Author's Note:
I am glad to hear that everyone liked the moment that FINALLY happened, but I was very sad to hear how many people seemed bitter it wasn't from Ginny's POV. We will see more from her POV soon, but not from the first moment. Please trust that I know what I am doing. Thank you.
I went to see Doctor Strange on the weekend and I loved it! Darker and a bit more gore than I anticipated, but I loved it!
To those of you who reviews as GUEST — I have no problem with you wanting to be anonymous but maybe you could sign it as something you'd like so I know who you are? Anything you want. Peanut Butter and Jelly OR Amy OR Guest #312. Just something would be really helpful! Thank you in advance!
Reviews and Comments: To Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you thought it was totally worth it. To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you for saying that was beautiful! To CherrySara: Thank you! I love that you won a bet with yourself about it happening at Somerset on Valentine's Day. Thank you! To Hydrorose: Thank you very much! I love that you had a smile on your face all day! They are perfect! Thank you! To Katie2001: Thank you! Sorry for making you cry, but I'm glad you loved it! To akshutalankar: Yes, Harry finally got laid LOL. Ginny has overcome her fear and anxiety and no one but Harry could have helped her do so. She trusts him explicitly. Thank you! To anamigeller: Yes, it finally happened! Thank you for saying you loved how everything turned out! To LeahJonesHP: Thank you! Yes, they finally took that step. We will see how Ginny feels about it, yes. Thank you! To gemini614: Thank you very much! To Mutt N Feathers: Thank you! I had so much fun writing Ron's freakout. To riddermark: Thank you for saying it was perfect! To alix33: Thank you!
To AnonymousHufflepuffWriter: Thank you for loving the comedy! Thanks for saying I navigated the hype because I'm proud of it. I am proud of it and there was so much pressure I am very happy with how it turned out. Plus, now I can write even more sexy times for Hinny (so not disappointed). Thank you! To puttyman24: Thank you very much! Glad I could show some hilarity! To Derpdude32: Thank you! I agree, it was nice to see. To wolfjinx15475: Thank you very much! Yes, I suppose it has been the "mother of all slow-burns" LOL. I do accept high pitch screams as reviews lol. Thank you so much for saying it's the most amazing Hinny scene! To Zarathos Morgenstern: Thank you! I love that you admitted to your coworker what you were reading! Points lol! Yes, round two lol. Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you for saying chapter 326 will always be your favourite Hinny chapters (so much more Hinny sexy times and goodness to come). I wanted it to be real and to show how natural it was for them, they didn't plan it, it just fit. Thank you so much for your kinds words! To ellyann13: I consider Daphne to be beautiful in that film noir/beauty queen kind of way. Ron is a bit of an idiot LOL. Theobas is worth it and Theo knows it, but talking it over with Ginny definitely helped him come to that conclusion. I think it's part of the house elf magic as much as the sounds Hinny were making behind the closed door LOL. Thank you!
To Chris: Thank you! To Cath: Yes, four years later and 326 chapters LOL. But thank you! I love that you shoved your hand in your mouth to keep from screaming. LOL. Thank you! To Jimbo: Thank you! I wanted to show exactly that, how Harry and Ginny complete each other. To Slaidback: Thanks for saying it was the with the wait. It was quite hot. Thanks. To ahlem stelena: You wanted to reread it a 100 more times first? Wow! Thank you! I'm so glad you felt it lived up to your expectations. Thank you very much! Thanks for the second review, as I said, we will see more from Ginny's POV later and part of it was from Ginny/s POV, her thoughts were in there. To Sara: Thank you for saying chapter 326 is officially your favourite. I love that you're smiling like an idiot! Thank you! To GODMISHA: Yes, it has finally happened! Thank you! In terms of power — Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Theo, Neville, Seamus, Dean. Thank you. To the Mandalorian terminator: Yes, it finally happened! Thank you for saying it was written beautifully. I'm glad you enjoyed the girls calendar.
To skyboundforlife: Thank you for saying the wait was worth it and it didn't disappoint. I think not having it from Ginny's POV meant more, the glimpses of her POV we did see show how ready she is and we will see more from her POV later on. Thanks for liking the necklace. Thank you! To darkhk: They are both on the potion. To pix25: Yes, they did! To Saz J: Ha, don't be annoyed with yourself for not guessing Seamus LOL. Yes, the ship did land! Thanks for saying it was beautiful and yes, a cold shower might be needed! Thank you! To Anne: Ha, I know it was a slow burn but I did promise we would get there, eventually. Thank you! To Undead Gothic Princess: Thank you! That was what I wanted, a big moment for them, but downplayed. It wasn't planned. It just happened naturally. I'm glad you liked the address of the house elves respect for space as well as Ron's freakout. Thank you! To Shivani: I love that you have a huge grin on your face! Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean the world to me!
To ascfan: Thanks for saying chapter 326 is your new favourite chapter! I'm sorry I made you cry, but thanks for saying my writing needs to be on shelves! To Griffind00r: Thank you for saying it was perfect! Yes, Ron is totally obsessed with his ass! Thank you! To EnigmaticEmperor: Thank you! It was a complete coincidence that Hinny's first time fell on the anniversary of the first chapter, but thank you! Yes, Hinny just understand each other. Thank you! To Steelcode: I love Ron. Thank you! To Fanfictionlover: Yes, they finally did the deed! We will check in with Voldemort soon and no, I will not be posting daily. To Sloopyqueen4: Thank you! I like Taylor Swift, but I wouldn't say I'm a fan. I sing along when she comes on the radio. I agree with those lyrics though, it does fit Hinny well. Thank you! To Coward: Thank you for taking the time to apologize. I have no idea who you were prior as I have had a lot of hateful reviews, but I appreciate you coming forward and telling me you are sorry. It's kind of you and I wish you the best in healing. To Guest: I have no idea what Mills and Boon is (I'm assuming an American thing I don't get), but yes, there will be more smut. A lot more smut. I'm sorry if you think that means the story isn't "more substantial" but if after 326 chapters you haven't realized smut is a big part of this story, I really can't help you. Read on or don't. Your choice.
To Gigi87: Thank you so much for such an amazing review! They always make my day! Your boyfriend's response made me chuckle! Everyone definitely deserves a guy like Harry for their first time! And nope, they definitely are not going to be able to keep their hands off of each other! Ha, they won't be running into Remus, but don't worry, he will find out. Harry is very invested in Ginny's career and he's not afraid to admit it! He is her number one fan! I think with NEWTs and Head duties, Ron and Hermione don't get as much time alone as they'd like. Seamus is definitely a shit starter and ha, Harry isn't the moon people type (unless he was drunk). No, Hannah and Susan never really stayed friends after that. Ginny ignores KJ and Romilda most of the time, but I'm sure they are bitter. It is hard for Theo to deal with that job, but he knows it's worth it to be with Sebastian. They are falling in love and haven't realized it yet. Theo isn't ready to tell him about Ernie yet, but he will. You're right, he's embarrassed and upset with himself for letting it get so out of controllable and for allowing Ernie to make him feel vulnerable. To tell Sebastian will be a big step for him. Thank you very much!
To ravenclaw_rockchick: Yes, it finally happened! And yes, you should be that excited! LOL. Dean loves Seamus, but I agree with him, Seamus made the problem for himself LOL. Thank you! To TatiRena: Thank you! To briana_t: Thank you! I agree, it was so them! Ron and Hermione definitely had some angry sex lol. To katelyn453: Thank you! Hinny can't wait to do it again either LOL. To sandra: Ron was jealous! Seamus definitely admitted Harry's butt is better. Thank you! To CorbanD17: Thank you! To AQuickRead91: Thank you! I enjoyed writing the aftermath the most, them just in bliss. Ron would love it if one of the girls slapped his arse LOL. I think it would only escalate the situation. We will see Bas and Theo ice skating here. To Fanfis01: Thank you! To PurpleLotus: Thank you! To Mackie919: Yes, it finally happened! Thanks for saying it was definitely worth the wait! Harry is definitely so sweet and caring! I love Ron being dramatic and fun sometimes! Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Thank you! You won't find out Theo's reaction just yet, but you will. Yes, Harry will tell Remus. And don't worry, lots of smut in the future! Thank you!
