A/N — Would anyone believe me if I said that when writing the final chapter it stretched out longer than anticipated? Yes? Okay.
Yeah… It actually did stretch out way longer. I was anticipating Chapter 4 to be the final chapter but when I started filling in my plot outline it ended up being over 10k words with me not being close to finished. I was thinking it'd be a 15k word final chapter, but now that it's looking to be 20k or just shy I've chosen to break it up again. The final chapter will probably be 10k words or slightly less, and it'll be Chapter 5.
So… here's hoping this still falls under an 'M' rating?
Chapter IV: Malfoy Concubine, Lady Potter
•
"Surprised it took her so long," a very unwelcome voiced sneered, and Harry looked up from where he had been (he thought) surreptitiously watching his girlfriend Ginny Weasley as she ate with her friends. He looked up, even though he didn't need the confirmation that Malfoy was standing above him. The berk was looking better today (less frazzled and pale, at least); likely feeling better too if he was returning to his usual disposition. He even seemed to have the courage to go around on his own these days. Harry was almost impressed, given the low standards he had for Malfoy, though he certainly preferred the skittish and brooding Malfoy to this one that bothered him. "To snag you, I mean," he continued though Harry had shown no sign of asking him to do so. "She was first in line — or second after the mudblood, I should say. I honestly thought she'd get a sniff of your gold and shack up with you immediately, being a Weasley. Thought she'd do it second year, but I guess she chickened out."
"I suppose you have personal experience with people who shack up with a guy with gold," Harry replied blandly. "Now bugger off. She's not my girlfriend, anyway." Liar.
"Oh, guess I can take a shot at her then," Malfoy replied. "Not that her dating you would be much of an obstacle."
"For an aristocrat you have pretty low standards of behavior," Harry said, trying not to make his clenching fists too obvious.
"Pff," the blond waved it off breezily, "please. Allowing Weaslette the opportunity to leave you and give herself to me couldn't be more of a service to her — miraculously still pureblood — line. Besides, can you imagine the look on Weasley's face if he discovered his precious little sister had lost her virginity to me? Assuming she's still a virgin, of course, since no one can ever know with you muggle-raised and your lack of honor."
"Funny that you don't see any hypocrisy there."
"Just like you to equate a blood traitor giving her virginity to a pureblooded heir and giving it to a halfblood, Potter. How very self-serving. With that attitude I suppose I ought to get working on Weaslette before it's too late."
Harry snorted. "She'd never go for you anyway, you moron."
"Yeah?" Malfoy smirked. "She has a rebellious streak and I've seen the looks she's been giving me. I could get her into bed and make her think it was her idea about defying her family's wishes. What better way to get back at her brothers than sleeping with Draco Malfoy?" He looked away and eyed Harry's girlfriend up and down, making Harry contemplate trying out a few of the curses of the Half Blood Prince's, before reminding himself that Malfoy was just trying to goad him, as always. "Point of fact, I could get any girl you could, Potter. I could woo Granger if I wanted to."
The idea that Hermione would ever willingly go near Malfoy with anything but a very sharp object or her fist was almost comical enough to make Harry burst out laughing, but he withheld that reaction in favor of just smirking condescendingly. "Yeah, Malfoy?" he asked. "Any girl? I knew you had an ego, but this is ridiculous. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't been popped yet, but I suppose when your only romantic option is Parkinson…"
"Yeah, Potter. Any girl. In fact, any girl even if they were already with you." He shot a look in Ginny's direction. "You know what? I'll even make you a promise. Your wife is going to sleep with me. If you get married, your wife is going to end up in my bed and she's going to love it. She'll scream out that she'll love it. She'll make it happen. And there won't be anything you can do about it. I promise you that, Potter. I promise you that your wife will be mine."
"Ginny would never do that!" Harry hissed, finally having enough of Malfoy's taunting.
"Not your girlfriend, eh?" Malfoy said, smirking. "Anyway, we'll see. I wouldn't mind having Weaslette though." He struck an almost thoughtful pose at that, which couldn't be anything but mocking.
"Ginny would never touch you," Harry repeated, and it calmed him to know it was true. He knew Ginny, and she'd never even give Malfoy a second glance, let alone cheat with him.
––|––
"I'm going out, Harry!" Ginny called up the stairs as she stood by the door. "I'll be back tomorrow morning!" There was no reply from the top of the stairs, where she knew her husband was in his bed, sulking. Ginny sighed. He still hadn't accepted that she was Malfoy's now. How many nights in an empty bed did it take, the redhead wondered? He had had a lot of them, but he didn't seem to grow more accepting. It disappointed Ginny. They had known this was going to happen; they'd had months to adjust to it. She just wanted him to be happy for her; be happy that she was enjoying her new situation. Wasn't he meant to want her happiness? She sighed again.
Truth be told, he had been accepting it, at least up until when she had first had sex with her master. He seemed to, at least. He had known she was going out and probably had had a pretty good idea she was going out to meet with her master. She knew he had found her new lingerie and could only draw his own conclusions from that. What had happened to reverse his progress on accepting his wife's concubinage? Perhaps, she thought, he had merely been in denial and it had taken her actually bonding with her master to get it through his head that his wife was really Malfoy's woman now. Or maybe it was something else. What, though? Was it merely the shock of finding his wife clad in only her bridal lingerie on his front step after her night with Malfoy? Ginny feared she'd have to do something drastic to get through to him. She didn't want to rub how happy she was with her new relationship in his face, but at the same time she wanted him to accept that Malfoy could have her whenever he wanted now.
As her thoughts turned to her master Ginny felt herself perk up in more ways than one. She shook her head. Harry could brood in his bed all he wanted. She had a different bed to be in. With that decided, the redhead left her house and shut the door. With little more than a thought she disappeared, reappearing many miles away outside one of the more secretive entrances to her master's manor. Malfoy had told her it was the entrance specific for concubines, constructed when the Malfoy lords had had more than a few before the practice had died out some one hundred and fifty years before. It had been modeled, he said, on the old Malfoy Manor that had stood since the Malfoys had first arrived during the Norman conquest and had taken many of the Saxon's wizards' wives as concubines despite the Church's nominal prohibition. He had sounded almost wistful while telling her.
