Retirement Plan.
Part 17.
Hogsmede. Wizarding World.
Any student could come to this small settlement at the weekend so as to enjoy the village and what it had to offer. This meant that the businesses here mostly catered to the students, at least a couple of days out of the week when it wasn't the summer holidays.
Overall this arrangement ensured that the stores and other businesses got enough business to stay open, but not so as much that drove the quiet life-seeking inhabitants away.
During the week things stayed peaceful, and not many students would be around during the summer holidays unless they came for a visit or lived here.
It was also a nice break from the school as while Hogwarts was an amazing place even it could get boring if you never went anywhere else. Also, I imagined that the students who'd been going to the magical college for years were glad of a break from their studies.
Even we first years had quite a lot of studying to do even if there wasn't much spellcasting going on outside the more practical lessons such as charms and duelling.
I wasn't doing as well in class as I would have liked. I was turning out to be an above-average student with some talent for duelling, but it was still early days.
Had I been surrounded by 11-year-olds, and not sharing lessons with Raven and Dawn, I felt sure I'd be top of the class, or at least I'd getting up there.
Perhaps that was for the best as it did mean that the professors weren't going to try to force more work on me in order to challenge me, and that gave me more time for my own projects.
According to Hogwarts: A History, which went into some detail about the village. Hogsmeade was founded in the 10th or 11th century, around the same time as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, by medieval wizard Hengist of Woodcroft as he was fleeing persecution by Muggles.
Something I'd heard from Remus Lupin who unlike Binns managed to avoid putting every student within hearing range to sleep when talking about magical history.
I'd also learned that in 1612 a goblin rebellion took place in the vicinity of the village. Hogsmeade served as the wizards' headquarters during the rebellion.
At the weekends the students frequented the High Street in the village, which contained the named speciality shops and pubs you read about in the books, such as Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes.
Otherwise, they wandered on to observe the infamous Shrieking Shack, something Raven and I had gotten around to doing this weekend.
"And that's the Shrieking Shack," I said repeating some information I'd heard from another student "It's supposed to be the most haunted place in Britain".
Which was completely untrue. The crappy old shack wasn't even haunted. It had actually been used to contain the werewolf Remus Lupin during the full moon while he was attending Hogwarts.
I wondered if he was still using it or just locking himself up somewhere while under the effects of the Wolfsbane potion that I was supplying him with as part of his pay.
There were supposed to be werewolves in the Forbidden Forest, I wondered if that was true or just one of those rumours you hear. I didn't know why they would need to live in a forest when they were humans most of the time. Couldn't they just rent a flat somewhere?
"Actually Hogwarts is the most haunted place in Britain," Rachel told me "You forget that I've read the books".
I knew that but I didn't comment on the fact, instead, I planned to change the subject as the shack was rather dull. Raven got there first.
"James, you know that the Weasly boy is going to try to get revenge on you," said Rachel "You need to be careful".
I hadn't thought much about that.
"He won't come up with anything too elaborate" I was now saying "He doesn't have the intelligence or the patience even if he is supposed to be good at chess".
Odd that the game of chess was one of the few things that the character was known for enjoying since he was highly emotional and prone to reckless action. Chess required you to take your time, to think through your actions.
Perhaps I was underestimating the youngest Mr Weasly. He might come up with some more complex than attacking me in a corridor. Yet I doubted it.
"I haven't foreseen any danger to you" said Raven "But that doesn't mean much since my visions aren't regular even if they are more dependable than they used to be".
Even with my limited experience with magic, I knew that any method of seeing the future couldn't be relied upon. At best you'd get hints.
"If you can learn to see the future why didn't you select Divination as an elective?" I asked.
"Arithmancy involves Numerology, which can be used to predict future events" Raven answered "I've studied other forms of predicting the future before so the Divination classes wouldn't interest me, but I've never had the chance to study Numerology under someone who is in an expert in their field".
Since I'd never had any love for maths I'd decided to avoid Arithmancy and I did like animals so Care of Magical Creatures was simply a better choice for me. Technically I counted as a magical creature.
"Astronomy covers the movement of plants and stars, and that can be used with Numerology to navigate the future a lot better than reading tea leaves and staring into crystal balls," said Raven.
I'd not known that she was so interested in uncovering future events.
"Why are you so focused on foreseeing events?" I asked.
Raven looked around before answering as she was worried that someone might be listening.
"We've already changed the timeline in major ways," she said "I just want to make sure that we aren't taken by surprise by any unexpected plot twists".
All I knew of the subject was that for some reason wizards thought it important to know the names of all of Saturn's and Jupiter's many moons.
"Can I tempt you to some lunch?" I asked.
It was about the right time and my temptation proved to be successful so we headed for The Three Broomsticks which was a popular inn and pub here in the Wizarding World.
Much like in the books/movies, it is often frequented by students from Hogwarts. It was rather packed in fact since many first-year students had decided to come here for a visit and see the village.
"Shame it isn't snowing" commented my companion.
Yes, it did seem to be one of those places that should have snow, but while it was a chilly day there were no chances of the white stuff falling on us today as the sky was very clear and it wasn't even winter yet.
"We might get to see this place at Xmas," I said.
Dawn was lobbying to spend the Yule time at Hogwarts because it was part of the experience that she wanted. I hadn't celebrated the holidays for years outside short visits to some members of my family and learning this had dismayed Dawn.
Raven wasn't bothered either way. I imagine that when you are partly demonic you tend to avoid religious celebrations. Now that she was fully human she was happy to celebrate or not depending on what the rest of us wanted.
"We should stay this Christmas," said Rachel "Let her have it her way this year and then you don't have to suffer through it again".
On the way to the pub, we passed by a number of shops such as Ceridwen's Cauldrons, Dogweed and Deathcap, Gladrags Wizardwear, Hogsmeade Post Office and some others that I knew nothing about but would take the chance to explore later on.
I wondered if Dawn was already in the sweet shop as she'd mentioned that she was going to visit the place and stock up on candy. Looking in through the window I could see that the place was popular with children.
When we got inside the pub I felt how much warmer the inn is when compared to the outside world. It was rather crowded within, and a bit smoky, but otherwise clean and welcoming.
It was also much better lit than the Leaky Cauldron, and bigger on the inside with multiple levels.
A mirror behind the bar reflects the cosy atmosphere, and I could see drinks such as Butterbeer and Firewhisky being served as well as shots of gilly water, tankards of Mulled Mead, glasses of red currant rum, and even more drinks, many of which I'd sampled while staying at the Leaky Cauldron and found not to be to my taste.
The Three Broomsticks is owned and operated by Madam Rosmerta who was far too busy to see to us personally, but the pub had waitresses who got around to serving Raven and me before too long.
Which was fine as we were in no rush. We had to find seats first and while the pub was crowded it seemed to be as big as it needed to be some sort of magic at play I figured.
"Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm really here," said my companion "I'm glad you picked this place to move to".
While the Wizarding World had its issues and dangers, as everywhere else did, choosing to come here made a lot of sense.
Aside from its magic being super useful and relatively easy to learn, at least according to Rachel, this setting had many pleasant sights and some of the people weren't too annoying to be around.
"I'll have the Shepherd's Pie with a Garden Salad" I ordered when a waitress found her way to us.
Since I now had such a decent body it seemed wise to try to keep in good shape by eating my greens and getting some exercise. I couldn't recall for sure if the CYOA would maintain my physical form or not.
I should really go into the storage space and see if there is a copy of my contract.
Once Miss Roth had made her order, we got to talking about stuff that didn't matter and for a while, I forgot about schoolwork and the CYOA. It was a pleasant afternoon.
I did my best to pay attention to Raven while pondering what it meant to be a dragon who was taking the form of a wizard. I really should spend some time exploring what that meant.
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Wizarding World.
I groaned as Raven sucked my cock with the kind of enthusiasm normally only displayed by Dawn. I couldn't help wondering if that was why she'd decided that we should have an early night. She was clearly in a good mood after our date.
"Someone's eager" I teased as Raven stopped for a moment.
She was getting carried away, but that was entirely intentional I felt sure.
"You have a very handsome penis." said the empath "Now relax and let me show you how grateful I am to have you in my life".
I decided to let Raven do whatever she wanted with my cock. There was no point in fighting it, and every reason to just give in and accept the pleasure she was so insistent on giving me.
While I didn't know exactly what she was feeling grateful for, she was happy with her new life, and there was no need for me to question her on this matter.
She might just be competing with Dawn, attempting to make sure that my other companion wasn't doing a better job of pleasing me in bed than her. If so then I was happy to lie back on my big bed and enjoy Rachel's efforts.
"So good," I praised.
A naked and eager Raven was making herself choke on my cock. She was testing her own boundaries as she pleased me, trying to find out how far she could things.
"Slow down" I urged.
I didn't want her to end up hurting herself. Thankfully Raven did slow down and found a pace she was comfortable with. I moved a hand down so that I could stroke her soft hair.
She was always rather eager for my affection even if most of the time she hid it well.
While I couldn't see it I just knew that she had one of her hands between her legs even as the other held my cock.
I would be willing to bet that she was soaked down there and was thinking about how my cock would feel inside her needy little cunt.
"Can I be on top this time?" Raven requested.
Because she'd spent so much of her life needing to be in control she enjoyed surrendering that control to me when in bed. I liked having some power over her.
"You may" I answered.
Rachel gifted me with one of her rare smiles before she moved so that she could lower herself onto my very erect dick.
I opened my eyes again and watched as my beautiful and powerful companion sank slowly down onto my hard shaft.
Soon Raven began to rise and fall on my member, but not before guiding my hands to her gently bouncing tits as she stroked her clit with her free hand.
When she leaned slightly back I could see every part of my cock disappearing into her slick young pussy, it felt as if was trying to hold onto my cock with cunt.
Raven quickened her pace until I was sure I was about to cum before she stopped and bent over towards me.
"Let me give you a nice view," she said.
Raven got off, turned her body around and then impaled herself again so that her butt was facing me.
"The reverse cowgirl, a good choice" I praised.
Raven began to grind her ass into my pelvis, then slowly she moved up and down, whimpering as my cock moved inside her.
I couldn't resist slapping her fine ass and while it sounded very loud it didn't seem to cause my lover any pain as she just kept going even as I slapped her backside some more.
If anything she found it encouraging as she began to pick up the pace, and the sounds coming out of her mouth sounded more animal than human.
She didn't slow down even as her butt began to go a bit red and when I came inside she called me Daddy, or at least I hoped that she was referring to me.
I rolled Raven off me after she collapsed. She'd stopped being able to move and so she didn't speak for a while. When she did find her voice she had a question for me.
"Was that good?" she wondered.
It had been more than good.
"That was absolutely fantastic," I said.
She turned her face towards mine AND Raven smirked as I got the impression that she was congratulating herself on a job well done. When she could move she reached out for her wand and with a small wave she cleaned up the little mess we'd made.
"Now that you are nice and relaxed, would you like to do something for me?" she wondered.
The cold sinking feeling thankfully didn't last for long. As it turned out I wasn't going to need to get up and leave my warm bed. That would have been a truly horrific thing to have to endure.
"Would you read to me?" she requested.
That wasn't something I'd been expecting.
"Sure" I replied.
From the storage dimension, she pulled out a book.
"The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald" I read out.
Raven's naked form was soon lying on top of mine with my left arm no longer free to move. I could still feel some dampness between her legs as she snuggled against me. Her spell had not removed all traces of our recent fucking.
"Can you do voices for the different characters?" she asked.
I was amused by this and I couldn't help squeezing the arm I had around her as she spoke.
"Aren't you a little old for bedtime stories?" I asked.
She didn't at all sound embarrassed.
"Aren't I too old to have my butt spanked?" she asked back "You seemed to enjoy that".
That was a good point.
"Any way you can't judge me, you spent part of the summer painting tiny soldiers so you can fight in pretend battles" she added.
Another good point.
"Don't you dare mock my Thousand Sons warband," I warned her.
She wisely did not.
"Will you read to me?" she requested.
I might as well make her happy.
"Well I am your Daddy," I joked.
This time she did hide her face.
"Don't read too much into that" she pleaded.
It was hard not to.
"I never had anyone to do this for me," she said "The monks were never cruel to me, but they weren't the most affectionate of people".
After reading the summary on the back I recalled that I knew this story.
"I saw the movie," I told Raven "I still know the words to the song".
Raven turn her head to look at me.
"Go on sing it" she pleaded.
How had she gone from seventeen to seven?
"I agreed to read not sing" I pointed out.
She couldn't pull off the whole puppy dog eyes trick as well as Dawn as Raven was more of a cat person, but she did a good job, and I decided to indulge her. I must have fallen in love with her at some point or she could never have gotten me to do this.
"There's a spark inside us. That we can all ignite. And all that's dark inside us. Will flicker into light. There's a power in every breath. There's a power in every note. A power that starts within the heart. A power that rises through the throat. And when it sails up through the air".
That was all I could remember.
"Read the story" insisted Raven.
I did as she bid as I figured that if I gave in she'd repay the favour later on and do something nice for me.
Retirement Plan
Part 18
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Wizarding World.
Flying lessons were not just about getting on a broom and trying to show off to your mates. Nor were they simply a chance to impress the girls, many of whom were impressed by wizards flying about for some reason, and Dawn seemed to have become one of them.
The flying coach also taught us all about broom safety, the rules you had to follow when playing Quidditch, the laws that governed flying, which were enforced by the Ministry of Magic's Broom Regulatory Control, and proper broom maintenance. The last was something that Madam Hooch considered to be very important.