To 19HuffleClaws: Thank you! Harry will tell Remus, just not yet. And ha, I don't think it will be as awkward as the "how do I tell her that I want to use my mouth" mirror call. Thank you! To kyciona: Thank you very much! Theo and Bas' first time is coming soon! To shuweet: I'm glad you were right! Thanks for saying it was so beautiful and perfect! I'm glad so many people are loving my Theobas, we'll see more of them soon! Thank you! To BadWolfKris: Thank you! To Joyce Foesenek: Yes, they had sex! Harry was definitely a true gentleman! Thank you! To AnaGPotter: Thank you! I love that you loved every line! To Wraithinthenight: Wow, the whole story in 3 days! I'm guessing you didn't sleep or eat? Thank you! To Bellmel: Ha, Hinny getting jiggy! They did! Thank you for saying that it being in the moment made sense for them because "they are the couple that places no expectations on each other, and they just enjoy being in the moment together." That's exactly what I was going for! And yes, I loved it happening in their future home! It was important for Ginny to make the call and of course Harry didn't pressure her! Harry is so sweet with his H charm (love that) and he is too adorable for words! Harry is definitely just so chuffed that he had sex lol. Harry definitely doesn't care about his arse so it was fun. Thank you! To Mizfitz22: Thank you! I didn't want it to be rushed and I wanted the moment to be perfect to them. Thank you very much!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN:
The One With the Rose and the Lily
Theo met Sebastian that morning at Apricity Spread, feeling a bit nervous. They hadn't had much time to talk yesterday after the Wizengamot session because Sebastian had to be somewhere. But they'd snogged.
A lot.
He saw Sebastian's tall frame come through the door and his face immediately broke out into a smile. When Sebastian bent down to kiss him before sliding into the booth across from him, Theo knew that he was still grinning stupidly.
"Hi."
"Hi," Bas said, reaching out to take Theo's hands in his. "I'm sorry that I had to cancel last night."
"It's all right, I understand," Theo said. "Your work is important."
"It is," Sebastian agreed. "But I'm still sorry and would have rather spent my evening with you."
Theo nodded, chewing his bottom lip. "I um… I ordered our usual."
"Great," Sebastian said just as the waitress brought them tea, orange juice, and full plates of breakfast. Once the waitress left, he placed a privacy charm around their table. "I wanted to talk to you about where I was last night."
Theo lifted an eyebrow. "You said that you had to talk to someone."
"Goyle," he corrected. "I went to see Gregory Goyle."
"Oh?"
"He's in the crypt right now awaiting trial, but I found a lawyer willing to take on his case. I've been speaking to Shacklebolt and the prosecutors about his case and I think that I may be able to get most of — if not all — of the charges dropped."
"Really?" Theo said, leaning towards him. "Pansy will love that."
Sebastian nodded. "He's told us everything and hasn't hidden any of it. When we brought in Ledbury and Belby in the summer, after the attack on Hogwarts… neither of them were willing to share as much. They talked of course, but not like Goyle did. He's put it all out there, expecting to spend the rest of his life behind bars as long as we promised to protect his wife and son and frankly, he doesn't deserve it. He's done a lot of good, despite taking orders from a dark lord. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I do not believe people like that, who are genuinely good and who genuinely do not want to hurt people, should be punished for mistakes that were made out of their control."
Theo's lips curved. "You have a good heart, Bas."
"Well, I didn't need a good heart to do what I could last night. I needed Auror Arsehole."
Theo chuckled. "I knew you loved that name!"
Sebastian shrugged. "It works when I need it too. Anyway, I managed to get a pre-trial set up for him in March, so that will be a good thing and we'll go from there. I'm sorry that it had to be last night, but some time-sensitive information came through and I had to act on it."
"I get it," Theo said, leaning back in his seat. "Ginny and I talked about it last night, actually, your job and… what it means to be with someone who has to cancel all of the time. The ramifications of that."
Sebastian linked his fingers with his, leaning across the table a bit. "It's not going to be easy, I know it. Being with someone like me is hard because of my job and I know that asking you to start something with me — after knowing that it could be like this — is hard. I would completely understand if you didn't want to start something between us. I would hate it, but I'd get it, Theo."
Theo squeezed Sebastian's hand in his. He had thought about it. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't. The idea of never having definite plans, of never knowing when he would get to see him again. It was something he had thought about. But there was a bigger part of him that told him he was wrong. He didn't know what this was that they were starting between them, but he knew that he didn't want to lose it.
"We've already started something, Bas," Theo replied, "and I think it's worth it."
"So do I," Sebastian said, kissing their joined hands. He pulled the privacy charms down as they turned to their breakfast. "So, you said that you had something fun in mind for today?"
"Yes," Theo said, looking at Sebastian from under his lashes and suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "The professors are putting on a little winter festival at Hogwarts with ice skating, a little winter café, and sledding. I thought that it would be fun if we went to check it out."
"Sledding definitely sounds fun," Sebastian said, his lips curving. "I haven't been sledding in years."
Theo bit his lip. "I don't know about fun, exactly. Professor Hagrid designed it and his idea of fun can sometimes be a bit dangerous, but I've never been sledding before so I'm not sure."
"Even better," Sebastian said. "You'll love it. The thrill of flying over the hills at neck-breaking speed and not knowing when or why or how you're going to stop… it's one of the best things about winter."
"I take it back," Theo said, shaking his head. "We can't go sledding."
Sebastian chuckled. "You can hold on tight to me and I'll steer."
Theo's smile widened. "Well, all right, if you insist."
"I do," he said. "How have you never been sledding? What did you do in the snow when you were a kid?"
Theo shrugged. "I don't know. I just haven't."
"Dad used to take me and my sisters out every winter to this one hill. We'd race to see who was the fastest. Soraya and I on one and Dad and Selene on the other. Maman would be down at the finish line, cheering us on."
"Did you win?"
Sebastian nodded. "Usually. Soraya and I can be very competitive. One year we crashed into a tree, broke the sled, and Soraya broke her arm. I broke my ankle. We were a mess. But we still claimed victory because we hit the tree before Selene and Dad passed us."
"You're mad," Theo said, shaking his head. "I don't think I trust you to steer anymore."
Sebastian grinned. "Just hold on tight and you'll love it."
"I did try skiing once. Seven years ago, in Switzerland," Theo admitted. "It was actually kind of fun once I got the hang of it."
"You went skiing?"
Theo nodded. "Father dragged me off there during the winter holiday. He went off to meet his concubine and I went off to see the sites. I ended up seeing some Muggles skiing and figured I'd give it a go! It was fun. I liked the lift thingie that brought me up to the hill. I would do that again."
"You'll like sledding," Sebastian assured him. "And for the record, I think I'd love to see you skiing."
Theo grinned. "I think It'd like to do it again some time. See if I can still remember how." He reached across the table to touch Sebastian's hand. "After we go sledding today and check out this little winter festival at Hogwarts, maybe we can continue that talk about more we started."
Sebastian's blue eyes heated. "Or you can just come back to mine."
Theo swallowed, his heart racing. "Yes. I'd like that."
Sebastian turned back to his breakfast, a soft smile on his face. "Okay. So, tell me more about this festival. What else do your professors have planned?"
Theo scooped up some of his eggs and thought that today was going to be a lot of fun, and he couldn't wait to spend it with the man before him.
