The lending of clothes and the offering of food

The door opening brought Harry's focus back from his revising. "Luna," he said.

"Hello, Harry," she said. Both the day of the week and her tone and the smile in her voice told him that this would not be a night she would wait until the end of revising, then ask for his knickers and return to Ravenclaw. She would be staying the night unless no one else stayed the night. And if no one else stayed the night she'd try to follow him or Ginny into gryffindor tower.

She went about her traditional undressing, from 'going to class' clothes to something more in keeping with Lion's-Keep average. Though she took off less than the others now that the weather had turned cold.

"Would you like me to make you a chemise like everyone else's?" said Harry, "or enchant the leather underthing that you wear sometimes?"

She shook her head, "everyone else likes theirs, but you don't like yours?"

"What?"

"You should make yours long enough that if doesn't make you flustered when I ask for your knickers."

"Ah," said Harry.

"You should give me your current one," said Luna.

"Hmm," said Harry.

Luna made her startled by a new thought face, "you should let me try yours on and make sure it fits the way we want, maybe it doesn't?"

"Maybe," said Harry, If it fit well enough, giving it to her and making a new one seems good economics, if it didn't fit well enough, it might be a less stressful segue into measuring her for a new one. He stood up so he could pull it over his head.

She took it and went over by the fire to undress the rest of the way and slip it on. When she was dressed again (by Lion's-Keep standards) Harry followed her over.

The height was perfect for a chemise the way most of the others liked theirs, it even fell a bit longer than Susan's. And because Luna was slimmer, it seemed loose enough without needing extra pleats at the sides to fit over her hips or to allow a good range of motion.

By the same token it was a bit baggier everywhere else too. Not as pleasing to the eye, but since when had Luna ever cared about that? And no one had commented much about his being baggy when he wasn't being Leona.

"Would you like it tighter under your breasts," said Harry, "more support that way?"

"Can you put on stretchy charms?"

"What?"

"You have written on self activating heating and cooling wards, can you add a self activating shrinking ward?"

"Um," said Harry, "maybe, but it will take a while to work out how."

"I think you can copy from the waistband of one of my favourite skirts, I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Alright, thanks," said Harry.

She stared at him, "You still need your old one back to pattern for your new one?" said Luna.

"It would be helpful," said Harry.

She sighed and took it off. Then smirked at him, "trade you for your knickers?"

He sighed and stripped the rest of the way naked and handed over his drawers.

She put them on. When they didn't stay up by themselves she folded the waistband over and tucked it into the waistband of her own.

OK Luna, whatever.

He turned back to the table and put his revising away to make room for all his leather-working equipment, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to work in this old castle without temperature regulating underthings.

.

He was very aware of Luna watching him work out of the corner of her eye. He'd presumed she'd be asking every eight minutes how soon he'd be done and she could put his old / her new leather chemise on. But she didn't, she just eyed him.

She wants to shag. supplied Nim.

Doesn't she always?

She always wants to explore everything, and that's one of the things on her list. But right now, she wants YOU.

Hmm, plausible.

And she knows you well enough, to not interrupt you while you're making her a very decadently sensually hufflepuff gift, as an act of service. It might be the most focused on her she's seen you for years.

That's not true, especially since she only asked for my old one, not for me to make her a new one.

From an economics of your time spent, it amounts to the same thing.

True but

And letting her wear your old one will mean something extra hufflepuff to her.

Ah, fair enough.

"Luna, are you sure you don't want a different smell for yours?"

"Maple leaves, plum blossoms, and heather." she said, "but there aren't runes for maple leaves, I checked."

"Oh," said Harry.

"But I don't want you to change yours … Oh, but you can put the other two in mine," she said, "Then you won't be giving me your old one. We'll just be wearing traded clothes forever."

Harry felt the prickle of sweat and goose flesh, and knew he was blushing from his shins to his ears.

Now I understand, what you meant by 'it would mean something extra hufflepuff to her.'

Nim grumbled out two purrs and was silent.

Conveniently enough, plum blossoms and heather also suit me just fine. "I'd like that, Luna," said Harry and watched to see if she'd smile.

Instead she pinked a little and looked away.

It might have been the first time he'd seen her blush at all.

By the time he'd sewn it all up she'd produced a scrap of parchment with the runes for new heather shoots and plum blossoms. It only took one experiment to prove Harry's guess what ratio the heather ought to be toned down compared to the plums.

When he was finished Luna picked it up and put it on. Around the chest it still fit her like his had, but the length of the new one came just past her knees.

It didn't look like bedroom attire, it looked like something Leona-the-savage would have worn, once she was old enough and experienced enough to realise that modesty was a thing.

She picked up the neckline and sniffed it, then licked it and sniffed it again. She nodded in approval. Circled the table and hugged him tight, "Thank you for my best shift ever."

"You're welcome," he said.

"May I trade-borrow it for your best chemise ever?" she said.

"Yes," said Harry.

She didn't let go, just stared up into his eyes with a smile he'd only ever seen on the face of Amelia Bones. And that only after she'd carefully observed Susan's relaxed mood after he and Susan had reappeared from worrying each other's bodies to a pleasant exhaustion.

"What do you want to do after we lend each other our underclothes?" he said.

"I want to show you my favourite clearing in the forest."

"In the forbidden forest?"

"In the centaur forest," she nodded.

It's not like I don't know my way around most of it by now, from watching Hedwig and Nim hunting in my dreams.

"What should I bring?"

"Your wand, and My underthing, and your robe, and your shoes, … and your satchel."

"Alright," he agreed.

She let go and took off her shift and handed it over.

"Thank you," he said, and moved his old chemise into her hands, "my underthing, may it help keep you comfortable and safe."

"Thank you," she said, and put it on, then took off both layers of knickers and tossed them with her other clothes, before also dressing the same as she had prescribed for him.