That was what we were going over during this lesson. We had to check the broom we'd be flying about on earlier for splinters, loose bristles, and anything else that might show that the broom needed some minor repair. The flying objects also had to be polished regularly to ensure top performance.
"In my experience, there's nothing that feels better in your hands than a good Oakshaft" commented Madam Hooch as she showed us how to polish our brooms "Make sure you keep a firm grip on the shaft as you polish your broom. Be firm, but don't grip the shaft too hard".
She had to know what she was saying. Yet I seemed to be the only male student who found her words amusing. The other guys were either hiding it well or didn't get that why they should be finding this funny.
Not that anyone noticed my perverse delight since I was practising Occlumency which allowed me to maintain focus on what I was doing. Dawn, who like myself, had grown up outside of the Magical World seemed to find this all to be highly amusing.
"That's it girls pick up the pace and polish those brooms" I heard Hooch say "You're almost finished. Try to ignore any cramp in your wrists".
Okay, she had to be saying it that way to try to see if any of us reacted. Well, it wouldn't be me I would keep a straight face even if Dawn was turning into a
giggling machine as we worked on a broom together.
The only reason no one had called her out on it was that she kept hiding her face while pretending to be looking close at the broom as if she needed to ensure that every bristle was in its correct place.
I figured that I would have made it to the end of the lesson if one of the girls hadn't somehow managed to get some of the polish all over her face.
"Oh it's all sticky" she complained.
At this point, even my mental discipline couldn't stop me from laughing it was just dumb luck that no one heard me over the girl's whining and the teacher's attempts to explain what she'd done wrong.
By now even Rachel was smirking and she was very good at controlling her emotions.
I failed to keep the stupid grin off my face once it appeared, and the coach did not fail to notice my expression once she got a clean cloth for the poor girl. She didn't approve of my mirth.
"What's got you looking so happy, Mr Twycross?" she asked.
I couldn't resist saying something despite the stern look on the instructor's face.
"Oh I'm just enjoying polishing my broom," I said.
She nodded in approval.
"Young wizards enjoy giving their broom a good, long polishing," she told me "And it's a lot more fun if you have a friend to help".
Okay, she had to be doing this on purpose. She just had to.
"I like polishing his broom," teased Dawn.
At this point, I needed to excuse myself so I could get a drink of water, and take the chance to burst into laughter as soon as I was alone.
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Wizarding World.
According to a few of the older students, who often offered advice to us first years like they were some sort of wise mentors, the Snakes versus the Lions, or the Slytherin vs Gryffindor Quidditch match, was the most entertaining one of the season.
Mostly because the two houses were rivals with each other, and had been for centuries, and sometimes they didn't mind expressing this mutual loathing with levels of violence here on the pitch.
For those of us in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff what House you were in didn't matter much, but when it came to this sport many of the students suddenly became fanatically loyal to their houses.
In my thinking, it would be better if these two teams met in the skies at the end of the year to build up the dramatic tension.
Of course, everyone was looking forward to seeing what Harry Potter could do as his father had been a famous flyer back in his day. People had to be wondering if the apple had fallen far from the tree when it came to the son's skill on a boom. I knew that they wouldn't be disappointed.
I didn't even know how he'd gotten onto the team because the flying lessons had been different in this timeline, so Neville Longbottom wouldn't have dropped his ball. Perhaps it was just one of those things that was fated to happen. If so I didn't care much as it wouldn't affect me.
There were even some bets going on. I'd put money on Harry Potter getting the snitch and then winning the match.
Given how many points the golden ball was worth and Potter's skill, the odds were good so I'd not get much when I won. It wasn't a matter of if, no it was a matter of when, and I wondered if he'd swallow it in this version of events.
Funnily enough, there were also other bets centred around Harry Potter. Like who will snag the young man's heart? I.E. be his first girlfriend.
I'd put down money on Cho Chang of course, which did get me good odds as the two of them didn't even interact at this point, but I had a feeling that those two would hook up, even if it was doomed to fail and it could happen soon given their ages. I might be wrong, but it wasn't as I'd gambled a lot on the matchup.
As for the sport that I'd bet upon the outcome of, I was already starting to enjoy this game. Something was thrilling about watching people speeding around in the air narrowly avoiding gruesome deaths as magical cannonballs flew around trying the knock the players off their brooms and the fact that it wasn't children up there made me feel better about all of this.
The chasers were insanely fast, they were blurs of motion as they tried to score while never holding on to the ball for long, they kept passing it between them. Either to confuse any opposing players, who were trying to prevent them from scoring or because there was some rule about that.
Watching this sport on a TV screen or even at the cinema just wasn't the same thing as seeing it happen in real life. There was a sense of danger and excitement when it was a live performance that you just didn't get when you knew that it was going to end in a family-friendly way. Reality could be so much more gruesome.
Some savage part of me wanted to see someone get hurt and I think everyone around me did as well. They, well we, were a bloodthirsty lot if we wanted to see a student get maimed or killed during a sporting event.
Sure very few people had actually gotten too badly hurt while playing this game over the centuries at least according to the little I'd read, but many folks did get hurt or even went missing for a few months, so you'd think that the Ministry would ban the sport on the grounds of public safety.
Then again the wizards of this world might just bounce when they hit the ground and they seemed to be more durable than normal humans so perhaps the MInistry wasn't that foolish and maybe it wasn't as bloodthirsty as it might seem.
I knew from the books and movies that Harry would fall off his broom a few times and never do more than break his wrist.
If the sequence of events for next year stayed on track we'd get our wish to see someone be hurt as Potter should break something due to the rogue bludger that Dobby the House Elf messes with.
Broom flying magic-users whisked past my head and I flinched for a second before standing up to get a better view. I wanted to keep an eye on Potter in case he got injured before he won the match. The young hero had to get the snitch or I was going to lose some money.
Not I worried much as Dumbledore was here so I doubted that the Dark Lord would try anything so I could just stand here and enjoy the game.
"James, are you going to try joining the Ravenclaw team next year?" asked Dawn.
Raven showed no interest in this game and did little during the flying lessons. Not unexpected since she could fly under her own power. Although she hadn't explained what, if anything, she had against this sport and why she'd not come to watch the match.
Her not being here was odd given how much both she and Dawn seemed to be trying to make the most of our time in this world. I wondered if she was off somewhere making plans or doing some important research.
"I'm not that good of a flyer," I said.
My fear of heights had vanished and I was much better on a broom than I'd imagined. I assumed that this had something to do with me having become a dragon who was pretending to be a man. As time passed I was starting to change more.
Aside from heights no longer concerning me and my pleasantly surprising skill on a broom, I did keep feeling the desire to acquire treasures. I found myself with the odd desire to go and be with my riches as if I were Smaug and it would be nice to sleep on my wealth.