~ ASC ~
Ron found Hermione in the library, books piled around her. If he didn't know her so well, he would have walked right by it. He came up behind her, hands on her shoulders.
"You work too hard."
"Not possible," Hermione said, her quill still writing. "I just want this assignment to be perfect."
"You work too hard," Ron repeated. "Come on, let's go outside and see the festival."
"I need another hour."
Ron kneaded her shoulders. "Which you can finish later."
"Ron…"
"Hermione," he said back. "Let's go ice skating. Have fun. Do you remember what fun is?"
Her lips curved at that and Ron took the opportunity to duck down and kiss her neck.
"Come on… come play with me."
"I suppose ice skating sounds fun," she relented.
When she made to stand, he tugged her to his feet. "I'll even help you carry all of these back to the dorm."
"Oh, how gallant," she teased.
Ron pulled her close and after peeking around and not seeing Madam Pince's sour face anywhere, he kissed her.
"So, am I supposed to pull out the big wands and do something grand for today?" Ron asked, his arm around Hermione's shoulders when they left the library.
Hermione wrinkled her noes. "Because it's Valentine's Day? Hardly. You didn't do anything special last year."
Ron frowned. "Sure I did."
Hermione gave him an amused look. "The only reason you even know it's Valentine's Day today is because the professors planned this winter festival for us."
"I did do something before," Ron protested. "Didn't I?"
Hermione smiled. "You were very sweet. I just meant that there was no grand gesture."
Ron nodded. "Well, you should have gotten one. I'll make it up to you today."
Hermione linked her hand with his. "Ice skating sounds fun. I don't need a grand gesture."
Ron kissed her and then they put Hermione's books back in the head dorm and dressed warmly before heading downstairs. The Black Lake was already pretty full of students having a good time. They waved at Seamus and Dean who were stumbling around the ice and laughing. Neville and Hannah were holding hands as they skated as were Lavender and Padma. Ron saw Theo with a tall dark haired bloke and pointed.
"That must be Sebastian Kane."
Hermione looked over to where Ron was pointing. "He's very handsome. Theo looks happy."
"He does," Ron agreed.
Luna stopped in front of them, her hand linked in Channing White's. "Hullo, Ron, Hermione. This is lovely, isn't it?"
"Very," Ron agreed. "Hi, White."
"Weasley," Channing said in greeting. "Heard your Cannons lost last night? A real slaughter. Five hundred and ninety to zero."
Ron scoffed and Hermione turned to Luna.
"Enjoying your Valentine's Day?"
"Yes. You?"
"So far, yes."
Luna moved away from Channing to link her arm with Hermione's as he and Ron argued over the Cannons and statistics. Neither wizard looked at them as she tugged her away to talk.
"Have you been all right?"
"Fine," Hermione assured her.
Luna watched her closely for a moment. "No, but you will be. You should stop worrying. He won't care."
"I don't know what you mean," Hermione said.
Luna smiled. "Yes, you do. Enjoy your day with Ron. I'm going to go shag Channing now."
"Luna!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.
Luna shrugged. "It's Valentine's Day and the least he can do is give me a good shag. Talk to you later."
Hermione watched her hurry off. Luna was always a puzzle to her, but this time, she thought she understood what the witch meant. She wrapped her arms around herself. That ugly scar on her arm… she'd done everything she could to keep it hidden from everyone — even herself. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel the blade cutting into her skin, still feel every letter being sliced. The scar reminded her of that moment and brought back the memories of Bellatrix's dark, mad eyes, her crooked, yellowing teeth, and that evil spine chilling cackle. Even in memory, it sent shivers down her spine.
She knew Ron was worried about her. She knew that he was keeping a close eye on her. She'd lost count of how many times Harry had appeared at her side randomly when Ron had Head Duties to attend to or how often Ron found an excuse to be in the library with her when he would usually rather be anywhere else. She appreciated that, but she also knew that it was going to take time.
When Zee called her on the mirror the other night, she'd been surprised to see her face.
"Zee, hi," Hermione answered. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine," Zee said, smiling into the mirror. "I just wanted to call and check in with you." At Hermione's look, her eyes softened. "I've been having some bad dreams and I thought that you might be suffering the same and could use a friendly face."
Hermione pursed her lips. "I'm all right."
Zee nodded. "My arm has healed pretty well. Having that vile word there isn't ideal, but I refuse to let myself be ashamed of what that bitch did to me. I stood up to her and I think remembering that I'm still standing despite what she did is a reminder of my strength. You're a very strong young woman, Hermione."
Hermione stared into the mirror before she let out a slow breath. "I can't sleep much."
"Have you talked to your friends about it? Or Ron?"
Hermione shook her head. "I want to, but… they don't understand. Not really. I'm the only Muggleborn and knowing that and what she cut into my skin… it's just a lot to deal with."
Zee nodded. "It is and you should talk to someone about that. You can call me anytime if you'd like."
"Thank you."
When she'd put her mirror away, she had felt a bit lighter. But she still hadn't managed to talk to Ron yet or to anyone really. She smiled when Ron's hand gripped hers, pulling her from her thoughts.
"You okay?" he asked, his blue eyes full of worry.
She snuggled herself into his arms and when those strong arms came around her, she felt calmer. Ron had a way of comforting her by doing very little and she loved that about him. He kissed the top of her head.
"Want to go inside and warm up? We can talk for a bit," he offered.
Hermione shook her head and pulled away from him. "No. Let's skate. Everything will keep."
Ron smiled and stole a kiss. "Okay, let's skate and then we're sneaking off to bed."
Hermione laughed when he tugged her back up against him. "Oh, we are, are we?"
"Absolutely," he said, pecking her lips. "My goal is to make you a quivering mess of nothing but naughty swear words."
Hermione flushed. "I don't swear."
Ron's slow smile made heat pool between her legs. "Oh, yeah, you do."
He grabbed her hand and led her back out across the ice and Hermione wondered how soon she could con him into doing those naughty activities. She suddenly wasn't up to skating anymore and definitely wanted to let her boyfriend talk her into bed.
~ ASC ~
Neville loved the light in Hannah's eyes as she showed off the promise ring he'd given her. It seemed that everyone had something to say about it from it being beautiful and Neville being the sweetest man ever, to them being too young and how promise rings were not the same as a real ring. The last taunt had come from Kevin Entwhistle and Neville had shoved his hands in his robes in his anger.
He knew how important Hannah was to him and that was what really mattered. One of the things he had realized was not only how important to him she was, but that he was genuinely considering her idea. She'd only mentioned it in passing and hadn't brought it up again but the more Neville thought of what he wanted to do after his thesis, the more appealing he thought it was.
He could picture it.
A quaint little place where Hannah could sell her baked goods with an adjoining room where he could make and build bouquets. He could have a huge greenhouse in the back to create and grow the flowers he wanted and Hannah could have the kitchen she always wanted. A place for them to both work with what they loved: Together. It really did sound ideal.
Neville knew that he wanted to spend his life with her. It hadn't been that long and he knew that, but it just felt right with Hannah. Everything felt right.
Caroline Abbott was still sending her daughter letters, talking to her about coming home and setting things right. Neville was so proud of her for standing her ground. He was so proud of her for standing up for herself. He felt that ever since she'd finally realized how vile her mother is, she'd really come into her own. She'd really started to realize how great she was. And he knew that he wasn't the only person who'd noticed.
Mandy had mentioned it to her and to him. Hannah was finally being the witch she deserved to be, who she wanted to be, and Neville thought that it was great. He loved seeing her laugh and smile. He loved seeing her hang out with her friends and tell people her thoughts. He loved that she wasn't as timid about speaking up and he loved that when she saw him, her eyes would light up.
Neville had spent all of Friday night in the kitchens with her, putting finishing touches on boxes of biscuits and fairy cakes that had been ordered by students. He helped her box them all up and sent them off with owls to be delivered to their respective valentines in the morning.