Then she led him out into the corridor and down through the shortcut to the kitchen, where she requested a basket for a supper picnic and a bucket of 'thestral snacks'. The elves were happy to oblige, they even had the bucket already waiting. And the basket took only a few moments more.

Nim, did I skip supper?

Yes, that's why Luna came to get you.

Except she let me get sidetracked making her underthing first.

Yes.

Luna handed him the basket and took the bucket of meat scraps. She led him the back way out onto the grounds, past the greenhouses and into the forbidden forest.

As they approached the overhanging trees there was less light reflected from the sunset behind them.

"Can you see?" he asked, "I'm trying to decide whether to switch to Leona-sight or concentrate hard enough on Susan's night-sight technique, that it comes to the fore.

"Try Susan's sight," said Luna, "Stay Mars for me tonight?"

"Alright?" said Harry.

A few stumbles later and Luna consented to be Leona herself, and to lead him more carefully.

They were barely out of sight of the treeline and Harry finally had enough echos to see with. That was when they were beset by a heard of ghostly abraxans.

Except abraxans are predominantly herbivores, and bigger than average horses, and ghosts liked their food strong enough to taste. Whereas, the raw meat scraps that Luna was feeding them didn't seem like they were seasoned enough to please ghosts.

Also Harry had gathered the impression, that most abraxans did not lead the correct kind of existence to leave ghosts behind.

Also Luna was petting these like they were solid. Also their feet stamped heavily, like real horses.

And they breathed on a large scale.

"OK," said Harry, "They're not ghosts or abraxans, what are they?"

"They're thestrals," said Luna, "can you see them?"

Harry blinked and concentrated hard enough to differentiate natural sight from Susan's supersensory charm.

"No, I cannot see them, but with Susan's supersensory charm, I can hear most of what shape they are."

"Yeah," Luna nodded, "They're very gentle and loyal, unless threatened, they're in next year's— in your year's Care of Magical Creatures book if you want to look them up later." she held the bucket out to him. Harry took several pieces and turned to offer the scraps to the thestrals nearest him.

Fortunately he remembered just in time about keeping his hand as flat as possible while feeding horses and abraxans.

"They're vary clever, and some can learn to understand human speech," said Luna.

"The animal kingdom has a wide variety of animals that are said to be that smart," said Harry, "Can you be more specific?"

"Probably smarter than post owls," said Luna, "except they are known for their skill of carrying mages to desired locations, (if they can be persuaded) rather than carrying things to desired recipients."

"Oh, OK," said Harry, "What do they hunt naturally?"

"Birds and snakes I think," said Luna, "and other things that get lost in the wind and need help finding their way home."

While they fed and petted the thestrals, Harry looked up to see two centaurs looking on. At first he took them for males, but it seemed like they were both big enough to be growing beards, and one of them wasn't.

Nim, do centaurs shave?

How would I know?

Do … they keep their breasts on their upper ribs or their lower ribs.

Never worried about it before, but … it does make sense that one set or the other might be vestigial.

Do you know enough about horses to identify what I'm seeing without me staring too hard.

[The sound of a sneeze.]

I should have figured.

After the meat ran out, they had to wait, because the nosiest thestral managed to convince Luna to let her lick the bucket out completely.

When it was finally 'clean', Luna placed it in her satchel and they turned to the centaurs.

"Greetings, friends," said Luna.

"Greetings," said the centaur,

"the crescent moon almost outshines Mars as they set together."

"Thank you," said Luna.

"She is very beautiful tonight, even if most of her is in shadow," said Harry.

They frowned at him.

"Saturn hangs low in the south," ventured Harry.

They nodded, "the time of autumn feasts is close at hand."

This time it was Harry's turn to frown.

"Venus is leading the moon and Mars," suggested Luna.

"Ah," they said, "You may pass."

Luna grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him away.

Behind them the centaurs chuckled.

.

"What just happened?" said Harry.

"Your centaur small talk is horrible," said Luna.

"I gathered that," said Harry, "what did you say?"

"That your earlier bit of idiocy was about being in love with me, not about what they might or might not be arguing about before we got there."

"Hmm," said Harry, "sometime after I finish learning to keep up with slytherins, I'll have to learn centaur."

"Learning to speak with centaurs and goblins will help with learning how to speak slytherin properly, or so papa says."

"Ah, perhaps," said Harry.

.

"Here we are," said Luna and stopped in the bend of a barely gurgling stream. There was a thick carpet of bracken on the ground, and of moss on the rocks.

"It is a beautiful spot," said Harry.

"Put down the basket, and lay out our robes for picnic blankets," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," he said and complied.

There were no dishes except the serving dishes, but there were napkins. Enough to transfigure into plates and other things if

"Shall we conjure utensils?" said Harry, "or eat with our fingers?"

"Feed each other with our fingers," said Luna.

Oh my.

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry.

It was awkward and messy, until it became amusing and affectionate.

I made her an underthing, I need to let her serve me supper, if that's how she want's to repay.

By the time they got to the cobbler, (sweet gooey sticky cobbler), Luna was seated on the ground between his knees, and they'd both given up waiting for the other to be the only one to lick their fingers clean.

Which meant that eating cobbler this way must also count as kissing, by Hermione's reckoning of hygiene.

When the cobbler platter was as clean as fingers could get it, they focused more carefully on cleaning fingers, and then on faces, and then they were kissing for real.

By and by Luna pulled away and turned to face him with more of her body, "May I peek under my underthing?"

"Yes," said Harry.

But instead of doing what he expected, she did what he should have expected, and pushed the underthing he was wearing up until his navel showed. She petted his belly, and down his hips and thighs, and stroked up the other way and looked him in the eyes, waiting for permission to touch the rest.

He smiled and nodded. She stroked down, and around, exploring his details and the texture of each bit.

"Some of those things don't like to be squeezed," he said, "But all of it likes to be stroked."

She nodded.

"May I touch you also?" said Harry.

