Chapter 10 – Pt. 2

The Hogwarts Library was one of Antares's favourite places. With its large rows of ancient texts and the overwhelming smell of aged parchment, it reminded him of his own personal library at Grimmauld Place. It was a place where he could usually study in peace, away from the disturbing chitter-chatter of the common room. Xavier, Sophia and Caroline could usually be found with him but more often than not he could be found tucked behind some dusty old tome at the back of the library, enjoying nobody's companying but his own.

But his visit to the library today wasn't for his pleasure, but rather to find someone that he thought might be able to help him with his little sex issue. He had heard from one of her housemates that this was the place where she could most likely be found.

Walking straight down the middle of the library, Antares quietly scanned the rows of dusty, heavily-packed, shelves of ancient books, making sure he didn't accidentally overlook the person he was searching for.

To anybody who didn't know the library as well as he did, they might have given up after 10 minutes of searching without any sign of what they were looking for. But Antares knew the Library like the back of his hand, knowing every hidey hole and hidden alcove that there was to know.

After he didn't find her in any of the isles, nor the alcoves and other common hiding spots, he went to the last place he could think of. A place that most students didn't even know existed.

Making sure that he wasn't being followed, Antares made his way to the back of the library. He passed what seemed like hundreds of bookshelves, all of them made out of a rich dark wood and covered in thick layers of dust.

It wasn't until he was at the very back of the library that he finally came to a stop. In front of him stood a shelf that looked identical to all the other bookshelves. But unlike the other shelfs, this one held a secret that very few people knew about.

Stepping closer to the shelf, Antares began to count in his head. One. Two. Three. Four. He stopped here and put his hand one the fourth tome from the left.

The tome that he held between his fingers was dark red in colour and was suspiciously covered in less dust than the others that surrounded it. Someone had been here, and recently at that.

Checking his left, and then his right to make sure nobody was around, Antares quickly pulled the book all the way forward. As he removed his hand from the book, the shelf began to swing forward as if it was on some type of magical hinge.

Antares smirked as he quickly entered the room that had just been revealed, the bookshelf closing behind him a few seconds later.

The room he had entered couldn't really be called a room. It was perhaps a meter and a half long by a meter and a half wide and was made entirely out of some type of grey stone. Across from him stood a large wooden door, dark red in colour with a large brass handle.

Having been here multiple times in the past, Antares had no reservations about turning the handle and entering the room beyond.

A large circular room lay on the side of the door. Bookshelves lined the entire wall from left to right. A roaring fire could be found on the left side of the room, with several leather armchairs sitting in front of it. A brown shag carpet covered the entirety of the room.

The room wasn't empty however. For seated in one of the comfortable leather armchairs beside the fireplace with a book in her lap was the very person he had been searching for. Seeing as she hadn't looked up from her book, Antares could only assume that she hadn't noticed his presence. He took this time to silently assess the women who he would hopefully be having sex with very soon.

Maxine Harrison was a sixth grade Hufflepuff half-blood witch of mixed English and Chinese descent. She was of an average height, had amazingly smooth honey coloured skin and long, lustrous dark-black hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and reached to just below her shoulder blades. Her face was oval shaped and was very beautiful, sporting a small nose, lush full lips and almond-shaped eyes that where a beautiful hazel in colour. Overall, she was one beautiful woman.

"Good afternoon, Maxine"

Maxine looked up from her book with a confused expression on her face.

"Black?" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course. Quiet the effort it was as well, you're not an easy person to find. You're lucky that you're not the only person that knows about this place" replied Antares, walking into the room and taking the seat across from her.

"But why were you looking for me? To my knowledge we've never actually met before" said Maxine, closing her book and sitting up in her chair.

"There's a first time for everything I guess. I always enjoy meeting pretty ladies such as yourself" replied Antares with a smile.

"What do you want Black? No doubt theirs something that you want from me. People like you don't just make new friends without wanting something in return. So what is it that you want from me?" said Maxine, rolling her eyes at his obviously flirting. Although she couldn't completely conceal her emotions as her lips curved ever so slightly.

"oh how you wound me so" said Antares dramatically, one hand raised to his forehead.