Ever since Hannah had made the fairy cakes for the Quidditch party, a lot of orders had started coming in. People were willing to pay her to make desserts and her eyes lit up every time a new one came in with a new request or a new challenge. Neville knew she was putting that money away into an account and saving up for her bakery. A little something to put away for her dream.
Neville was happy for her. He was just happy in general and it worried him. With everything that had happened in Hogsmeade, with the way that Harry had stood up to Voldemort, Neville knew that it was only a matter of time before the dark lord attempted to strike again. He knew that the next time would be much more serious and he knew that if the snake wasn't there, they were going to be in serious trouble.
They needed to come up with some sort of backup plan. A way for them to get to Nagini if Voldemort were to attack again and not bring the snake with him. Neville knew that Harry wasn't going to be able to hold off on ending it a second time. He had been lucky to have survived in Hogsmeade and to do so again without defeating Voldemort… it seemed too implausible. The problem would be finding out where the snake was and how to get to her.
They couldn't do it randomly either because it could tip Voldemort off to them knowing about his Horcruxes and that wasn't an option that they were willing to explore. But they did need to start thinking about what they needed to do when the time came and Neville knew that he wasn't the only person thinking that. Until Voldemort was gone, Neville wasn't sure what kind of future they could all truly prepare for.
Needless to say, it left him with a lot of thoughts.
He smiled when Hannah, stumbling on her skates, threw herself into his arms. "Hi! Come on! Mandy and Tony are skating over here."
Neville let her drag him across the ice to her friends and when she slipped, dragging him down with her, they both laughed from their spot on the ice. Neville helped her up and kissed her softly and thought yeah, he definitely had hopes for the future and that future was all about Hannah Abbott.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
~ ASC ~
Sebastian had to admit, the idea of spending the day at Hogwarts' winter festival had made him a bit nervous. He felt out of place among the students and suddenly the barely three years in their age difference seemed that much more massive than ever before. Especially looking over at the first and second years who Sebastian swore were way shorter than he remembered them being when he was at school.
They'd arrived at the gates after finishing breakfast and the half-giant that Sebastian remembered seeing around the grounds during the TriWizard Tournament had greeted them with a smile.
"Good mornin'! Who are yeh sneakin' in, Theo?"
Theo smiled and linked his fingers with Sebastian. "Hi, Hagrid. This is Auror Sebastian Kane. I told him about the festival and I hoped that he could join in."
"An Auror, eh?" Hagrid said, his beady eyes staring him down. "You dinna go ter Hogwarts?"
"No, Beauxbatons," Sebastian said. "Theo and I had plans today and instead of cancelling, he invited me here. I hope that's all right since I'm not a student?"
"Of cours' it is!" Hagrid exclaimed. "But yeh better see Professor Lupin an' sign in, just ter be sure! Nice ter meet yeh."
"Likewise," he said as Theo dragged him up the long bridge and into the castle.
Hogwarts was just as he remembered it. High ceilings and a warm welcome. He followed Theo to where Professor Lupin's office was and looked over at the man he had only met briefly in passing. He stood as tall as him, but with light brown hair. His eyes were unusual, almost the colour of whisky. He knew his wife spoke highly of him.
"Hi, Professor," Theo said, pulling Sebastian into the office by his hand. "I already spoke to Hagrid, but he told me to let you know. Bas is going to come to the festival with me today."
Lupin's eyes took in Sebastian before he nodded. "Of course, Theo. Kane, nice to see you again."
Sebastian nodded his greeting.
He heard Lupin mention something about signing out with Slughorn again if he left before Theo was dragging him off once more. When they reached the grounds, Sebastian had to admit, it looked pretty fantastic. Not only was Hogwarts a winter wonderland on it's own, but they had done a marvellous job at making it look like a small festival for the students to enjoy.
They started at the Black Lake, where a professor was charming their boots into skates. The moment his skates had touched the ice, memories of his childhood washed over him. He had always loved ice skating. Racing his sisters and chasing them across the ice or breaking out the sticks and playing a game of hockey. It had always been a lot of fun.
They started off slow, moving around the lake and holding hands, but when Sebastian told Theo to catch him, he couldn't help but grin when the brown eyes had widened in surprise. The sound of Theo's rambunctious laughter as he skated after him, had him grinning back. They spent an hour ice skating before returning to shore where Theo introduced him to Ciara, Julian, and Mila who shared a funny story about one of Hagrid's skrewts. Apparently it had gotten loose and somehow trapped itself inside of a snow bank. The skrewt had blown the whole bank up, scaring Fang, who had pissed himself as Hagrid chased the skrewt around the grounds.
"What exactly is a Blast-ended skrewt?" Sebastian asked. "Or a Fang for that matter."
Theo shook his head. "Fang is Hagrid's dog who is afraid of everything and trust me when I say you that don't want to know what a skrewt is."
When they made it over to where the sledding was taking place, Theo grabbed Sebastian's hand. Hagrid had somehow made massive hills with steep inclines for them to power through. There were races lined up with the finish line near the Forbidden Forest entrance.
"He's mad. We can't go down those hills!"
Sebastian chuckled and put his arm around Theo's shoulders. The sight of the hills looked even better than he had imagined it would be. "It will be fun."
"You're mad," Theo said, his eyes widening in alarm.
Sebastian smiled. He might be a little, but the image of Theo holding on tightly to him while they raced through the snow held a lot of appeal. "You're going to love it."
"I might hold onto you for dear life."
"I'm counting on it," Sebastian said.
Five minutes later they were standing next to a long wooden sled. Sebastian took a seat, stretching his long legs out. The sled was designed to fit and charmed accordingly which he felt was perfect considering they had such a large age bracket enjoying the sledding.
"Wait, I'm going to be in the back?" Theo asked, chewing his bottom lip nervously. "I don't know if I like that. I won't be able to see."
"Well, you can be in the front if you prefer," Sebastian offered, "but then you have to steer."
"Nope. Nope, definitely not." Theo said, plopping himself down behind Sebastian. He wrapped his legs right around Bas' waist and held on tightly.
Sebastian smiled and turned his head to meet Theo's wide eyes. "Okay back there?"
"Maybe. I haven't decided yet."
Sebastian chuckled. The tremor of nervousness in Theo's voice endeared him. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"No way," Theo said, his cheek resting against Sebastian's back. "I'm ready."
"All right," Sebastian said.
Theo was holding onto him for dear life, his legs wrapped around his waist and Bas had to admit, it definitely wasn't a bad position to be in. He could smell his subtle cologne and the fresh citrus scent from his hair. His cock stirred and he cleared his throat.
"Let's go."
Sebastian carefully tilted the sled, tightening his grip on the reins, and in seconds they were zooming down the hill. He dodged trees and rocks as Theo squealed behind him. The sled picked up more speed as they bounced down the second small hill and loud rambunctious laughter vibrated against his back. By the time they hit the third hill, Theo was cheering. They crossed the finish line and the sled tipped over, both of them tumbling into the snow.
Theo scrambled to his feet. "That was brilliant! And terrifying! But so bloody brilliant! Can we go again?"
Sebastian was staring at his rosy cheeks and his soft lips and before he could stop himself he cupped his face in his hands and captured that mouth in his. Theo moaned into his mouth and he couldn't help but deepen the kiss. Merlin, kissing Theodore Nott was the best thing he'd ever done. Watching him in the mirror, watching him touch himself and never being able to see more of him… he'd ached for him.
Sebastian slid his hands down Theo's back, pulling him closer and when Theo only linked his arms around his neck, he softened the kiss. He wanted this man. He wanted him more than he could express. He couldn't even remember ever wanting anyone like this before. It was a throbbing in his very bones, in his soul, and Merlin knew in his cock, that he'd never felt before — for anyone. It was almost as if he knew that once he tasted him, once he touched him… his life would never be the same.
