Year Six: Chapter Twenty

AN: Lots of sex in this chapter. I tried not to be too explicit, but if you'd rather not read it, please feel free to skip to the next chapter. I'll include a very brief summary of plot points so you won't be missing anything important.

Luna's birthday was in February. The day before Valentine's Day, actually. Naturally, Tom had no interest in celebrating Valentine's Day, but Luna did deserve a birthday present. That in mind, Tom stole into Severus's quarters and snagged a satchel full of potions. Calming Draughts, of course, but also antiemetics, a single Engorgement Balm (a topical potion that would be embarrassing to require but a better option than something that might compromise his mind), a male and a female contraceptive (he wouldn't force her to take them, but he expected most women would prefer not to get pregnant while still in school), and finally a full set of lubricants.

"Do I want to know why you have some of these?" Tom asked curiously, sensing Severus entering the room.

"Likely no more than I want to know what you're planning to do with them," Severus replied, but curiosity flickered through the bond. Before Tom could contemplate pursuing the matter further, Severus said, "They are standard potions I make for Poppy. As you are aware, she is more interested in ensuring the students' wellbeing than worrying over propriety."

Tom glanced at the man skeptically and frowned. "You have no interest in Hermione, I assume."

Severus looked genuinely startled. "The girl is young enough to be my daughter."

"That isn't a no," Tom said with a note of warning.

The Potions' Master shook his head in apparent disbelief. "I promise you, Master, I've never once thought of any student in such a manner. That includes Miss Granger." Severus sighed. "Even beyond that, I would never presume to take liberties with someone who belongs to you."

Even though this was precisely the correct answer, Tom found himself saying, "You belong to me."

Severus stilled. "Do you object to my having outside relations?"

It was with some relief that Tom found that no, he certainly didn't. Though he was curious. He supposed that Severus felt that, because the man sighed. "A whore in a side alley off Diagon Alley. She goes by Lilith." Pink dusted the man's cheeks, the only sign of his discomfort. "It is a… higher quality establishment, and she makes… more than average. She has a Mastery in Transfiguration and, by all accounts, simply enjoys the work."

Tom raised his eyebrows. There were only so many people in the world with Masteries in Transfiguration, so assuming she was telling the truth, it shouldn't be difficult to identify her. If he cared to, which he didn't. "I assume you've been unable to visit since I removed your Mark," Tom said.

Severus inclined his head. "You assume correctly, but she is occasionally willing to travel."

"You aren't upset about her chosen occupation?" Tom asked, wondering if his own jealousy was actually an unusual reaction.

"I am fond of her," Severus admitted, "but it is not a romantic relationship. I am under no illusions that she would continue to see me if I could not pay."

Tom hummed in reply. He didn't have time to pursue this topic. Luna was waiting, no matter how unenthusiastic he felt at the moment. He nodded to his servant. "Good night, Severus."

It was a decent diversion, but Tom found himself shaking as he approached the Room of Requirement, where they'd decided to meet. As he walked in, Tom downed his first Calming Draught of the night.

Luna was already there, nude and, to his gratification, looking just as nervous as he felt. Even so, she'd created the room as he'd first brought her to it, with the thick rug and fire. The only difference was that the seating was more of a cross between a couch and a bed. She smiled weakly. "I thought it might help you feel better," she said. She sat on the couch with her thighs pressed closely together and her hands clasped atop her knees.

Tom approached where she sat on the couch and, considering her, sighed heavily and stripped. When he was done, he sat down as well and tried to sink down under the numbing fog Calming Draughts induced. He was only partially successful. "I brought contraceptive potions, if you'd prefer to use them."

Luna shook her head. "It's not the time of month when that's likely to be an issue," she told him. "I'm not against the idea of a child though, even if I think it will be a few years before I will have one."

"Alright," Tom said. Silence stretched out between them.

"I've been told some degree of foreplay is generally preferred," he said after they'd both sat there silently for far too long for comfort.

Luna nodded. "Yes, that's - that's probably best." She bit her lip. "Perhaps kissing? I do enjoy that."

Tom nodded.

Neither one moved.