"You're better than you think you are" insisted Dawn "Just get some practice and join the team next year. Then I can cheer for you".
Shame they didn't have cheerleaders in the magical world and if I remembered my BTVS, Dawn attempted cheering one time and it did not go well.
"I didn't think you were the type to want a jock boyfriend" I commented "You seem to prefer geeky types".
Dawn nudged me.
"You can't be both?" she asked "Smart and good at a sport".
I guess I could give it a try.
Hogwarts. The Wizarding World.
Hermione Granger wasn't a happy witch, she'd imagined that coming to a fancy college, one that taught magic would be different than attending a normal school. Bullying was less of an issue here than it had been in High School, but only because outside of the classrooms she might as well not exist.
It was at least partly her own fault as she'd never been good at talking to people, and it didn't help that she spent so much time in the library. She should make some attempts to connect with her peers, even if that had never worked out in High School. Perhaps she should have attended the Halloween Feast in the Great Hall.
If it weren't for the fact that she was learning real magic she would have dropped out of this school and tried her luck with some muggle college. Only the exploration of her magical talents had started to lose its appeal the more time she spent in the magical world.
She'd started to wonder if it was at all worthwhile learning such arts if she was going to have to live in a society that would treat her as a second-class citizen just because she didn't have ten generations of ancestors who could perform magic.
You'd think that a society that was made up of magic users would have more thrilling prospects for a career than a low-level government desk job or retail. She might get a teaching job, or maybe something to do with research, but she could have those sorts of careers in the muggle world. Perhaps she should just hire a tutor for the magic and devote her time to a more normal career.
She wanted something a bit more meaningful than being a dentist, her parents chosen profession had always seemed dull to her, but perhaps she could try medical school.
Becoming Doctor Granger was an idea that held some appeal. Yet she couldn't help thinking that she was meant for something else. There had to be more to being a witch than going to school, getting a boring job, finding a husband and having some children.
As it turned out she did have an option for something more for her future than she'd imagined and it was something she'd find out about later, for now, she had to worry about actually having a future as a massive creature she recognised as a troll had just turned the corner she'd been heading towards.
Had she not been so deep in thought she would have noticed the smell or the sound the creature made as it walked around this part of the castle.
She screamed and as she did something exploded, a dung bomb she would later realise, and it distracted the troll long enough for a strong arm to grab her and start pulling her away from the scary creature.
Trolls were attracted to bad smells because a large part of their diet was made up of things that had rotted, both plants and animals. That was something she'd read in a book and someone else had as well.
"Come with me if you want to live," said one of her classmates.
Hermione Granger had read more than dry old textbooks during her life, a few adventure books had made it onto her shelves and as she got older a romance novel or two found may have found themselves hidden around her room, not that she'd ever admitted this to anyone.
She wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of some hero coming along to save the maiden from danger, but unlike in those stories, it would be some time before the young woman realised just how romantic the situation could be considered.
To be fair there was a big scary troll with a massive club very close by who wanted to smash someone.
As it turned out the troll wasn't as distracted by the dung bomb as the thrower of them had hoped. Perhaps the lack of any rotting organic matter for it to chow down on had gotten the creature upset. That sure would explain its attitude.
The presence of Ron Weasley sure didn't help, not that it ever did.
"I've got you now, swot!" the rude boy yelled.
His shout drew the attention of the troll and Weasley simply stood there and might have gotten killed if the not-rude boy hadn't grabbed them both, somehow getting them moving.
"Run!" the male voice ordered.
As they legged it down the long corridor the young Ravenclaw wizard, whose name Hermione would remember later, fired off some spells.
Not directly at the troll, as there was no way a single first-year student could overpower a troll with magic, rather he blasted the floor with something that caused it to get all slippy.
Some part of Hermione's mind thought this was a great time to inform the rest of her that this had to be The Freezing Spell (Glacius) which was a charm that froze a target with icy-cold air created from the tip of the wand.
This spell could freeze water, extinguish fires, and cool off Fire Dwelling Salamanders.
Someone new to magic wouldn't be able to freeze someone or cool off a creature connected to the element of fire, but making the cold stone floors of a castle somewhere in Scotland during October become very slippery with ice didn't take much effort.
As for the effect on the troll, that was almost comical and would have been for a passive observer. The troll would fall, only to try getting up again and then slip on the next patch of ice.
The only reason that they didn't leave the creature far behind was that it ended up sliding down the corridor with enough force to knock some stones loose.
Just when the three students made it around a corner the troll hit the wall so hard caused a big statue causing to it almost topple over, and this seemed to give the wizard an idea as he fired off a spell that made the statue topple over.
It ended up pinning the troll in place long enough for some of the staff to turn up and they were able to disable the creature.
"My goodness!" yelled Professor McGonagall "What happened here?".
"I knocked the troll out, Professor" claim the rude redheaded boy.
Hermione could not believe that Ron Weasley had lied like that.
"That's not true" she stated.
"Yes it is" he insisted.
Hermione had already figured out how to catch the boy in a lie.
"Then what spell did you use to make the ice patches?" she questioned.
Before Weasly could open his mouth and spew out more lies, James Twycross, she'd just remembered the name of the young wizard, explained that he'd been taking a walk when he found the troll and Hermoine.
He then reported that he'd tried to distract the troll before they'd begun running away, and how he'd frozen the floor leading to the troll crashing into the wall. He even explained the spell he'd used.
"The beast has just been knocked out," said Professor Dumbledore "We'll return it to the Forbidden Forest where it belongs. You three will report to Madam Prompherey for a quick check-up before turning in for the night".
There was no debate on the matter and soon the students headed for the hospital wing.
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Wizarding World.
"I made the papers again," I said to Rachel and Dawn as we ate breakfast.
My thinking had been that Fudge would do everything he could to sweep this all under the rug and to deny any news of the students here at the school ever being in any danger. I'd not cared much because I knew that students were spreading the story and my renown would grow that way.
Only someone must have spilt the beans with Rita Skeeter, as she'd made a very public announcement in the paper, praising me and taking a chance to put all the blame on Dumbledore, and to be fair he had brought the fake stone here so he was at least partly responsible.
In response to this Fudge had vowed swift action, without actually stating what he was going to do other than give me an award.
I was mentioned by name and my previous appearance in the Daily Prophet was repeated, which I felt sure would cause my cousin at the Ministry, Wilkie Twycross, to finally get around to replying to my letter that I'd sent him over the summer.
The paper also let everyone know that I would be getting an Order of Merlin. Much better than the Special Services to the School Award which I'd been granted by Dumbledore that I just found out about from the Head of Ravenclaw. That was going to be a little thing in the trophy room that hardly anyone would ever see.