It terrified him and made him never want to let him go at the same time.
He kissed him once more before he rested his forehead against his.
"So, again?"
Theo nodded, licking his bottom lip, his brown eyes a little dazed. "Again."
Sebastian let go of him, turning to right the sled and wondered how long it was going to take to bring Theo back to his because right now the only thing on his mind was all of the very dirty things that he wanted to do to him.
~ ASC ~
Harry woke up slowly. The setting winter sun shone through the big windows and the balcony doors. He half covered his eyes with his arm before he looked down at the bright red hair that was covering his chest. He brought his hand down to her hair and she made a soft moan, nuzzling her face into him before she lifted her head to meet his eyes.
"Hi."
"Hi," Harry said, grinning. "You okay?"
"Mmhmm," she said, biting her bottom lip. "You?"
"Brilliant," he said.
Ginny kissed his chest. "What time is it?"
Harry squinted at the clock. "Too far, I can't tell."
She gave him an amused look before looking over at where he was squinting. "It's only a little after six."
Harry's hand slid over her naked back. "So, plenty of time to do that again, then?"
Ginny snuggled back into his arms. "Three times seems like a good start, don't you think?" When he only wiggled his eyebrows in response, she smiled. "Do you feel different, Harry? I feel different."
He shrugged. "I dunno. Should I?"
Ginny kissed his shoulder. "I just mean… I don't know. I feel like everything makes sense now. That everything I was worried about was for naught and you and I are… closer. I sound silly, don't I?"
Harry kissed the top of her head. "No, you don't. I do think we're closer. I reckon the fact that we've just lost our virginities together makes it more special, doesn't it? Like we were waiting for each other."
Ginny's nails traced a pattern on his chest. "Even though I wasn't… I mean, I'm not technically a virgin?"
Harry's fingertips continued to glide over her naked shoulder. "Not anymore…"
She pinched him and he grinned.
"That didn't count, Ginny. We both know that. Today was our first time. For both of us."
Her nail traced his nipple. "Yes, but it was still a moment where it was…"
"No," Harry insisted. "Virginity isn't limited, it's about who you were willing to give yourself to. I was the first one to be inside of you, Ginny." He tilted her face up so that he could kiss her lips. "Only me."
The soft smile on her lips made him kiss him again
"Did it hurt?" he asked, frowning as his eyes met hers. "Uncle Remus said it can hurt witches and… well, the bigger the um…" his neck flushed.
Ginny kissed his chin. "Did you just say that you have a big cock, Harry?"
He shrugged, biting his bottom lip. "I'm not saying that to be like, you know… I just want to make sure that I didn't hurt you?" He brushed her hair back behind her ear. "Did I?"
"It hurt at first," she admitted. "But you were so gentle and so… I was ready for you and that makes a big difference."
He nodded, his fingers gliding down her arm. "But after it… it felt okay?"
"It was lovely," Ginny said, pressing her lips to his collarbone. "And each time, it hurt less. The third round was kind of brilliant actually. I felt so… complete." She buried her face in his chest again. "Merlin, that sounds stupid!"
"No," he repeated. "I feel it too. I felt… complete. Like everything just fit." He linked his fingers with hers. "Like we fit together. Like we were meant to be."
Ginny kissed his chest again. "I love you, Harry. I know that you've wanted this for a long time and that I wasn't ready. I love that you were so patient with me, so kind. Most wizards would have complained or pressured me and you never did."
Harry's lips curved. "Hard to complain when my witch kept her mouth wrapped around my cock as often as you did."
"Crude," she teased.
He grinned. "But accurate. I love you and I would have waited until our wedding night if you'd asked."
Ginny's fingers froze from where they were tracing his tattoo. "Our wedding night? Better not let my mum hear that. She and Zee will have it all planned out in a month."
"Let them."
Ginny smiled, her fingers continuing to dance along his skin. "The thought of marrying you one day is just… gods, sometimes I think we're too young to even be thinking about it and other times I can see it so clearly. Us living here, maybe with some kids underfoot one day, and it just feels right."
"It is right," he said. "Not now, maybe not even in a year or two, but some day, Gin… one day, I want to marry you. I want to have babies with you one day and the thought terrifies me because Voldemort is out there and…."
Ginny touched his arm. "No. Stop it. I won't let you think like that."
"I don't want to think like that," he admitted. "It's just… I can't be lucky forever and he's…"
"No," she whispered, her cheek resting over his heart. "I can't even imagine losing you. I can't even think about… Harry, you'll defeat him. You won't be alone. You'll have people around to back you up like before."
"Unless he locks the two of us in some sort of warding again," he said.
"No," Ginny repeated. "Harry, I can't have you thinking like that. I won't! No negativity. You have to be positive and confident. I love you. Tom has taken so much from both of us and I will not let him take you away, too. I want our future, Harry. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Decades. A century or two even."
His lips curved. "A century or two, eh?"
"For starters."
He ran his fingers through her hair. "Ron has some mad idea that if I die you'll just bring me back and kill me yourself?"
"Oh most definitely," Ginny vowed. "And I would make it so incredibly painful!"
"Gin?"
"I'm not joking," she said vehemently. "You would be in a world of pain."
"Noted. Gin?" She turned her head to look up at him. "I love you and I promise that I will try my absolute best not to die."
Ginny's brown eyes were full of emotion as she just nodded. "Okay."
Harry kissed her slowly, achingly slow as he framed her face in his hands. He lingered over every stroke of her lips until she moaned and then he rolled her over onto her back. Her breasts bounced at the motion and Harry's hand cupped one of them, bending his head to suck one of the rosy peaks.
"You're so beautiful." His other hand kneaded her hip, one finger stroking along her thigh before his hand slipped between her legs. "I want you again, Ginny."
She pulled his mouth back to hers for a long kiss. "I want you, too, but I'm… a little sore," she admitted.
He kissed her nose. "I'm sorry."
"No," she said with a smile. "Good sore. Like after a really good game of Quidditch."
"Comparing me to Quidditch again?"
"Yes," Ginny said, letting her hand slide down to cup him. "As I think I've just ridden a very hard broomstick, did I not?"
He snorted. "Wow."
She giggled. "That was awful, wasn't it?"
"Definitely," he agreed. He kissed her breast again. "Merlin, now that I know what it's like… I'm going to want you even more. I didn't think that was possible, but I do." He dragged his tongue over her nipple, watching it harden. "Are you too sore or can I use my tongue?"
Ginny's hand tightened on his erection, her heart pounding in her chest. The green eyes, dark in desire stared into hers and she couldn't help but physically react to his words. The fact that he wanted to please her again made her own body stir. She did want him again. Instead of responding, she rolled him over, planting kisses over his chest. Harry made a 'mmm' sound as she kissed his skin and when she shimmied down his body, he moaned.
"Oh, gods, yeah."
She smiled, kissing his shaft before she took it in her hand. Soft kisses floated over him and then she licked him and he trembled. When her mouth wrapped around him, fingers clutched her hair and he let out a whoosh of breath.
Harry stroked his fingers through her hair, eyes on her. He was positive he would never tire of the image of her sucking his cock. The way she used her hands and her mouth simultaneously; the way her lips slid over his tip, taking more and more of him into her mouth with every suck. The way she'd release him, only to slowly lick him until she wrapped her mouth over him again and the way she took her time, picking up and slowing down the speed at her leisure. When he reached the point of no return, he made a warning sound only half a second before he finished. He watched her lick him from her lips afterwards and he smiled.
"I think I could use another nap."
Ginny kissed her way up his torso. "I think that we need to take a shower and clean ourselves up."
"Oooh, yeah," Harry said, kissing her neck. "I definitely want to try it in the shower."
"Not that," Ginny said, smacking his arm.