At last Luna let out a small laugh. "I'm the one who proposed this, and here I am sitting here like some sort of Flobberworble." Whatever, precisely, that meant, it was apparently enough to spur her into action. The blonde stood, crossed the foot or so between them, and sat down in his lap. Though her face was a brilliant red by then, she still wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his with all her usual enthusiasm.

After a moment, her lips parted, and Tom tentatively tried deepening the kiss, his own arms coming up to pull her closer without any conscious thought.

Gradually, he felt her relaxing, taut muscles loosening as she forgot to be nervous. Tom tried to do the same, but felt that any success he had was likely due solely to the potion. But perhaps Luna was aware of that, because even once he could feel her body warming, she didn't push for more.

Tom took a breath and shifted her off of him, gently pushing her down against the couch. To his surprise, she caught his hand and pulled it to her breast. Tom pulled back enough to give her a questioning look, but her eyes were closed, and her thighs were squeezing together rhythmically. Tom frowned and pressed his knee between her thighs so she couldn't get any relief that way. Her eyes opened then, and she pouted at him. "Tom…" Before she could complain, he claimed her mouth again and then, with small nips and kisses, moved down to her neck, then her collarbone (which he really enjoyed, but also thought was probably a very strange part of the body to be interested in), from there to her breasts, then her stomach (which was extremely ticklish), and at last to the junction between her legs, which made her gasp and work to partially sit up, eyes wide.

Bella had told him that he would have to experiment, because apparently women tended to be far more variable than it seemed like men were, in terms of what excited them most. Luna seemed to enjoy his tongue, but not as much as Bella. When he caught her eye, she seemed pleased but also thoroughly embarrassed. Tom considered the matter. He could either do something else that she found less embarrassing, or he could go farther and try to make her feel good enough that she forgot her embarrassment. He felt the latter to be the obviously better option, so he inserted one finger, making her shudder. That seemed good. He twisted his finger a bit, searching for the bit of flesh Bella explained some women would enjoy having pressed, but Luna started moving her hips and making small mewling sounds in the back of her throat, so he gave that up and started pumping first one finger, then two in and out of her.

"T-Tom I'm I can't - please don't -"

From the way her body was reacting, Tom could guess what was happening. He watched her, sitting up and watching the way she writhed before him. It was a peculiar sort of power, he decided. Not the same as torturing a person at all, but at the same time not so different. "You want me to stop?" he asked as though he'd misunderstood her babbling.

"No!" It was an unvocalized gasp, only understandable to him because he was watching her so closely.

"Yes?" Tom asked, enjoying the look of frustration on her usually serene face.

"Please!" Luna begged. "Please keep going please don't stop please."

Tom swallowed, his mouth going dry. He didn't suppose he'd ever expected to hear Luna beg. This was different from Bella's instruction, which he'd endured with his Occlumency shields fully raised and his mind focused entirely on absorbing the information so he would need only experience the lesson once. He'd been nominally in control then, but both he and Bella were painfully aware that she held all the cards.

But this? He owned this girl. A smile slid across his lips. It was enough. His body wasn't unaffected by the sight before him, though he experienced the physical sensations as an afterthought, so he withdrew his fingers and laughed at the betrayed look she shot him. "Patience," he ordered. He Summoned his wand and muttered a spell to mute pain, then, as understanding filled her eyes, he slid into her.

Afterwards, as Luna trembled through the aftershocks of her orgasm, Tom decided that his experiences were for the best, no matter how negative they'd been. He knew from gossip (and no matter what they said, the boys in Gryffindor and Slytherin alike certainly did gossip) that virgins rarely had any ability to last longer than a couple minutes. That would have been unsatisfying for Luna, and all the more so for him, because what he enjoyed most of the whole experience was the control he had over her.

Luna nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "I love you," she murmured, eyes still half-lidded and her mind still thoroughly scattered. The feeling through the bond was fire, and Tom carefully avoided it. Even brushing against it hurt, a startling echo of the same pain he'd felt so many years ago when he first tried to kill Potter.

Tom kissed her forehead, smirking as even that made her twitch in overstimulation. He didn't return the sentiment, but… "Thank you," he said instead, knowing she'd catch the scope of his feelings. Perhaps not love, because he was firmly incapable of that, but affection certainly.

