Under the stars
Sev waited ten minutes to give Lauren time to reach the Room of Requirement, then went there as well. I'm taking the stairs instead of the passage, because if Filch just patrolled the second floor he might have gone up to the third next. So he walked past the Gryff door. In there is my love. Great, tomorrow I'll see her in Potions.
He arrived before the portrait of Barnabas, demanded and entered. Lauren was waiting for him by the door with her Lumos on.
"Have you explored?" he asked.
"I haven't, Severus, the Time Turner first."
"We are outdoors."
"Yeah," she confirmed.
"Three hours then?"
"It's almost one o'clock. If we go back to ten o'clock we will only have one hour of time. We should sleep nine."
Sev thought, I can't come play the piano the same day I meet Lauren, at least until we find out what happens with the Room and the Time-Turner. What a nuisance. "You're right, but we can't go back any further, remember that I was here until a quarter to ten."
"It's true, what a pity."
She really wants to be with me despite having been with Jack. "Well, if we sleep a little less today, that's okay, we'll recover tomorrow."
"Come on, go for it."
He passed the chain around their necks and gave the mechanism three turns. It becames daylight.
"Wow… we're in a forest," Lauren said.
"Of course, Training in Ancient Magics, Druid Magic. And surely there is a river, lake, spring, cave, seashore and all the magical natural spaces."
"True."
"There is a path, shall we follow it?" Sev asked.
"Sure."
They entered the woods along the path, and indeed, after a short time they crossed a narrow river through a bridge, on the bank of which another path ran, with signposts to the lower and upper courses.
"Written in ancient Gaelic like the spells in the Druid Magic book and in other unknown languages," said Sev.
In the direction they were going, another signpost.
"This one is in even more languages, it must be those of all the beneficial magics of different cultures," he deduced. "It's also in Runic."
"Yes, it says 'Shelter'."
"A closed space. Shall we go there? I hope it's not too far."
"I don't think it is. Let's go," she proposed.
In a few minutes they came to a wide clearing, in which stood a handsome two-story stone house of a good size. Next to it was a well and on the other side were two cubicles. They went to them and opened them.
"A latrine and a rudimentary shower," said Sev.
"Of course, like aforetime. There is no bathroom in the house."
They entered the house. The first room was a very large space with stone floors and walls, and a fireplace in what would be roughly the center of the house. A wooden door to the left and a corridor to the right. Next to the fireplace, numerous animal skins were piled up.
"A community room to perform rituals," he said. "The lighting is not very good, the windows are small."
"Aforetime it was built like this, to avoid heat loss. The skins must be for sitting on on the floor."
"Sure. Let's look at the door room."
They opened it. It was another room, not as big as the previous one, also with a fireplace, tables and seats.
"The living room," Sev said.
"Yeah."
"Let's go to the corridor."
They went, windows to the right and a door to the left. They entered. A very large kitchen with a large table in the center and also a fireplace.
"To eat all together, but you have to cook on the fire," he said.
"Sure, like before."
"But we can always Summon flasks to prepare potions."
"Of course."
They went back out and walked down the hall to the end. To the left, it went up a wooden staircase illuminated by a window to the right. They went up. Again turning to the left, another corridor that opened towards the front of the house, illuminated by a window at the end and with a wooden floor, with numerous doors on both sides.
"The bedrooms," Sev said.
They opened the doors, in almost all of them there were wide and solid wooden beds, some even enough for three or four people, others for two, and others with single beds.
"You know, the Ancestral Magics, contrary to monogamy," he said. Let's see if we are all learning.
"True. And the community room is also suitable for orgies."
"Of course. Covens."
In two of the smaller rooms, through which the chimneys that rose from the ground floor passed, there were wooden bathtubs, enough for two, three and four people.
"Everything is perfectly distributed and designed to make the most of light and heat," said Sev.
"Of course. Before, it was built with sense."
"Should we settle in the living room or do you prefer to continue exploring the forest for the time that is left of daylight?"
"No, let's go downstairs. We better leave it for another day, with more time," Lauren suggested.
We also have to take advantage of a weekend, with five hours ahead of Time Turner and during the day. "If there is a cave we can perform your ritual and the joint one here, it will no longer be necessary for Jack to take you anywhere."
"Wow, right. Excellent."
Satisfied that she can do it with me, she doesn't mind not doing it with him, Sev thought.
They returned to the living room and discovered that there was a shelf with all the books on Beneficial Magic that were in the Room of Requirement.
"Wooow…"
"Of course. Study and Training Space."
There was also a map on one of the walls. They came closer to look at it.
"It is a map of the space in its entirety."
They watched it. According to the legend, the significant places for each Ancestral Magic were marked in different colors.
"Wow… what a gold reef," he said.
"I'd like spending a whole month in here."
"Of course, if it weren't for the food."
