Retirement Plan.
Part 26.
Ottery St Catchpole. Devon.
"The bike must have some powerful Notice-Me-Not Charms on it" I was told by Raven as the magically enchanted machine came to a stop just outside of the Burrow, the home of the Weasly family "Otherwise we'd have broken the Statute of Secrecy so badly that the entire Ministry would be coming after us".
As the name suggests Notice-Me-Not Charm keeps people who aren't looking for you from noticing you, but it isn't quite as powerful as it appears in some fan-made stories I'd read as it takes advantage of the fact that most people are minding their own business. It is somewhat similar to the Somebody Else's Problem field as seen in Douglas Adam's works.
It has limits, for example, if you are trying to sneak past someone who guards a bank or is a bouncer at a nightclub then you would be better off using a Disillusionment Charm or a Invisibility Cloak because they are actively looking for intruders. It also won't work if someone is looking for you personally as then you are part of their business.
This spell along with others worked to prevent the Muggles from seeing the bike, much like with the Knight Bus. It doesn't work if you flip off the police and then let them chase you, but I wasn't going to do anything like that as Sirus Black had let us know that this didn't end well.
Also, like the Knight Bus, the bike took far less time to reach somewhere than should be possible even at really high speeds. I'd not flown the bike as it was daytime and muggles do notice fly vehicles despite the charms. That would have gotten me into a lot of trouble.
It should have taken us a few hours at least to get here, many more, depending on traffic, but we'd gotten here in slightly less than half an hour according to my watch even if it didn't feel like so long.
That simply wasn't possible and yet I didn't think the bike had been teleporting us around. Something that I mentioned to Raven as we dismounted.
"I think it works as some theoretical FTL drives I've read about are supposed to work," I said, "There's an idea called Space Folding which is this fictional method of instant space travel whereby an FTL engine causes space to fold so that the start and endpoints of the trip are suddenly right next to each other or even somehow in the same place. It lets you get around the limit of lightspeed".
Raven gave it some thought before speaking.
"I was holding on to you for most of the trip so I didn't see much, but we did travel down some roads even if they seemed to be wrong," she told me "It might work that way somewhat, by folding and twisting space, or bending it in some way. A lot like the Knight Bus".
If a wizard could make a motorcycle bend space and maybe time as well, as this one did, then what could wand magic do to a space shuttle? Something I also ran by Raven.
One of my challenges was to go beyond the known frontier of the locals. My intention was for us to use Dawn's blood to reach other realities, but space travel was also an option. No human in this world had gone further than the moon so a trip to Mars should satisfy the terms of the challenge.
"The books do say that Muggle technology and magic don't mix, but the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts Express and your new bike suggest otherwise," she said to me as we headed closer towards the Burrow "Something to look into if I ever find the time".
Since I was much newer to magic than her I was keeping my attention on simpler uses for it, and for now, I needed to focus on the den of weasels that I was about to enter.
"Roth, Twycross, what are you doing here?" Ron Weasley demanded to know.
He sounded as if he very much didn't approve of our presence here. Not that this surprised me as the redhead took my mere existence as some sort of offence.
This made sense as I was everything he wasn't and I had what he lacked. I had wealth, power, attractive women at my side, the best money could buy and I actually had table manners.
He resented not coming from a wealthy family, he didn't like having to share with siblings, and he wanted recognition for his deeds despite not having accomplished anything.
"I have some business with your father," I said.
Of course, he demanded to know what kind of business. As if I needed his approval before speaking to one of his parents.
"It's to do with your father's work," I told him.
Percy Weasley, who I'd had no reason to interact with, shooed his brother away. Pointing out that this was Ministry business.
Thankfully a more friendly member of the household appeared and soon Arthur Weasly was looking over the bike which he had been drawn to as if it emitted someone of sort of signal that only he could hear.
"Why didn't you bring this into the Ministry?" he asked.
This would be what I was supposed to be doing according to the law as while it was legal to enchant muggle objects they were laws that limited what magical properties you could imbue upon a muggle-made item. I needed to make sure my bike was not breaking those laws.
"I heard that it's your department that handles this sort of thing," I said, "And I didn't think that I'd be able to get the bike into the visitors' entrance, so I decided to bring it directly to you".
Mr Weasly began to look the bike over as he did I noticed that the only girl child of the Weasley Clan was watching Harry Potter from a window while he was flying around on a broom with some of her older siblings. She must have a big crush on him in this timeline as well despite her being older.
As for Potter, I wasn't shocked to see him here. The Weaslys were loyal Dumbledore supporters who the Headmaster would allow Harry Potter to spend time with when not at school.
"Something this big wouldn't even fit in my office," said the Ministry worker.
He knew what he was doing because he worked at The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. His entire job was about regulating the use of magic on Muggle objects and trying to keep items that had been bewitched away from Muggles.
To this end, members of his Office along with people from other parts of the DMLE were known to participate in raids and to do other things to keep magic items out of the hands of people who might misuse them. Mostly this involved containing and destroying bewitched items meant to harm or even kill Muggles.
Despite the laws meant to protect Muggles from getting their hands on magical items that could harm them. Arthur Weasley was able to bewitch a Ford Anglia to fly legally because he did not intend to fly the car, as such having a flying bewitchment on the bike wasn't illegal as long as I didn't fly on it.
A bit of a loophole even if it was sort of illegal. Mr Weasly did his best to explain this.
"So I can ride it, just not fly it," I said.
Since I was a dragon I needed no help in flying.
"Not unless your life is at risk" the Ministry employee explained, "But that's an absolute last resort as you'd have to explain your reasoning at a Ministry Hearing if anyone was to see you".
And given the corruption within the Wizarding Government, they might not accept my reasoning unless I bribed the right people.
"Leave it with me for a week for a proper inspection and I'll make sure all the paperwork is filled as long as the charms check out," Mr Weasely said "All magical forms of transport needed to be approved by the Department of Magical Transportation so I'll talk to Madam Edgecombe".
The Department of Magical Transportation normally only handled the Floo Network, Portkeys and Apparition, but I could see how the bike would need their approval. Since I didn't want legal trouble I decided to come back in a week.
I figured that the redheaded man would be checking the charms against his own bewitched car, but since this was his field of expertise I trusted him not to do anything that would harm my new toy. At least not on purpose and I felt sure that if anything was damaged that I could ask Sirus Black to fix it for me.
"Then I'll see you in a week," I told the Ministry man before Raven and I walked out of his front yard.
From the road, we would summon the Knight Bus to take us home.
"I hope Ron Weasly doesn't damage your new toy," said Rachel.
Despite the redhead acting as if we were rivals I didn't think about him very often or consider him to be a real threat.
"If he does then he'll regret it as then I will start to take him seriously," I told my lover.
And he would not like that at all.
The Ossuary. Wizarding World.
It took me a moment to recall how Horace Slughorn of all people was able to talk me into coming here tonight as this was not going to be a pleasant evening. Then I reminded myself that he'd bribed me with the promise of supplying me with a very special potion.
I badly wanted some more Felix Felicis and Slughorn was one of the few potion masters around who could supply me with even a small bottle of the most precious substance.