Luna smiled at him and, as she recovered, pushed herself up to sitting. She glanced down at her body. "That was quite a bit messier than I'd expected," she admitted. "But also quite a bit more enjoyable. Do you think the two are merely correlated or is perhaps one causative of the other?"

With a snort, Tom shook his head. "Perhaps a bit of both," he offered. "It's still your birthday for a few more minutes. Would you rather stay here or return to your room?"

Luna laid back down and pulled him closer to her. "Stay. I want to experience proper post-coital cuddling."

"As you wish," Tom murmured. He watched as her eyes slid closed and her breathing evened out, gently tucking her hair behind her ear when it seemed to be bothering her.

In the morning, Tom reluctantly returned to Severus's quarters with the bag of mostly unused potions. Uncomfortable or not, he would rather not make Severus waste time brewing more potions when Tom hadn't used these ones. His servant was sitting and sipping hot tea when Tom entered, and the man stared at him for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "I take it your… endeavor went better than expected?"

Tom ignored the way his face heated up. This was why he hadn't wanted to come down here. "Indeed." He cast a suspicious glance at the table. There was a second cup. "You had a visitor?"

A woman sauntered out of the bedroom wearing what appeared to be one of Severus's shirts. "Has," she said.

Tom stared. A few years younger, slightly paler skin perhaps, but even having met Lily Potter in person, it was hard to believe this wasn't her. "Your Transfiguration Mistress, I assume?"

Severus inclined his head, looking faintly uneasy. "This is Lilith," he said by way of introduction. "This is my master," he told her, ignoring the way Tom's gaze shot to him in surprise.

The woman examined him. "I see," she murmured. She crossed the room and picked up a wand, presumably hers, and began casting. A few moments later, her appearance had adjusted to resemble a female version of Harry Potter. She Conjured a mirror and examined herself. "Not bad," she said with a nod.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked, eyes narrowed.

Lilith smiled. "Just expanding my repertoire. You wouldn't believe how many men would love to bed The Boy Who Lived but are uncomfortable with the 'boy' part of things. I can, of course, simply use a photograph, but it's more realistic if I can meet the actual person."

Tom wasn't sure how he felt about this. Perhaps sensing his unease, the woman changed herself back to her almost Lily form. "Don't worry, love. I charge extra for real people, even gender-bent versions, and the extra goes to the person's vault. Anonymously, of course." She grinned. "Want to see something?" At Tom's hesitant nod, she began casting again. Not long after, Voldemort stood there, though he looked slightly off, especially as he was was still wearing Severus's shirt. Lilith laughed in her own voice at the disgust on his face and undid the transfiguration. "People actually ask for that too. 'Course, I've never met the man in real life, so it's not perfect. I can't manage Parseltongue either, and you wouldn't believe how many people have weird fetishes surrounding that."

Tom turned his attention to Severus, who looked just as sick as Tom felt. At least it seemed his servant wasn't one of the people requesting that. "I'll be going now," Tom said, eager to escape the woman's unsettling presence. He left the dungeons and returned to Gryffindor Tower, resolved to forget that entire conversation.

Naturally, Ginny and Hermione were awake and annoyed when he got there. Well, Ginny was annoyed. Hermione just looked tired and ready for the day to be over already. "Good morning," Tom said as he gathered his supplies for the day's classes.

Ginny huffed but said nothing. Judging by the way she glared at Hermione, her silence was only due to the older girl. Tom raised his eyebrow at Hermione, who just sighed and shook her head. "Good morning, Tom," the muggleborn girl said.

With another huff, Ginny left. Tom glanced at the door, then looked back at Hermione. "What happened?"

"She's just jealous. Of Luna, since you… you know. If it was me first, she'd have accepted it because I've been bonded to you longer, but since Luna is relatively recent…" Hermione shrugged. "I tried to explain it to her, and I think she understands, but she's still upset."

"You tried to explain it," Tom repeated skeptically. "And what is your interpretation of my decision?"

Hermione smiled tiredly. "It's because you trust Luna with yourself." At Tom's blank look, she shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Um… I do think that if you're planning to have intercourse with either of us anytime soon, you should go with Ginny first."