"Sure, but think that at that time they were supplied with what the earth gave," Lauren said.
"Of course. Look, there are also orchards, and there must be hunt in the forest, one could live here. Do we stay forever?"
"You feel like it, don't you?"
"Well yes. A peaceful life, in the middle of Nature," Sev said. "Let's go get Lily and Jack and lock ourselves in here."
"It would be great, but we can't afford it. The fate of the Wizarding World is in our hands."
He thought, What a desire to send everything to get fresh air, but she's right, if we don't defeat Voldemort, Hogwarts would also fall and the Room with it. We would be locked up and we can't leave hanging all the other people who love us and depend on us. "I know Lauren, I was kidding." I'm lying, I meant it very seriously.
"Shall we go for the Patronus?" Sev asked.
"Okay."
"Then we better go out into the wide space."
"Brilliant."
They walked out, Sev teaching Lauren how to perform the Talking Patronus. I wonder if her best memory changed on the fifteenth of May and what was before. But if she doesn't tell me anything herself, I'd rather not ask her, I wouldn't like to tell her what mine is either, since it's very committed with Lily. It took them a quarter of an hour.
"Perfect. Now I'm going out into the woods and you send it to me, wait a few minutes," he proposed.
"Okay."
Sev got out and turned down another path leading out of the clearing, which itself had a signpost in several unknown languages, including Old Gaelic. It's getting dark.
Five minutes later a glowing panther came running up, saying to him, in Lauren's voice, "I thought that in a while we could go back again with the Time Turner and sleep here. How about?"
Sev thought, How cute. She's waited to ask me when we're not together.
He sent her his with this message, "Great, Lauren. It's safest to come home first thing in the morning, when Filch is no longer on patrol." Giving her a security reason and not the real one, that I can't wait to sleep with her, so as not to commit her to anything. I'll wait to see if she answers me. He waited a minute. She doesn't. I'm coming back.
He retraced his steps. When he got to the house, a couple of torches in the large space were already burning, and Lauren wasn't there. She has already gone into the living room and must be with the books. She's not going to tell me anything more about the matter until the time comes. She has to think, always turning it about.
Sev entered the living room. Indeed, she is sitting at the table with the book of Red Magic before her, unopened, in the light of two candles. "Why haven't you started?" he asked.
"I was waiting for you. You control more Runes than me."
Excuses. He sat down next to her. "Should we start at the beginning or get to the point?"
"What do you mean by getting to the point?" Lauren asked.
"I am interested above all in the Bond as a Couple and the Union of Souls. I wish I could tell Lily tomorrow in Potions." And that you also find out what it's about.
"Yeah."
She has run out of words, Sev realized. Commited. "But if you want to look at something else, we can do it. We have two books."
She thought about it for a minute, while Sev was already looking for the Bond as a Couple chapter. When he found it he waited for her, the book open at the beginning.
"Okay, let's study this today," Lauren agreed finally.
They read together. The spell is beautiful. 'I form a Whole with you. I show myself to you as I am and I put you before my own safety and happiness. With this I protect your life, mine and that of all those we love.'
It seems inspired by the letter I wrote her, she must be thinking about it right now. Yes, it is true that she needs help with the Runic, but she only tells me about it, nothing about what the text says. I also miss some word, although I take it out thanks to the context. It would be nice to bring a dictionary from the Library and in the summer buy one in Diagon to keep here.
The mental implication of the Bond as a Couple is deeper than that of the Bond as a Clanship. If you Bond as a Couple, by connecting the minds it is not possible to occlude feelings. My, my,, commited. With Lily there will be no problem, but maybe with Lauren yes and she wouldn't want to do it. Well, in that case we can always Bond as a Clanship.
In addition, it must be done completely naked and embracing, although Albus told the Gryffs that the Clanship one was also done like this and it worked out for everyone holding hands and putting our heads together. Maybe this one will work too, though I doubt it.
The Tracking and the shield is the same as in the Clanship. It is necessary to have been Bonded as a Couple to be able to make the Union of Souls and to do it as a Family with the children you have or with the children you adopt. It has its logic, the couple must be united for the good of the children.
The Bond is broken if either of them stops trusting the other, Albus didn't tell us that, but it can be restored if they does so again, instantly, so that someone in danger, if they trusts again, will get immediate help. The same should happen with the Clanship. When we're done, we'll look at it. They finished.
"What do you think?" Sev asked her.
"It's very similar to Clanship."
She's not going to talk to me about the differences, she has to think about it. "I want to check if the Clanship Bond is also broken and restored."
Sev searched the index, the page, and the paragraph it came from. They read.
"It also breaks," he said.
"It has its logic. If you stop feeling what you express in the spell, the magic disappears."
"The good thing is that if you feel it again, it will be restored immediately."
"True," Lauren replied.
"You can Track again and be Tracked by anyone with whom you have created that Bond and who continues to feel it for you. It's great life insurance."
