Tonks' office had transformed. From a quiet space where the girl and her assistant basically hung out, had sex and counted their money, to a loud, rambunctious space that had called for several expansion charms to make work.
Nymphadora observed her kingdom with pride. She had to admit, she'd been very hesitant to just let all these brats in on her business, but now she wanted to slap herself for not having brought them in earlier. There was finding a diamond in the rough, and there was finding a half dozen diamonds in a golden suitcase.
They were all so talented, she could easily see them continuing her business next year with Penny supervising them, allowing her to skim a little bit off the top and earn some passive income.
Daphne's father had an import business, and not only did the girl provide her with a massive boon in terms of hooking her up with suppliers, but Daphne herself seemed to have a knack for transactions. While Tonks prided herself in her business and money management skills, Daphne had optimized her organization and grown her cashflow by ten percent in only a week.
Susan was her little detective, and paired up with Pansy, who had a great ear for rumors and had a skill for squeezing them out of people, they had slowly been piecing together information on the philosopher's stone.
Tracey was funny, and she helped lighten the mood. (Not everyone needed to have some super special skill to be useful.)
Hermione was truly a mini-Penny, and the two girls together could blow throw a library's worth of information and synthesize it when everyone else would have dozed off almost immediately.
Darcia was Darcia. She was annoying, but she pushed for things and the others listened.
And finally, there was Harry. Harry was perfect and wonderful and had a magnificent cock, and he was proving to be very proficient with a wand.
Tonks was currently observing as Harry dueled Penny. While Tonks was the one instructing Harry, she couldn't duel him while carrying his child. Even if she would have wanted to, Harry refused to do so.
He was going to be such a fantastic father.
Penny dodged a stunner from Harry and sent a blasting hex his way. Harry dodged easily, shooting off another volley of stunners, which Penny shielded against. Her shield strained under the impact but held.
"Incarcerous!" Penelope incanted as a length of rope shot out from her wand, fanning out widely as it made to tie Harry up.
"Diffindo!" The boy responded, cleaving through the ropes, which fell limply in front of him.
Harry continued firing stunners, with Penny dodging calmly as she suddenly smirked.
Harry ignored his opponent, focusing only on his own offense, right up until he was swept off his feet and found himself hanging upside down.
Penelope had animated her rope, and Harry found his feet tied together.
"I win again!" Penny cheered as Tonks grinned.
Harry looked crestfallen. Both Daphne and Susan stopped what they'd been doing to help right him up, with Susan managing to dispel the enchanted rope.
"That was great, Harry." Tonks said, walking up to the trio and making sure to steal some body contact for herself.
"But, I lost again, Nymphadora." Harry said with a sad voice.
Tonks shook her head, but surprisingly, Penny spoke up before she did.
"Harry, I'm a fifth year, and a clever one at that." The dirty blonde girl assured him. "You're barely closing out your first term and I'd say you're already better than anyone in the next two years above you."
Tonks grinned as she slapped the boy on the back. "Before summer, we'll turn you into a dueling machine. In fact, maybe we can enter you into some Junior tournaments and rake in all the cash when people bet against you."
"You know, you don't have to be so greedy, Tonks. Not everything has to be about making bucket loads of cash." Daphne said.
Tonks glared at the blonde. "I've been poor long enough to know that you can never make enough cash. The more ways you find to make yourself rich, the harder it'll be to go broke."
"Wow, you should do motivational speeches or something." Darcia said sarcastically from her perch next to Hermione, who was dutifully reading some of Penny's third year work, gleefully consuming information at a rapid pace.
Tonks snapped her fingers. 'That's a great idea. Charge like forty galleons a pop, get a bunch of idiots who think they'll get rich from listening to me blather on for a few hours."
The younger girls groaned while Penny smiled eagerly. "I can serve snacks and dose them with a strong confounding drought, mistress, make it that much easier to swindle them."
"Can we get back on track?" Pansy asked from her spot on the couch. "We've figured out that each Professor has put some defenses up to protect the stone."
"Plus Hagrid's Cerberus." Tracey said with a shiver as she remembered the monstrous dog.
"Which we now know is susceptible to music!" Hermione added in with a raised finger and a proud smile at her mistress. Darcia had long since told Hermione that she could speak her mind without asking her for permission.
"Right. So the stone is being protected by almost all the professors."