Given how easily he offered me a small amount I must be correct about him having brewed a cauldron full for when he came back to teaching. This made sense as it was hard to make, it wasn't
something you can just throw together.
In return for a small vial of the extremely useful liquid, which I figured could come in handy one day and increase the amount my group could use. I'd agreed to attend a fundraiser at the manor owned by the Bones family.
When I'd used the floo network to get here I'd called out The Ossuary, a suitable name for the home of a family of people called Bones.
Despite the name, the manor house was a brightly lit place. I'd have been much more amused if it had been built in the gothic style or at least there were some skulls on display.
Wizarding names were odd like that. The Burrow wasn't underground and you'd think a place named for a special building meant to house human skeletons would contain at least some decorative skulls.
Alas, it was rather dull, there were portraits around, and some works of art that were pleasing to look at, but other than that the house didn't have much going for it.
Perhaps because Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was known for putting in many hours at work this place lacked that lived-in feeling that made a house feel like a home.
Did she live elsewhere with her niece or did the Bones family just stay in one part of the house? Only making use of more of the place when they needed to.
That would explain why there didn't seem to be anything to do around here. What did witches and wizards who weren't in school do with their spare time? They didn't have video games, television with streaming services, or anything like that.
Sure they had books and radio, however, they seemed to be lacking in even simple stuff like board games, they didn't even have many card games and stuff like gob stones was only played by children.
Although I hadn't seen enough of this culture to be sure of that and I was rather spoiled by my home.
Did they spend all of their free time socialising? It must be a nightmare to be an introvert in the magical parts of this country.
I'd much rather be reading or practising magic I needed to learn for school, or learning more about the magical mind arts from Rachel, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy as they say.
"This way, sir" directed a smart-looking house-elf.
I kept following the little creature as it led me through the large house. Taking the chance to see as much of a magical home as I could as I was led to a cloakroom.
"Good, James you're here!" called out a voice.
I turned to see Slughorn who must have arrived just ahead of me as he'd already hung up his coat. His fancy robes weren't doing him any favours. He reminded me of that time my Mum had during a visit to my home, tried to cover up my comfy recliner with some fancy material because she thought it was ugly. The result had been a total eyesore.
"A deal is a deal," I stated.
He passed the very small bottle and I inspected it for a moment before it vanished into my pocket. Only it really went into my storage dimension.
"24 hours of liquid luck as promised" he stated "Use it sparingly, my boy".
Slughorn had already told me that once consumed the potion would ensure, at least until the effects wear off, that all the drinker's endeavours will tend to succeed, but it only changes the odds so that they greatly favour you, it wouldn't give me the ability do something I wasn't normally capable of doing.
For example, if I fell off a building the potion wouldn't suddenly allow me to understand how to use magic to fly, but I'd have a good chance of landing on something that could cushion my fall or it would make it far more likely that I would be able to slow my fall with a spell even if I hadn't practised the spell beforehand.
"Amelia Bones rarely hosts these sort of events," the teacher told me "We all know that she's trying to rally support for when she finally makes her move to become Minister for Magic and that will require funding".
Magical Britain was actually a democracy, so much like the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Magic was voted into office by the public, and in theory, the Minister of Magic is actually answerable to the Prime Minster. Much like the Minister of Education or the Minister of Transport.
In practice, the Ministry of Magic ran its own affairs and no one would publicly admit that Fudge was supposed to answer to the man in charge at Number 10 Downing Street.
"Funding is why she is interested in having you here, but she won't actually admit it" Slughorn let me know "You should consider offering support, it could make things easier for you in future".
I knew enough about politics to know that no one here would actually be saying exactly what they wanted. There would be plenty of beating around the bush. Lucky for me Horace was willing to explain things, must be the teacher in him.
"Now I made no promises in getting her your support I just told her I'd arrange for you to attend," he said.
Which he'd successfully bribed me to do, and at least he was being honest about it.
"If she's trying to gain support then why is the Minister here?" I questioned, having noticed the man who thought a green bowler hat was fashionable "Isn't that risky?".
Slughorn seemed amused by my questions.
"The Minister invited himself along," said Slughorn "Bones could hardly refuse him without making it clear what she is up to. Fudge isn't as foolish as he might seem and he is here to undermine Amelia. You may find them both trying to win you over since without Lucius Malfoy to advise him Fudge is looking for someone else to fund him".
I found this all to be so silly. These people can alter reality by waving a fancy stick around, yet they waste their time and resources playing a version of Game of Thrones.
Granted this version has a nice buffet and no one is trying to kill each other at the moment, but it was still all about making alliances, securing funding, trying to weaken your enemies, and in the end, it would the common people who got caught in the crossfire.
To be fair there were limits on what these people could do due to the need to stay hidden from muggles. Still, it would be nice if they focused more on actually mastering magic rather than exhausting themselves with politics, parties and so on.
Then again perhaps it was for the best that they didn't as this way there were fewer people around who could challenge me with magical might.
"Miss Addams over here!" called out Slughorn.
To my surprise, Wednesday Addams had been invited. She'd turned up in some black dress that look more suited to a wake than a fundraiser.
"Miss Addams needed an escort for the evening," said the potion's master "And I promised to provide one if she attended this event".
Well, that explained why he'd told to me come alone. Although why she wanted me as her date for this event I didn't know. I doubted her motivations were simple if she was involving herself in British magical politics.
"So when do I discuss funding with Madam Bones?" I asked.
I was new to all of this and I needed some guidance. Slughorn was happy to provide it.
"Oh not here" said Horace "This party is more about feeling people out. Madam Bones will talk to you in private about that if things go well at this party".
I assumed this meant that she'd send me an invite for tea or ask to be able to visit me at home.
"Now let's go meet Amelia," he insisted.
Slughorn was soon talking with Madam Bones. As we moved I just about managed to grab a glass of something hopefully for adults only before being dragged into a conversation. Miss Addams had decided to take my arm and position me between herself and Slughorn as if I was some sort of human shield.
"Amelia, this is James Twycross, I'm not sure if you've had the chance to meet him," Slughorn said.
Bones was supposed to be interested in my money rather than my name, even if it might have some weight on its own. As for the money, gold was easy to obtain if I needed more I could call upon the spirits of the dead who were connected to lost treasures and question them about it until I knew where to go digging.
"I never go the chance to thank you in person for helping Susan" she said.
I'd mostly forgotten about how I'd come to this woman's attention in the first place. I'd prevented her niece from getting injured during her first flying lesson at the school. Susan Bones hadn't attempted to make friends with me after the event.
Perhaps she'd been under the impression that I would approach her. Not that we would have gotten close as there was no way I'd let the police chief's niece get close to me and risk her aunt finding out what I got up to.
After some small talk with Madam Bones, I ended up wandering around the ballroom with my date for the evening. It wasn't odd that Bones hadn't paid me much attention as I was only a first-year student and she wouldn't have much of an idea of how much I could fund her.
She might also be making an effort to prevent Fudge from trying to gain my support by acting as she if didn't really care that I was attending her fundraising.
Dawn had encouraged me to get closer to Wednesday since she might make a good member of my group, and this was a good chance to start with that.
"So how did you end up here?" I asked Miss Addams.
She looked annoyed at having to be here, but it was hard to tell since Wednesday made Raven seem as expressive as her friend Starfire.