"True."
She hardly talks, she's already turning it about, Sev thought. "Do you want to watch the Union of Souls or we leave it for today?"
"You wanted to, didn't you? To tell Lily about it."
"Of course. I'm going to do it anyway."
"Then let's see it, come on," she agreed.
To have more material to turn around the subject. At this rate, she's not going to get the Defense OWL. "As you wish, Lauren."
Sev looked up the chapter and they started reading. The Couple must be previously Bonded. They have to keep a period of abstinence of a full moon from all sexual relations, even solitary, before performing it. Ugh… how complicated. A whole month without doing it with how tight Lily is. Very difficult for me.
And not only that, body and soul must also be purified from all excess, as during the entire initiation rite, moderate in food, not try alcohol or other drugs at all, and if possible, fast for three days prior to performing the rite. Buah… three days without eating.
Oh, doing it in each lunar phase has a different meaning, for a first time for both lovers or one of them the new moon is more appropriate, the waxing moon if the relationship is under construction and the full moon for fully consolidated relationships. The waning moon is only appropriate for lovers in the decline of their lives. And it is better to perform it in the exact phase.
Eclipses also have meaning, Mum already told me with the kiss under the Red Moon. A partial lunar eclipse portends incomplete relationships, which will never reach their fullness, if it is total it is propitious, due to the perfect alignment of the three stars, but if the moon is dyed red, serious difficulties can be expected. I also have to consult the meaning of the first kisses, to see if they correspond. When we finish with the section.
Solar eclipses are also important. It should never be done under a partial eclipse, but the annular and the total are highly auspicious, the annular is better, but it must be done at the exact moment. In all cases, it is better to do it outdoors, under the stars in question, both day and night.
"Have you finished with the section?" Sev asked.
"I haven't, wait a bit."
"Okay, let me know when you're done, I have to consult something."
Lauren finished and Sev looked in the index for the first kisses, the page and the section that spoke of the lunar phases.
Indeed, it corresponds. Propitious start but with serious difficulties with Lily. And with Lauren on the wane, not appropriate for a start, and out of phase as well, since it was a day and a half after the full moon, and the same with Audrey, two days later. Lauren isn't reading this with me, she's already turning it about. "It's done, we can continue."
"Do the meanings of the first kisses correspond?" she asked.
She's already upset, I'm going to calm her down. "Yes, Lauren, but don't give importance to that. You already saw that with Druid Magic the lunar phases didn't affect at all. It's superstition." I'm lying. Because with Lily it has nailed it, and the lunar phases are in tune with the feminine cycles, which have a lot to do with physical relationships. Let's see if she believes me, because if I have looked at it, it has been for something.
"The right moment must be right in the lives of both people, and for us it was, just an hour before my new date of birth," he continued. She smiles at me, I have reassured her. How delicate she is, with nothing she collapses.
They returned to the Union of Souls chapter. The recipe for the potion, with a detailed description of each ingredient and where to find them. Perhaps they can be obtained in this very forest. I leave this to copy it completely at home from the book I have. "Should we skip all this?" Sev asked. "It is very long and for the moment it is of no use to us."
"Of course."
It would have been good for her if I read it, to have time to eat her head. The woman-man rite, of course, there is also a woman with a woman and a man with a man, that was not included in the Compendium of Defense, they did not let the author include it.
The potion must be brewed at the same time by the two lovers, as the book of endemics already says, in absolute solitude and silence. They should start brewing three hours before the moment, since the elaboration takes two hours and needs another of rest.
During the rest, lovers must engage in sexual games without going to the end. Boof... an hour of games after a month without doing it, how complicated, I'll dedicate myself to Lily. The potion is ingested directly from the very container in which it has been brewed and must be drunk alternately by both of them, offering it to each other mutually. Well, this gives us time to relax for a while before the key moment.
The position in which to perform the sexual act is indifferent as long as it is face to face, since they must look into each other's eyes at all times. It is left to the couple's choice, since it is essential that it be complete and that both lovers reach their climax at the same time. That said, I'm going to have to hold back a lot.
The first spell is invoked just before penetrating and it is different for man and woman, and it also changes if it is a first time for both, for only one of them, the first time as a couple even if neither is a virgin and successive occasions. It is not pronounced out loud, it is only invoked with the mind, occluding it, since they must be bonded without interruption during the entire rite and since it is different for both, they would bother each other.
The second spell also changes in the different cases and must be invoked after the first full thrust, which must be performed in one go. Also mentally.
The duration of the act is indifferent, to the taste of the lovers, and they can change positions if they wish, but without separating. Complicated too.
The third spell is the same for both and in all cases and is invoked upon reaching the climax, it can be pronounced out loud at the same time or with the mind not occluded, in order not to interfere with the pleasure of both.