"Hopefully not runes or arithmancy, I'm pants at those." Nymphadora added.
"So now, we need to figure out what each protection is. Which, sorry Suzie, but I don't think we'll be able to investigate our way into that unless we dose McGonagall with some truth potion." Pansy finished.
"No offense taken." Susan assured her.
"Now that mum's running the dungeons, truth potioning McG doesn't sound that far-fetched." Tonks said.
"That's way too risky." Daphne dismissed it out of hand.
"We could go down there and investigate ourselves." Harry said. At the girl's incredulous looks, the boy reddened. "I mean, with all of us together, we shouldn't have any problems."
"I don't know about that, Harry," Darcia said.
"Either way, I think we're best served focusing on training you all up until winter break. Next term, we're going to be refreshed and ready to tackle that stone." Tonks said.
"Aren't you worried that Quirell or that other guy will steal it before then?" Tracey asked.
Tonks shook her head, "Whoever goes after the stone is under the same massive limitation as us." She smiled at Penny, who gladly carried on from her mistress.
"Dumbledore. As long as the Headmaster is in the school, making any kind of move on the stone would be suicidal. Whatever protections are there will surely slow anyone down enough for Dumbledore to catch them."
"That's why Quirrell let the troll in on Halloween, as a way to distract Dumbledore for long enough to snatch it." Darcia said as realization dawned on her.
"Slow on the uptake as ever, dear cousin. Anyways, until we can figure out a way to get Dumbledore out of the school for a while, everyone who's after the stone is stuck."
"Which also means that if Dumbledore suddenly leaves out of nowhere, we have to dash for the stone." Susan said.
Tonks grinned. "I make my biggest scores when I'm flying by the seat of my pants. Which, speaking of scores, Penny, It's your turn."
Penny squealed with excitement as she knelt in front of Harry. She undid his belt with now practiced ease, letting his turgid cockhead smack her in the face with a solid thump before she caught it with her mouth taking his shaft down her throat.
"Use a bit more tongue there." Daphne instructed as she stroked Harry's shoulder.
"You should play with his balls, you love that, don't you, Harry?" Susan asked as she nuzzled her head onto Harry's shoulder.
Penny was used to the two girl's backseat cocksucking by now, so she just ignored them and savored the taste of Harry's cock in her mouth. She sucked on his shaft, using her tongue to extract those wonderful moans from the young boy.
No matter how many times they saw it, the sight of Harry's cock always managed to get the girls all hot and bothered. There would be time for all of them to get filled by that magnificent rod, but for now, this load was needed for business.
Which didn't mean they couldn't indulge in some pleasure, like how Nymphadora had Tracey eating her pussy while Pansy ate her ass. Both girls were very enthusiastic in pleasuring the seventeen year old, who wriggled her bum onto Pansy's pace while Tracey was suckling gently on her clit.
Darcia and Hermione were still clothed, but they had hiked up their skirts and were rubbing their little peaches against each other, gasping with pleasure with every little bump of their cunts as they ground on each other.
Penny was now bobbing wildly, gurgling and gacking loudly as she worked her throat on Harry. She glanced up, wanting to make eye contact with him, only to see that Susan was kissing him on the lips while Daphne kissed him on the neck. Knowing those two, they would take all the credit for his orgasm, too.
When she felt his explosion approach, Penny knew she was working a tightrope. She continued to bob, keeping thoughts of their business in the front of her mind as she suppressed the urge to shove him as far down her throat as possible and just drink down his entire load.
Instead, when she felt the telltale signs of his balls contracting, she pulled back completely, jerking off his slick shaft with her hand (that didn't even fit around it) as she produced a large mason jar. The first time she'd done this, she'd 'stupidly' held up a small potion bottle, which had filled up off the first spurt. She'd ended up with a face covered in excess seed, a real tragedy, especially when Tonks had been forced licked it off her face and shared it with her through kisses.
Now, she would not be wasteful, holding Harry's cock up against the mouth of the jar as the boy's cock jerked, shooting thick ropes of semen into the glass receptacle.
Even then, it was a close rung thing, and much to Penny's delight, the jar filled while Harry's cock was still twitching, so she managed to pull it away and skim a little bit off the top.
Well, one of the shots splattered across her face, slashing a diagonal line of cum that managed to catch her hair as well. She managed to wrap her lips around his cock to take the final few spurts, moaning in pleasure as she received her hot nectar directly from the source.