"Don't take your clothing off me," she said, "Just, pick it up as far as you need to, to reach. Start with my bum then my back."

He started with her bottom, she was a bit more muscular than he might have predicted, though perhaps the tension of her current posture was showing it off a bit. Her back was also nice and smooth with a few hairs just starting to turn wiry. When one of his brushes up her back rose high enough she pretended to be tickled and shifted away so that she slipped to the side and caught her breast in his hand. He might have been surprised, but he caught her sly smirk just before she did the same thing on the other side, but slower and with enough deliberation that he had the choice between withdrawing his hands, or letting her lean her breast and a sizeable portion of her balance into his right hand while she slid through his hands to place her other breast in his left.

"Hmm," he said, amused, but now even more alert to the possibility that her non-verbal antics meant things, meant to be hints how she wished to be stimulated.

She leaned harder, then knelt back away from him, only to lean in harder again, she started humming also. This time he kept his arms stiff enough to let her have the pressure she was looking for.

On the next lean, she pushed so hard as to overbalance him. She cooed, and dropped her eyes to his hem again, and lifted it to reveal his now erect member.

She lifted her eyes to his again. Silent permission seeking.

"First of all," said Harry, "I'm a human, and you're allowed to speak English."

She shrugged.

"Second of all," he said, "Not until one of us has done this," he re-positioned his arms so that he could draw his wand and conjure cream of lasere over and in each of their sexual areas respectively.

Her eyes unfocused as she concentrated on what had happened inside, then she nodded, and said, "Try again I think?"

He conjured more lasere, being more careful to aim it deep, and also around her folds.

She nodded in satisfaction.

"Now may the moon set on top of mars?" she murmured.

"Yes, you may," said Harry, "But … we don't have to start there if you don't wish?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she said. She took his wand away and re-sheathed it.

He shrugged, "mostly for more advanced strategies that mostly amount to self-defence, if you don't trust me to be patient later."

"I trust you to be patient later," she said.

He smiled fondly, "I do too," he said. So tonight was a night for a slower rhythm? Not that I am responsible for choosing the rhythm while she's the one on top.

She moved his hands back to where they had been, and balanced herself breasts first in them, then scuttled forward and mounted him.

She might be much heavier than she had been at her last experience. And from the way she stroked his arms distractedly as she searched for her rhythm, his hair might be a very different texture. He wondered how wiry his hair would get, Oliver wood's arm and chest hair had gotten quite wiry and wild looking, not that there was anything wrong with that, but … Harry liked how smooth Parvati's back and thighs were compared to the others … maybe she shaved it.

Maybe some of his girls would prefer he shaved.

"Harry," she said, "where did you go?"

"Got a little lost thinking about hair," he said.

She giggled, stared into his face.

"May I kiss you again?"

"Please," he grinned and let her down gently, then helped her find her kiss, then stroked her back until she was ready to return to searching for other kinds of stimulation.

She took a long time to climax, and eventually he could not hold back any longer. She started at the sudden warmth between them, just as she had earlier for the sudden cool of the lasere.

"What's that look?" she said, "what happens now?"

"That was my climax," he said, "Now is when I change from waiting patiently for the joy coming to me, to waiting patiently for the joy that is coming to you."

She smiled.

"I will try to stay big inside you, but if I should fail, you're welcome to rub anywhere else that you think you'd find pleasing."

"Oh," she murmured.

"Or you can roll over and I can try with my fingers or tongue."

"What if we don't roll over, and you use your fingers?" she said.

"We can try that too," he agreed.

.

"Or I can turn into Leona," he said.

"No," she said, "next time, maybe."

"Alright." He said.

.

"Did you say you were going to get small?"

"I will eventually," he said, "But I'm trying not to, and so far it has worked."

"Oh," she said, "can you get bigger?"

"In theory I can get slightly harder."

She nodded.

"I don't think I can get longer without magic."

She looked interested, then her focus turned inward, and she wiggled as if measuring how much space there might still be available inside her for that development.

"Magic that I'm aware of but don't yet know," he clarified.

"Don't get longer," she said, "get fatter."

"Ah," he said, and nodded, "that also requires the same magic, but I'll keep that preference in mind."

She smiled, and changed her rhythm to be more side to side than up and down.

"Do you have a favourite girl?" she said.

"No," he said, "favourites are for dresses not for girls."

She frowned at him, "but you have six favourites?"

He shrugged, "Sort of," he said, "and sort of six girls have me."

She grinned, "I suppose."

.

"If I was going to try to like girls too, which should I try?"

"If you want to have one for a girlfriend," said Harry, "why wouldn't you start with your best friend?"

"I'm not sure I have a best friend," said Luna, "Ginny is my longest friend, and Padma is my big-sister-est friend and Susan is my …"

"Brattiest friend?" suggested Harry.

"I'm not sure I know what that means anymore," said Luna.

"It means Susan," said Harry, "and I apologise for that being a circular definition."

"And Parvati is my prettiest friend."

"Certainly," said Harry.

"Which would you rather see me playing with?" she said.

"Playing this with?"

"Yes."

"Any of them who said 'please', or said 'yes' when you said 'please'," said Harry.

"Susan has already said, 'please'," said Luna.

"It seemed like Ginny did too," said Harry.

"No," said Luna, "She just said not to leave her out."

Harry nodded, "but she asked to play with Leona first and then Harry, it wouldn't surprise me if she really will tell you 'please,' sometime soon."

Luna nodded, "but which one will you enjoy watching play with me?"

"Oh," said Harry, "I … don't know, maybe Susan. I'm just not sure if Ginny would say 'please' about me watching her play with you."

"Oh," said Luna, "You think Susan will?"

"I think if you say please, Susan will agree," said Harry.

"Ah, alright," said Luna, then twitched and breathed, "Hmm, that's better."

Harry looked into her face, just in time to see her eyes roll back and her pace quicken. And then her hips jerk out of her previous rocking to sharp quick thrusts, autonomous spinal reflexes trying to take over.