"My parents decided to surprise me by purchasing a holiday home in this country so that I could spend time with them when school isn't in session," I was told "That brought them to the attention of the Ministry since buying a home here involves a lot of money".
Someone else would have said something along the lines of 'That was nice of them', however, I knew better.
"My condolences," I remarked.
She just nodded.
"Father has always been generous with the family fortune" Wednesday was now saying "And as I understand things the Minister of Magic and Madam Bones both desire funding".
Bones would want the DMLE better funded and Fudge no longer had Malfoy to keep his pockets full of gold.
"So your whole family was invited" I gathered "And for that, you needed a date?".
Wednesday grabbed a drink from a floating tray and drank it all in one go. Given that she'd just downed a double firewhisky it was impressive that she didn't even flinch.
"Mother is insisting that I spread my wings and try to date," I was told "I informed her that I was attending your party next week, and now she wants to meet you, she may be the under the impression that I am interested in you".
Even without the Normacly Perk, I doubted that the Addams family would have batted an eyelid at the idea of me having a harem, if was the right word for it.
"So you got Slughorn to get me to come here alone so I can be your date for the evening" I summarised "And so you can show me off to your parents because you want them to think you are trying to find a boyfriend".
That made some sense to me.
"More or less," said Wednesday "Now prepare yourself for the torment ahead".
She'd make a great dominatrix with that attitude, but she was referring to meeting her parents rather than for activities that my sex dungeon would be suited for.
"Mother, father, this is James Twycross, a classmate of mine" she introduced.
Gomez Addams had a strong handshake and since I was somewhat familiar with the social protocol in these events I knew to kiss the back of the hand Morticia Addams.
"James, these are my parents, Gomez and Morticia Addams," Wednesday said, "I apologise in advance".
They seemed pleased to meet me.
"Wednesday has spoken of you in her infrequent letters," Mrs Addams let me know.
I heard the tone of disappointment at the end of that sentence. Mother and daughter were not getting along well and Wednesday wasn't writing home enough.
"What did she write about?" I said, with amusement in my voice.
Despite my levity, I did have valid reasons to be concerned as if anyone could see through my group it would be an Addams. Thankfully, I didn't think people would take them seriously even if they did figure out the truth and start telling people.
"That you are well on the path to becoming a famous duellist," said Gomez "Wednesday is something of a fencer and I think she might be planning to expand her interest in sports to duelling".
If she did then Flitwick might need to rethink his choice of house champion for the second-year students when the contest took place next year.
"Then it's a good thing we're in the same house at school," I remarked.
Going up against her would be terrifying.
"Oh yes you're a Ravenclaw" remarked Mrs Addams "I was surprised that Wednesday wasn't sorted into Slytherin, the last Addams who went to Hogwarts when into that House, and Wednesday has always been cunning".
It was odd. I assumed it had something to do with why the Sorting Hat had a mental breakdown.
"The hat thought the casualties would be lessened if I went into Ravenclaw," the youngest Addams informed us.
That was a conclusion I'd come to when pondering the matter.
"Please excuse us, mother, father," said Wednesday as some music started up "James and I should dance".
I had no intention of dancing, but her grip on my arm gave me little choice in the matter.
"Be warned I'm not much of a dancer" I told the goth girl.
She didn't seem concerned.
"Don't worry" she said, "I'll do all the work".
I got the feeling I was going to be danced at rather than danced with.
One hundred thousand words later and I still have a lot more story to write. Can you believe some people complain about me having no staying power when it comes to writing stories?
Retirement Plan.
Part 27.
Treasure Cave. Outside of Time and Space.
"You know, I imagined that you'd sleep on your piles of gold while in your dragon form," remarked Hermione Granger as she entered my cave "Isn't that rather uncomfortable?".
The young witch was carrying a pile of books in her arms, hardly an odd sight, I just didn't know why she was in here with them. I didn't exactly get many visitors to my treasure cave since only three people other than myself even knew that it existed.
Hermione had recently gotten back into the country, from wherever her parents had dragged her off for a quick holiday, and she had returned just in time for Dawn's party which was tonight.
Since I would have to suffer through that I'd decided to spend the afternoon relaxing in my cave the contents of which kept growing.
"I'm using the Cushioning Charm," I told her.
As the name suggested it was a charm that created a cushioning effect on the target of the spell.
It was primarily used in broomstick manufacturing to make the brooms more comfortable for riders, but you could cast it on anything and while it didn't create a physical cushion the spell made lying on a pile of coins a comfortable thing to do.
"I'm glad you're practising your charms," she said with a nod of approval.
She moved over to the shelves that Raven had made in the walls of the cave.
"Rachel told me that a dragon's hoard is supposed to be made up of things that people value, not simply some piles of gold" Hermione told me "So I brought you some first editions we have spares of thanks to the Room of Requirement".
After she'd put the books on the shelf the young witch began to look around the collection of valuable objects I had amassed in this place.
Most of what could be found here had been taken from the Lestrange Vault or my own vault. A lot had come from the Room of Requirement via Gringotts, as I'd made sure to have Curse Breakers go over everything before I took the items out of the bank and brought them here.
Because of this, my treasure hoard was much more than mere piles of coins. I had bars of gold lying around, bits of armour, and even a few weapons on display.
Parts of the walls of the cave that Raven had done her best to smooth out were covered with the hides of magical creatures that the Lestrange family had acquired. They made for fine decorations.
One shelf had the founder's relics on display along with other valuable objects, most of which I didn't know the purpose for, assuming that they even had any, I just knew that they were rare and others would desire them greatly if they ever knew what I kept in here.
About the only treasure I didn't keep here, aside from the money in our vaults, was my Order of Merlin as that was on display in my study so that visitors could admire it.
"You look more happy than normal," commented Hermione "Any reason why?"
I did have a reason to be cheerful, aside from having an awesome treasure cave.
"I successfully apparated today," I told her "From now on, I should be able to do it whenever I wish".
The rest of the group had already gotten their licenses. I wondered if I'd been slower because they were just more talented than me when it came to magic or if it was because I'm not human.
If so then I might be able to apparate while at Hogwarts like a House Elf can if the enchantments don't register me as human when I try. Assuming that was how they worked. I'd talk to Raven about it, she would have some information on the subject.
"Why is there a pair of knickers on this pile?" questioned Hermione "Is this a fetish thing?".
She didn't sound as if she was judging me for it. I anything she sounded as if was simply curious about all this. She was a true Ravenclaw and wished to learn more.
"Those belong to Dawn" I answered, "I think they are her subtle way of reminding me that I should value her over mere material goods, or something along those lines".
Hermione didn't pick up the underwear, but she did give them a closer look.
"How do you know they are hers?" the witch wondered.
It was obvious to me.
"Dawn tends to wear more girly styles than Rachel who prefers darker-coloured ones" I answered, "You value comfort and tend to wear plainer sets of knickers".
Hermione seemed amused by my words.
"That explains the dark blue thong," she said.
I took my wand out of the storage space and used it to cast some more Cushioning Charms on the pile I was lying on before returning it to whence it came. Then I gestured for Hermione to come over and join me. Since she was a good girl she did as I wished without delay.