Whatever the case, it certainly reminded Ginny of her status, and she felt herself getting involuntarily aroused even as she looked at the engravings in Latin and Old French above the gate. She didn't need to speak either language to know what they meant. Not that the words weren't burned into her mind anyway, after seeing them so often over the past few weeks. As she walked up the path to the manor, she thought back over everything.
The last few weeks had been a honeymoon period of sorts for Ginny and her master. Oh, it had been nothing like her actual honeymoon — at least, apart from the amount of sex she was having. Her actual honeymoon had been more of a celebration that they had both survived the war to become a normal family, that they had been able to marry, and numerous other things. The sex had been more about familiarizing themselves with each other and comforting each other. Her 'honeymoon' with her master was not like that. Before Malfoy had been cautious, almost hesitant, in touching her. Oh, he had been daring and adventurous, but he had been careful never to push Ginny too far, too fast. The redhead had often wondered why. It wasn't as if she could avoid becoming his concubine or even stop his advances if she really wanted to. Why hesitate?
He certainly wasn't hesitating now. Ever since Ginny had finally had sex with him and completed the concubinage ritual he had been enjoying her to the fullest. He called on her night and day to have sex with her, and sometimes Ginny had to disappear from quidditch practice or in the middle of dinner with Harry. Once she had even been summoned during the middle of a family lunch, and she hadn't missed all the knowing looks that had been exchanged when she had walked outside the wards to disapparate. Eventually Ginny had grown tired of pretending she was merely going out to meet with her teammates or anything else. There was no point lying to Harry. So she told him directly. She was going to have sex with Malfoy. Harry's look had been distant and vaguely pained as she told him, and she almost thought he hadn't heard her; he didn't stop her when she left, however.
The thing was that Ginny didn't find herself objecting to it. In fact, she was looked forward to when she could be with her master instead of her husband. Where Harry was depressed and moody, Malfoy made her feel wanted and desirable. It certainly helped that the sex was amazing. It also helped that she found she wanted to have sex anytime her master did. Perhaps it was an effect of the concubine bond, Ginny thought, but it didn't really matter. It wasn't as if she ever needed much encouragement to find her master and entice him to fuck her. It was even pleasant to want to have sex so often, and the experience was new and amazing to the redhead.
The main reason that Ginny believed her newfound desire for copious sex had its origin in her new bond was that she seemed to desire sex whenever her master did. She was always wet and ready for him, and he often took advantage. Sometimes she was even aware of his desire before he was and could facilitate meeting him before he called on her. That was the case now. Ginny could feel her panties get damp as she itched to take them off.
Walking up the path was a blur, and soon Ginny found herself coming through the concubine's entrance and into the concubines' quarters. Modest rooms of the sort Ginny might have been envious of as a child were the order of the day, but Ginny paid them no mind as she determinedly went to find her master. That was yet another advantage of the concubine bond, she was sure. She always knew where her master was. She was sure he knew where she was, too, but if he wasn't aware of his desire to have sex he could hardly be aware of her coming to satiate his needs. She felt a little flare of mischief at the thought and a smile crept onto her face.
Up the back stairs — for utility rather than impression, unlike the grand staircase — and through the hall towards her master's study, and then through the side-door, rather than the entrance from the main hall. As she approached the door she felt a little thrill of anticipation, and quickly discarded her robes. For a second she debated keeping her lingerie on, but then decided against that and stripped completely naked. This was no time for foreplay.
Quelling her excitement, the redhead pushed open the door and, as expected, found her master looking over piles of parchment. He didn't even look up at her entrance, and Ginny suddenly knew why he hadn't called on her. How long had he been engrossed? "Time for a break, master," she purred in his ear, and enjoyed how Malfoy stiffened.
"Concubine Potter," he growled throatily, eyes flashing with lust. He barely had a second to take in her naked body before Ginny had spun the chair around and grabbed his pants. His bulge was evident, and the redhead felt satisfaction bubble within her. No need for foreplay at all. Good. Without waiting for his command, she pulled off his boots and then his pants, revealing his nakedness to her. Not looking at her master, she straddled his lap and grabbed his manhood, rubbing until it found her slit so she could sink down on it with a happy little sigh.
With more than a little effort Ginny raised herself up and sunk down on her master again, beginning to bounce at a modest pace. With Malfoy's office chair it was harder than she would have supposed, but she was hardly about to let that stop her. Malfoy seemed to regard her efforts with some amusement, but that didn't stop his grunts every time his manhood bottomed out in Ginny. For a moment the redhead basked in the pleasure, but then Malfoy turned back to his desk to scan over his writing and a flash of doubt went through her. "Master?" she asked tentatively, but he just waved a hand dismissively at her, as though she wasn't a prize he had fought hard for. He had taken her from her husband to be his only concubine just to do papers instead of fuck her?
"Go on, concubine. I know you need this." Anger flared through Ginny, and she redoubled her efforts. He was the one who needed her! She was his concubine, meant for his sexual pleasure, and she'd damn well show him! She rode him feverishly, pressing her naked breasts into his neck as she panted into his ear, but still he worked over his stupid documents.