Harry kissed her neck again. "I have a few dozen or so ideas with that bench now."
Ginny laughed when he rolled out of bed, pulling her with him. He scooped her up bridal style and ran into the bathroom. It only took a moment before they were under the hot spray of the shower, kissing deeply.
When Harry poured a handful of shampoo into his hands and began to massage her scalp, she let her head fall back in pleasure. He took his time, massaging every inch of her head and then trailing his fingers through her long hair. When her hair was thoroughly rinsed, he did the same with the soap, trailing it down her behind as his lips teased her breasts. He used the soap dangerously, she thought. The way he teased it over her thighs, over one butt cheek and up her hip in slow deliberate strokes made her lean back against him. Harry moved one hand between her legs, his thumb pressing into her in just the right way as his other hand soaped her hip.
Ginny's head fell back against his chest, panting as he touched her. A finger slid into her, teasing her and she let out a strangled breath. She felt him stirring again against her back. She moved out of his arms and gave him a little push. The back of his knees hit the bench and she put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him to sit down. Then she straddled him.
Their lips met fiercely. Harry's hands slid up her back as they kissed again and again and again, the hot water beating down on them from all sides. Those small hands touched and teased him and by the time they finally came up for air, he was standing at attention again. Ginny's hands slid up his chest as she shifted, brushing herself over his erection.
Harry's hands gripped her hips. "Gin… I thought you said —"
"—Don't care," she interrupted, moving to lower herself onto him. "I want you."
When he slid into her again, she bit her lip.
"Gods… that feels so good, Harry. You feel sooo good."
His hands slid up her back as the water hit them from all sides and when Ginny began to move her hips over him, he groaned.
"Ginny… oh, gods, Ginny… oh, fucckkkk…"
Harry captured one of those beautiful nipples in his mouth as it bounced up and down and he groaned against her breasts. Merlin, the way she was moving over him… the way she was pulling him deeper inside of her with every stroke was more than he could take. This angle was even better than laying down. He'd gotten so good at controlling himself around her. So good at not coming in two seconds flat when she touched him, but this… he felt like he was starting all over again.
"Ginny, I'm gonna…"
She grabbed his hand and put it over her. He rubbed her with his fingers, watched her eyes roll, and he lost it. He grunted as he moved his hips towards hers, finishing with a roar that echoed off the walls of the shower. Ginny was biting her bottom lip, her head tilted back and her long wet hair hanging down her back. He kept rubbing her, teasing her the way she liked it and she clenched around him. Harry groaned desperately as she came and all he could do was hold on as she rode him until she came.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, both of them trembling as he slipped out of her. They sat there a moment, breathing heavy as the water hit them from all sides. When Ginny finally stood up, he followed and she smiled.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.
"I have a feeling that we're going to be very easily distracted from now on."
He grinned, cupping her arse in his hands. "If you expect me to complain, you've come to the wrong wizard."
She stood on her toes and kissed him. "As long as I can still fly, I say bring it on."
Then they were kissing under the spray again, big smiles on their faces.
~ ASC ~
Draco was starting to go slightly mad in his childhood home. He couldn't pinpoint why exactly as there was always someone to talk to just as often as him finding a place to be alone was. But hiding out here with so many other people was starting to make him a little stir-crazy.
He let himself into the library, closing the door quietly behind him. The only good thing about being stuck here at Wiltshire was the fact that he had an unlimited library. If there was a book he wanted that was only kept at the French estate, the house elves would bring it back for him. He let his fingers glide over the edges of the soft leather, first editions staring up at him in every genre. By habit, he reached for Shakespeare and pulled out a copy of Hamlet.
School work was sent on a regular basis to help keep them all up to date and as helpful as he found it was, it also annoyed him. If he wanted to do school work, he would be at school. Not to mention his studying over the last year when he'd been in Sicily had far surpassed the Hogwarts curriculum. Now he had taken to finding books to read in different languages just to keep his mind moving. He traded the copy of Hamlet in his hand for the one in Dutch and wondered if he was too ahead in his studies or if he just didn't have enough challenges for himself anymore.
Challenging himself was all he could think to do in his boredom which is why he'd been trying his hand at learning some new languages. Dutch was his newest try and he thought it was going pretty well. It gave him something to do when he was alone and looking for something to keep his mind off of things. But it was also difficult as being alone was a lot harder than one would think in a house this size.
And it wasn't that he didn't enjoy the company, but the group of people living here in the manor was a very interesting mix and he didn't really know how to speak to them all. Xander Lofthouse had moved into the Siberian Ice Suite to be with his wife, Juliet, and his daughter Penelope. The two had seemed to come to a mutual understanding and Draco thought that he had seen a bit of a friendship developing between them. Either way, it meant that Juliet had more help with their daughter.
Aeliana Ledbury, having allowed Emmeline Vance and her wife, Mona, full custody of her daughter, seemed to have come into her own. Vance worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as the Head Witch of the Hit Wizards Department and her wife, Mona Vance, was a chef at a high end restaurant in Luminescent's Walk. Evelyn was their first child and they had been over the moon about taking her and ever since they had, Aeliana seemed to become a happier person. Draco knew that she felt it was the best move for the child and for herself.
Her husband, the man whom she had been forced into marrying, hadn't been a bad man. Draco had even heard her say that he'd been nice to her, not wanting this any more than she had. But he'd been part of the attack on Hogwarts in June of last year and he had not only been severely burned by his arabesque death mask melting his face, but his legs had been crushed. Healers had been forced to amputate both of them so that he would survive and now he spent his days in the Azkaban Crypt, serving out his sentence for his crimes. Vance had brought him the paperwork herself about the adoption and Holden Ledbury had signed away his parental rights without blinking an eye.
Aeliana had immediately asked Draco if she could move to a new room and he'd let her move into the Island Suite. He understood that sharing a space with Marian and her son was probably not ideal after the witch had given up her own child.
Marion Lofthouse Belby, twin sister of Xander Lofthouse, stayed in the Moroccan Suite with her son Bennett. Marcus Belby was currently serving time in the Azkaban Crypt for his role in the Hogwarts attack in June. Marion never said much about him, but her brother was there to help with his nephew as much as he could be and Marion could usually be found sitting with him and his wife, Juliet, with their children on the floor together. New families were being made in small ways and Draco figured that was a good sign.
Graham Pritchard, his wife Shanae, and their son Henry were also seeming to fit in very well in the Versailles Palace Suite. The two had taken to parenting very well and Draco couldn't count the number of times he'd found the two cooing over something that little Henry had done. They had grown closer, whether they were falling in love or falling in a closer friendship, Draco wasn't sure, but they were willing to work it out together for their son. He admired that.
Malcolm Baddock had ended up having the Austrian Suite to himself when Xander unofficially moved in with his wife and daughter. Baddock was quiet and kept to himself, but he could usually be found outside, walking the gardens for long hours at a time. He spoke to Na'eemah Hickey the most out of all of them and Draco knew that whatever the fifteen-year-old had gone through being married to Alecto Carrow, that it wasn't anything good. He'd noticed a bit of a perk in his step as of late and had even seen him going out of his way to socialize with Graham and his family.
The Roman Suite was holding Crouch's two wives and two daughters and Draco knew that those two witches had been put through the wringer. Millie seemed to have taken over a strong protective role over Hestia and with the younger witch being pregnant again, it had only sharpened. Their daughters, Claire and Emery, were always by their sides. Millie's long scar on her face had faded a bit, but the shock of it was still a strong defining feature when one first saw her. As much as Millie trusted him and Blaise, he couldn't help but notice that whenever they or another wizard entered the room, she would immediately grip Hestia's hand, her eyes wary. He truly couldn't imagine what kind of horrors Crouch had put them through, but he knew that speaking to the mind healer was helping both of them. He'd seen them in the gardens only that morning, holding hands and whispering to each other, a baby in each of their arms.