Hermione was soon moaning as my gifted hands, guided by the Lover Boy Perk, began roaming freely over her young body, and soon she was panting while finding it impossible to stay still.
As usual, they made frequent visits to her sensitive breasts, massaging them through the fabric of her top. Because I knew exactly how to play with her body I made sure to pay plenty of attention to her firm behind.
I greatly enjoyed having the attractive young witch squirming in my arms as she tried to grind herself into me, but I did want to do more than fool around. With that in mind, I began trying to unhook her bra without much success as Hermione wouldn't keep still.
"Need some help" she teased.
She took off her top and bra for me. This left her breasts exposed to my mouth which soon reintroduced itself to her nipples. While that was going on I grabbed her skirt and lifted it, before I began pawing at her knickers.
"Going to add them to the pile?" she asked.
I didn't answer verbally. Instead, I worked to get her underwear off so that I could add them to my stash treasure. Something that made Hermione giggle as she decided that it was time for me to start undressing.
She removed my belt and pulled down my trousers enough to get access to my already erect cock. She began playing with that part of me and sure that felt good, but I decided that I wanted something more from her.
"Get on your hands and knees" I ordered.
It was rare for me to issue commands to any member of my group, and yet Hermione did as she was told without delay. Once she was in position I again reached into the storage space and took out some of that special lube Dawn had given me quite a while back.
"James, that's the wrong hole" she pointed out as I applied the substance.
I smiled upon hearing that.
"No, it's the right hole," I told her "I want to claim your other virginity".
She looked nervous, but she didn't make an effort to stop me.
"What is it with you and our behinds" she commented.
She'd noticed how much time I spent checking out the rear ends of her and the other females who I spent time with.
"You have a very cute little butt" I told her "And I want you to give me all of your firsts".
She turned her head towards me and bit her lip in that cute way she does sometimes.
"If you really don't want to, then we won't," I told her.
She didn't think it over for long.
"I do want to be intimate with you in every way," she said to me "Just be warned I'm going to need a lot of cuddle time after this".
None of my girls could resist getting their cuddle time. Perhaps it was wrong of me to take advantage of the fact they had been starved of physical affection, yet I couldn't help enjoying how attentive they could be to my sexual desires if it got them what they so badly desired, and it wasn't if they weren't enjoying our sex lives.
With Hermione's permission granted, I grasped my hard cock and lined it up with the brunette witch's asshole. I placed the tip at the entrance of her back door, and soon it was easily sliding into her thanks to the lubrication.
"Oh, it doesn't hurt that much," she commented.
As I slowly slid more of my inside her hole, I again felt amazed by how the magical substance didn't numb me even though it worked on one of the most sensitive parts of a woman's body.
"This is… different," she said, "I'm not quite sure if I like it or not".
She didn't seem to be in any real pain. Perhaps this was just a bit uncomfortable.
"Do you want to stop," I asked.
I really wanted to fuck her ass, but I wouldn't force the issue.
"No, I'm fine. You can keep going. It doesn't hurt, it's just unusual," she answered.
Taking her at her word, I continued to move my hips, as I began inserting more of my cock into my lover's asshole. I filled her up nicely and began moving as I slowly fucked her. Having her on her hands and knees on my pile of treasure was an exotic experience.
"Faster…" Hermione whispered.
Although I heard her perfectly, I couldn't help teasing her.
"What was that?" I asked.
"You can fuck me a bit faster," she said, "If you want to, Daddy".
She knew that I liked to be called that and didn't use that word nearly enough for my liking. Not odd since Hermione had a father figure in her life. I didn't think he'd been very attentive to her when she was growing up, but at least he'd been around.
"Are you sure? I thought you weren't sure whether you liked it or not" I commented.
If I could see her face I figured that she'd be blushing.
"It's starting to feel good," the witch admitted "But only because I enjoy making you happy".
She did her best to talk dirty.
"Daddy, I'm a good girl," she said,
With no need for any further encouragement, I picked up my pace, tightening my grip on her hips as I began to really fuck her. The lube meant that it was not that different from fucking her pussy, it was a hot hole for my cock to fill and there was enough friction to make it feel good.
"Do you like my ass, Daddy?" she asked.
At first, I merely grunted, as I pounded the young woman's asshole, and it took me a moment to find my voice.
"Fuck Hermione… you're so tight… so fucking tight" I managed to say.
She liked hearing that and by now the witch was trying to push back into me.
"Daddy!" she called "I'm a good girl".
I gently slapped her bum.
"And whose good girl are you?"
She was eager to answer.
"I'm your good girl!" she called out.
There was no need to say more and I couldn't have anyway as I was too focused on getting to my climax. When I did cum it felt as if my baby batter couldn't wait to be fired into Hermione's butt. She didn't seem to mind the sensation.
"That wasn't so bad," she told me after the mess had been cleaned up and she was getting her desired cuddles "But I think I'll keep it for special occasions. It feels much nicer when you are inside my pussy".
We could cuddle for a while, just not for too long as soon we would need to go and get ready for Dawn's party. Miss Summers would never forgive us if we weren't around when the first guests began to arrive.
Slughorn's Room. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The potion's master smiled as he looked over at the photos of his most favoured students. His collection, as some would call it, of important wizards and witches had been diminished over recent decades as people were either killed by Tom Riddle or smartly fled the violence.
Sadly only a few of them chose to return even during the long period of peace that followed Voldemort's downfall. This was yet another loss for Magical Britan.
During those dark times, it become too dangerous to enjoy what his life had to offer so he'd gone into retirement and kept out of sight as best he could.
Now he was back at Hogwarts in a bigger office, once again the Head of Slytherin and the potion teacher of this school. Everything had worked out well for Horace Slughorn and he got to enjoy the benefits of his position.
Despite You-Know-Who having vanished many years ago he'd only recently come out of retirement, and he'd chosen to do that mostly because he'd wanted to add Harry Potter to his network.
He might have retired sooner if Dumbledore had thought that Severus Snape would make a good teacher for some bizarre reason and kept him at that post despite the many protests.
Such a pity that Harry Potter had no noticeable ambitions and very poor social skills. Slughorn knew that the boy's life had been filled with tragedy from a young age, but he'd expected more from the young lad.
It was as if something had crushed his spirit. Horace had never much cared for Sirus Black, but he couldn't imagine the former Azkaban prisoner ever being abusive towards the young hero. Sirus Black and James Potter had been as close as brothers.
As Horace poured himself a large glass of oak-matured mead, he reminded himself that needed to put more effort into bringing the Boy-Who-Lived out of his shell.
The lad had too much potential for it to be wasted out of the spotlight. The lad was supposed to be one of Godric's brave lot, not some shy Hufflepuffle or introverted Ravenclaw who kept his nose firmly in a book.
As he sat down and looked over at the photos once again he could understand why some would think it a spider's web, but really, it was a network, sure some might see it more as a web, but Slughorn was not as much of a parasite or a predator as some might think.
He didn't just take from those he collected, it was all offered to him freely and in return, he helped them.
Aside from ensuring they got the help he needed in his chosen academic field, Horace ensured that people with the right talents were introduced to each other. An example was when he had recently introduced Wednesday Addams to James Twycross. He had a feeling that those two families could be good for each other.