"Master, master," she whimpered erotically, trying to get his attention. "Master, please." She pressed herself against him, willing him to feel her naked body. "Feel how wet I am for you, master. This body is yours, master. Take it. Take it, please." She increased her tempo, beginning to roll her hips to increase his stimulation. "Master, please fuck your concubine. Give me what I vowed never to take. Take me from my husband again, master. Take what was his. Please. Please." She timed her pleas to coincide with when he was deepest inside her, and sloppily kissed — just regular kisses were hard to do while riding a cock — his face until she could almost look into his eyes. They were scanning over some new piece of Wizengamot legislation, and Ginny knew she had to get them turned to her. "Draco, fuck me. Fuck Harry's wife. You took me. Take me again." Still he was ignoring her, and Ginny felt herself grow determined. Deciding to be daring, the redhead lifted a hand that had been resting on her master's shoulder and brought it to his hand. Looking for any sign of disapproval, she lifted it away from his work and brought it so that it held her hip. Then she took his other hand and slowly pulled the quill out of it, bringing it to her other hip so that her master was holding her as she took his manhood. Malfoy did not fuck her, however. Instead he sat, letting Ginny ride herself into a sweaty frenzy on his cock until the redheaded concubine was edging on her own orgasm. closed her eyes, trying to withhold it. She couldn't cum before her master. "Don't cum, don't cum, don't cum," she chanted to herself.
As if she had flipped a switch, suddenly Malfoy was attentive. "Cum for me," he growled to Harry's wife, dipping his head to suck her breasts, and Ginny was involuntarily over the edge. She tried not to cum, she really did, but the more she tried not to the more she seemed to, and she just wrapped herself around Malfoy as she orgasmed on his manhood, slowly rocking to relieve herself. Eventually she was just sitting with her master inside her, and she felt he was still rock hard. Malfoy chuckled. "Desperate, aren't we?" he asked her, and Ginny blushed, recalling what she had said in her aroused state.
Nevertheless, she was still horny. "Fuck me, master?" she asked.
The blond chuckled again. "How can I deny a young wife in need?" and Ginny flushed at the reminder. It was one thing to lose herself in pleasure during sex with her master, but being reminded of her adultery during times like these still made her uncomfortable. With her arms around his neck, her master didn't see her playing with her wedding ring.
"Thank you, master," she replied demurely, and the man smiled at the naked redhead in his lap. Obligingly, Malfoy took her lower back in his hand so he could push himself out of the chair and keep himself inside her. Grabbing her thighs, he carried her out of the office, each little bounce causing Ginny to whimper as his manhood moved inside her. For a second she wondered where they were going, and then Malfoy sat her down on the edge of one of the many high tables in the house, withdrawing himself and then pushing back in with a satisfied hiss. Ginny leaned her head back in pleasure as his master began using her as he was supposed to, and it wasn't until he reached a comfortable pace that she remembered what she wanted to talk to him about. "Master?" she panted, being filled again.
"Fuck, Ginny," Malfoy replied distractedly.
"My husband, master," she continued, and she felt his manhood stiffen inside her at the mention of Harry. Her master continued fucking her without replying, though, and Ginny took this as a sign that he was listening, or at least that he wasn't ordering her to do nothing but moan. "He's regressed," she murmured in between moans as her master hit a particularly good spot inside her. "I thought he accepted me as yours, but," she paused here to groan loudly, "ever since the bonding he's been hiding." Malfoy increased his thrusting into her and for a moment Ginny lost herself, taking a little while to recover her train of thought. "I don't know what to do to get through to him." Yet again she lost herself, and the two devolved into a state of unthinking pleasure as her master reached a particularly good plateau with his fucking. "Oh, master!" Ginny cried as she came again, and she clenched herself around him, trying to draw out his own orgasm as she had done so unsuccessfully before. Malfoy was still not to be bested by her, however, and rode her through her orgasm before he had his own, pulling her hips off the desk into him so that she took all his seed as he spurted. They remained in post-orgasmic bliss, connected as master and concubine, before Ginny remembered again. "Master?" she asked. "What should we do? I need Harry to realize you've taken me from him."
Malfoy had a contented but contemplative look on his face, and he stood silent for a moment, withdrawing himself from Ginny so he could stand properly. Then he smiled at her. "I have an idea," he said, before leaning in to purr it in her ear. Ginny felt herself flush at the suggestion, but couldn't deny how effective it sounded, and how hot. She wriggled on him self-consciously. Could she do that to Harry? Well, if she had come this far…
"Master!" she cried out, and Malfoy grinned lecherously.
"Maybe we can save that as a last resort. How about we start of with something more mild? But enough of that. How long did you tell your husband you'd be away for?"
"I said I'd be back tomorrow morning," Ginny replied with a coy grin.
"Let's make it the morning after tomorrow then," Malfoy whispered, leaning in to kiss her before pulling her off the desk and leading her towards the bedroom.
––|––
Ginny stood fully naked in her bedroom, looking at the garments on the bed. She was undecided about them, and the indecision was eating at her. She wanted to please her master, but she didn't know which was best. Staring at them intently, the redhead found no answers forthcoming, and sighed to herself, turning back to examine her body in the mirror. She had to admit since becoming a concubine it had never looked better. Her breasts were the kind she would have been immensely envious of during her Hogwarts years and her arse looked rather more fantastic than usual, if she did say so herself. She also rather adored the more blue shade of her eyes (she had always been envious of her brothers') that almost made them look grey-green sometimes. Still, she felt like the look wasn't complete somehow. Maybe it was her hair, she thought. She had worn it long for as long as she could remember, and it looked no different from the day she had married Harry. Hadn't Malfoy once mentioned during Hogwarts how much more fuckable she'd be with short hair?
Her train of thought was interrupted by a thud from the bathroom, and Ginny remembered that Harry had finally emerged from the bed. That might have only been because she was in their bedroom though. A sudden thought occurred to her, however, and she realized that perhaps it was time to put a little piece of her and her master's plan into action. "Harry?" she called out inconspicuously, and the thudding stopped. She knew he was listening. "Harry, could you help me with something, please?" There was silence, and for a moment Ginny worried he was ignoring her again, before his sleep-deprived form emerged. He stared at her with an expression she couldn't place, but he didn't run away, which was the important part. He eyed her nude form almost greedily, in fact, which was a vast improvement over the past several weeks, and Ginny had to resist the urge to pose like Malfoy had her do and ask 'Like the changes?' Instead she held her tongue as her husband came closer to her, looking like a thirsty man in front of water.
"You're beautiful," he whispered.