Many years ago an organisation called the Order of Merlin was founded by Merlin in the Middle Ages. Merlin believed that wizards and witches should help Muggles, and, thus, the Order of Merlin established rules against the use of magic on Muggles.
The award known as the Order of Merlin was created in commemoration of Merlin and was first given out by the Wizengamot back in the 15th century, but it had nothing to do with helping Muggles.
Instead, the Order of Merlin was now an award bestowed upon wizards and witches who have achieved great things for the wizarding world, or rather what the Ministry deemed to be great things.
It had three different award levels: First Class, Second Class, and Third Class. The First Class was awarded for 'acts of outstanding bravery or distinction' in magic. The colour of the ribbon for this class was green, which was believed to represent Merlin's Hogwarts house, Slytherin.
The Second Class was Awarded for 'achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary' I was getting a second class, and given the way the Wizarding World worked I might have gotten a first class award had I actually killed the troll.
When Harry and Ron did that they only got House Points, the poor sods. Although they had been defying a teacher at the time. I'd left the Great Hall before the students were sent to their dorms.
Finally, the Third Class was awarded to individuals who 'have made a contribution to our store of knowledge or entertainment' The colour of the ribbon for this class was white.
Lockheart had one which should clue people into realising that he was an entertainer, and the Ministry was at least smart enough to think that Lockhart's books were fictional, even if in reality they were based on real heroics done by others.
As far as I could tell this award was the wizarding world's equivalent to the Order of the British Empire with the first class being the equivalent to the most senior order: a knighthood.
I didn't get a First Class so I couldn't go around calling myself Sir James Twycross, but I figured it would be fun to get people to try.
As often happens with such highly coveted awards, Ministry of Magic favourites seems to receive the Order of Merlin, especially the higher classes meaning the purebloods, more often than one might expect.
Notable unworthy recipients include Minister for Cornelius Fudge, who gave it to himself despite his less-than-distinguishable career, the fraudulent Gilderoy Lockhart, the treacherous Peter Pettigrew who at least had his retracted, and Arcturus Black, who was widely believed to have bought it by loaning the Ministry a large amount of gold.
I'd considered refusing the award because accepting it would mean going near Minister Fudge who I found repulsive due to his actions, but there was a cash reward with the award and more gold was always nice.
Besides, given the Ministry's incompetence and corruption, it was unlikely that they'd reward me for anything else good that I did.
"Not impressed," said Rachel as she took the paper from me "Get back to me when you've defeated a few more superpowered bad guys".
Perhaps I would.
"Isn't the Order of Merlin a big deal?" asked Dawn "I mean that's like getting a medal from the President, and I didn't think this Fudge guy cares about Muggle-borns, and the Weasley family isn't very important".
She had a point.
"I doubt Fudge even knows about the troll, it will be Amelia Bones who wants you to have the Order of Merlin, dealing with the troll would have just pushed it forward," said Rachel.
My lack of understanding must have shown on my face.
"The Hufflepuff girl you saved is Susan Bones" Dawn told me "She's like the daughter of the chief of police".
"Her niece," corrected Raven "But since she raised Susan I suppose there isn't much difference, and don't forget about the donation of the brooms after one of them broke, I guess that Madam Bones thinks well of you for that".
Well, that explained the award, and why the curvy redhead kept smiling at me. I didn't normally pay attention to the background characters. I'd barely noticed emo Hermione Granger giving me looks and I actually cared about her even if it was just a little.
"So where were you two last night when I was saving a damsel in distress?" I wondered "And unfortunately also Ron Weasly".
I'd cast the Muffliato spell, which filled the ears of anyone nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing noise so that our conversations could be held without us being overheard.
As for Weasly that had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and if he was a dick he didn't desverse to be killed by a troll.
"We were banishing Voldemort to the afterlife" stated Raven from behind the newspaper.
Dawn laughed lightly and then leaned in close so that she push my jaw up. My sheer shock upon hearing that declaration left me gobsmacked.
"Say what?" I asked.
Before explaining more the three of us disappeared off into an abandoned classroom as even with privacy charms there were some things you just didn't discuss in public.
"After the whole, troll in the dungeon bit, I became invisible and grabbed Harry Potter" Raven let me know "I teleport him home, stunned him, drove the shard of Tom Riddle's soul out of him, and the locket at the same time using the sympathetic link between them that I discovered when studying the diadem".
I had no idea what to say about that.
"Then I altered his memory and brought him back to the castle," Raven told me "Once that was done, I went to the third-floor corridor while Dawn distracted Snape, by telling him she'd seen the troll on the first floor".
So that's why they'd needed the Marauder's Map.
"I used a little of Dawn's blood to open up a way to the afterlife, that worked because on Samhein the barrier between life and death is weak, and Dawn's blood can be used to break down those barriers for a short time" Raven let me know "I got the drop on Voldemort, and I sent him to the afterlife. Basically, I cast him into a temporary Veil of Death".
Dawn had to close my jaw again. At this rate, I was going to make it sore.
"So, you defeated Voldemort without even telling me about your plan," I said.
Raven acted as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Halloween was the only day of the year that plan would have worked." she said, "I did tell you what we would be doing because you needed to be focused on saving Hermione Granger".
No wonder she'd gone to bed early. She must have been worn out from performing all that magic.
"Well that's going to make the next seven years much more peaceful," I remarked.
With no leader to rally to we could take out the Death Eaters one by one.
"What happened to Professor Quirrell?" I questioned.
I just couldn't see Raven killing him.
"He's at St Mungo's in a catatonic state," said Raven "I checked the mirror, and he's being looked after".
Well, that wrapped everything up rather nicely.
"That was good work" I praised.
I didn't know what else to say.
"Yes, it was, and now I get to enjoy my retirement," stated Rachel "Excuse me, I'm going to go finish my breakfast".
Dawn was amused by the fact that I was having so much trouble processing all of what I'd just been told.
"Shame we didn't have her back in Sunnydale," remarked the Key in human form "Everything would have been so much easier".
Dawn took my hand.
"Let's go finish breakfast," she said.
Might as well. It wasn't as if we had anything else to do.
Retirement Plan.
Part 19.
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Wizarding World.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore looked out of his window as the students below prepared to head to the village of Hogsmeade to enjoy their free time this weekend. If only he had the luxury of getting to go off and simply wander around the village, and perhaps be able to enjoy a drink or two with pleasant company at the Three Broomsticks as some of his staff would be doing.
Even if he could afford to leave the school right now he knew that he'd find no welcome in the village's other pub. As much as that pained him at times he couldn't afford to spend this day lamenting about the past, not when he was waiting for an important visitor who had vital news.
The Headmaster's time was better spent concerning himself with Lord Voldemort and the current state of the Ministry of Magic. Amelia Bones was going after the job of Minister of Magic and recent events at Hogwarts had given her something to cause a fuss over.