While they didn't have the political influence and magical power they'd once wielded the Addams family was still a large one, with branches found all over the world, and young Wednesday coming to Hogwarts was an indication that the family could return to the arena that was wizarding politics.
A shame that the British branch of the Addams family died out or become squibs. They'd always been a rather fearsome lot and could have been of aid to the country when You-Know-Who began waging his war.
Despite their oddities, the Addams family had never been supporters of dark lords, they were too stubborn to become followers. They wouldn't have followed Dumbledore or the Ministry and would have dealt with the Death Eaters rather harshly.
The Twycross family had never been one of the more important British families, and if so many other families hadn't been wiped out or fled the country they would have remained a respectable but still unimportant lot within the magical community.
James Twycross coming to Hogwarts changed that. The main branch of that family was supposed to have been wiped out, and then an heir simply appeared. An heir who had inherited generations' worth of wealth if the rumours were true.
Add to that two muggleborn witches had been found with him despite the odds of that having been extremely low, and it was clear that James was no normal wizard. Wednesday was no normal witch either and just needed someone to help bring out her talents.
It was not mere chance that three young magical humans had been found at the same orphanage that Tom Riddle had once been forced to live in. No fate or magic itself had to have become involved.
That had been alarming at first, but Slughorn didn't think that James Twycross and Tom Riddle were much alike. That was something he felt very grateful for.
Those who could look past foolishly blood purity would be able to see that James Twycross and his friends were meant for something truly special.
Rachel Roth was the type of witch that came along maybe once or twice in a century and Dawn Summers was proving to be more than he'd originally imagined given that she was building up her own social network.
No doubt others were waiting to see what this young wizard would do before they made their attentions clear. This made Horace glad that he'd been able to get his feet under the door so quickly when young James hired him as a tutor.
Taking that job had been a very smart move of his. It had reminded Horace that he rather enjoyed teaching and it gave him an excuse to spend more time out of the house.
He was glad that he'd returned to Hogwarts as these were strange times and the castle still had a reputation for keeping its occupants safe.
The recent disappearances worried Horace a little, but he didn't think You-Know-Who was behind them. He'd heard that the Dark Mark had vanished completely and those who had been targetted were those that Riddle would want on his side.
Horace suspected that someone was going after blood purists and supporters of Voldemort, neither of which he'd ever been so he found that he was able to relax and enjoy the comforts of his quarters.
He was living in a world without Tom Riddle and he had promising young students he could help to mentor. For him, life was good.
Twycross House. The Wizarding World.
"Amazing, I don't how she does it," I remarked.
I really didn't. I'd given Dawn what amounted to pocket change given my vast fortune and now she was hosting a fancy dress party that should have cost me a lot more to set up.
Because I'd added Hermione to my group the house had grown in size, both internally and externally, and so we had a large room that could be used for several things. I felt sure that this was why Dawn had decided to make the even bigger than she'd originally planned.
"You wouldn't think that she's a bookworm at heart" commented Rachel.
Dawn was a nerd even if she didn't look it.
"She's very good at Ancient Runes" stated Hermione as she came over.
The young witch looked me up and down.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Miss Granger asked.
I didn't really know.
"Someone called Jake Long" I answered "Dawn made the costume for me. Apparently, he is a boy who turns into a dragon, some sort of superhero".
I'd let the young Miss Summers dress me. She'd told me that she'd started watching the show back when she'd been sick due to the death of magic in her world.
"Wednesday looks good in her outfit" commented Hermione.
Miss Addams had decided to wear a cat costume. I knew where she'd gotten that from and it drew attention to her body rather nicely.
"She wants you to notice her" commented Raven as she leaned in close "No girl dresses like that unless she wants a certain someone to admire her".
Even though Wednesday was keeping her distance I had noted that she was making an effort to keep her back to me. She must have realised that I liked checking out backsides and her outfit did show hers very nicely.
"It's why Hermione chose to wear her old school uniform," said Raven.
The other witch didn't even attempt a denial.
"Dawn told me to wear something sexy and James likes this sort of thing," she said.
She wasn't the only one wearing an old uniform. Raven had decided to recreate the outfit she'd worn as a Teen Titan and if not for the cloak she wore she would be giving the other guys here a good look at the shape of her body.
"I wonder if Neville will start dating both Hannah and Susan?" pondered Hermione.
Until now I'd not considered that my choosing a perk that made people think that having a harem was normal could affect the people I associated with.
"Hannah and Susan are joined at the hip," said Raven.
If she'd noticed that then it must be obvious to most people.
"If any two girls could share Neville it would be them," remarked Hermione "He's very good at Herbology and some girls like a man who is skilled with his hands".
I wished him luck. Having more than one romantic interest in life can be a lot of work and a drain on your resources, but it does have its upsides.
"James, the twins have something they want to talk to you about" Dawn said as she came over "Can you help them?".
Since she'd decided to dress as an Easter bunny or rather a Playboy bunny, I spent a moment stroking her ears before speaking.
"We'll go to my study," I said.
The red-headed pranksters followed me and thanks to my house elf an extra chair appeared before the twins even entered the room. Rooby did such fine work.
"Don't bother with the twin speech" I insisted before they could start talking "Other people might find it charming or amusing, but to me it is annoying, and none of that Gred and Forge stuff either, if you want to talk to me about something serious than act like adults".
Since they simply agreed to my terms I knew that what they wanted must be important.
"We got talking to Dawn when you came to pick up your bike the other day," said one of the twins.
I didn't care which of them spoke as long as they did so one at a time.
"And she mentioned to us that she'd heard that we were thinking of going into business," said one of the redheaded terrors.
Since she'd also read the books she knew all about the joke shop that Fred and George wished to open once they were finished with their schooling.
"Dawn invited us to this party so we could talk to you about funding our operation" I was told.
The young Miss Summers seemed to have become my group's ambassador, for lack of a better word. She was the only one of us with any interest in social networking, even the parties she held weren't about having fun, or at least not just about that, she was using them to make contact with people and learn more about them.
"So you're looking for a loan," I said.
Since I knew that their future business would be successful I was willing to invest.
"We can't go to Gringotts because we have nothing of value," Fred or George said.
I doubted the goblins would offer an unsecured personal loan to mere students even if they did offer such loans at all.
"Are you looking for a business partner or just an investor?" I asked.
They clearly didn't know. I could tell that in the way they slumped in their chairs. Knowing that they needed more information I decided to do my best to explain.
"You have two options here," I said "Well actually three options as you can just leave, and try to find someone else to aid you, but if you are serious then you have two options as I see it".
I needed to keep things simple. They were only Gryffindors.
"One is that I loan you money and use it to get a business going, the problem there is that loans need to be paid back with interest. If your business fails I lose all that money and you have nothing of value to pay me back with even if I could force you to pay".
They looked rather disappointed upon hearing that. Soon they would perk up.
"The other option is that I invest in your business," I said "I would become part owner, and if the venture fails then you wouldn't end up with a big debt hanging over you because I invested in a business rather than loaned the two of you money".
Harry just gave the twins the money they needed so getting a loan or finding investors hadn't been an issue in the canon timeline.
"However, I can't become an investor in a magical business until after I take my OWLS due to the way the laws work" I mentioned "That's two years and some change away".
