shipped back home again. Or … or killed before they eat us out of house and home."

"Alright, bye," said Ginny, "Do you maybe want to wear dragon-hide for that?"

"That's a good idea," said Parvati, "and maybe even Harry's underthing, it might be cold down there."

"Yeah, yeah," said Luna, and portkeyed away.

"How did she use that phrase to activate her anklet without it triggering all the time?"

"She didn't," said Parvati, "she asked Wotcher to put her somewhere else."

"Ah, right," said Padma, "I seem behind the times."

Luna reappeared, now wearing an underthing and wool trousers and a dragon-hide apron, even shoes. She staggered back to a semblance of balance, "I forgot something," she said, she crossed the room to her wand holster. While she donned it. Parvati stared at her.

"I'm not saying Margaid is trying to lead you into a trap, or that any of her dangerous things aren't in their cages," said Parvati, "only that we've got more dragon-hide now. A lot more. So we don't have to risk it."

"Huh?" said Luna.

"I'm saying everyone pick up your things, let's go see if any death-eaters were our sizes."

Luna glared at her, "But … can we make it fast? There might be pets starving down there."

They all looked at each other.

"How about this," said Ginny. "We all try to pick out armour, and then we all come with you."

Luna frowned, "Come if you want, but … I don't want to wait that long."

"Then go ask Harry if you can borrow his armour," said Padma, "it might not be the right size, but it will cover everything, and the parts that are too big, won't interfere with your magic."

"Oh," said Luna, "alright." She adjusted the last strap and the fit of her holster, then disappeared again.

"I might not plan to ever use armour again," said Padma, "but at this point, I'd really rather we all have some that fit."

Everyone agreed to that.

Ginny remembered how Nim had fought last night, and what she'd been wearing, Wotcher, if you can tell Nim we're going to the 3rd floor to try on looted armour, to see how much fits any of us.

[Message sent.]

.

They went down to 3rd.

Parvati showed them the pile. Padma started picking through, sorting it vaguely by 'Susan and Luna' height, 'Patil' height, and 'Harry and Ginny' height, and 'too big for anyone right now.'

When Bellatrix arrived she suggested that waist diameter and bust diameter were a more important first consideration than height, and then she got distracted looking at swords.

As soon as Ginny realised that something was wrong, she mentally to replayed the conversation and Parvati's body language.

"Parvati?" said Ginny.

"Yeah?"

"I invited her," said Ginny, "because she's more expert than the rest of us. I'm vaguely sure she already knows you and I get dibs ahead of her. Not that it matters since we wear such different sizes. I'm not sure where she thinks she stands compared to Padma and Luna… But—"

Bellatrix looked up, "I'm a war thrall of the House of Potter, That's lower legal status than Luna. Except I'm personally dedicated as Harry's bodyguard and sword tutor. Her duties aren't that comparable to mine," she shrugged, "outside of the time of war, 'Press Secretary' is a higher status skill set."

Parvati fish-mouthed.

Ginny realised that she had also, and closed her own mouth.

"There are several ways that I'd be more comfortable attached to the House of Black," said Bellatrix, "but a war thrall can never really go home. This is much closer than I had any reason to hope possible."

Parvati shivered, and Ginny realised that the speech was mostly for Parvati's benefit.

Silence.

"What style of sword are you teaching him?" said Parvati.

"Every style I know," said Bellatrix, "We're starting with gladius and rapier and working out."

"Talwar?" said Parvati.

Bellatrix's eyes went wide, "Oh, of course!" She sheathed the sword she'd been examining, and stuffed it back in the crate with the others, she pulled out a different one and handed it to Parvati.

Parvati accepted it but seemed particularly unimpressed. But she drew it anyway, then looked around thoughtfully. She went to a clear area of the floor and ran through a series of moves. She changed her grip some and tried something else.

"A little heavy," she said, "and the handle is a bit too big for my hand, but close enough for strength training."

"Good," said Bellatrix, "That's a cavalry sabre, the fashionable size for them changes with the decade. You might be able to find lighter."

"Or I could try to get stronger and learn the correct style for this before I get too annoyed?"

"Or that," agreed Bellatrix.

"There isn't a matching one is there?"

"No," said Bellatrix, "But that one is from the fall of the House of Hapsburg, or … maybe before that, there should be plenty in antique stores, if you can figure out how to look."

"It doesn't look like a muggle blade from World War 1," said Parvati.

Bellatrix shrugged, "It's been engraved with the runes to keep it always clean, sharp, silver plated, oiled, polished, and not to cut the wielder. I imagine someone was trying to replicate the look of a goblin blade, though the use of Futhark gives the game away."

"Oh," said Parvati.

"Probably, wouldn't be politic to draw it around your werewolf friends."

"Ugh," said Parvati, "Good point."

.