"I know," Ginny replied, eyeing him apprehensively.
His green eyes roamed all over her form, as if he was trying to see where Malfoy had touched her or perhaps take her to bed with only his eyes. He seemed to realize what he was doing however and quickly turned to look her in the eyes. Already he was seeming more back to his normal self, and Ginny felt a flare of hope. "What did you need help with?" he asked suspiciously.
"Well, I needed your opinion, actually," she corrected, before moving over to the bed and picking up the garments and revealing them as swimsuits to Harry. His expression immediately closed off, but he didn't leave the room as she had worried he would. "Which of these do you think looks sexier?" One of them was an almost shear black and seductively cut one-piece suit while the other was a small bikini the same shade of green as his eyes. Both of them revealed Ginny almost entirely. "I'm partial to the black, but the green suits me more and it's far more revealing." She looked at him questioningly, as though picking out swimsuits for a lover was an entirely normal thing to ask her husband. Before Harry could answer, she sighed. "Here, I'll try them on and help you out."
With that she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Harry on his lonesome as she changed and Ginny felt a little thrill again. She had been changing in front of him since they had married. Perhaps this little change, denying him, would help him better accept that she owed her fidelity to Malfoy now. She changed quickly, first into the black one-piece and then the bikini. Both times she emerged to model for Harry, and she was pleased to see him gulp conspicuously, most especially when she turned around and revealed that the bikini bottoms were a thong-cut, revealing the entirety of her fantastic arse. As she finished her little twirl she looked at him expectantly.
"Well?" she asked.
"Fuck, Ginny," her husband murmured, unknowingly echoing the man fucking his wife. "You're drop-dead sexy in both."
"I know, Harry, but which do you think is better?"
Harry gulped and for a moment Ginny thought he wouldn't answer. Doing so would be tantamount to aiding Ginny in fucking Malfoy again, after all. How far was Harry to accepting, she wondered? "The bikini," he finally answered, and Ginny had to resist the urge to grin victoriously. She had been hoping he'd choose it over the one-piece. She really did prefer the one-piece, but as soon as she had seen the bikini she had known she had to get it. Not only was it the same color as Harry's eyes — making wearing it for Malfoy extra special — but it was far smaller than she usually preferred her bikinis. Most of it was simple string. It was perfect.
"Thanks, Harry," she smiled warmly and genuinely. "You're right. Bikini it is." He just stood awkwardly, not knowing how to answer very obviously, until there was a loud knocking at the door. Both of them jumped, but Harry flew the far higher of the two. He sent her a wide-eyed look that Ginny couldn't decipher, and she eventually decided to ignore it. "Could you get that, Harry?" she asked, and he nodded absently.
•
Harry walked down his hallway, leaving the bedroom where his wife was preparing to wear basically nothing around her 'master,' wondering what had possessed him to suggest she wear her most revealing outfit for Malfoy. It was simple insanity, he decided — a temporary fit of madness that had descended on him after seeing Ginny's naked glory. He hadn't seen his wife's naked body in months — or any naked female, for that matter — and suddenly being in close proximity to it had left him unable to think. He had been avoiding sexual thoughts ever since he had been prevented from making love to Ginny and especially since she had finally had sex with Malfoy, but seeing her had prompted an avalanche of them to assault him. He had bottled them up and they had all suddenly released. He had simply wanted to see his wife in the sexiest thing possible. The reminder that she wouldn't be wearing it for him hadn't penetrated his brain.
All that was not even mentioning the changes she had gone through. Harry supposed he should have expected them — after the changes they had both gone through after completing their marriage bond — but he supposed he hadn't anticipated them being quite so drastic. Ginny looked fantastic — like the most well-shaped classical statue or the best erotic magazines had to offer. She oozed sex, as if it was all she had been born to do, and it went straight to the very primitive part of Harry's brain. His wife had been sexy before, of course, but the changes her concubine bond had induced in her had been both subtle and altering. Overnight she had literally become built for sex.
And not sex with him.
All at once the dark thoughts returned, and Harry did his best to brush them away, succeeding as he walked through the house, down the staircase, and up to his front door. By the time he reached it he was even feeling somewhat amicable, and wondered optimistically who could be coming to visit. Ginny had said she wouldn't be going for another few hours, after all, and Harry had half a mind that it would be Hermione again. The witch had come 'round several times, nominally to provide comfort to Harry and talk to him about the latest promising leads she had but, Harry thought, also to give Ginny disapproving looks. The two never spoke, however, and Ginny seemed to ignore the looks the brunette sent her. Harry couldn't decide whether he was grateful or not for that. Distractedly, he opened the door.
"Hello, Potter," the smiling face behind the door said, and without a thought Harry swung at it. The smile abruptly vanished and Malfoy just barely ducked the other man's fist, and he scrambled to pull his wand out and point it at the dark-haired man. "Cool it, Potter," he said, and Harry got control of himself. He didn't swing again, but he didn't stop glaring at the blond either. Warily, Malfoy put the wand away. "I'm just here for your wife. Is she ready?"
"Getting ready," Harry growled, not willing to say more.
"Good. If I know her, she'll be making it very hard not to just take her straight to bed," he said conversationally, making a vein in Harry's temple throb. "I… assume you know what that's like?" the other man prodded, and Harry found that he had not even wanted to kill Bellatrix Lestrange after she had killed Sirius as much as he wanted to kill Malfoy in this moment. He didn't respond, and the conversation lulled. Finally, however, Malfoy piped up again as Harry had known he would. "Potter, you know that after the concubine ritual has been completed you need to ask my permission for Ginny to have sex with you, right?" He looked at the man, and Harry's dark expression clearly stated he had not known this. "I just say that because she's been saying you've looked like you wanted to. I have to grant your request, of course, her being your wife, but you still need to make the request. Part of the magic. She's my concubine, after all. Anyway, I don't suppose you wanted to ask…?" Harry glared at him, and Malfoy shrugged. "More for me then." Harry twitched violently.