Tom had not, in fact, been planning to do anything like that in the near future, but he could acknowledge Hermione's point. Jealousy had its uses, but this instance of it was unlikely to be productive. "Understood. And you? Are you also jealous?"

Hermione hesitated. "A bit." She shrugged. "But I can wait. Did Luna enjoy her present?"

Tom's soft smile was more than answer enough.

He gave it until the next weekend, but Ginny remained quiet and irritable. At last, Tom waited until they were going to bed, thankful that she at least hadn't made things more difficult for him by going back to her dorm, then demanded, "What do you want?"

Ginny glanced at Hermione, who sighed and shrugged, then flung herself back against the bed with a little scream of frustration. "Luna?!"

"Luna," Tom repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't even do a ritual or anything!" Ginny exclaimed. "Why her first? And when do we get our turns?"

Tom sighed. "There was no particular meaning to the decision, Ginny," he said. "As for not performing a ritual…" He shrugged uncomfortably. Honestly, he hadn't even considered it, because Luna said she wanted the experience to be pure. That would require explaining to Ginny that he intended to use sex to control her further, and while there was a certain appeal to manipulating her even while she was on guard against such manipulations, he ultimately saw no reason to make things harder for himself. Bullshit it was then. "Virginity is a social construct, and sacrificing it is thus a purely symbolic act. The concept holds very little interest to Luna, so it would provide very little of worth as a sacrifice in a ritual. I'd much rather perform such rituals with the two of you."

Ginny studied him carefully, and Tom carefully kept his expression bland and his emotions as bored as he could manage. His explanation was perfectly rational. It simply wasn't something he'd been thinking about at the time. Really, it wouldn't be surprising if he'd realized that subconsciously, so it might not even be a lie at all. At last, Ginny huffed and sat back up. "Fine. What rituals were you considering with Hermione and me?"

And so Tom found himself giving a lesson on ritual sex magic at the next full meeting of The Gray.

"There are a couple different broad categories of sex-based rituals," Tom began once everyone was present. He waited a moment while the teenagers before him whispered to each other and giggled. He kept his expression bored, with a little derision, and they slowly quieted into embarrassed silence. Tom nodded. "The kind most people think of first are rituals that sacrifice one's virginity. They're powerful because they can only be done once, but that power is unstable because virginity itself is more or less a symbolic sacrifice rather than a physical one. These rituals then tend to lend themselves best to short-term, powerful gains.

"Another kind of ritual is the kind that uses both the energy invested into the sex and the potential for children to be produced from that coupling as the sacrifice. These rituals are best used for small but long-term gains. This type of ritual is left open, and so every instance of sex will enhance the effects. What makes them problematic is that it becomes exponentially harder to close the ritual the longer it remains active. It makes them a poor idea for anyone who wishes to have children in the future.

"The first two types of rituals both require some form of consent, no matter how dubious, from all involved parties." Tom glanced at the students. "There are also rituals that require a lack of consent. These are more powerful and more volatile. More importantly, if the immortality of it doesn't matter to you, they are also damaging to the caster. There is always some degree of rebound from such rituals, and so I won't be discussing them in more detail."

One Hufflepuff called out, blushing terribly as she did, "Have you ever done any sex rituals?"

Tom shook his head. "No, but there is one ritual I plan on performing in the future. It will correct my eyesight."

That spurred a susurrus of hushed but excited conversations. Tom rolled his eyes. Obviously, that ritual would be happening with either Ginny or Hermione. Teenagers could be so ridiculous.

"What about power-boosting rituals?" Dean asked, once the room had quieted a bit more.

"What is power?" Tom asked, smiling wryly at the blank looks on people's faces. "Indeed, there are rituals to increase a person's muscle mass, increase their magic output, increase their ability to retain knowledge, and just about any specific result you can think of, but a result as ill-defined as 'increased power' would require an absurdly complicated ritual and an infinitely more powerful source than a human losing their virginity could provide."

"That kind of ritual's relatively common in muggle fiction," Hermione commented by way of explanation to the few students who seemed confused by Dean's question.