Once Harry's cock started to soften, Penny hesitantly pulled it from her mouth, smiling up at the boy with his thick cum still splattered across her face and hair.
"You look beautiful, Penny." Harry said. He'd been slowly moving away from using 'Miss' for everyone, at Daphne and Darcia's request.
Penny beamed up at him, and even the ultra-jealous girls that clung to him allowed her this moment.
"Harry's seed makes a great fashion statement." Susan said with a giggle.
Daphne looked thoughtful. "I think I want to try that look out for myself, maybe get more on my hair. What do you think, Harry?"
Harry grinned. The girls would look beautiful no matter what, but he had to admit that the thought of Daphne walking around with her smooth blonde hair speckled with his milky white seed, or Susan's lush red hair wearing a tiara of cum out to the Great Hall, was a very exciting prospect.
…
"Hermione and I have managed to calculate the point of critical mass." Penny said as the bushy haired girl smiled proudly next to her.
Darcia, Daphne and Tonks, the economic brain thrust, were sitting with them as Penny tipped her mason jar, filling small little gel orbs with tiny doses of Harry's seed.
In the background, the girls who were not part of the economic brain thrust were enjoying Harry's company. Harry was currently plowing Tracy from behind, though Susan was laying contentedly next to him and Pansy, having been the first one to get to ride.
"So this is the minimum amount to be addictive?" Daphne asked.
"Exactly." Tonks said. "Now, we can start selling these bad boys at a ten sickles a pop."
"Isn't that a little low?" Darcia asked. She would sell them for a galleon, at least.
"It might be, little cousin, but remember we're at a school." Tonks explained. "Doesn't matter how addicted these girlies get, their parents control their pursestrings. Don't want to set it at a price where none of them can afford it."
"I think you should give out freebies."
Darcia, Penny and Hermione looked at Daphne as if she were insane, but Tonks grinned. She may not have liked the blonde at first, especially with how much she hogged Harry, but the girl had a very sharp mind, and she clearly loved her beloved almost as much as Tonks did.
"Hear me out." Daphne said, "We give a few to the more influential girls in each house. Brown, one of the chasers in Gryffindor. Chang in Ravenclaw, etc."
Hermione's eyes widened in understanding. "Get them to promote it for us?"
"Exactly." Daphne grinned. "Once you get those girls hooked, all the others will come flocking in."
"Lovely." Tonks said. "Ladies, we are about to be very, very rich!"
…
Arcturus massaged his temple, shooting a longing glance at his kitchen, which had been solely the domain of the elves ever since Bellatrix and Narcissa had gotten on this crusade.
And it was both of them. The instant Bellatrix told Narcissa about the Horcrux inside of Harry, the blonde followed her sister down this obsessive rabbit hole. It had been a week of complete single mindedness, with them trying to figure out a way to use the Black Implements without harming the boy.
It was futile. The soul inside of the boy's scar would not leap out for freedom like the one in the diary had, otherwise, it would have long ago devised a way of taking over the boy's body.
"Fucking hogshit!" Bellatrix threw a book, a very ancient and valuable book, against the wall, and Arcturus hoped she hadn't just damaged the spine. "For being such an ancient house, there's nothing useful in this stupid library!"
"Bellatrix, calm down." Narcissa said, though she herself had her hands on her forehead. Her hair, usually so well maintained, was a frizzy mess. There were deep bags under her eyes, and probably for the first time in her adult life, there were pimples smattered across her face. "Taking out your frustrations on grandfather's books will do us no good."
Bellatrix scoffed. "Useless fucking books."
"Oh, I don't know, there are some very useful curses in some of those books." Arcturus glared at his granddaughter. "I could show you, Bellatrix."
Bella took that challenge like she took all challenges, by leaping up to her feet with wand ready. "Don't make me break your hip, you old geezer."
Narcissa really should break this up, but she was so tired and stressed and feeling just completely despondent and hopeless. The more they looked for solutions, the more apparent it became just how dire the situation was.
"Merlin, Morgana and Arthur!"
The three Blacks snapped their heads to see Rita Skeeter walking in, dropping her purse on the table as her loud green attire burned their tired retina.
"What do you want, Skeeter?" Hissed Bellatrix.