He leered at her, not that she could see. And watched for the moment that she lost too much coordination to keep driving herself toward climax.

The moment her lips telegraphed the shift from awe at building pleasure, to unmet desire for more pleasure, he caught her arms in and rolled her onto her side, and himself up on top of her, and kept thrusting just a bit faster than her previous preferred rhythm, but with an additional side to side rocking that he thought she'd been searching for but hadn't found yet.

She made several inarticulate demands, and her hands found their way to his hips. And her legs wrapped around and over his calves, trying desperately to pull him tighter inside.

When that still didn't seem to be enough to push her all the way into what he'd thought an orgasm ought to look like on her, he licked his fingers and thrust them down between their stomachs to rub her clit.

Her eyes popped open and nodded jerkily. Then she let out a harsh birdlike call, then she shook her head and started … perhaps swearing in something that was not English.

Her hands and legs kept pulling him tighter, so Harry kept going.

She ran out of breath but apparently not words, because her lips and neck tendons continued to work. She pulled even tighter, and then went into the rocking spasms he'd expected to see. He kept going until she relaxed. He kept going until she opened her eyes and grinned at him. He kept going until she asked if he didn't want her to take another turn on top.

He said he didn't mind one way or the other, and she was welcome to ask for what she wanted.

She smiled, "Then don't stop … for a while."

He smiled back, "Feel free to suggest changes to my rhythm," he said, "either with words or with how your hands help pushing my hips."

She put her hands on his hips again.

About eight minutes later she'd had a second orgasm, and it seemed his second would follow about a minute after.

Except she talked, "I think, I'm as satisfied as I could possibly deserve to be," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Means permission to stop, or to keep going," said Luna.

His climax was edging away, and might keep edging away if he talked much more.

"Then I'll keep going for a little while," he said.

Finally his climax came, and they shared satisfied smiles.

"I'm going to stop now," he said.

"That's fine," she said.

He got off her, "I need a nap," he said, "But I think I can make it back to the castle first, If I'm allowed to use my wand-light."

"No," she said, "sleep here, but let's conjure a little house first."

"Oh?" he said.

She drew her wand and conjured something over them, it seemed to be a wooden box barely big enough to fit both of them diagonally, It had a glass window on one side (with the sashes open, for a tiny amount of breeze) and a door big enough for a small cat on the other.

She pulled the door shut and thumbed the latch closed.

"Luna," said Harry.

"Harry?"

"I love you," said Harry.

"Obviously," said Luna, "I love you too."

"Don't ever change," said Harry.

"Obviously not, silly," said Luna, "only statues don't change, animals are for learning things, humans more than others, ravenclaws for even faster."

"Hmm," said Harry, "I guess you're right." Also that's not what I meant.

"Usually," she agreed, "But feel free to remind me when I forget things."

She put her wand away, then snuggled tight.

He pulled their underthings as far down as they'd cover without forcing her to let go, then conjured better pillows and also snuggled tight.

...-...

Some pillow talk

"Luna?"

"Harry?"

"What you said earlier about deserving satisfaction."

"What about it?"

"I think deserving is a concept that is not safe to let anywhere near sex."

"Because sex is about giving satisfaction, not getting it?"

"Sort of," said Harry.

"Because you do sex chores for six girls, but don't have anyone to do sex chores for you?"

Harry sighed, "not that either, but … that's an interesting point. Also I have Nim."

"Do you make her do sex chores?"

"No, but she would if I asked her to."

"Oh," said Luna.

"Does that disappoint you?"

"No," she said, "yes … You don't ask her, do you?"

"No," said Harry, "Not for chores."

"Then ask me for chores," said Luna.

"Why?" said Harry.

"Why not?" said Luna, "I belong to you same as she does?"

"I like equals," said Harry, "Not slaves. That mark means I do protection chores, not that you have to do chores for me."

"What if I want it to mean slave?"

"You don't," said Harry, "you like wandering too much to want to be stuck anywhere doing chores."

"Hmm," said Luna, "No, I don't want to be stuck anywhere."

"Good."

"But sometimes I go when Mrs. Weasley calls Ginny to do chores. I miss Mum calling me."

Harry sighed, "I miss that for you also."

"Please," whispered Luna, "Please call me when you want chores."

"I'll call you, but I don't want sex to be chores."

She crawled up and put her nose against his and breathed in his face, "I want play sex, and I want chore sex, and I want you to have chore sex available, if you need it. I already belong to you."

"You're a child and a girl," said Harry, "you'd hardly get more than a couple hours of getting yelled at if you were to rape me. If I raped you, I could get time in Azkaban."

"Didn't say rape," she said, "I said chore sex."

"Then I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Instead of saying, 'Luna, would you like sex,' you say, 'Luna come here, I want sex,' I still might say 'no'."

"And if you did say 'no' what should I do?"

"Ask Susan or Padma?"

Harry frowned.

"But I wouldn't say 'no' that would defeat the purpose of making sure you knew there was always someone who would say 'yes'"

Harry sighed, then it came clear, "Oh, because sex could be an act of service, not just an act of affection."

"What?" said Luna, "Oh, yes, of course!"

"Never mind," said Harry, "I hadn't thought of that, I'll try to remember it."

"Good," said Luna.

...-...

The ingredients of an enticing Saturday morning ... interrupted

"Are we going to do this every month for a while?" said Luna.

"What would you like?"

"Not to worry about whether the moon is leading mars or following him, just ask you for what I want."

"That's also what I want," said Harry, "does it mean we'll have to stay out of the way of centaurs if there isn't an astronomical event we can blame our behaviour on?"

"You could wear your cloak," she said, "and I could be demiguise."

"Ah," said Harry.

"Or we could stay in Lion's-Keep and let the others watch."

"Would you like that?"

"Yes, sometimes," said Luna, "would you?"