Tom nodded. "It comes up occasionally in magical fiction as well. I believe there is a book called Harry Potter and the Reluctant Princess that includes such a thing." He grimaced, both at the thought of the book and at the fact he even knew about it. Potter had read a fair few of those books the summer before third year out of morbid curiosity, and they'd been, to a one, completely awful. "For the record," he added, considering the contents of that book, "if a person says 'no,' that is not your cue to ravish them. Especially if you're an eight-year-old boy rescuing a, hopefully? presumably? similarly young princess."

Beside him, Ginny flushed heavily. "I can't believe I never even considered that. And they never even mention the princess's age, do they…"

"Indeed," Tom commented, noticing a number of students, mostly female, squirming in embarrassment. Clearly, Ginny wasn't the only one with poor taste in books as a child. Or parents lacking any sense of what constitutes an age-appropriate story. "Anyway, those types of rituals all use specific runes and arrangements, so today we'll briefly cover those. If any of you decide to perform a sex-based ritual though, I expect you to research the ritual carefully beforehand and, if you are making any changes or inventing a ritual from scratch, seek advice from someone more knowledgable than you on the topic."

After the lesson, as the others filed out of the room, chatting excitedly about what they'd learned, Ginny examined the example circles the Room provided. "Your eyesight, huh?" she mused.

"It's useful," Tom said with a shrug. "Potter's reflexes are already good, as are his magical capacity and output. He's not terribly strong, but that's the sort of thing that has to be maintained after a ritual, so I may as well put in the work to increase my physical strength naturally. I don't care about my height, and Potter's already attractive without any effort on my part."

"What kind of ritual would you have done in your first life? As Tom Riddle?" Ginny asked.

Tom considered it. In all actuality, he'd have probably performed one of the more morally dubious rituals, because he hadn't believed in the supposed rebound written about in books. Now, having experienced it via his horcruxes, he had more respect for that backlash and the consequences it could have. In the end though, because of Myrtle, he hadn't ever even attempted any of the possible rituals. "I sacrificed my ability ot have sex altogether, originally," Tom said rather than explain the rest of it. "That's a far more concrete sacrifice, and more than capable of enacting great and lasting changes."

Ginny paled, freckles standing out starkly as she stared at him, aghast. "You're not going to do that again, are you?"

Laughing, Tom shook his head. "I would have a difficult time having the required heirs if I performed that ritual now," he told her. He examined the circle she was standing in front of, noting that it was the one he'd need to perform the ritual to correct his eyesight. He glanced at her. "You want to do it now." It wasn't a question.

Ginny nodded.

Tom looked around the room. Hermione and Luna were the only ones left, and though Hermione was paying zero attention to their conversation, Luna had summoned herself a chair and sat watching them with undisguised interest. "Alright," he sighed. "Strip."

"Wait, now now?" Ginny blurted out, taking a reflexive step back. "I mean… Now? With… There's still people here!"

Tom raised his eyebrows. "I fail to see the problem."

"But…"

Luna beamed at her friend. "Don't mind me," she said cheerfully.

"What?" Hermione asked, suddenly realizing there was something happening she should pay attention to.

Ginny gulped, sending Tom a pleading look. At his bored gesture to get on with it though, she steeled herself and grabbed the hem of her robes, pulling them up and over her head without further hesitation. Once started, she undressed quickly until she stood nude in front of Tom (and Luna and Hermione, who looked both embarrassed and intrigued). "Well?" she asked challengingly, blushing all the way down the front of her chest and up to the tips of her ears.

Tom glanced at Luna, who smiled encouragingly. He nodded and removed his own clothes. "Show me what you can do," he ordered.

He was happy to be (relatively) sweet with Luna, but he had no intention of treating Ginny so kindly. He remembered her confessions more than a year ago, and he'd give her exactly what she needed.

Hermione made a noise in the back of her throat, something disapproving, but she bit back whatever she'd wanted to say when Ginny smoothly knelt in front of Tom and took him into her mouth.