That didn't bother them.
"Mom would crucify us if we didn't leave the collage with at least a few NEWTs," one of the twins let me know.
If they were willing to wait a couple of years then things could work out.
"Then I suggest that we go into business together," I said "I'd be a silent partner, I'll be too busy to interfere or to run things, and I don't want to own a majority of the business so I suggest a three-way split. You each get 35% and I get 30% of the profits. Once you start making a profit we can take about you two buying me of my share of the business".
It would be more complex than that, but a formal contract could be handled by Gringotts when there was a business to concern ourselves with.
"What does 'buy you out' mean?" one twin asked.
Hogwarts needed a business studies course.
"If it was just you two owning and running the business you'd be equal partners each with control of 50% of the company and you would divide the profits between you equally," I told them "However since I would be funding everything until the business starts to make money, I would own part of the business and get part of the profits".
Thankfully magical businesses were run more simply than muggle ones.
"You could over time use your share of the profits to buy the part of the company I own" I went on to say "As you purchase more of my share of the business you would keep more of the profits until one day I would no longer be your business partner and you would keep all of the profits".
That part they understood easily enough.
"We have a couple of years to work out the details, but you will need a business plan and some funding for research materials. Bring me a list of what you need and I'll give you the funding for your research".
Given the exchange rate, I knew that in the canon timeline, the twins were able to start their business with a five to six thousand pound investment after losing all their own savings to Ludo Bagman. That wasn't much money to me.
They must have built up quite a lot of stock and gotten their mail-ordering service going quite well to be able to afford to pay rent on a store in Diagon Alley. Made more impressive by the fact that they were still in school when they got the money together.
"What's a business plan?" I was asked.
I was going to have to help with that.
"We'll go over that another time," I said "We have two years before you finish your schooling. For now, just get me a list of materials you need to build up some stock. I can pay for a shed if need somewhere at home for your work and to store things".
The twins exchanged looks.
"Our Mum isn't exactly enthusiastic about our plans for the future," one of them told me.
That wouldn't be a problem.
"Get your father to write to me," I said, "I'm sure we can come to some arrangement if I can lease some of the lands that your family lives on".
With that, the twins left, no doubt to discuss their plans for the future, as for me I wanted a drink.
Retirement Plan.
Part 28.
The Black Emporium. The Wizarding World.
Even in the Wizarding World, you couldn't escape junk mail, or so I thought when the strange letter was dropped off at my home, and it was a good thing that I had changed my mind about the letter or I would have missed out.
I didn't see the bird that delivered it so I had no idea if it had been anything other than a normal owl, but the contents of the letter turned out to be different than expected once I accepted that it wasn't mere junk mail.
Raven, Dawn and I had each gotten a letter offering to let us visit a special store known as the Black Emporium, and that name had rung a bell in my mind long before the three of us had decided to check out the address.
The letter had burst into flames once I'd finished reading it, as had those my girls had read, and Rachel sensed that the same charm we'd used to hide the fact that Regulus Black was alive, had been employed to hide the location of the shop.
Given that the Ministry of Magic had the habit of trying to control every aspect of life here in the Wizarding World to the extent that they sucked all the fun out of having magical powers, I didn't blame the owner of this place for hiding it with such a powerful charm.
Admittedly it was a bit suspicious, but since the charm is used to protect people and locations it is considered light magic. To me, this meant that the Emporium didn't deal in only dark magic and was worth checking out.
If it was some sort of trick then I'd transform into my true self and go unleash the wrath of a greater dragon on those who dared to try to harm me and mine.
When we actually got to The Black Emporium I began to remember the place. It was a special store that players of Dragon Age 2 could access if they downloaded a small DLC.
I had no idea how some version of this place had ended up in the Wizarding World, but it was not so shocking to think that it could have given its strange nature.
After all, my girls and I weren't the only people from other dimensions to have attended the version of Hogwarts we were learning magic at, and with magic almost anything was possible, or perhaps everything was possible if you just figure it out.
"Few people are worthy of an invitation, you know," the creature who ran this business told us as we began to look around "You are among a select lot".
This was true, I'd already checked and Hermione Granger hadn't gotten an invite, and since no one in my group was a Secret Keeper we couldn't tell her where were going.
Amusingly, Dawn decided to be childish and touch the statue of the naked lady in a naughty way.
"Please, don't fondle Andraste" requested the store owner.
I wouldn't be too surprised if that statue was actually the real Andraste who had been turned to stone, but even if she was I would decline to help her given that the faith she'd founded back on her homeworld worked to oppress my fellow mages.
The shop was owned by Xenon the Antiquarian, an eccentric and immortal character who introduced himself in a rather grand manner.
"How did you end up like this?" Dawn asked.
As it turned out Xenon once made a deal with a witch for eternal life but forgot to ask for eternal youth. This caused his body to decay. He has been alive for at least 300 years and has acquired many artefacts during his long life.
"I think we can do business," said Raven "What would you give for a sample of the Elixer of Life? It should allow you some mobility".
The Elixir of Life was not infallible. If a person used the Elixir to age beyond their natural lifespan, they would become completely dependent on it, and ceasing its consumption will lead to death
Furthermore, while the Elixir extended one's lifespan, it did not cease one's body from ageing, and if using it to reach an exceptionally advanced age, it would leave one with a decrepit body.
I knew this because Nicolas Flamel, who created the Philosopher's Stone we'd stolen, had lived for over six hundred years and he looked it.
"Please do not rub Thaddeus Gigantus Crumbum the Fourth!" Xenon called out.
I turned to look to address Dawn.
"Don't touch anything" I ordered.
While she wasn't compelled to obey my commands she'd accepted me as her Daddy so she did as she was told because she knew to do otherwise would result in a painful spanking rather than the more playful kind she got when we were having sex.
"Since when do we have any Elixer of Life," I whispered to Raven.
She took me aside and use a spell to hide our words.
"I recently finished figuring out the stone," she told me "I'm planning on becoming a well know alchemist, that's why I need to take the Alchemy class now, and in the future, I plan to let it slip that I have created my own Philosopher's Stone so that people won't suspect us when we don't age as quickly as normal people. I can explain the lack of normal ageing in terms of appearance by claiming to have enhanced the Elixir of Life. By the time we actually start needing an excuse Flamel will long dead and there won't be anyone who can prove it to be a lie".
Not a bad idea, but I could see its flaws.
"Won't the Ministry try to come after us, to claim the stone?" I asked.
Governments tend to do stuff like that.
"They won't come after us for the same reason they don't go after Flamel" she answered "Anyone trying runs the risk of having the owner of the stone use it to make so much gold that they could collapse the economy. Even if the Ministry was stupid enough to do that the ICW and the goblins would step in to protect the economy. I can't protect the stone from anything less than an entire government".
I accepted her reasoning and I let her get on with it.
"Xenon, here is the bargain" stated Raven as she went back over to the owner "I will give you a sample of the Elixir of Life for free. If it works then we can talk about supplying you with the means to make your own Philosopher's Stone".
I didn't speak despite the urge to point out that we shouldn't be sharing such power.
"You have the means to create a Philosopher's Stone?" questioned Xenon "I will pay any price for the means to create one of my own".