"Just… shut up, Malfoy."
"Look, Potter, I know you're not happy about this, but I just wanted to say thanks." Harry gave him a curious look through his anger, and Malfoy shrugged again. "You could have put up a lot more fuss about the whole thing, and I'm glad you didn't. Ginny's great, and I'm thankful you gave her to me. She's just fantastic in bed, honestly, and I can see why you married her. She's better than I dreamed, and she's just a beautiful concubine and wife. So thanks for letting her be with me instead."
Harry was about ready to explode at this, but was defused before he could by his wife's presence on the staircase. She was wearing a thin, long-sleeved shirt over her bikini as well as a hat with sunglasses on top of it, making Harry's heart ache. What grabbed his attention, however, was the large grin she was sporting as she bounded down the staircase. "Master!" she cried, almost bouncing on her feet as she walked up to them, and Malfoy grinned before encircling her waist and pulling her to him for a kiss. Ginny happily obliged, and Harry was forced to watch as Malfoy's hand reached down to grab his wife's bare arse. He felt the urge to throw up, and was sure if this farce didn't end soon he would. The two finally broke apart, and Ginny blushed when she realized what had happened. "Oh, sorry, Harry," she said with a grin that wasn't quite embarrassed or apologetic, but very nearly so. The three stood awkwardly, before Malfoy took his wife's hand.
"We'd better get going," he told Harry. "I'll have your wife back in three days or so. Maybe a bit more. We'll see." Then he looked thoughtfully at Harry. "And, seriously, Potter, think about asking for her. She doesn't have to be all mine," he said, and Ginny squeaked with an embarrassed little giggle. Harry just stared at her. "She's still married to you, even if she's mine. Think about it." With that he kissed Ginny again, turning them both to lead them away from the house. Harry just shut the door mechanically.
He barely heard Ginny's almost-forgotten "Bye, Harry!" as he rushed to conjure a bucket he could throw-up into.
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Harry wandered down to the kitchen in a daze. Ever since Malfoy had first come to pick Ginny up directly things had been getting more out of hand. Ginny still left to see her master, of course, but those were at odd times of the day, and it was now just as likely that Malfoy would arrive to pick his concubine up as she would leave to meet him. Each of the incidents was burned into Harry's memory, of Ginny leaving with Malfoy as lips met or hands wandered, and each of them seemed to drive home a little more of the reality of the situation. His wife was fucking Malfoy and there was nothing he could do about it. It had even gotten to the point where, last night, Ginny had emerged from the shower completely naked, dried herself, and then had her eyes widen before apparating directly out of the house without putting so much as a sock on.
Ginny was nowhere to be found, of course, and so Harry put on the coffee exactly the way he liked it, as he had been doing for weeks now. The low hiss of the flames soothed him, and in the early morning sunshine streaming through the windows he almost felt content. Almost. There was still the part of him that felt like a diseased animal that had been around ever since he had mistakenly thought Ginny had started sleeping with Malfoy. Grimacing and pushing the thoughts away, Harry got his coffee and sat down at his table, closing his eyes and sipping contemplatively.
When he finally opened his eyes again, they scanned over the table and came to rest on something he was quite unaccustomed to seeing in his house: one of the gossipy magazines that had dominated the lives of girls like Lavender Brown during Hogwarts. Wondering what it could be doing on the table, Harry pulled it over and looked at the cover. It was dominated by an enormous picture of Ginny in her green bikini, and Harry just glimpsed the words 'Concubine Fun' before he pushed it away, feeling ill.
He tried his best to ignore it, he really did, but morbid curiosity got the better of him after a moment and he brought the magazine back. He gave himself only a split second to doubt his course of action before he flipped to the indicated page number. These pages had moving pictures of both Ginny and Malfoy, and Harry averted his eyes while reading on.
Little has been heard since the Wizengamot made a decision that shocked the wizarding world and awarded Lord Malfoy concubinage rights to Lady Potter. Rumors and gossip have abounded, but we here at The Witch's Brew can now reveal that Lady Potter has indeed completed her concubinage ritual and been taken by Lord Malfoy. Ministry officials confirmed that the ruling had been fulfilled and that Lady Potter is now a concubine of the House of Malfoy. "We were worried that it was taking so long, but we understand that Lady Potter was reluctant to do her duty. We are just thankful the Ministry did not have to use more forceful measures."
Nevertheless, the new master and concubine have been staying out of the public eye, and we can only speculate on the true nature of their relationship. Neither Lord Potter or Lord Malfoy could be reached for comment and they have not been seen together, but we discovered last night that Lord Malfoy has taken the hero's wife on a special trip to France in secret. Only the resourcefulness of our enterprising journalists allowed us to discover the romantic getaway by master and concubine.
France is renowned as the home of lovers — and for its steamy affairs! — and we're sure Lady Potter was feeling the heat with her new master as she wore scandalous muggle clothing for him. Lord Malfoy seemed to do nothing but appreciate his concubine and the two were spotted becoming very close. We're sure this will be an affair for the ages! Though we can't put all the rumors to rest, from the interactions master and concubine shared we can safely say that Lady Potter is anything but displeased with her new status.
"Ginny's so much happier now," a source close to the Potters who wished to remain anonymous told us. "You can see it all the time. She's a woman who's sure of herself and is finally getting what she needs. She's radiant, and what she shares with Malfoy as his concubine is passionate and beautiful." A ringing endorsement indeed! It's certain that Lady Potter is bringing concubinage back in fashion. There have been talks amongst more than a few of the Lords of the Wizengamot about taking new open-concubines, and many Witch's Brew readers have written to express their enthusiasm for and interest in becoming open-concubines. But what of our current, popular master-concubine relationship?
It's unclear why Lord Malfoy has not publicly shown off Lady Potter as his concubine, as is tradition for lords to do. Lord Malfoy was expected to present Lady Potter as his concubine before the Wizengamot and then House Malfoy allies, but besides their trip to France the new couple has kept their relationship behind closed doors. Perhaps Lord Malfoy wants to keep Harry Potter's wife all to himself, and we can't blame him if he does! Or perhaps Lady Potter is making demands on her new master, for Lord Malfoy has barely been seen out and about!