Tom sucked in a quick breath, trying to control his reaction to the sudden warmth. To his surprise though, Ginny seemed to know what she was doing. She moved with practiced ease, watching his reactions and adjusting accordingly. He looked to Luna, who was watching them still with a smile, then to Hermione, who looked thoroughly aroused. He glanced down at Ginny, and the utter submission in front of him brought him to the edge with a sharp burst of smug pleasure. "Stop," Tom ordered, and he had no choice but to be relieved that she obeyed immediately, because he wouldn't have been able to last much longer.

He took a deep, calming breath, then sent Ginny a narrow-eyed look when he felt her smugness through the bond. That wouldn't do. "Someone's been practicing," he commented.

"I asked Fred to send me a set of enchanted sex toys," the girl said unabashedly. "There's a whole training series."

Tom glanced at Luna, who gave him a shrug. Apparently he wasn't the only one who'd wanted to perfect their technique first. He wondered what Hermione might have in store for him. He also wondered how Fred felt about sending his younger sister sex toys. He'd never had a sister, so he might be wrong, but he thought it was the sort of thing people generally found uncomfortable.

It didn't really matter, but thinking about it did help him ease back from the edge of orgasm. Tom gestured toward the circle, mentally requesting the remaining necessary items from the room. "Lay down," he said. When she'd done so, he stepped closer and smirked at seeing she was wearing her bracelet. Tom had looked up some additional spells in the book Sirius had given him so long ago. Some of the combinations were quite interesting, he thought, like one that combined a charm to keep her sensitivity increasing while also preventing her from reaching climax. Naturally, he'd added anything he thought might be useful to him, locked under Parseltongue commands. That would work perfectly just now. He hissed quietly while tapping the stone with his wand.

Ginny's body shuddered, and her eyes widened. "What -"

"Try to hold still and quiet, if you would," Tom said pleasantly, knowing exactly how hard that would be for her. "I need to concentrate."

It was a relatively simple ritual in effect, but the setup was long and tedious. At one point, he checked on the other two girls to find they were playing chess with a spectacular dragon-themed set. Ginny, he was amused to note, had lost all coherency and was babbling nonsense as she writhed on the ground.

At last, the ritual was ready and needed only the last step. To his surprise, Luna stepped up and kissed him, one hand wandering down to stroke him back to hardness. Then she went back to Hermione, sending him a grin over her shoulder as she did. Shaking his head, Tom stepped into the circle, pushed Ginny's legs up and open, and thrust into her.

Ginny made a gasping sort of squeak and then she was actively trying to pull him further into her, her movements jerky and uncoordinated as she desperately tried to find relief. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease," she chanted wildly, and Tom had to pin her wrists to the floor because she kept trying to touch herself. "I'll do anything pleaseplease -"

"Anything?" Tom asked. He distantly noticed that this felt good in an entirely different way than being with Luna had.

"Yes!" she all but shouted.

"Who owns you?" Tom whispered harshly into her ear.

"You," she gasped. "I'm yours all yours your slut yours."

Tom hissed, the command to deactivate the bracelet, and she came hard. The sudden tightening around him made him come as well, and he found himself swept up in the magic as the ritual completed. There was a moment of pain, eyes stinging, but then the world sharpened and he laughed as the magic swirled about them and lent the room a heady air that made him flip Ginny over and fuck her again, then for a third and final time for the day as the magic finally dissipated, leaving him feeling wrung out and half-dead.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked. Her uniform was terribly skewed, and Tom laughed weakly.

"Urgh," Ginny groaned sensibly.

"That looked quite fun," Luna commented.

Hermione huffed. "I suppose you want me to take down the ritual?"

"Please," Tom managed. "Tell me how you plan to fix Astoria while you're at it."

The muggleborn witch shot him a surprised look but nodded. "I don't know all of it off the top of my head, but I noticed that all the main symptoms relate to…"

Tom let the talk wash over him and closed his eyes, still trying to catch his breath. Rituals could be intense, but he'd never performed this type of ritual, and the sheer energy of it had caught him off guard. He turned his head to examine what he could of Ginny. The girl was breathing hard, and she turned her head toward him and smiled helplessly. "Yours," she murmured, smile widening.

"Mine," Tom agreed.

AN: Kay, it's done for now. Sorry Hermione, but you're gonna have to wait a while, because I'm not doing another sex: the chapter for a while if I can help it. If it's terrible uh… well, sorry.