The guy must be desperate to get up and about if he wasn't even bothering to barter.
"I'll give you a free sample first" insisted Raven, who had clearly come up with a plan, "Then if you want the means to create your own stone you must make the unbreakable vow and promise never to share the means of its creation with another".
The Unbreakable Vow would ensure that the knowledge didn't spread, and only someone like Xenon with centuries of experience with magic and access to special resources would be able to make a stone.
I was surprised that Raven had figured it out this quickly, but she had been studying magic for many years already and I suspected she'd used a bit of liquid luck to help things along.
As I began to look around the fancy shop if only to stop Dawn from poking things needlessly, Raven got on with her business and by the time I'd done she had a collection of magical items.
While looking around, I saw that a lot of what Xenon sold and brought were potion ingredients, most of which were supplied to me by the workshops in my house, and some components used in the crafting of magical items.
The components were interesting, but I didn't know enough about the making of magical items to bother with them. Such things I could look into once I had my basic magical education covered.
"Okay, so we got a magical dagger called the Song of Sorrows, an Ancient Leather Cuirass, which I guess James can wear when he goes travelling, the Gloves of the Unknowable, and the Ring of Unheeded Wisdom. They all improve some aspect of your person".
Raven put the ring on her finger and gave me the gloves.
"You can wear them when you are duelling" she explained as she gave Dawn the dagger "And I figured you should get something".
Free magical items. Neat.
"I would have thought you'd get more" I commented.
This didn't seem much for the means to make your own Philosopher's Stone. I wouldn't have traded the knowledge at all, but I trusted the Raven had her reasons.
"These were just in exchange for the sample and the information" she explained "He's promised me more if he gets his mobility back".
If he had items that enhanced a person then I would need to come back with a lot of gold and some of the duplicate rare books so that I could barter for some decent equipment. Then I remembered that I had access to my storage dimension so I didn't need to wait at all.
I brought a dull-looking amulet that slightly boosted all of a person's attributes and made them more able to bear wounds. My new boots allowed a person to more easily avoid traps while also enhancing them. Meant for a rogue, not a mage, but you had to multiclass a bit when your entire group were magic users.
The ring called The Fallen Star did much the same as the amulet only it offered a little protection against harm as well. Another object called the Belt of Promise suited a duellist as it had enchanted dexterity and offered limited protection against magical attacks.
"That ring not only enhances the wearer it will boost the effect of any healing done upon the wearer be it magical or otherwise" we were told as I looked through the items on offer.
I brought that ring for Hermione since I should get her something nice while we were here.
"Isn't gold kind of meaningless if you're getting your own Philosopher's Stone?" wondered Dawn
I wished she'd asked about that after we were done shopping.
"For a merchant such as myself it is not all about profit, my dear" answered Xenon "The bartering, the acquisition of new and interesting items, is what interests me, and knowledge is the most valuable thing you can possess".
A true Ravenclaw, he'd been smart enough to obtain immortal life but he had lacked the Slytherin cunning to realise that he should have checked the terms and conditions of the immortality before accepting it.
"Oh, they have magical staffs," mentioned the young Miss Summers "I should get one".
Good thing I was so wealthy.
"James, are you going to wear all those items when duelling?" wondered Raven as Dawn went over to check the staves or whatever they were called "They could give you an edge".
I detected no tone of judgment in her voice. She was just curious if I would cheat and it would technically be cheating since you aren't supposed to use performance enhancers when duelling. Although normally that applies to potions.
"Not for sporting events," I told her "I want to win those on my own merit. I'll save them for when I need to act as Magnus rather than James Twycross".
Raven just nodded upon hearing that.
"I want this one" called out Dawn.
Of course, she'd gone for the staff that looked the most expensive.
"Ah The Final Thought," said the owner "A most powerful magical foci. It increases the magical power of the wielder and allows them to channel more power than they normally would".
For the price of this staff, I could have brought more than twenty wands from Ollivander.
"Fine you can get it," I told Dawn.
It might save her life one day so it would be worth the price, and she'd only use the puppy dog eyes attack on me if I refused.
"Now let's leave before you bankrupt me," I said.
That had been a joke as even Dawn couldn't manage that. I might even be able to make a profit from this place by supplying rare potion ingredients.
Not that I needed to earn gold if Raven had figured out the Philosopher's Stone, but I'd be happier with my dragon's horde if I could earn some of it rather than just be given a lot of gold.
Plus I should come back and ask Xenon about he got to this world. That could be useful to know.
The Addams Residence. London.
As I parked my wonderfully enchanted motorcycle in the street called Grimmauld Place, it seemed odd to me that Sirius Black would move out from this house given that it was supposed to be so secure.
Perhaps he felt it was safe to leave the old house since the members of the Order of the Phoneix had to know that the Dark Mark had vanished and what this likely meant.
Having read the books, I knew that Siruis hated his family home and would have been glad to get rid of it, but why would Dumbledore allow Harry Potter to live somewhere that was less secure was he normally so dedicated to keeping the lad safe even at the cost of Potter's wellbeing?
Was he using Potter as bait, letting him out into the open to see if anyone came after him? I wouldn't put it past the Headmaster to do that.
Wednesday Addams met me on the street, she must have been waiting for me. Not that she would have needed to wait for long since this bike never took a lot of time to get me anywhere I wanted to go.
"How did your family end up living here?" I asked as I stashed my helmet in the storage space, "This house belonged to the Black
family".
Wednesday Addams didn't question how I knew that. Nor did she inquire about the motorcycle.
"My parents wanted a house for the family to stay in when I'm not in school so that we can all spend together," she told me "We can afford International Portkeys so moving between London and New York isn't different, but they don't trust me to take a Portkey to them".
While she acted as if she didn't care if her family were around I figured that she might actually be pleased that her folks went to so much trouble to be able to spend time with her.
"They found this place and decided to buy it" said Wednesday "It does have a certain appeal".
I could see why the Addams family might like it, I just didn't understand how they'd even found out about this place. Perhaps it was best not to inquire given the oddness of her family.
"You have to meet them" insisted Wednesday "My parents want to meet with you I mean".
I had already been introduced to them at a party not so long ago, but apparently, that didn't count. Not according to the letter she'd sent me. Since school would be starting up again soon I'd needed to come now or wait until the summer and I'd decided it was best to offend this family.
"Meeting the parents is an important part of courtship" insited Wednesday.
Her choice of words seemed odd to me.
"We've been courting?" I asked, "Most of the time you just watch me. That's stalking not courting".
As we moved closer to the front door Wednesday addressed my query.
"It's important to study your prey," she told me "Besides, I was curious as to what you had to offer so many young women, and Dawn told me that you are recruiting for your harem".
Later I would need to sit down with Dawn and discuss her making arrangements for me behind my back. Funding the twins was one thing, but she couldn't try to get people added to my harem without at least talking to the group about it, even if I clearly was interested in the young Miss Addams.
Even though this property was owned by her family she knocked on the door.
"Do try to make a good impression" she instructed.
What would make the Addams family like me? They were inherently unpredictable.
"Hello, Lurch," said Wednesday as we entered the property "Please inform my parents that we are here".
The tall man simply nodded and walked away.