That award which Bones had managed to arrange for one of his students to be presented with over the holidays was unfortunate, as it would only keep drawing attention to certain incidents here at the castle that didn't really matter when compared to what Dumbledore was trying to achieve. It wasn't as if anyone had gotten badly hurt.
It just had to be Susan Bones who fell because of a single faulty broom, it couldn't have been someone with a less important guardian or someone who was part of a family he had influence over. If that hadn't been bad enough news of the troll nearly killing a student had reached the public.
The only reason that the school hadn't been investigated by the DMLE was that the endangered student didn't have any magical family to cause a fuss and the girl the troll targeted had only a muggleborn. No one at the Ministry cared enough about a muggleborn to cause problems for Dumbledore, some would have been disappointed that the girl wasn't killed.
Thankfully it would soon blow over as before long something else would come along to distract the Ministery and Madman Bones, and then the public's interest would soon fade away. He'd weathered many such minor storms before and no doubt he would do so again.
The witches and wizards of Britain could be a fickle lot and this was far from the first time that someone with a little skill in politics had tried upset things at the Ministry. He could handle Amelia Bones. Not that the Head of the DMLE was his biggest concern. No, he had someone much more dangerous to worry about.
Alastor Moody, often known as Mad-Eye, wasn't a proper Auror anymore, he should have been enjoying his retirement. Yet no one ever really stopped with that job. These days the wizard spent most of his time screening potential Aurors and training a few of the promising ones in the hopes that they would survive as he had.
"Do you have information for me, Alastor?" the Headmaster asked.
The semi-retired Dark Wizard hunter had barely stepped into the office via the floor before he was questioned. Not that Moody minded as he'd never been one for needless small talk.
"All the Death Eaters in Azkaban have lost their marks" he reported with a huff "Bellatrix Lestrange somehow managed to kill herself when hers faded away. Apparently, she was very upset that her master is gone. None of the others reacted so extremely and a few still think he'll be back, but most of them have given up. I suspect that Bellatrix is just the first of them who will die in that hellhole".
Dumbledore had known about the mark's absence since Halloween. Severus Snape had lost his mark and was convinced that the Dark Lord was finally gone. Given what had happened to Harry Potter at Halloween it was possible, but Dumbledore wasn't convinced that Tom had been fully vanquished.
Sadly it hadn't been possible to convince Severus to stay on as Potion's Master or as the Head of Slytherin, and perhaps he wouldn't need to continue to act as a spy for Dumbledore. Snape had handed his notice and intended to be gone by Christmas.
Dumbledore hoped that by then he'd be able to convince Horace Slughorn to come out of retirement to teach potions and to head the house of Slytherin, by using Harry Potter as a lure, but that would have to wait until the holidays as the Headmaster had too much to do.
The loss of Quirrell, who must have been in cahoots with Tom Riddle, was also a blow for Hogwarts as the college had no one at all teaching Defence. Quirrel was at the hospital in some sort of coma and Harry Potter had been found in a different part of the castle in better shape than the defence teacher.
So the stone was missing, Quirrel might as well be dead, the dark mark was gone, and the boy's scar was healing. What the hell had happened on Halloween?
"Albus, I just found out from a contact in Gringotts that someone emptied the Lestrange Vault a while back," Mad-Eye told the Chief Warlock, "No one I spoke to knows when it happened or if it has anything to do with the dark mark fading away. The goblins might have known for a while and just not told anyone. It's not like any of the Lestranges can go to the bank and complain".
These were strange times. Barty Crouch Junior had been found hidden in his father's home not so long ago. Was that connected to all of this?
"Do you think You-Know-Who went after Potter again and got finished off for good this time?" wondered Mad-Eye.
That was possible. The Prophecy come have come into play and Tom was somehow now gone. There was no trace of Voldemort and the dark magic in Potter's scar had faded away.
"In truth, I simply don't know" replied Dumbledore.
He'd wanted to bring the real stone here to lure Tom out of hiding and he'd set things up so that Potter would confront Voldemort. Could it have all worked out better than Dumbledore could have hoped? If so what was to come of Harry Potter? If he no longer needed to die to stop Tom then the boy might become a power in his own right. He might even become a new figure for Voldemort's old followers to rally behind.
"We need to remain vigilant" stated the elderly Professor "I sense another's hand in recent events, my friend, and they might not have our best interests at heart".
A rival dark lord would seek to be rid of Tom and might have some evil means of doing it. Although if that were the case it was odd that this potential rival hadn't slain Harry Potter when he or she had the chance. Did this unknown witch or wizard have their own plans for the Boy-Wh0-Lived?
"I'm always vigilant," said Mad-Eye.
He was well known for it.
"Have you decided on if you want the teaching position to not?" enquired Dumbledore.
Moody frowned. He was well aware of the curse on the job. He'd tried to find the source and remove it, as had Dumbledore.
"I'll take the job until Christmas" he decided "That should give you enough time to find some other poor fool".
Not ideal, but at least the problem would be sorted out in the short term. He had tried to give the job to Sirius Black since there wasn't a need for a duelling class these days, but the former prisoner of Azkaban had gotten invested in his current role and he was here to watch over his godson something that would be harder to do if he had to teach such an important subject.
It wasn't as if Dumbledore was paying him, as such he couldn't complain too much, and if the worse did happen then having the students trained in combat wouldn't be the worst thing.
Perhaps he should contact Remus Lupin? With Serverus gone the rest of the staff wouldn't have much trouble with a werewolf on the staff, and Sirius Black would support the appointment resulting in them working together to prepare the students if a new dark lord was going to rise.
Hogsmeade Village. Scotland. The Wizarding World.
October became November as weeks passed by and I spent it relaxing, studying, and training with Siruis Black who had since the troll incident at Halloween been pushing us harder in class and taking things more seriously when tutoring me. Which was very much unlike him.
One of the other things that had changed was Mad-Eye Moody becoming the DADA teacher at least until Xmas, which didn't affect me since I made use of a tutor for that subject, and I'd used the special map to ensure that he wasn't a Death Eater using the polyjuice potion.
As for why I was here in Hogsmede with Hermione Granger, that was because ever since I'd saved her from the troll she'd been trying to insert herself into my life, which was what I wanted, and I'd begun to slowly let her in as it wouldn't do to rush things and scare her off.
I hadn't yet tried to get her to sign the binding contract, nor had I told her too much about the real me, and that was okay as neither of us was in any sort of rush, and due to the Normacly Perk, no one paid attention the fact that I was adding another girl to my harem.
Now we were on a proper date, and assuming that things went well I figured that by the end of Xmas, she'd be a full member of my group and the challenge to add someone to my group who was native to this world would have been completed.
She'd get a lot of signing the contract, and even without sharing in some of my perks, I figured she might sign the contract simply because she was lonely and wanted some friends.