Rita did not back down. "Listen, if you want, I can leave and come back in half an hour. Massacre At the Black Estate sounds like a wonderful headline. But, for Harry's sake, I'm going to stay here, and I'm going to tell you three that you need to take a break from whatever you're doing."
"Break? You want us to take a break?!" Bella yelled. "How can I take a break, when my godson is-"
"Perfectly fine and well taken care of, at Hogwarts right now." Rita cut in. "Whatever it is you're doing, and you will tell me about it, It won't get solved if your brains are running on three hours of sleep. There's a reason that you always try to get a quote from a politician after a long and harrowing session in the Wizengamot. People who are stressed and tired don't make rational decisions."
Bella didn't have an answer for that, so she pouted.
"I'm going to take a nap, you're coming with me." Narcissa said, grabbing her sister by the robe.
"I'm going to bake a cake." Arcturus said as he got up and made a beeline for the kitchen.
"I'll be here," Rita said, making her way over to the living room and plopping down on Arcturus' recliner. If the old man had any objections, he did not voice them, and Rita pulled out her notes, letting her mind be distracted by future articles of political scandal while she waited to hear just what exactly was going on that had Bellatrix and Narcissa so worried.
…
"Oh."
"Oh, indeed." Narcissa said as she sipped on her tea, her grandfather's lemon cake half-eaten on a plate next to her.
Even with her overactive imagination, Rita could have never come up with something as horrifying as what she'd just heard.
The concept of a Horcrux. It just felt so fundamentally wrong. The thought that Harry had one of those inside of him… she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.
It also meant that You-Know-Who was alive, which sent a terrifying chill running up her spine. She decided it best to push that thought aside, to lock it in the back of her mind. She needed to focus on one horrific thing at a time.
"Bet you wish you hadn't asked, huh Skeeter?" Bellatrix said as she lay across a couch, wrapped up in a blanket as she (begrudgingly) had to admit that her mind felt a lot clearer since the nap.
Rita stuck her nose up. "I'm a journalist. Being burdened with knowledge is my thing. Now, where exactly are you on figuring this out?"
Arcturus chuckled in that barking manner that seemed to be a Black trademark. "We're nowhere."
"Maybe you aren't thinking about it from the right angle."
"What angle would that be?" Bellatrix said in a mocking tone.
"Bella." Narcissa warned, shooting Rita an apologetic look. "We haven't been able to figure out a way to remove the Horcrux without causing irreparable harm."
Rita thought. She thought hard about the situation. While the Blacks were brilliant, they were also narrow minded. She, on the other hand, spent a lifetime having to think about things from every possible angle.
"The horcrux… it's alive, right?"
"It's a piece of soul. I guess you could say it is alive." Arcturus shrugged. "Though this one might not be as sentient as the one in the diary."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Rita asked. "A soul shard is a soul shard. What makes that one different from the other one?"
"If it were sentient, it would have possessed Harry." Narcissa explained.
"Not necessarily." Rita said. "It could be sentient, but unable to possess Harry."
"That's ridiculous." Arcuturs said.
But Narcissa and Bellatrix both looked as if they'd made a realization. Arcturus thought they were blinded by their love for the boy, until Bellatrix spoke.
"Lily. Lily was the most brilliant witch I ever met." Her voice was almost giddy as she spoke. "I would put every single galleon I own-"
"You have none." Arcturus reminded her.
"I would put every single knut of the Black estate on her having done something. Some type of protection on Harry, something that reduces the harm the Horcrux can cause to Harry."
"And ensures he can't be possessed." Narcissa added. She had never been close to Lily Evans, but even she knew how brilliant a witch she'd been.
Arcturus let out a breath, "Even if we allow for that, does it really change anything? Either the Horcrux isn't sentient, or it is and is trapped inside the Potter boy's head. Either way, we can't remove it."
"We can." Rita said, a triumphant smile growing on her face. "All we need to do is ask."
She basked in their perplexed looks. This was a leap of logic, but if she was right, they'd be able to save her perfect little Harry, and she could rightfully claim most of the credit!
…
"So, you're saying this will keep me from getting zits?" Lavender asked as she inspected the tiny little orb, which was so small she had to hold it between her thumb and pointer finger.
"That, and it'll keep you energized." Pansy added, "have to pull an all-nighter to study for the Herbology test? That will keep you running no problem."