"Madam Bones should be here," Wednesday told me "Bringing you here to talk about funding at the time she would be meeting with my parents seemed like a good excuse to invite you over".
I had been meaning to deal with that bit of business.
"James, before we go to tea there's something in the basement I want to show you," Wednesday said.
Despite the cold shiver that went down my spine I found myself following her and down in the basement there was a closet that contained Glidory Lockhart.
"If I were a lesser kind of man there would be so many gay jokes I could make about this" I remarked.
I wouldn't make them as I am better than that.
"This fraud came here with the intent of scamming my family," said the young Miss Addams "I think he's learned his lessons, but I thought you might want to keep him in your cells in case you need a test subject".
Well, Raven did want me to learn the mind arts, and so I could do with a test subject.
"Our dungeon just isn't equipped for this kind of guest" commented Wednesday "I don't think yours is suitable for Lockhart either unless your tastes are different from what I've imagined".
I was alarmed.
"How do you know I have cells and a dungeon?" I asked.
She was an Addams so that was something of a silly question and she didn't even bother to answer.
"Perhaps you and I can play in your dungeon sometime" she offered.
She wasn't joking.
"Only if I get to be the dom" I insisted.
I wasn't brave enough to submit to her.
"My pain threshold is very high," she said before changing the subject "Now will you take Mr Lockhart? It might be a bad idea to keep him here when the head of the DMLE is having tea".
Yeah, I could see that going wrong, and I could open a door to my home easily enough. I wondered how Raven and Dawn would react to the idea of us using Lockhart as a means for me to learn the mind arts.
Twycross House. The Wizarding World.
To say that Gilderoy Lockhart was having a bad day would be a rather large understatement since he'd been having more than a bad day. He'd simply not been prepared for someone to turn the tables on him like that and lock him up for what might have been weeks.
There must have been something in that fancy tea, he'd not thought to test the drink before helping himself to what the Addams family had offered. If he ever got out of this situation he would be a lot more careful.
He'd gone to the home of the Addams family, who were supposed to be well-connected over in America, to get their aid in having his book sold to the magical people in the colonies.
The market here in Britain was simply too limited for him to make a decent amount of money from the book's sales, and he wouldn't have to pay for his books to be translated if he sold them in the States since the Americans at least had the sense to speak a proper language.
Gilderoy Lockhart had been born to a witch mother and a Muggle father, with two older sisters who were not only plain in looks they were totally lacking in any talent be that magical or otherwise. Lockhart blamed his rather boring father for that.
Sometimes he wondered if his mother ever had an affair and that his real father had been a powerful wizard rather than some working-class dullard. He certainly didn't share his father's appearance or outlook on life.
Gilderoy Lockhart was the only one of his mother's three children to show magical ability. Add to that he was when clever, at least when compared to his sisters, and he'd always been a good-looking boy. This made him special from the start. At least in his own mind.
He'd always been his mother's favourite, and his mother had begun lavishing even more attention upon him when he'd started showing signs of being a wizard rather than another useless muggle like the rest of his family. This only supported Lockhart's opinion that he was special.
Going to Hogwarts had been a rather big shock to the young wizard. He'd discovered that not only were there others who shared the gift of magic he also found out that many of them were more skilled than himself, smarter, or better looking, and often they had access to a lot more money.
This was not to say that Lockhart had no talent. Indeed, his teachers at Hogwarts felt that he was of above-average intelligence and ability, and that, with plenty of hard work, he might make something of himself within the magical world, even if he fell short of the ambitions he shared freely with classmates.
The Sorting Hat avoided placing in Hufflepuff for good reasons. Lockhart didn't want to work hard, nor was he loyal to anyone, and he wasn't a brave man. The Hat had given serious thought to Slytherin House, but Lockhart narrowly escaped Slytherin for reasons the Hat never shared.
Lockhart achieved some good marks in his schoolwork, but he was increasingly unsatisfied. If he was not going to be the best at something he found that he would rather not participate at all
This was because unlike members of Ravenclaw House, many of which valued learning for its own sake, he only cared for the attention it brought him. He craved prizes and awards. He even lobbied more than once with the Headmaster to start a school newsletter. Dumbledore wisely refused since he knew that Lockhart would just use the newspaper to endlessly talk about himself.
Rather than seethe in jealousy or lash out at the unfairness of it all Lockhart doubled down and spent his time reaffirming how special he was to everyone. It had always been frustrating how others could not see his brilliance no matter how hard he tried to show them.
He'd been punished for showing off more than once, but he'd never given up on his dream to show the world just how amazing he was, and he'd do nearly anything to achieve his goal.
Lockhart had never been a bad wizard exactly, not in terms of power, it was more that he was simply a lazy one who expected to have things simply handed to him because he wanted them (a product of his mother spoiling him too much) and after leaving Hogwarts he managed to hone his talents until he'd mastered one very tricky kind of magic. He became an expert at Memory Charms.
By perfecting this tricky spell, he'd been able to travel and find those who had done great deeds. Then he would get the details he needed, wipe the memories, and turn the recollections into a series of adventure novels.
He'd even changed his surname to Lockhart as that sounded better and he'd broken all contact with his family, even his doting mother so that they wouldn't drag him down into the muck he might have been forced to live in.
In truth, Lockhart was a coward and would run from a dangerous situation if he ever managed to stumble into one. When he'd opened his eyes and began looking around he soon realised that he'd been captured by the Addams family. Predictably this led to him panicking, even screaming for help, not that anyone heard him.
He simply refused to think about what happened when those freaks had kept him captive and it looked as if he'd transferred to some cell, and since he wasn't tied up he saw this situation as an improvement over the old one.
He even began to hope that he might be free soon when he saw James Twycross in the hallway out of his cell. This was a wizard that Lockhart had targeted as the possible source of his next book since the lad seemed to get into adventurous situations.
"Oh good you're awake," said Twycross who was standing with a witch outside of his cell "Well, good for me anyway".
Lockhart really didn't like the sound of that.
"You're going to tell me all about how to find the people who really did the deeds in your book" explained the wizard "And you're going to tell exactly how you managed to cover your tracks. Then we'll talk about how you wrote your bestsellers".
Well, that didn't sound too bad.
"After that, if there's anything left of your mind I'll make sure you're taken care of" the woman let him know.
Lockhart really didn't like the sound of those words and when he found that he could speak he tried to charm his way out of this predicament.
"I didn't really do any harm" he insisted "Those people didn't want any praise or reward for their achievements, so it didn't matter if I took the credit".
Neither of his captors was buying it, or perhaps they simply didn't care.
"It's not like I hurt anyone or abducted them" he argued.
Again his words fell on deaf ears.
"A person is the sum of their experiences," said the witch who was for some reason wearing a cape "You violated their sense of self and I think it's time you felt what that was like".
Lockhart began to cry. He really wasn't able to cope with this sort of thing.
"Let's start with the memory charm," said the dangerous wizard "And you better teach me to do the spells right because I'll be practising them on you".
Fearing torture Lockhart began spilling his guts figuratively so that he wouldn't end up doing it literally. Not that it was his guts that he needed to worry about. Twycross only cared for the contents of his mind and the captive couldn't help wondering how much of himself would be left afterwards.