After that, the sword-women retreated to the other end of the room for Parvati to show off her skills, most of which seemed to be slicing up flying conjured lemons. At least they weren't wasting real food.

So why hadn't Parvati tried her hand at beating?

The main thing Ginny learned from the conversation was that Harry, Parvati, and Hermione knew what to do with swords, though Harry had started learning a Chinese form and an English form, and Parvati had started with an Indian form.

Whatever.

Mostly it left Padma and Ginny to pick through dragon hide in peace.

By the time they finished, they'd sorted everything by who they guessed each piece would fit best, or who each piece could be made to fit with the least trouble.

.

"Do you think I'm lazy?" said Padma.

"What?" said Ginny.

"Too much revising, not enough exercise?"

"No," said Ginny, "what do those have to do with each other, they're both … fun in small amounts and tedious towards the end."

Padma snorted, "That's true. Umm, Selfish?"

"No?" said Ginny, "if you were lazy or selfish Harry wouldn't have asked you to help with Luna, and you wouldn't have worked so hard to get made prefect."

Padma stared at her for a second, then looked away and began readjusting the straps of the current set of duelling kit she was trying.

"I don't mean compared to Hogwarts average," said Padma, "I mean to Lion's-Keep average."

"I haven't noticed you shirking anything," said Ginny, "I did have some … err … uncharitable thoughts earlier, but that was about everyone, not just you, and Parvati already set me straight on that."

Padma sighed.

"What's got into you?" said Ginny, "is it the lack of sleep, or the conversation over lunch?"

"Probably both," said Padma, "Harry didn't ask me for sex last night … or today."

"Harry didn't ask any of us for sex last night," said Ginny, "Luna begged, I demanded, and Parvati accidentally stuck her bum in his face and then didn't tell him 'no' when he said, 'is this what you want?' You were busy with Luna and me when he finished with that."

Padma sighed, "yeah."

"And I'm not sure, but … Harry barely suppressing crying when he subconsciously thought you were asking to move away … might be as close as he can come to begging you to keep asking for that when you want it."

"Merlin," said Padma, "He is so broken in places."

Ginny shrugged, "Maybe, or maybe he just hasn't been taught to communicate with … equals for as long as the rest of you have."

Padma gave her a look.

"Until Hogwarts, I had Luna, everyone else was brothers or friends of my brothers and older."

"Oh," said Padma.

"Until Hogwarts, Harry had adults that wanted him to think that they hated him and an older cousin who was permitted to do as he pleased to Harry, including making up crimes and blaming them on Harry for the fun of watching Harry get punished."

"Right," said Padma, "But ever since his second year—"

"This is hearsay," said Ginny, "But in his first year, he found he had Hedwig, Ron, and Hermione for friends, oh, and Neville. In his second year he had the entire school go from thinking he was merely attention seeking, to an evil mastermind, to nobody after all, to the bloke who rescued his friend's sister, isn't that sweet, and maybe … he was really the evil mastermind, after all, he just happened to have a change of heart, maybe because she put out for him and he got a clue."

Padma blinked, "What?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Yes, I did give him my virginity, eventually, but not until after Parvati brought in those marriage contracts from your Dad."

Padma blinked again, "Someone had the bad sense to accuse you of …"

Ginny shrugged, "I'm sure the original version was more like, 'who knows what he got up to with his captive before he brought her back and decided to call it a rescue, (hint hint)' But of course by the time I heard about it, I was guilty of wanting it, and leading him on, and who knows what all. My only choices in their eyes were 'victim,' and 'co-conspirator,' they didn't have an idea that there might be such a thing as," Ginny pointed towards Parvati and Bellatrix, "a survivor who fought back as long as they could, but didn't receive help until much much too late for comfort."

Padma frowned, "Yeah, some people are idiots. There's a whole spectrum of differences between the coward-type victim, and the 'hero who didn't make it home' type victim. If you ever need or want to sic your friendly neighbourhood prefect on someone, you know where to find me."

"Thanks," said Ginny, "I'll keep that in mind. What were … Oh, my point was Harry came back to school for his third year, having practised all summer how to 'communicate to a subordinate' with Nim. A lot of people noticed the change. Usually, he can interpolate between communicating from a position of power and from a position of weakness, to average out to from a position of equality. Sometimes he can't."

"Hmm," said Padma.

"I've started getting used to the idea that I'll be Lady Potter someday, and I can start to act from that status if and when I feel like it, even if a lot of people didn't know what's come over me. Not that it remained a secret long after we lined up for AHDT."

Padma nodded.

.

Someone knocked on the door, "Ladies, there is company, are you decent?"

Padma was the first to look around, "Decent enough," she called back.

Harry entered, trailed by some familiar faces.

"I say," said Harry, "Where did Parvati get to?"

...-...

{End Chapter 33}