Lavender, who had a reputation as an airhead, had enough wherewithal to shoot her a suspicious glance. "I don't know, is this some sort of trap? Is my face going to break out? Cause that wouldn't be nice!"
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Take it or leave it, Brown. There are plenty of other girls that would appreciate what I'm offering."
Pansy held her hand out but Lavender snatched her hand back. "If anything weird happens, I'm putting you on the revenge section of my mood board."
And with that, the ditzy blonde tossed back the gel cap, swallowing it in one go.
Her pupils dilated, and her body shifted as if she'd just been zapped with static electricity.
"Wow!" Lavender started blinking rapidly. "That was great! I feel like I can gossip all day without my voice giving out!"
Pansy smiled. "You're welcome. First one was free, but if you want another, it'll be ten sickles. Unless you refer three friends, then I can bring yours down to five."
"Right. Right." Lavender said, trying to absorb the information while still in the throes of her high.
Pansy moved away from the Gryffindor, knowing she would spread the word more rapidly than anyone else, especially with the incentive Pansy had just given her.
…
Andromeda moaned wantonly as Harry emptied himself inside of her, his first orgasm bringing her to her fourth.
They were at her desk, in her own seat, and she was sitting on his lap. She'd been concerned about putting all her weight in him, but Harry had assured him he'd be perfectly fine.
And he was, while he'd worked up a sweat, the boy's naked body was nowhere near as soaked as her own. Andromeda cursed just how easily he tired her out, but it was to be expected. She had been out of the game for years, and she'd decided to jump back in by riding the wildest stallion of them all.
"Wow, you've really got a nice arse, mum."
Andromeda jumped. If Harry hadn't been there to steady her, she would have fallen onto the floor and on her ass.
"Nymphadora!" She yelled, doing her best to cover her chest with her arm, though it was a futile effort considering how well-endowed she was in that department.
"And some nice hooters to boot." Tonks said as she closed the door to the potions classroom behind her.
"Young lady, could you please watch your language! Harry's only eleven!"
Both Harry and Tonks decided not to mention how ridiculous that statement was, considering Andromeda was buck-naked, leaking that self-same eleven year old boy's seed from her pussy.
"When Darcia said you'd jumped on the Harry express, I didn't believe her, but look at you." Tonks said with a giggle. "Though, mum, maybe doing it in your classroom with only a simple locking charm between you and getting sacked isn't such a smart idea."
Andromeda's face turned red. It was a preposterous situation, she was being the horny, rash teenager and her daughter was the level headed adult.
"You can always join us in Nymphadora's office, Andi." Harry offered.
"Office? What office?" Andromeda's face turned serious as Tonks gulped, now things were as they should be.
"Mum, you should be proud of me, your baby girl's an entrepreneur!"
…
"Penelope, she's roped you into this?" Andromeda gawked as Penny looked down at the floor. "And you, you're just a bunch of first years!"
"Hey, we're enterprising girls who want to take the bull by the horns!" Pansy said defensively.
"Mum, I swear, it's harmless stuff, ask Harry!"
Harry looked like he most certainly did not want Andromeda to ask him if he thought Tonks' enterprise was entirely benign. While he was capable of lying to people that weren't Darcia, Harry hadn't really built a habit of it over the years, and so he was terrible at fibbing.
Thankfully, Andi didn't ask Harry. Instead, she let out a deep sigh. "Nymphadora, I think it's best if I am not made aware of… well… anything."
Nymphadora let out a relieved breath, plausible deniability, she didn't think her mother had it in her.
"However." Andromeda continued. "Considering you don't have permission to use this classroom, I might feel compelled to inform the Headmaster. Unless, you let me have first dibs on Harry whenever I pop in."
The girls gaped at their professor as Tonks gave her mother a wide-eyed look. "Mum, are you blackmailing me?"
"Blackmail's such a strong word-" Andi was cut short as her daughter leapt at her, wrapping her mother up in a warm hug.
"I knew I got it from you!"
Harry beamed at this heart-warming sight, while Darcia assured the other girls that with her busy teaching schedule, Andromeda wouldn't be skipping the line too often.
…
Even after over a century of living, or perhaps because of it, Albus could still appreciate the small things.