Pansy and her son Grayson were still in the Wiltshire Master Suite and Pansy was doing very well at keeping busy. With Daphne having arrived only a few weeks ago, the two best friends had grown closer like two peas in a pod. House elves were bringing boxes of material up to her suite weekly and he knew that the two of them were working on upping the supply of lingerie for when the shop could reopen.
Pansy refused to talk about the possibility of the shop not reopening and instead demanded of Draco and Blaise to model for her. Blaise had been all for it and paraded around the manor in all kinds of skimpy lingerie. Draco refused and only caved when Pansy promised to only make him try on pyjama pants and the like, nothing skimpy.
He remembered how last night he'd finished standing for her while she measured these silk sleep pants on him and Blaise had paraded out in a lacy red thong that left very little to the imagination.
"I like this," Blaise said. "Very comfortable. I feel naked."
"You are naked," Draco muttered.
Blaise grabbed himself. "And you all get to enjoy the show."
Pansy had made Blaise turn then, measuring him and talking to Daphne under her breath about materials and whatnot before Daphne had grabbed Blaise's hand and hurried off.
"How long did that take?" Draco asked.
Pansy scoffed. "Two days. According to Astoria, she spends most of her nights in his room."
"Of course those two are fucking like rabbits," he muttered. "Last I heard, Blaise told me that Aeliana had come to him for comfort. I didn't realize he'd already moved onto Daphne."
"Really, Draco? You know what he's like. He hasn't moved on to anyone. He's doing both of them," Pansy said, folding the lace underwear that she'd just finished inspecting. "Aeliana said that she was bored and was looking to have some fun. She flirted, Blaise flirted back. When Daphne showed up, Aeliana is the one who invited her to bed."
"At least some people are getting laid," he said, shaking his head.
"Aww, poor baby. No one here wants to play with your cock?"
"Piss off, Pansy, that's not what I meant," Draco said. "I'm just going a bit stir-crazy is all."
When he changed back into his own clothing and passed Pansy the sleep pants, she rubbed a hand over her stomach.
"You all right?"
She nodded. "Yes. Still a bit nauseous sometimes. It should be passing soon. I hope. It's already not as bad as it was a few weeks ago."
"You're doing better than Hestia. That poor witch has been sicker than a dog," Draco noted. "Has there been any word on Greg?"
Pansy shook her head. "No. All I know is that he's in the crypt. I asked if I could get a letter to him, but apparently Greg thinks it's not safe for me and refuses them. How am I supposed to tell that idiot that we're having another baby when he refuses to allow me to write him a letter?"
"I don't know," Draco admitted. "No one really tells us anything here. They come in, bring school work, check on our well being… Na'eemah comes by to talk and Healer Brown stops by to check on you, Hestia, and the babies… it's like we have our own little world here."
"But it's rather nice," Pansy said. "I never would have thought in a million years that Draco Malfoy would open up his home to women and children in need like this. But you did. I'm very grateful to you for that."
"You're welcome," he said, surprising himself by meaning it.
He'd left her alone after that, wandering off to find something to occupy his time. After breakfast this morning, he'd gone for a long run around the grounds and taken a hot shower afterwards. He used the steam room in the dungeons and then soaked for an hour in the hot springs that were hidden under the house. It was the only place he hadn't shared with his large influx of company. He needed it for his own sanity. A place just for himself and sometimes Blaise.
But now he was in the library, looking for something to read, something to take his mind off of the hundreds of questions he had about how much longer and when and why. He fingered the pages of Hamlet, staring at the soft green leather bound cover before he took it with him. He moved over to the spiral staircase, heading up to the third story of the Malfoy library. He walked past the shelves full of books until he reached the corner where his favourite reading spot was.
He loved it because it was hidden in a corner, under one of the huge windows overlooking the garden. It curved in a circle with big cushions and a throw blanket nearby. It was isolated and hidden and allowed one to read quietly and alone without anyone knowing they were there. It had always been his favourite spot in the house, ever since he'd been a child. No one ever came up here. Everyone always sat on the main level of the library with the big windows and the large cushy armchairs. But this alcove and window seat had always been his.
It was why he stopped in his tracks when he turned the corner and found someone else sitting there: Astoria Greengrass.
Her long black hair was in a high ponytail. She had on black tights and a thick white jumper with a high neck. Her knees were up high, his favourite throw over her legs, and a book open and resting on the top of her knees. Draco let out a startled breath and she turned, those big blue eyes meeting his.
"Can I help you?"
"No," he said quickly. "Sorry, I… I didn't think anyone came up here."
She raised an eyebrow cooly at him. "You didn't think any of us were literate? Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but I am."
"That's not what I meant," Draco said. "This is my spot and I didn't think anyone else knew about it."
Astoria put her legs down and stood up, tossing the throw back over the window seat. "I suppose these are all of your books then, too?" At this look of astonishment, she snapped the book shut. "Wouldn't want to be taking your spot and disrupting your things."
"No, I didn't mean…" Draco began, but she was already sailing past him, her pony tail bouncing at her back.
He let out a frustrated breath and moved to sit in the spot she had vacated. His eyes fell on the book she'd left there — Hamlet. He scooped it up in surprise. The last thing he'd expected to find her reading was the very play he'd grabbed himself. He looked down at the edition she'd been reading and found it was in French. She was definitely full of surprises.
He'd barely seen Astoria since she'd arrived. She spent all of her time in her room or walking the gardens or doing school work in the dining room with books splayed out around her. Whenever someone came into the room, she peppered them with possible OWL exam questions. When Daphne had arrived, he'd watched her greet her sister through tears. But other than that, he barely saw her.
Blaise had mentioned more than once that Astoria was dark to her sister's fair, both beauties. Every time Blaise so much as hinted at it, Pansy threatened to castrate him if he so much as shook Astoria's hand. Since Blaise was clearly shagging both Daphne and Aeliana, Draco figured that he would stay away from Astoria. It certainly seemed like Astoria wanted nothing to do with anyone outside of Daphne and Pansy, that was for sure.
Draco sighed as he took a seat on the window seat, wrapping up his legs, and looking at the copy of Hamlet in French. He wondered how much longer it was going to be until he could at least see Theo again. He needed something or someone to help him take his mind off of this monotony and besides, he really wanted to know how Theo's Auror was doing since his friend had shelled out four hundred Galleons.
After all, Draco could really use a distraction and hearing all about Theo's new boyfriend would be a welcome one, he thought as he opened up his copy of Hamlet in Dutch to the first act.
Anything would be.
~ ASC ~
The sound of the door opening made Snape blink at the bright light that came inside. He couldn't quite make out who the figure was that was standing there as he blinked at the sudden influx of light to the darkness he'd become accustomed to.
"Roses are red, and you're so blue, I can't wait to make you bleed, and on Valentine's Day, too!" Crouch exclaimed in his singsong voice. "Do you like my poem, dearie?"
Crouch moved to stand in front of him, his tongue trailing over his bottom lip. He danced his fingers up Snape's chest, tracing the puffy scars over where his nipples used to be.
"It's Valentine's day," Crouch said again. "The day for us to appreciate! I'm going to make you appreciate it the most. I brought you a rose. Will you be my Valentine?"
Snape blinked at the red rose in Crouch's hand, but he didn't speak. If it was Valentine's Day, he'd been in this hell for almost three months. He alternated between being strung up, his toes trailing the ground, to being shackled to the wall. He'd been left naked and cold. He'd been beaten and mentally attacked. His nipples, fingernails, and toenails had all been removed. His stump was scorched and he wanted to die. From being woken up with a spray of icy water to a shocking hex… his life had become meaningless.
He groaned when Crouch used his wand to lift him from the ground, stringing him up by his arms to dangle over the stone floor. The tips of his toes scraped the stone and his arms ached immediately from being held up like they were.