"Not sure, maybe."

Luna rolled over and cupped his bulge to verify the twitch she must have felt, "Your little one wants it?" said Luna, "you should do what he wants."

"No," said Harry, "doing what he wants instead of what I think is wise is the way of madness and slavery."

"I didn't mean always," said Luna, "I meant, … I tricked him into getting big, may I give him chores now?"

Harry chuckled, "is that what you want?"

"Right now, yes," she said, "maybe it isn't a fair rule for school nights."

"Maybe," agreed Harry. And slid the leather from beneath her hand.

She stroked him, then moved his hands, one to the leather over her chest, and one beneath her clothes to her bum.

He rubbed where indicated, and she returned her hands to his belly, and swelling member.

"I want to think … I want to know that you have a way of satisfying him," She said, "I want all the others to know you have a way of satisfying him."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we were having a meeting without you, they weren't talking about telling you not to play with anyone outside, like they told you. They were talking about making a chore roster like we made for picking up clothes and towels that the elves miss."

"Except it was about whose turn it would be to keep me satisfied?" said Harry.

Luna nodded, "Too satisfied to play with anyone else."

Harry sighed, "I understand. I do appreciate the thought, but I'd rather the way it is now, everyone that wants, may ask."

"But you never ask."

"I asked Nim, until Hermione got in the habit of asking more often than I could get hungry, and I got out of the habit. And then Padma … Padma doesn't ask often but somehow she kept me satisfied until there were more of you who all wanted me."

Luna nodded, "If you knew I would never tell you 'no' would you ask me more often?"

"If I thought you couldn't tell me 'no' I might not ever ask, if I thought you wanted to ask more often, but didn't like asking out loud, I might take turns asking you and Susan."

"Do you ask Susan often?"

"I've never … usually Susan … I'm not sure if it counts as me being the one asking, often when I'm getting hungry enough that I might ask someone the next day, Susan stares at me and I stare back, and then she asks me."

"Do you say, 'yes, but tomorrow'?" said Luna.

"Usually I just say 'yes,'" said Harry.

"So it's not that she uses you for a slave, it's that she's most alert to you getting hungry."

"No," said Harry, "I don't think anyone uses me for a slave, although the way Angelina Johnson teases sometimes, I think she wants to."

"Humph," said Luna, "no, she cannot have you."

Harry smiled and leaned forward, but she didn't raise her mouth to his, so he just groomed the salt from earlier off her forehead.

She hummed, until he was just about finished, then asked, "is that a cat thing or a veela thing?"

"My veela did my neck and chin," said Harry, "cats will do everything for kittens, but mostly foreheads for their siblings and best friends."

Luna pulled up his—her underthing farther so she could reach more of his belly and chest. She didn't leave off petting his crotch either.

"You really do want to play with that some more?" said Harry.

"Yes," she said, then jerked her hands back and looked up into his eyes, "Do I have to ask permission?"

"It's considered polite to ask permission," said Harry.

"I'm hardly ever polite," said Luna.

"There are kinds of polite I try very hard not to be," said Harry, "But about this I try to be polite."

"Do you want me to try to be polite?" said Luna.

"I don't need you to use pretty words," said Harry, "I do prefer not to be startled, and you haven't startled me all night, except right at the beginning when you suggested that the forbidden forest might be an ideal place."

"The centaur forest," she corrected again absently, but mostly she sent him an expression he could not make out in the dark.

Harry sighed, "What do you want?"

"I want permission to play with it without asking permission," said Luna.

Harry sighed, "your veela couldn't ask your permission with words, could he?"

Luna shook her head, "and couldn't understand if I used words," said Luna, "so I couldn't use words to trick him into wanting to play, I could only pet him and hope he understood. Eventually we got better at petting one way to say we want snuggles or another way to mean we want to be played with."

"How should I pet you when I want to ask to snuggle?" said Harry.

"Start with my arms and my back."

"And when I want to have sex?"

"Start with my bum," she said, "But get ready for me to make you switch to my tummy or chest."

"Did you like having your chest petted way back then?"

"Not any more than the rest of me," said Luna, "it's … different now."

Harry sighed, and nodded.

"And is it the same for me? How would you rather pet me when you want to snuggle, and how when you want sex?"

Luna shrugged, "if I'm within reach, I want snuggles."

Sounds like something Susan would say, if Susan liked snuggles. Except she also had issues with unexpected touch, but instead of a fear of being struck like Harry, her attitude was more about maintaining her line of sight and situational awareness, not that he'd ever surprised her. More like, he had the feeling she'd used that night sight spell so often that she'd trained her brain to maintain her situational awareness at a very high level, and close contact could shadow out large sectors of her perimeter.

"If you're within reach, you want snuggles," said Harry. That was definitely different than merely declaring affectionate touch was a preferred love dialect.

"And if I'm staying still staring at you like I'm waiting for an excuse to give you a smile, waiting for you to be paying me enough attention that you'll see my smile if I give it to you."

"That's when you want sex?"

"That's when I'm wanting to start petting your bum, but am afraid of petting you when you're not expecting it, when you didn't see me coming."

"Thank you," said Harry.

"What?"

"Thank you for being afraid of hurting me," said Harry.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to hurt you," she said.

"I don't mean hurting me with your muscles," said Harry, "I meant hurting me by reminding me of other people hitting me. I'll try to pay attention for you staring at me, the way Susan pays attention for me staring at her."

"You shouldn't stare at just her," said Luna.

"The way I stare at her," said Harry, "I'm not sure I should stare at anyone else."

"Stare at our faces," said Luna, "Then you'll know when we're looking back."

Harry chuckled, "I suppose.'

.

Luna yelped and jerked away from him.

"You alright?" he said.

She grasped both his hands then looked at him, "There's a hand in my shirt petting my back, that isn't one of yours," she said, "whose is it?"