"They were together during Hogwarts, and she's smitten with him," a classmate of Lady Potter told us. "She was Harry's girlfriend, but she was Draco's girl. She'd disappear to see him all the time, and come back with hickies! I can't count the number of times I had to stall Harry or help Ginny apply concealment charms. I can't tell you how courageous I thought she was, sneaking around to see the man she loved while dating his rival. I'm glad she and Draco can finally be legally together the way they should have been. Frankly I'm surprised it took Draco so long to take Ginny out–––"
Harry stopped reading, crumbling the trash magazine with a scowl and tossing it in the fire, watching with a detached sort of satisfaction as Ginny's bikini-clad body disappeared in the flames.
––|––
For the first time in many months Harry was feeling relatively normal as he sat at his desk in the auror's office shuffling through paperwork. He'd never have thought he'd find it so calm and reassuring. He certainly had never thought he'd eagerly anticipate it, but then he'd never quite expected how unjust the wizarding world could be either. Now that it had decided to show him just how low it could go he found that immersing himself in mindless work and the occasional mystery actually kept him somewhat happy. Hence his becoming the auror force's undisputed paperwork master.
Harry was just getting into evaluating a report on the possibility that a virgin sacrifice ritual had been attempted the month before when there was a knock on his office door. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry's first impression was that it was his blond auror colleague Johnson and wondered what the man could want with him, but when he looked up and found Malfoy waiting for him the quiet smile on his face fled. Releasing his hand from where it had suddenly gripped his wand, he acknowledged the other man with a terse "Malfoy."
If Malfoy was insulted by this, as Harry rather hoped he was, he didn't show it. "Potter," he replied easily, as though he were greeting a neutral acquaintance. Harry had never known he could bristle at so mild a tone. "I might as well get straight to the point. I'm coming here as a courtesy call."
"Your kindness knows no bounds," Harry said dryly.
At this Malfoy smirked. "It could have been worse, Potter. I could've forgone her fidelity bonds to me and lent her out to anyone who asked."
"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not thanking you."
The other man waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to. Ginny does it enough." He smirked, and Harry had to try very hard not to enact one of the many plans for murder he'd been cooking up. "At any rate, I assume you're aware of the upcoming Ministry Ball?" Harry knew, of course. He was forced to attend every year. It was held just after the beginning of June, to celebrate some magical event or other, but as far as Harry's luck was going he was starting to think it might as well have been held on Halloween. A suddenly sick feeling in his stomach, Harry nodded at Malfoy. "Good," he said shortly. "I just thought you ought to know that Ginny will be attending as my concubine rather than as your wife, so you can prepare accordingly." He looked at Harry to make sure he had understood before nodding his head. "Just thought you should know. Good day."
––|––
"Harry!" Ginny called from the bedroom, and Harry turned away from the mirror where he had been glaring at his dress-robe clad reflection. "Could you come help me zip my dress up?" she asked. For a moment Harry pondered leaving her to do it herself — she was dressing up for Malfoy after all — but then relented. He oughtn't take his frustrations out on Ginny, and leaving her to suffer was hardly going to make Malfoy suffer. Still, that didn't mean he had to like anything about this. Reluctantly, he left the bathroom and entered the bedroom to find his redheaded wife standing in a tiny black dress she was trying to hold up. When he entered she looked at him gratefully. "Thanks. I can barely get this bloody thing to stay on me."
As Harry walked towards her he had half a mind to just keep walking past, but he did eventually stop behind her. Being this close to the dress he could suddenly see all its small details, like the fact that it was far thinner than he imagined. Harry was almost certain that he'd be able to directly feel her skin through the dress if he touched her. He also saw that it went almost to her ankles — surprising, considering that Harry could almost find it believable that Malfoy would take her stark naked if he could — and all the way up to her choker, leaving her shoulders bare and showing a small amount of cleavage. "Another gift from your master, I presume?" Harry asked, trying to keep the scorn out of his voice.
Ginny sensed it, however, because she looked over at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "Don't be like that, Harry. He could be treating me like a whore, but he isn't." Harry resisted the urge to ask about which kind of whore she was referring to with a deep, annoyed frown. "We all went along with this, and I'm his now, not yours, whether we like it or not. You need to accept that or this is going to kill you. It's killing you now, I can see it, so don't bother denying it! I want my husband back. Just because I'm Malfoy's now doesn't mean I'm not your wife anymore."
Harry sighed and said nothing, reaching down to zip up the dress. For a moment he felt the overwhelming urge to pull the dress off Ginny and fuck her silly, to clamp his hands around her waist and kiss her fiercely like he used to, to remind Ginny that she was his wife. He didn't do any of it. His fingers twitched as his eyes trailed her alluring body, but they went not to her shoulder straps or to her waist but to the zipper at the small of her back. Then he stilled. "You aren't wearing any underwear," he stated, wide-eyed. Indeed, he could spot no trace of fabric around her hips or between her legs. She was certainly not wearing any bra.
Ginny gave him a wide-eyed, embarrassed look over her shoulder, almost the same kind as when she was caught stuffing herself with chocolate cake after a quidditch match. It wasn't exactly the same, however. Harry recognized it most as the look she gave when he found out she was trying to please Malfoy. "J-Just zip me up please, Harry," she said quietly, turning away from him. Almost not believing what he was seeing, Harry did so, trying to catch her eyes the whole time. When he was done she moved away from him, not looking his way.
"Ginny, why aren't you wearing any underwear?"
"Look, Harry, I know it's a little daring–––"
All of a sudden all the anger he had been feeling over the past few weeks boiled over and he snapped. He forced her around to look at him. "Why aren't you wearing underwear?" he demanded.