"Kill me," Snape muttered. "Just kill me."
Crouch dragged his tongue over Snape's stomach. "But dearie, it's Valentine's day and we need to celebrate. Together."
He trailed the rose along Snape's skin, dancing it down between his legs, brushing the petals over his cock. He teased the tip of his cock with the rose before his eyes widened.
"Dearie! I must apologize! I brought you a rose, not even thinking!" Crouch exclaimed. He reached into his cloak and pulled out another single flower. A lily. "You prefer these, don't you, dearie?"
Snape licked his dry lips. "Fuck you."
Crouch giggled and turned the rose, dragging the sharp thorns over Snape's thigh. "Now, now, is that anyway to treat the one person who's here to romance you on this very special day?"
"I don't know where they are," he said for the hundredth time. "I didn't know that Malfoy and Zabini were alive. I didn't know."
Crouch broke off one of the thorns from the rose, a malicious smile on his face. "The Dark Lord knows that, dearie. He knows that you're of no more use to us."
"Then kill me," Snape begged. "Just let me die or let me go."
Crouch danced the lily over Snape's lips, his other hand cupping his balls provocatively. "In good time, dearie. In good time."
Then the thorn pierced through his sac.
Snape groaned in pain, gasping as Crouch pushed all five thorns from the rose into his balls, one at a time. Then he took the rose and ripped the bud off of the stem.
"Roses are red," he sang, taking one petal off. "Now, let's play a game."
"Fuck you."
"Tut tut tut," Crouch said. "There will be none of that or you won't have a good time." He held up the petal he'd ripped off. "What's that lovely game? He loves me," he sang, breaking another petal off. "He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not."
There was one petal left when Crouch fell to his knees. His hand gripped Snape's cock, lifting it before he dragged his tongue over each thorn pierced into his sac. When he began to suck the thorns out one by one, Snape gasped. When he finished, he stood, letting go of Snape's cock. He stroked his hand up his chest to rest around his neck.
"You were there, weren't you, dearie?" He asked, licking blood off of his lip. "When my father was displayed at Hogwarts for all the world to see. Did you see my work? The art I made of him… it took me months to break him."
"I'm not broken," Snape whispered.
Crouch's smile sent shivers down Snape's spine. "Well, to be fair… I've only been playing with you. Would you like me to tell you what I did to him?"
His fingers gently squeezed Snape's throat as he spoke lovingly, like he was describing the first time he'd ever made love.
"Oh, he begged me to stop, Severus," Crouch said reverently. "He called me everything under the sun. He disowned me. He claimed that I wasn't worthy of his name, of his wealth, of his reputation. As if I ever wanted any of that! As if I wanted anything to do with the man who fucked whores behind my mother's back. But I got him back… I seduced his mistress right under his nose. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw me bending her over his desk, shoving my big cock into that tight arse and making her scream for me. I made her suck him off while I stood there… oh, he really didn't like that. Couldn't even keep it up."
He slapped Snape's cheek lightly as he chuckled.
"Couldn't even keep up the one thing he was so proud of. So, I pushed her head down until she was choking on him and then I stabbed her through the back of the head. The sound he made when my blade cut into his cock… oh, Severus… it still makes me hard." He reached down to grip himself, rubbing a hand over his trousers. "Once his whore was dead, I took him home. Tied him to his bed and let Fenrir Greyback rape him bloody. I could do that to you, if you want…"
Snape shuddered as Crouch's fingertip trailed down his arse.
"Then, once he was, let's say, well satisfied. I began to tell him everything I had done. I made him apologize to me for every terrible thing he had ever said or done to me. And when he didn't give me a straight answer, well…."
A curved blade appeared out of the tip of Crouch's wand. Snape's breath hitched as the light hit it and he realized that it wasn't a blade at all, but a vegetable peeler. It sailed over his hip, peeling his skin off in a thin slice and he hissed in pain.
Crouch picked the skin off and held it up to Snape. "Want to taste yourself?"
When Snape didn't answer him, he peeled a second strip on the opposite side of his body. When he peeled another strip down the inside of Snape's thigh, he screamed.
"Ah, there it is!" Crouch exclaimed gleefully. "The music I was waiting for.." he took another strip, this time by his ribs. "If you just eat it, dearie, I'll make it stop."
"F-f-fuck you," he panted.
Crouch shrugged and peeled another strip, this time from his arm. "If you insist."
He whistled as he worked and when Snape started to lose consciousness from the pain, he slapped his cheeks.
"That's enough for today, dearie," Crouch said. "I want you to relish in the pain, not block it out."
He put his tools away, collecting the bloodied strips from the floor and putting them into a bucket. He lowered Snape to the ground and adjusted the shackles again to tie him to the wall.
"You sit here and think about what we talked about, dearie," Crouch said. "And remember, my father lasted weeks while I skinned him." He moved to the door before he stopped and turned to smile at him. "Oh, and Severus? Try not to get too excited, but tomorrow, I'm going to see what I can peel off of your cock. It will be a new adventure for me. For both of us. Aren't you excited to be part of it, dearie?"
When the door closed behind him, Snape finally let the tears fall and he wished for death.
End Author's Notes:
Just a reminder of who is who at Malfoy Manor.
1. Austrian Suite — Malcolm Baddock
2. Draconian Suite (Draco's room) — Draco
3. Island Suite — Aeliana Avery Ledbury
4. Moroccan Suite — Marion Lofthouse Belby and Bennett Belby
5. Parisian Suite — Astoria Greengrass and Daphne Greengrass
6. Roman Suite — Millicent Bulstrode Crouch, Claire Crouch, Hestia Carrow Crouch, Emery Crouch
7. Russian Palace Suite — Blaise
8. Siberian Ice Suite — Juliet Parker Lofthouse, Penelope Lofthouse, and Xander Lofthouse
9. Versailles Palace Suite — Graham Pritchard, Shanae Pritchard, Henry Pritchard
10. Wiltshire Master Bedroom (master bedroom) — Pansy and Grayson
11. Winter Palace Suite — Unoccupied
There are twenty extra people staying in Wiltshire Manor with Blaise and Draco and they are as follows:
1. Malcom Baddock (15 year-old Slytherin married to Alecto Carrow)
2. Graham Pritchard (15 year-old Slytherin)
3. Shanae Templeton Pritchard (wife of Graham and 16 year-old Slytherin)
4. Henry Graham Pritchard (son of Graham and Shanae b. 1st October)
5. Flora Carrow Rowle (wife of Caleb Rowle, twin sister of Hestia, 16 year-old-Slytherin)
6. Ethan Caleb Rowle (son of Flora)
7. Aeliana Avery Ledbury (19 year-old wife of Holden who is in Azkaban)
8. Juliet Parks Lofthouse (wife of Xander, 15 year-old Ravenclaw)
9. Penelope Juliet Lofthouse (daughter of Juliet and Xander b. 4th October)
10. Xander Lofthouse (18 year-old Slytherin, husband of Juliet, brother to Marion)
11. Marion Lofthouse Belby (sister of Xander, wife of Marcus who is in Azkaban)
12. Bennett Marcus Belby (son of Marion b. 7th October)
13. Millicent Bulstrode Crouch (18 year-old Slytherin, wife of Crouch)
14. Claire Maybel Crouch (daughter of Millie b. 4th October)
15. Hestia Carrow Crouch (16 year-old Slytherin, twin sister of Flora, wife of Crouch)
16. Emery Helen Crouch (daughter of Hestia b. 12th October)
17. Pansy Goyle (17 year-old Slytherin, wife of Greg)
18. Grayson Goyle (son of Pansy and Greg b. 28th September)
19. Astoria Greengrass (15 year-old Slytherin)
20. Daphne Greengrass (18-year-old Slytherin)
Thanks for reading and please review!