Harry sighed, "Ginny or Angelina Johnson, which means it's time for quidditch practice, or arithmancy tutoring. Sorry, I forgot about that."

Luna stared.

Harry reached down the back of her neck, clasped the hand for long enough to give it a jerk then push it away. It retracted.

"Angelina Johnson, from the size of it." said Harry.

Luna nodded and shuddered, "How can she reach me here?"

"There's a patch in the back of your chemise, I wove a bunch of them for pet doors for Nim and Hedwig to go in and out when we're at home. I stuck two in there, and loaned the other ends to Ginny and Angelina to wake me for quidditch, I'm sorry I forgot to remove them before I traded with you."

"It's alright," said Luna, "Move them to yours before tomorrow, right?"

"Definitely," said Harry.

"Good," she said.

.

Luna dispelled their house box and they dressed and packed the dishes back in the basket to return to the elves.

"Or," said Luna as they made their way out of the forest, "remove just Angelina's and put in new ones for you and Susan to summon me."

"Summon you?"

"Tell me to come."

"Come where? When would we need to summon you?"

"Wherever," she said, "for snuggles or sex or whatever."

"What?"

"I want your petting patch farther down my back," she said, "So you can reach my bum or my back, whichever you want."

"Alright," said Harry.

"And Susan's right next to it, I think."

"And you want Ginny to have one also?"

"Yes, Where is hers right now?"

"Next to Angelina's, at your other shoulder blade."

"That's fine," said Luna, "you can move it lower if you feel like it, or leave it where it is."

"We'll see whether Ginny wants a new one for you, or if she's fine moving the one she has to wherever she'd prefer to keep a petting patch for you."

"Oh," said Luna, "where does she keep hers?"

"In the pocket of her robes I think."

"Where does Angelina keep yours?"

"I haven't any idea," said Harry, "rolled up in her book bag I think."

"Where would you keep mine?" said Luna.

"Maybe in my pocket," said Harry, "Where would you want me to keep it?"

"Hmm, don't know," she said, "Maybe inside the cuff of your robe sleeves. Then you can get to it as easy as your pockets, but if I need to get you, I could reach and grab your arm, even when your hand wasn't in your pocket.

"I like that," said Harry.

"Could I have one too?"

"Where would you like it?"

"Inside my sleeve," she said, "to wherever you'd like me petting you the most."

"I think beside my hip," just far enough down that accidental tickling … or purposeful tickling would be less of a risk. said Harry, "I think I'll move Ginny's there too."

"Are you going to give them to everyone else?"

"Maybe," said Harry.

"Does petting your hips mean time for sex?"

"No, it is where touch always means petting and never means remembering being hit or kicked."

"Oh, Why didn't you start with at your hips?"

"Because patting on my back means 'wake up' and Parvati's holster is almost the same, and is also on my back."

"Oh."

"Is Susan's holster like that also?"

"Not yet, but it would be if I taught it to hide her."

"Where would it touch you?"

"Wherever that piece of leather was on its dragon."

"What if hers isn't dragon leather?"

"Then I don't know," said Harry, "probably I wouldn't feel when she pets it."

"Oh."

.

...-...

Questions

"Glad you could make it?" said Angelina, "Who's the tag along?"

"This is Luna Lovegood," said Harry, "Luna, this is Angelina, gryffindor quidditch captain and currently my only tutor who believes in skipping levels."

"And why is she here?"

Harry shrugged, "It's our weekend. Why tutoring on Saturday anyway?"

"Same reason as last time," said Angelina, "don't act so surprised."

Harry shrugged and started setting out his books.

Luna took a turn about the room.

"I cannot decide if that sounds like a muggle custody arrangement or something else?"

Harry shrugged, "we try to keep her from getting lonely."

Wait … you can see her? When did that happen?

"Is this a private tutoring classroom?" interrupted Luna.

"Yes," said Angelina, "Why?"

"Is it class dress code, or common room dress code?"

"Common room dress code," said Angelina.

"Good," said Luna and went to an empty desk at the far end of the room and kicked off her shoes and took off her uniform robes.

Angelina tried to ignore her, then she gave a start and turned to Harry, "she's wearing your weather warded chemise?"

Harry nodded.

"Why?"

"She was cold last night," said Harry.

"It was her I woke this morning?"

Harry nodded, "She's forgiven me for not removing the patches first, or warning her there might be a wake up call."

"She was in your bed when I woke her?" said Angelina, "because you responded only a couple seconds slower than usual."

Harry nodded.

"I thought Ginny was your girlfriend."

"Ginny is my girlfriend."

"Then what is Luna?"

Harry sighed.

"Luna is Ginny's best friend and Harry's serf," said Luna soto voice.

Angelina raised an eyebrow, and she leaned forward, "and what does that total up to?"

"Will be Ginny's maidservant if she marries my owner," said Luna.

Angelina pursed her lips, "and what will she be to you then?"

"Does 'concubine' means sex pets in the yard, or only sex pets in the house?"

"Usually, concubines are permitted to live indoors," said Harry.

"Then what was Leona for Lord Nimrod?"

"That would also be called a concubine," said Harry, "but she was his slave and pet-hunting falcon along with being his sex friend and torture toy."

"This sounds like a opera I want to see," said Angelina, "where did you see it?"

Harry shook his head, "heard it told at a relative's house … Imagine a muggleborn abandoned very young, taken in by an old veela and raised feral."

She nodded.

"Caught by the enforcers of a dark lord, and after they gave up trying to civilise her, they sold her to an ally. Think … Bellatrix Lestrange, only head of a family, and given to stocking her estate with exotic wildlife."

"Only male?" said Angelina.

Harry nodded.

"And why did this tale come up?"

"Because I am heir to a house," said Harry, "and I have two deadly and exotic familiars, and Luna was raised a little bit feral after her mother died."

"Even longer before," said Luna.

Harry shrugged.

"And," concluded Angelina, "she wants Ginny to marry you, and to be your official mistress at that point?"