"Harry, i-it's just for the dress, I swear! I just didn't want any wrinkles or anything." Her expression was anything but convincing, however.
"I don't believe you," Harry flatly stated, causing Ginny to glare at him. "I bet it's for Malfoy."
"Harry, no! It isn't, I swear."
"Yeah, right, just like those bathing suits weren't for Malfoy. Just like these new perfumes aren't for Malfoy. Just like those new books on sex aren't for Malfoy. Just like you aren't for Malfoy. Merlin, Ginny, how stupid do you think I am?"
Ginny faltered at that, but her resolve stiffened as she pleaded with him. "It's not, Harry! It's not! I swear!"
"What, I'm supposed to believe Malfoy ordered you?"
"Yes!" Ginny cried.
"Well, I don't. You think I don't know when you're eager for something? You think I don't know when you're enjoying sex? Admit it. Admit you actually like this. You like being Malfoy's concubine, even though you promised you wouldn't!"
"I don't, Harry!"
"Stop lying to me!" he roared at the redhead, who suddenly looked cowed before she fired up again.
"I'm not lying to you, you wanker!" she yelled.
"You are! Admit it!" "There's nothing to admit!"
"You like fucking him!"
"No, I–––"
"You do!"
"I don't! I–––"
"You do! You like cheating on me! You like fucking a man you aren't married to!"
"No, Harry, if you would just–––"
"Stop lying! Just stop! Admit it, admit you like fucking him!"
"No, Harry–––"
"Admit it!"
"Fine!" she exploded. "I love fucking Malfoy. You were right! Is that what you wanted to hear? I love fucking him. I'm not wearing underwear because I want him turned on. I want to tease him until he takes me to bed! Having sex with your rival is great! You've been wondering what I think! Fine! I was lying to spare your feelings, but you're too fucking insecure! I love being his concubine and I'm glad it happened! Are you feeling better now? Do you prefer this to both of us pretending I kept my promise? Because I didn't. I don't hate it. I broke my promise! He's great in bed, and it's thrilling to be married to you while fucking him. It turns me on like nothing else. Malfoy plays out so many fantasies like that while we're shagging. Did you want to hear what I plan to do with him tonight as well? Because I was thinking that he could take me–––" And she was cut off in her tirade by a flick of Harry's wand.
Ginny glared at him, but deflated as he just stared at her, looking like he had aged two decades. He flicked his wand again and Ginny regained the power of speech. She didn't say anything, however. What was there to be said? They just stared at each other, and for all that passed between them they might have been squinting at the other's silhouette on the other side of a foggy chasm. Harry had pushed her too far. He knew that now. Was it a kindness to keep him in the dark? He didn't know, but somehow knowing the truth instead of suspecting it left him feeling hollow. Was it worse than the burning anger and desire for truth? A part of him wanted to go back to that just so he could feel animated and alive again. The other part of him preferred the empty feeling, because feeling anything else was too painful. "Ginny," he said quietly, "I'd divorce you if I could." Then he turned and left the room, but not before seeing the shocked and hurt expression on her face. It bothered him only slightly that it didn't bother him more to see it.
No words were exchanged between them again, and Harry just sat in the living room sipping whiskey as he had so many weeks before, absently listening to the sounds of Ginny preparing herself for Malfoy. As he had been expecting, there was a knock on the door not long after, and Harry got up mechanically to open it. He didn't react when he found Malfoy on the steps looking as pompous as usual, but he did notice the smugness die a little in the blond's eyes when he didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction to taking his wife. Harry didn't invite him inside, merely standing and nursing his whiskey at he stared at the other man evenly. Finally there were footsteps on the stares and Ginny appeared. "Master," she greeted warmly, but there was no warmth in her eyes when she stared at Harry. She didn't even wish him goodbye, instead pulling Malfoy out of the house and pushing herself close to him as they disapparated.
When Harry finally brought himself around to going to the ball, he thought he was slightly lucky he didn't splinch himself, and he was sure he wasn't looking as presentable as the rest of the DMLE was hoping. Not like he could give a damn. They had forced him into coming to the damn thing as they did every year, despite the extra strings Harry had tried to pull this year after finding out Ginny would be going with Malfoy.
When he arrived, it was to polite nods and cheerful greetings, but Harry couldn't help but feel most of them were pitying, condescending, or mocking. In the end, he decided it didn't matter and busied himself with plundering the drinks instead. Most people seemed to accept that he didn't want to talk to anyone, especially after spying Ginny held tightly in Malfoy's arms as they spun around the dance floor, and Harry's indulgence proceeded unmolested. Unmolested, of course, until a voice interrupted him. "Lord Potter?"
Harry grunted. "Bloody lot of good the 'lord' part did me, but yes?"
A portly wizard with a silver mustache waddled into his vision behind the rather extensive collection of firewhiskey. "I just wanted to give you my condolences. That trial was stacked against you from the start." Harry grunted again. He had had his fair share of meaningless sympathy. Why did they expect him to care when it was all just hot air? What had this wizard's condolences done for him? They hadn't saved his marriage. They hadn't prevented Ginny becoming a willing concubine. Harry didn't say any of that, though. This wizard was at least not harmful. At Harry's lack of response, the wizard looked unsure of himself. "I know this must mean very little to you, but I am truly sorry." He hesitated a moment, then added "I don't know how much comfort this would be or how amenable you are, but if you wished you could have a petition to take concubines filed. It's all standard procedure and no one will look twice, so we can run it through the Wizengamot quietly. I have two granddaughters who turn sixteen this December, and I'm sure we could arrange one or both for you. It's a bit unorthodox but after everything you've done for everyone and this horrible injustice it's the least I can do. If you don't like them I have a few allies with girls around the right age who have expressed their willingness. Besides, both of the girls are smitten with you." The man spoke all this quickly so that when Harry looked up at him sharply he had already finished.
"I'm sorry?" Harry asked, not quite knowing what he was hearing.