"Hogsmeade is the only entirely Wizarding village in Britain," Hermione was needlessly explaining as we walked into the village "According to Hogwarts: A History it was founded over a thousand years ago, around the same time as Hogwarts, by a Wizard called Hengist of Woodcroft who was fleeing persecution by the Muggles".
I was discovering that when Hermione didn't know how to act she went back to her default setting of know-it-all bookworm whose mouth spewed nothing but facts and expressed no opinions of its own. It was rather amusing even if I'd rather she have views of her own and feel free to express them.
This was important because my companions not only needed to be able to advise me, but I would also need them to act on their own sometimes as I couldn't be in two places at once. Well, that wasn't totally true, but I wasn't willing to make use of a time-turner.
Raven had proven that they could do some impressive stuff more without me looking over their shoulders and Dawn seemed content to make use of her time at this school well enough without me having to get involved in her activities.
"Hermione, I do know all of this," I reminded the girl "I to have read Hogwarts: A History".
She blushed and apologised.
"Sorry, I babble when I'm nervous and it drives everyone mad...".
I had already discovered that kissing is a good way to shut Hermione up, so I kissed her quickly in order to make her stop babbling. I'd thought that it would make her even more nervous what with it being in public, but for some reason she actually found it extremely relaxing, perhaps because it seemed to make her mind power down somewhat.
The poor girl really was starved for physical affection. I had to wonder if her parents had been emotionally distant while she'd been growing up or if this was simply due to a lack of friends, or perhaps it was a mixture of the two.
Walking gloved hand in gloved hand, as it was a bit nippy today and it snowed earlier, the two of us passed by a news-stand that sold Wizarding magazines along with a few Muggle papers, but only when the students were here I suspected as I didn't think any Muggleborns actually lived in Hogsmeade, or if they did they were very good at blending in.
Given the styles of dress around here, I figured that only some of the students seemed to have any open connection to the Muggle world. Perhaps Hogsmeade was just where the purebloods who didn't have the money for big fancy homes came to live.
Not for the first time this left me wondering where the muggle-borns and half-bloods who kept up a connection to the Muggle World went to live. Did they live in the Muggle world, careful to hide their magic from the neighbours? Did they have much contact with the Wizarding World at all if they didn't marry into a magical family? One day I should look into that and try to understand this society better.
"They're still on about that break-in at Gringotts" Hermoine mentioned while looking at the wizarding papers "You'd think they'd have let it go by now".
I suspected that Rita Skeeter kept going back to this unsolved mystery because she liked to show how useless the Ministry could be, while also mocking the bank, and the actual break-in had happened some time ago, it had only just become public knowledge rather recently.
In fact, it became public not that long after Raven dealt with Voldemort, and I wondered if that meant Dumbledore was aware that Voldemort was gone, so he wasn't bothering to cover things up any more, or if someone at the bank had simply let something slip.
"There's no need to worry" I assured the clever young woman "No one will ever get their hands on what was in that vault".
While I felt sure that by now Harry Potter and his Weasely sidekick must know that something important had been brought to the college and that the Three-Headed Dog must be guarding it, however, they wouldn't have figured out more than that without the aid of Hermione who didn't interact with them much in this timeline.
It might seem wrong to deprive them of the smart girl for their group as that could get them killed, but it may cause them to actually start doing their own thinking, and given Weasly's dislike of anyone who wasn't in his house and attitude towards women, I doubted that Hermione could have gotten close to Potter anyway.
If I could bring myself to care enough to act, I'd separate the Chosen One from his Weasely sidekick in the hopes of him making a friend who'd encourage him to learn on his own, rather than just do the bare minimum amount of work while finding ways to do nothing important between classes.
"You seem very sure of that" my date commented.
Since I knew the Dark Lord was gone I also knew there was nothing to worry about.
"I know things, more than just what that Cerberus is guarding," I said trying to explain without giving too much away.
Since Hermione had yet to sign a binding contract I couldn't risk telling her too much.
"You can trust me" assured the young woman at my side.
I wasn't sure of that. Despite this version of her not being a teacher's pet I was concerned that she might still end up a Dumbledore supporter if she was looking for someone to admire. The Headmaster wasn't above using children in his games and he would violate her mind.
"It isn't just about trust." I replied, "I can't tell you everything because it's not safe. Until you learn to defend your mind anyone can simply look inside your head and learn things I don't want them to do now".
Hermione seemed to grab onto my arm as if she was suddenly afraid I'd leave. The poor girl must be so lonely, and here I was thinking about how to use that to bring her within my influence. Was I really any better than Dumbledore or Voldemort?
I felt a bit bad about that but I comforted myself with the knowledge that at least when she was bound to me she would be safer, and finally, she would have someone in her life who would encourage her to use her talents and explore her full potential rather than try to keep her down like the Weasel boy.
How she could ever fall in love with that person was something I'd never understand. Even the cannon version of Ron Weasley spent a lot of his own screen time questioning her mental health.
Wrapped up as were, as we happened to be in Scotland during winter, we couldn't share our body heat but judging by hard Hermione was holding onto me she seemed to want to try. She wouldn't be the first overly clingy girlfriend I'd had to deal with. Assuming that term even applied here.
"I know it's silly but can we go to Madam Puddifoot's later?" she requested.
Madam Puddifoot's was a small, tea shop with the kind of decor that made most men worry about losing their manhood when simply passing the place by. I would happily watch the place burn down, but Hermione seemed somewhat of a romantic once you got past her emotional defences, not that getting passed them had been much work.
Only a boy totally in love, or one hoping to get laid, would ever go there. The idea of going there with Hermione made me want to apparate as far away as possible, not that I knew how to. However as much as the idea of going there repulsed me it would help me win over the young Miss Granger over, and I do so want her in my group.
"Maybe later, it's not even lunchtime yet," I said by way of an answer "Tea and cakes sound like something we should do last of all".
Since this seemed like an odd thing for Miss Granger to request we do, I had to ask about it.
"I never thought you'd want to a place like Madam Puddifoot?" I commented, "It's so …... pink".
Which was the nicest thing I could say about the palace which to be fair I'd never actually seen but I'd heard the stories from other students which had alone had enough to put me off the place even if I hadn't passed it by and smelled it.
"Come on, Rachel and Dawn must have wanted to drag you there" replied the teenage girl "Where are your girlfriends anyway?".
I didn't know for sure.
"They are around here somewhere" I answered "Dawn has a few friends and she might have dragged Rachel off somewhere".
Since I trusted my companions, I didn't feel the need to keep track of them.
"I've never been on a date before now" Hermione admitted to me while looking a little embarrassed "I always felt that the boys I knew were too immature".
Her being socially awkward didn't help either.
"I guess I am mature for my age," I said.
Mostly because I was older than my physical body. That was something else I would need to explain to her.