"Quit it Black!" she warned.

"Okay, Okay. I'll get to the point" replied Antares, his expression becoming serious as he sat up straighter in his seat.

"I have a proposition for you. A very lucrative proposition"

"What type of proposition?" asked Maxine, her curiosity getting the best of her.

'Now for the hard part' thought Antares to himself, 'convincing someone I've just met for the first time to have sex with me for money'.

Antares wasn't stupid however. He knew that if he just outright asked her to have sex with him for an insane amount of gold that should most likely say no. For what self-respecting Witch would say yes to such an outrageous proposal from somebody that had only just met.

So being the cunning Slytherin he was, Antares had made sure to do his homework on his intended target. If all went according to plan, he would be leaving this room a very happy man. If things didn't go as well as he hoped, well then he could always resort to a memory charm.

"As you may or may not have heard, I have been entered into a Betrothal Contract with Helena Greengrass and as such have to marry her before my 21st Birthday" said Antares.

"Of course I did, it's the only topic the whole school is talking about" replied Maxine.

"Well," continued Antares, "you being aware of the old ways should know what this contract means for me. If you don't, then let me enlighten you. It means I'm not allowed sexual relations with anyone but her".

"And this has something to do with me because …" asked Maxine, not seeing how Blacks sex life was any concern of hers.

"But that bylaw doesn't come into effect until after I'm married," continued Antares as if she hadn't spoken at all, "which means that I'm allowed to have sex with anyone I want until the day that I am actually married. Which is a very good thing seeing as I very much enjoy having sex."

Maxine's face turned a beautiful shade of pink at Antares's casual discussion of his sex life. She wasn't the type of girl to casually talk about such crass subjects such as one's personal sex life. Especially to someone she had only just met.

"Now I know that you don't know me, but if you did then you would know that I am a very honourable man, and that I would never do anything to disrespect my future wife. I know that there is absolutely no possible way that I will be able to remain celibate for the next five years, and I would never even dream of trying to remain so. Sure I could continue as I have for the last two years and sleep with any of my various partners, but now that everyone is aware of the fact that I am to be married, things have become a little bit more complicated. No more can I just waltz around the castle and sleep with whomever I want, not without causing certain people to talk. Which is something that I'd rather avoid if I could help it. The last thing I need for my reputation is for everyone to starting talking about how I'm being unfaithful to my future wife. So this is where you come into play. My proposition to you is this. In exchange for a completely sexual relationship with myself whenever and wherever I see fit, I will give you 10,000 Galleons a month."

"You want me to what?!" exclaimed Maxine loudly as she got to her feet.

"I want to pay you a lot of money for a lot of sex" said Antares with a completely straight face.

Antares sank back into his chair with a satisfied look on his face as Maxine began to pace back in forth in front of the fireplace. He really did enjoy how her face rapidly changed from one expression to the next, going from shock to outrage then to anger and back again to outrage. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not but he swore he even saw her smile on more than one occasion.

"You still haven't given me an answer Maxine" said Antares after several minutes without a response.

"Absolutely not!" shouted Maxine as she abruptly came to a stop.

"Come on Maxine, it's not like it'll mean anything. It'll just be a couple of good looking teenagers engaging in casual consensual sex from time to time. You don't have to love me. Hell I don't even care if you like me. I just need someone who knows how to be discrete, and I believe you're that type of person. 10,000 Galleons a month is a lot of money, especially if the arrangement is for the next 24 months."

"I don't need, nor want, your money Black. I'll pass on your "deal" thanks" she spat at him in disgust,

"Just think it about it would you," he said as he stood up, "No harm ever came from thinking things through".

With that Antares gave her one of his most sincere smiles as he made to make his way from the room.

"Why me Black?" she called out to him, "What made you decide to come to me when we've never even spoken before?"

Antares hand froze on the door handle as he heard Maxine called out to him from across the room.

"I've always had a thing for pretty Asians." he called out to her without turning around, the corners of his mouth turned up in avid amusement.

With that Antares opened the door and exited the secret library, leaving a very speechless and very confused Maxine Harrison behind him.