"I know it's a bit much, but think it over." At this he handed Harry a card and walked away, leaving Harry wondering if he'd already had too much to drink. He was still standing in a stupor when another man sidled up to him wearing a very predatory grin. Even if he hadn't known Theodore Nott from his school days he would have recognized the sadistic bastard anywhere.
"I have to say, your wife makes a beautiful concubine, Potter," he said, ignoring Harry's rude gesture. "It was good of you to support the old traditions. It would have been better to give her to a worthy pureblood and resign yourself to celibacy without a Wizengamot prompting, of course, but I suppose you gave her away in the end. Makes me wish I'd had those extra few thousand galleons on hand, but I suppose she is more rightfully Malfoy's after everything you've done. Still, I can't say I don't wish I was there when you presented her to Malfoy for the completion of the concubinage ritual. Did you bring her to his bed nude traditionally, or did you do some absurd muggle custom and dress her for modesty? I hope you at least undressed her before guiding her to Malfoy."
"You're a disgusting pervert, Nott. Now bugger off."
"Touchy, touchy. Still, you can't deny it's arousing to see Lady Potter finally in the arms of a real man."
"When I see a real man I'll let you know."
"You say that now, Potter, but wait until you're raising good, pureblood children as your own." With that Nott left, and Harry glared at his back before sighing a sitting down in a chair heavily. He had just barely escaped from the last unwelcome encounter when yet another person walked up to him. This time it was a witch, and Harry didn't need to know her to know that she was a reporter for one of the many gossip magazines. He had never much liked reporters, but he had found new depths of loathing for them after his sentencing.
"Lord Potter!" the witch cried with enthusiasm faker than Rita Skeeter had ever shown. Did journalism just attract these types of witches? "Could I have a word?"
"No."
"Lord Potter, please, I'd just like to ask a few questions. Would you kindly comment on Lady Potter's unexpected concubinage? How did you and Lord Malfoy arrange to complete the ritual? Did you present your wife to him traditionally? How did you give your wife to Lord Malfoy? Has Lord Malfoy revealed whether he will allow her to bear you children? Does Lord Malfoy seemed pleased with Lady Potter? Has he expressed any interest in giving you a concubine in return? If so, can you shed any light on the rumors that he will give you his mother, the Dowager Malfoy?"
Interrupting this stream of excited questions, Harry just glared at the woman. "Yeah, I have a comment: fuck off, and fuck the Ministry."
The witch looked shocked. "Lord Potter! That's hardly appropriate!"
"Neither is this," Harry said flippantly while flipping her off.
"Why!" the witch exclaimed angrily. "I suppose I'll run my questions by Lord Malfoy instead!"
"You do that, you nosy hag," Harry replied. Looking ruffled, the reporter disappeared, leaving Harry to sit in silence again. This time there were no more interruptions, and for a moment he could actually just enjoy the evening… or at least the alcohol. He supposed that was one good thing that had come out of attending the stupid ball. When he finally felt he could stomach it again, he looked around to locate Ginny. It was rather easy to do with her fiery hair, and her husband was surprised to find that she was no longer dancing but sitting along the side of the dance floor in a corner reasonably close to him… in Malfoy's lap. One of Malfoy's arms was around her waist, while the other had disappeared through the slit of her dress and up her thigh, undoubtedly why they had chosen the secluded corner. Worst of all, the reporter from before was seated in front of them, talking to both and looking as pleased as a fox in a henhouse.
For a moment Harry sat shocked. Wizards were normally so uptight that he couldn't believe public fondling got a pass. Then he remembered one of the facts Hermione had been spouting, recalling that concubines were expected to be a little daring and masters a little daring with their concubines. Had Ginny been there as his wife it would have been scandalous. She wasn't there as his wife. She was there as Malfoy's concubine, and as Malfoy's concubine it was perfectly acceptable for Malfoy to play with her in a dark corner. His slight smile became a frown and he set his drink down on the table, allowing the group's conversation to drift his way.
"…sounds wonderful," the reporter was saying. "Now, how do you enjoy being Lord Malfoy's concubine, Lady Potter?"
Ginny, who had spied him looking earlier, gave him a very deliberate look. "I love it," she said. "I wish it had happened years ago. Being a concubine is just so much more satisfying than being a wife, but I'm glad I'm both. I think, in my ideal world, my master would have completed the concubine ritual on my wedding night."
"After you lost your virginity to Lord Potter, you mean?"
Ginny laughed. "No, before, of course. I wish my master had been my first."
At this the reporter shot Harry a victorious look, which he did his best to return with a death-stare. "That's very romantic. Now, would you be able to tell us the details of your concubine ritual? How did Lord Malfoy arrange to take you from your husband?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That would be telling. It's very private, but I will say that Lord Malfoy had to work very hard before he finally seduced me. I was naïvely trying to stay faithful, you see."
At this point Malfoy cut in. "Yes, my concubine was raised as a good pureblood girl and so was trying to keep her vows, but because so many of our traditions have been forgotten she was unaware her duty to give herself to me overrode her vows to her husband. Lord Potter, likewise, was unaware of his duty to give his wife to me and present her. It took some work for Lord and Lady Potter come to terms with the situation and rightfully break Lady Potter's fidelity vows. As you can see, however, she's quite eagerly embraced her new role."
"I can indeed. It's only rarely that I see a girl so attracted to someone." At this Ginny blushed. "You're a very lucky man, Lord Malfoy. It's not often you get to take a young wife."
"She's worth every galleon I spent to get her."
"Not that you should have had to pay a knut, clearly. I'm surprised Lord Potter didn't give you his wife years ago when she's clearly so attracted to you."
Malfoy laughed. "Let's just say Lord Potter and I have very different opinions on the rights and duties of a pureblood woman, let alone a wife, and leave it at that."
"Too true," the reporter simpered, reminding Harry frightfully of Pansy Parkinson in his early years at Hogwarts. "Now, would it be possible to get any idea of your plans regarding children? Our readers are dying to know."
Harry took that as his cue to leave.
Last edited: 2017.7.24