The students all bowed their heads or gave respectful nods as he passed. Albus simply smiled, enjoying the crunch of his feet in the snow as his boots sank in ever so slightly. He enjoyed the bite of the cold as the tip of his nose had surely turned a bright red by now.
He watched the children passing by, cheerful, not burdened by the worries of an old man who had made enough mistakes to fill five lifetimes.
His curiosity piqued as he began to notice that the female population of Hogwarts seemed to have hit on a new trend. He saw them peeking out of satchels, clasped in hands, tossed back mid-stride as they continued to gossip with their friends.
Small little gel-caps, filled with some sort of white substance.
Perhaps Honeydukes had come out with a new concoction? Though the packaging was far too plain for Honeydukes. Either way, Albus had to chuckle, no matter the generation, there were always youthful trends that old men like him would struggle to understand.
He saw a snowball fight off in the distance. Professor Quirrell yelped as the Weasley twins had managed to strike him in the back of the head with a couple of well-placed snowballs.
Albus frowned. With Severus gone, he knew the game he was playing had become far more dangerous. But, Quirrell had not done anything overt since Halloween, and Albus had since instructed all the portraits to keep an eye on the man.
He still didn't know how exactly Quirrell was communicating with Tom, and he couldn't let this opportunity pass. He was playing hard and fast with the lives of his students, but Albus had long since accepted those stakes.
He greeted Professor Black as she passed by, whose face was flush from the cold.
He was glad that the woman had settled in so quickly, and while losing Severus had been a blow, the students definitely seemed happier with Andromeda's teaching methods. Not to mention that the house points system had become several orders of magnitude more balanced.
He stopped in his tracks as he looked at the group of first year Slytherins huddled together on a bench.
There were several bluebell flames flickering away. Miss Davis was making a snow angel, which Miss Parkinson interrupted by kicking snow onto her prone form, causing the girl to scramble up to her feet and yell at the brunette.
Miss Granger and Miss Bones were engrossed in a chess match while Harry, Miss Malfoy and Miss Greengrass, who he'd learned to his amusement was now betrothed to Miss Malfoy, watched on. Miss Malfoy was chattering on about a quidditch match she'd caught on the wireless, and from what little Albus could make out, she was loudly explaining how she could have done much better than the losing team's seeker.
It was such a normal scene, such a happy scene. No one observing that scene would be able to discern that two of those children were slaves.
Albus continued on with a slight hop in his step. Regardless of his little game with Quirrell, seeing Harry being so well liked, seeing him amongst friends, warmed Albus' heart. The boy deserved happiness, especially if what Albus dreaded was true, and his fate had been sealed the moment Voldemort hit him with that killing curse.
…
The door to their compartment slid open for what must have been the hundredth time. This time, it was a seventh year girl.
"Hey, uh, Parkinson. Did you get my note?"
Pansy sighed as she pulled a box out of her trunk, which she'd kept open next to her for this very reason.
"I'll see you guys in a bit." She told the others.
The seventh year girl caught sight of Tonks and raised an eyebrow. "Hanging with firsties, Tonksie?"
Tonks shrugged. "Bratty little cousin." She pointed at Darcia. "We're spending winter break together."
The girl nodded as she followed Pansy out of the compartment.
Pansy was the Boss Lady's representative when it came to what Hogwarts' female population had quickly dubbed 'Go-Gobblers'. If only that seventh year knew that the Boss Lady was sitting right there, with the firsties.
"I wish I could visit you guys." Susan whined. She would be spending winter break with her aunt. Amelia had had no issues with her niece being sorted into Slytherin, but Susan wasn't yet confident enough to ask her aunt jf she could visit the Blacks.
"That makes two of us," Tracey said, doubly sad that she wouldn't be able to see Pansy over christmas break either.
Pansy returned, tossing a galleon over at Tonks, who quickly snatched it out of the air.
"That should be the last one." Pansy said as she plopped down on her seat and rested her head on Tracey's shoulder. "Everyone and their mother wanted to have a nice little stock for winter."
"I'll owl this to Penny back at the school once we get home. I think that by the end of the year, I'll be able to Scrooge McDuck into at least a bathtub."
"Scrooge… McDuck?" Darcia asked, not the only one to be perplexed by Tonks' turn of phrase.
"I can explain it later, mistress. If you wish." Hermione said with a warm smile.
"Sure." Darcia responded.