Harry shrugged, "Or that's just her current daydream of what she wants to be when she grows up."

Angelina turned to Luna, "how close a guess is that?"

Luna shook her head, "I'll be Ginny's official mistress, Harry is better at sharing than Ginny is."

"And how good are you at sharing?" said Angelina.

"Both of them were mine first," said Luna.

"Ah," said Angelina, "and you let them date?"

Luna smirked, "someday they will let me watch."

Angelina nodded, "and in the mean time, you bundle with either of them, like the little sister?"

Luna nodded, "bundled with Ginny since I was four, bundled with Harry since Parvati told him to let me."

"And he lends you his clothes?"

"Yes," said Luna, "I don't think I have any clothes left except uniforms and things he lends me."

"I didn't realise it had gone that far," said Harry, "you can tell me to take you shopping, if you need it."

"I don't need it," said Luna, "I'm not like Parvati, I don't need clothes and snuggles to feel safe, just attention and snuggles."

"Alright," said Harry.

"Snuggles?" asked Angelina.

"Both hugs and bundling," said Harry, "muggles say co-sleeping now instead of bundling. Though that is intended to call up a context of parents with all their children not of would-be lovers keeping just out of reach."

"And you just happen to know that."

"Hermione's dad made sure to educate me on exact terminology between when he interrogated me about why his daughter decided I needed kidnapping, and when he ordered me to go explain myself to her mum."

"Do I want to know?"

"Do you remember Wood's orders to me that first quidditch game?" said Harry, "Did you ever stop to wonder why I considered them reasonable enough to try to obey?"

She frowned at him. Then stared toward the door, "I need to … do some research," she said.

He nodded.

"Have you read the next section of the book?" she said.

"I'm part way through."

"Good, finish it," she said, "and we'll go over your questions, then we'll tackle the practice questions together."

"Yes, ma'am." He said.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes," She went out.

Before she came back Luna had transfigured a cushion and placed it beside his chair where she could lean against his thigh to read.

He put his hand on her shoulder, and went back to his own reading.

.

After tutoring and breakfast he and Luna did go wandering around the lake as far as the stream, then far enough into the forest to find a tree to climb where they could look out over the lake.

After a bit of sitting Luna suggested sitting on a wider branch, higher up, in a bigger tree would be more cozy and more private. It was an interesting idea, but that required either a broom, or Ron's insane level of competence with levitation charms, and Luna didn't have a broom and Ron was unlikely to be convinced to set foot in the forbidden forest without a sufficiently life and death reason to risk meeting spiders. And the tactic of offering a game of chess in trade no longer worked reliably, and never for the forbidden forest.

.

It turned out that Harry's broom was plenty powerful enough to lift two, but that required better coordination than anything he'd ever tried with Luna. They managed to get into a nice huge ash tree, which unlike the trees along the road to Hogsmeade wasn't a pollard, and so it had plenty of horizontal branches to sit on.

For most of an hour they talked about trees and the insects that called them home.

Then Luna scooted closer and snuggled.

"Are you getting cold?" said Harry.

"No," she said, "I was thinking about something else."

"Hmm?"

"Flying," she said.

"Do you want to go down to the broom shed and check out a school broom so we can fly together?"

"Not that kind of flying," she said, "I'm good enough at that, I used to play broom tag with Ginny by the river. Where there are trees other than orchards. And they're allowed to grow however they want."

That sounds dangerous enough to

"What then?"

"When we flew up here, balancing together, imitating together, instead of one after another, like chasing Ginny."

"Cooperating," said Harry, "yeah."

"There's a word for it?" said Luna, "I thought cooperating meant a kind of … obedience?"

"Cooperating, coordinating, team work, they're all words for working together to get something done."

"But I'm not talking about getting something done," she said, "I meant … that it can be fun."

"You're talking about the thing that veela get addicted to, if you help them well enough?"

Luna tensed and turned to stare at him.

"Humans too, I think, but it seems a little different for us."

She nodded, "Do you think that we can learn to fly one broom?"

Harry smiled.

"Not just fly safe, but fly fancy together?"

"I'd like to try," said Harry.

"Probably need to start out low," Luna sighed, "Just like with flying class."

"That would be the responsible way," agreed Harry.

"But trying to get faster," suggested Luna, "not trying to get higher?"

"Depending on which kind of faster," said Harry, "Yes."

"Then fly through the forest as fast as we can, staying on the trails."

"That sounds … mildly reckless," said Harry, "at least until we get good."

"Maybe we should start with a broom slower than yours," suggested Luna.

"Perhaps," said Harry.

"I bet we could addict Ginny to it also," said Luna.

Harry smiled, "It might be easier to show her the state of mind we are chasing than to explain it."

Luna nodded, "states of mind are like that sometimes."

.

They did not go back to the shed for a school broom, but spent much of the rest of the day zooming around low to the ground on the far side of the lake, banking and turning, rising and dropping over rocks and other obstacles that did not actually rise into their flight path, but did pass below them. Because treating plainly visible non-obstacles as real obstacles seemed the right sort of make-believe to prepare them for the game they actually wanted to be able to play together.

When they were tired out, they resumed their perch in their ash tree for a quarter of an hour, then tried again.

The third time they alighted in their ash tree for a rest, they made so smooth a landing that it seemed more like they'd landed on the ground than in a tree. A tree that was swaying in the afternoon lake breeze no less.

"I think we're actually getting somewhat proficient at this," said Harry.

"Proficient at flying together," agreed Luna, "Not race flying, or anything."

"True," said Harry, "But it's getting late, I think we should put trying to explore the forest that way for another day."

"After supper," sighed Luna.

"Hmm?"

"Too dark, to try dodging trees, the first time," said Luna, "sex again though?"

"Oh," said Harry, "if you want."

She hummed and snuggled very tight.

"What about conjuring a house box and a bed right here," said Harry, "instead of going deep into the centaur's forest?"