"More than that you are handsome, brave, rich, powerful and lots of girls want you," said Hermione "And me well I'm just a bookworm".
I was handsome because I'd made myself handsome using the CYOA. I wasn't brave because I knew how hard it would be to kill or seriously injure, and I had a powerful witch to do the heavy lifting for me. I wasn't even that powerful in terms of magic, only above average, and the only reason girls outside of my group might want me was due to my wealth and my growing fame.
Since the last thing I needed was a companion with self-esteem problems I decided it would be wise to stroke her ego for a change.
"Your not just a bookworm. I'm a Ravenclaw I know my bookworms," I told my date "You're intelligent, and attractive as well. Oh and your ass looks great in those jeans you sometimes wear".
She blushed yet again and she also couldn't help but smile.
"Besides you know lots of ways to tell me that I'm awesome" I went on to say "Guys want a girl to stroke their egos".
To be fair it might just be me. My ego had never been well nurtured until I started the CYOA, thus I did desire some recognition. I was self-aware enough to know that part of the reason why I wanted to become a duellist was that it would earn me many head pats and shiny things.
"Oh I can do that," she teased "You are most certainly the most powerful Wizard ever. Not even You-Know-Who himself could possibly stand up to you".
She might have carried on joking like that only she suddenly changed the subject
"I need to do some clothes shopping" she mentioned.
This was not something I wished to endure.
"Fine" I replied, "but you better do something nice for me if I have to spend an hour or so sitting about while you finally find the right outfit".
She blushed again, it was cute.
"I'm not that sort of girl, James" protested Hermione "I only kiss on the first date".
We'd already snogged so I wasn't having that, but my date kept talking.
"Oh we need to stop by the book store" mentioned Hermione "I need a new copy of Spellman's Syllabary it contains..."
I had no idea what she said next I began to zone out, remembering to make agreeable noises every so often as that nearly always works. I'd try to take things beyond kissing later on, and it if didn't work there was always after Xmas. I didn't think Hermione was going to drop out of Hogwarts even if she had mentioned thinking about it.
At least when we went clothes shopping I found this awesome-looking greatcoat that was made from thestral hide that looked as if it had been in this shop for a long time, likely due to the magical people of this world seeing thestrals as omens of death.
I was so going to wear it when duelling, or maybe I would only wear it when I wanted to be known by my wizard name of Magnus.
Hogwarts College of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Wizarding World.
As I sat on my bed I simply looked at Dawn Summers for a few moments as she walked into my room while wearing only one of my t-shirts. I knew that she wasn't wearing any underwear as she didn't wear any to bed whenever we slept together, and tonight she would be sharing my bed.
I could tell by her smirk that she wanted sex. She didn't need to more than smile at me to signal this and most of the time she didn't have to do much more than that to make me want her. This made sense since my retirement had been set up so that my companions would be compatible with me.
This time things were a little different. The Key in human form made her intentions very clear by bending over my bed, using a couple of pillows to keep her lower half somewhat elevated before telling me her butt was on offer as a birthday present. Normally I didn't pay any attention to my birthday, something that Raven understood and yet it annoyed Dawn for some reason. Not that I cared right now as she was offering up her last virgin hole.
"I whipped up this salve to act as lube and it numbed my butt, so feel free to just enjoy yourself" she invited "No need to worry about pain or ickiness, just enjoy your birthday surprise".
As I moved to get behind her, Dawn Summers looked back at me over her shoulder, with the hint of an excited grin on her face. I slapped her ass a few times, causing more sound than I did any pain. This made her yelp and then giggle in that adorable way she could laugh.
I'd gotten into the habit of spanking both of my companions as a form of foreplay. She'd been a bit surprised the first few times, but these days it made her smile. She'd long ago figured out how much of an ass guy I was and Dawn knew how to use that fact to tease me.
More than once she'd rubbed her backside up against me while we were in bed together and then started acting surprised when I wanted to fuck her. She was no empath and she didn't need to be, she knew exactly what got me going.
"You're such a bad girl," I stated.
She never protested me calling that.
"I used to steal stuff all the time" Dawn reminded me "And I ran away from home without telling anyone. I should so be punished for that".
A good reason to spank a few more times, not that I really needed a reason, and I knew that my companion wanted to return to her home dimension so she could say sorry for running off. Not that she regretted doing so.
"I made the lube myself," she told me "I found the recipe in a book from the Room of Requirement".
Rather than reply I pressed the tip of my cock gently against her anus.
"Oh, that feels different," Dawn remarked.
My dick was soon snug inside her backdoor, and it was even tighter than her cunt. The lube that she'd made allowed me easy access and it smelled very fruity.
"Does that feel good, baby girl?" I asked
I hadn't yet started fucking her. Yet she was making all sorts of noises.
"Yes," she whispered.
I didn't think she was lying.
"Do you want me to fuck your ass?" I asked, "Beg like a good girl".
She did as I wished.
"I want you to fuck my ass, Daddy" she pleaded in a way that made her sound innocent and eager to please "Please, fuck my ass"
Upon hearing that I grabbed hold of her hips more firmly and pushed forward so that all my cock was now deep inside her. I would ask about her calling me Daddy another time as it was normally Raven who called me that.
"UUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH!" Dawn called out.
Her lube must be effective as she took the pain like a champ, going as far as to encourage me to fuck her harder.
"Oh yes fuck my ass!" the witch yelled as I began to enjoy my present.
I tightened my grip on her slim hips to the point that I might leave bruises, not this would matter as I had healing powers, and I started pounding her ass mercilessly. Dawn should have started screaming and begging me to stop, and without her preparation, I'm sure she would have as I pounded her butt without mercy.
It felt so dam good that I very quickly reached a point where I had to worry about cumming too soon. I actually stopped because I didn't want this to be over too soon. Her sexy little butt was just too enjoyable, and I'd let myself start way too fast.
"You okay?" my companion asked, "Why did you stop".
I admitted to her that I might finish too soon.
"Don't worry about it," she said, "It's your birthday, I want you to just use my butt".
After raising my hand I brought it down with a resounding CRACK smacking her ass almost too hard as I began fucking her again, this was meant to be fun, not something sadistic, so I didn't keep spanking her, and I slowed down so that I could enjoy plundering her now no longer virgin booty.
"Oh, Daddy!" she called out.
Dawn's ass squeezed tighter pushing me passed the point of no return as I started to fill her butt with the sticky stuff. I hoped that she let me do this again over the holidays and it would last longer next time. I normally had a lot more sexual stamina than that.
"Okay that wasn't so bad," the former Scooby Gang member commented.
I slapped her ass again and she moaned. Not for the first time I figured that compared to getting into fights with demons which could result in death, me spanking her must barely register. If anything she seemed to be enjoying more as time went by.
"Let me clean you up" I offered.
One wave of my wand later and she was ready for some cuddle time.