"Remember." Daphne said for the dozenth time that day, "I'm coming over for Christmas, you guys are coming over for new years."
Darcia rolled her eyes. "Yes ma'am."
Harry smiled. "I can't wait to meet your family, Daphne."
Daphne squealed, squeezing Harry's hand.
"Am I invited too, princess?" Tonks asked in a cheeky tone.
Daphne looked Tonks over. "Of course, you're carrying our first baby."
"Maybe I should just tell auntie that I pledged to become a vassal? It's not like she can change it." Susan mused, now even more irritated that she wouldn't see them until next term.
"Susan, that is a terrible idea." Darcia said.
…
After six years of waiting for Nymphadora to return home, with all the pureblood parents looking at her as if she were lower than dirt, it was a strange sensation for Andi to be here, in winter and not summer, standing next to her sister as other purebloods nodded in acknowledgement.
Andi had flooed over to Chateau Black in the morning after the students had boarded the train, only to be bombarded with information by her sisters, information that was now swirling around in her head as she gave Lady Abbot a polite nod.
Then Anastasia Greengrass came along, followed by a young girl that shared her light brown hair and warm, hazel eyes.
"Narcissa." She nodded cheerfully. "Andromeda, my daughter has only good things to say about your class."
Andi smiled. If Lady Greengrass was spouting empty platitudes, at least she managed to make it sound more genuine than most. "I try my best. Daphne is a brilliant student."
"I hope you can whip this one into shape when you get her next year." Anastasia said as she gestured toward Astoria, who grumbled and furrowed her brow as she glared up at her mother.
"Tell me, Anastasia, will you be joining us for Christmas?" Narcissa asked.
Anastasia's smile became ever-so strained. "I'm afraid it will only be Daphne. Andronicus seems to be set on taking us to the tropics once more."
"That sounds lovely." Andi said.
Anastasia's lip twitched. "Yes, he'll spend all day setting up trade deals while I'll be able to finish my novel."
Anastasia stiffened, as if she realized she'd said a bit too much.
They were saved from an awkward silence by an unusual figure approaching them.
"Lady Malfoy, Lady Greengrass, Professor Black."
All three women were more than taken aback enough to completely forget about Anastasia's bitter words.
"Madame Bones!" Narcissa greeted, shocked that the redhead would approach them.
"Please, can we dispense with the formalities now? You can call me Amelia."
The Greegrass family was enough degrees removed from the dark; they had never been Death Eaters, after all, for Anastasia to have had a cordial relationship with Lady Bones. But even she had never seen the woman be this friendly.
"Only if you call me Narcissa." The blonde said. "I must say, I find myself a bit surprised that you would approach me."
Amelia smiled, that gruff, no-nonsense smile that she must have picked up from Alastor Moody.
"It's clear as day that you've been changing course recently, Narcissa." She turned to Andromeda. "Having your sister reinstated, for one." She returned her sharp gaze to Narcissa. "And, my niece was sorted into your daughter's house, and she's yet to send me a single letter begging for me to come save her. All of that leads me to believe that you are a potential ally."
All three women's eyes widened at that. The Bones allying with the Malfoys? Only a few months ago, it would have seemed like a preposterous proposition.
Narcissa sent Anastasia a side-eyed look. Well-versed in pureblood communication, Anastasia understood immediately.
"Amelia, I would love it if you and your niece attended our New Year's Ball this year. The Malfoys and Blacks will attend as well."
Amelia chuckled. "I'll have to reject Fudge's invitation." Her smile turned predatory. "Susan and I will gladly attend."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries until the familiar whistle of the Hogwarts Express signaled the train's arrival.
The grin on Amelia's face when she saw that Susan hopped out of the same compartment as Darcia, and was clearly very close with her fellow Slytherins, was almost menacing.
Narcissa had always seen Lady Bones as a by-the-book, no nonsense authoritarian. But, with Lucius' death, and Narcissa redirecting House Malfoy's massive assets, it became clear that the woman was as much an opportunist as anyone else, which Narcissa did not begrudge her.
Amelia Bones was a woman of integrity, but she was also a politician, and she could smell blood in the water.
Narcissa would wait until their talk to make any decision, but if Amelia wanted to form some sort of alliance to bring down Fudge? Maybe instill herself as Minister? Well, there were worse endeavors to throw Lucius' money at.