"Maybe," said Luna, "What about a house box with no roof?"

"Just a floor and enough walls to not roll out in our sleep?" said Harry.

"Yes," said Luna.

"I think I'd like that," said Harry.

.

It was only on their way back up to the castle that Harry suddenly realised the similarity between balancing together for shared broom control, and the balancing game that he'd played with Parvati as a horse. He almost asked how well Parvati flew, but realised that it was neither immediately important, nor politic to remind her of at that moment.

...-...

Crosstraining?

"Alright …" said Ginny, "what has distracted you this time?"

She flew under Harry, glancing into his face. Feeling mildly vindicated when his eyes turned to hers instead, and followed when she came up to an even height then slowed to fly beside him.

"Hard to explain," said Harry, "You're good at following the snitch."

"Yes?" she gave him her best confused look.

"Which takes being able to predict it."

"It's random."

"It's random, but based on the locations and trajectories of all the players on the pitch, somewhat also on the location of the crowd."

"Oh, that's why it isn't as good at staying in the pitch during practice as it is during games?"

"Exactly."

"Alright."

"So, a small fraction of moving from good seeker to great seeker is being aware of the rest of the team, or of both teams, and then to predicting the general formations and configurations they will … or at least might be in over the next several minutes or seconds."

"Sure," said Ginny, "So you keep an eye out for them, just like you'd keep an eye out for bludger and beaters."

"Exactly," said Harry.

She shrugged.

"Now imagine you were Susan or someone," he frowned then shrugged, "never mind that, point is, if you and I were on opposing teams."

"Sure," she said, "Seeking against each other."

"Right," said Harry, "except we're not in it to win the game, but to win the house cup."

"Not the Hogwarts cup?"

Harry smirked.

"Oh, because the points transfer across, and add to the others."

Harry nodded.

"So we're not trying to finish the game with a win, but to prolong the game until our houses have come up to past even with everyone else?"

"For instance," said Harry.

"The slytherins would figure it out and do the same thing the next game."

"So our additional challenge is not just prolonging the game, but make it look like we're not doing that. Like we're really trying to win."

"So we'd have to chase the snitch, but not necessarily catch it?"

"Exactly," said Harry.

"I suppose in theory we might even could try to extract points from our 'bumbling' by chasing it in such a way as to trick keepers or chasers into catching it."

Harry snickered, "It might help sell the charade, yes."

Ginny imagined it, the strategy of it, the process. She frowned, "I think practising those sorts of techniques would make me a worse seeker over all."

Harry frowned also, then sighed, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Why did you even come up with this scenario?" she said, "Not that it isn't an awesome strategy for winning the house cup, but the point value of catching the snitch is so high that it mostly encourages both of us to not trust the other seeker too far."

Harry smirked.

"What?"

He shrugged, "And yeah, and as soon as two opposing seekers figured it out and figure out the trust issues well enough to implement it. It might work well enough for a year or two, until all the houses caught on, and then either two houses would play to several thousand points to exclude the other two, or three houses would play a couple thousand points each to exclude the fourth house. Or two houses would play to several thousand points, and then the other two houses would play to several thousand points more, and then suddenly discipline would break down because earning or losing points in class would very suddenly be completely meaningless."

Ginny frowned, "Sure, and then they'd just change the rules so that winning a game is worth exactly fifty points, or some other previously common point spread average, at least for the House Cup."

"Sure," said Harry, "or so that only the point spread counts, not the totals, That's still game-able but less so."

"Hmm," Ginny said, "Sure, so we agree that prolonging the game is not a useful skill to pick up, and would basically only ruin the game for everyone?"

Harry shrugged, "or ruin the House Cup, though some have argued that it is already ruined by quidditch somewhat."

"Mostly ravenclaws," said Ginny, "or whichever house has the worst team this year?"

"True," said Harry.

Ginny opened her mouth but realised that she didn't have more to say. She'd asked two questions and he'd seemed to agree … that they were the correct questions, but not answered them. Maybe he thought they were rhetorical.

Harry sighed, "My real point wasn't about how or why to break the game, just to point out a skill we could practice, a skill that would involve cooperating, rather than competing."

"Oh," said Ginny, "Then why not just cross-train for chaser?"

"Right," sighed Harry and glanced down again.

Oh, That's what he'd been looking at. She'd known he wasn't 'looking lust' at one of the chasers. Now she understood, He'd been looking at all of them.

She flew far enough down to see his face, but not enough to block his line of sight.

There was no lust, but there might be envy, it might not be at their skill, but … probably the quality time of practising a cooperative skill instead of a competition skill.

Ginny contemplated suggesting the best way to work Ginny into the chaser's training schedule was to also cross-train Harry. Changing the balanced two on two chaser games into three on three. It might even keep Harry interested enough not to quit next year. Not that that was an immediate concern for Angelina…

"Do you even want to cross-train for chaser?" she said, "Or just find lots of other things to do in tandem besides sew and weave?"

His head snapped around to stare at her, "yes," he said, "gods, yes!"

She grinned, "you're pathetically cute sometimes."

He grinned back.

...-...

{End Chapter 15}

A/N: I'm amused that between when I wrote these chapters, and when I could polish them to a publishable state, inwardtransience also published a story arch in which the relative level of enchantment on quidditch clothes is discussed, and the rules and ethics surrounding that.

It's a very different take. With perhaps a better developed but harsher level of fairness.

Anyway, it's chapter 26 of a fic titled The Good War. Published on this site. And very good. And rewarding in ways that only difficult things can be.

Please don't feel guilty or flame anyone if it's too dark for your tastes or difficult for the level of engagement you are willing to put forward. It is not an easy read and this is not that sort of recommendation.

(I'm not borrowing her rules or trying to give you that fic also as required reading or anything.) I'm just, saying I am enjoying the fic in general, and the additional take on harsh weather vs. enchantment vs. fairness in particular.