The lovers must remain united long enough after the act, so that the Union becomes effective. Let's see, let's see…
The Union of Souls consists of the complete knowledge of the soul of the other lover, all the memories, experiences, thoughts and feelings of them until the moment it is carried out, without any possibility of their occlusion. Ugh… Lily will find out about my entire past, my miserable childhood and also about the Horcruxes. I don't know if I want to do it anymore, but what excuse to make. That we have not found the ingredients, for example.
Powers that it grants. Deep knowledge and unconditional acceptance of the lover's soul. Close union for life, in such a way that the Bond is maintained even if either of them tries to break it. The other would be able to Track and protect them on their own, without the need for whoever broke it to contribute to it.
The most powerful Union is achieved if it is the first time for both lovers. The next in power is the first for one of them, that's how initiation rites used to be performed, someone older and more experienced instructing a young person. It could work for Lauren and me, if Lily wasn't ahead. The next one is the first together, even if neither of them is a virgin, and the least powerful if they have previously performed the act together.
The Union can continue to renew itself in later moments of life, which helps to strengthen the ties. It is advisable to do it at least once every three years or at peak times, such as after the birth of a child.
We have to do it. I will be able to continue to protect Lily for life, even if she cuts off from me. But I won't wait for her to find out everything right then. I'll tell her calmly.
Sev waited for Lauren to finish reading. Now she hasn't asked me any words anymore. I hope everything is clear to her. "What do you think?"
"Are you going to do it with Lily?"
"Of course."
"She will find out about the Horcruxes," she said.
"I will tell her little by little. My first task in life is that she does not die, even if she abandons me."
"Sure."
"And the second that you don't do it. So I will also do it with you as soon as I have done it with her and you want it," he said.
She has looked away and does not answer me, she is not quick to make decisions. Something in which we have stopped alike, I am. I am much clearer about what I want and what I must do to achieve it.
"It's half past eleven, for us half past two. How tired are you?" Sev asked.
"I can wait a while if you want to do something else."
Time to think about whether or not she's going to sleep with me, I'm going to give it to her. Practicing recognition of Occlumency she does not have to make any effort. Just me, reading her. "Okay. Explain to me then how Occlumency is recognized."
Lauren did. I have to go through all the mental layers, even the deepest, looking for the mental hiding place that the occlumant uses to hide his thoughts. I'm not going to get it today or tomorrow or a year from now, but I'm constantly surrounded by occlumancers, I can practice as much as I want with them, without meddling in the secrets that don't occlude, because now I know how to look for what I want. Maybe by the time I graduate I'll be able to do it. He practiced for half an hour with Lauren.
"A quarter past twelve, a quarter past three. I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted," Sev said.
"Sure…"
She hasn't decided yet. "I'm going outside for a moment."
He left the house. What a pleasant night, the stars are visible and it is not cold at all. If I take some furs from the big room and some blankets from a bedroom it would be nice to sleep in the open. Thousand stars hotel. Although with the Time Turner it will be daylight again, but I'm so tired that I'm going to sleep just the same. I'm going to propose it to her. He used the latrine and went back to the living room.
"Lauren, I'm going to get some skins and some blankets and I'm going to sleep outside. Do you sign up?"
"Wow, what a good idea. Of course."
Good… but I'm sure she sleeps with clothes on. I don't. "I'll go for the blankets then."
"Brilliant."
I am going to take only two, to get both of us under the same ones, and from small beds. I pimp myself. He went up to the bedrooms and got two blankets from two of the single beds. When he came downstairs, Lauren was already waiting for him with four furs in her arms. She had already put out the torches, they both had their Lumos in their mouths. She must have gone out to the latrine by now too.
"We better go behind the house, so as not to come across ourselves," she said.
"Sure."
They went out, surrounded the house and dumped everything against the wall.
"Half past twelve, half past three," he said. "If we wait another quarter of an hour we can go back three hours and sleep from ten to seven thirty. Nine and a half hours of a thirty hours day."
"That seems fine to me."
"Have you brought your alarm clock?"
"Yes, I brought it just in case," Lauren replied.
She was already planning to sleep with me from the beginning, how good. I have to be very patient with her, not force her into anything. Now it's up to me to earn her, deserve her, she has worked for it for almost five years. "Let's sit down for a while and turn off the Lumos."
They sat on the ground leaning against the wall of the house a foot away. Sev was thinking, She doesn't talk to me, she keeps thinking. Better, I dedicate myself to looking at the stars. The façade faces south, this is the north wall. The polar Star and the Ursa Minor, below the Major, and between them, the Dragon.
All of the Black family, except for Narcissa, are named after stars or constellations. Bellatrix, Andromeda, Regulus, Sirius.
"Don't tell me, but do you know what Lucius' Patronus is?" Sev asked.
"No, I don't know."
"If you find out, don't tell me. He'll show me when I see him."
"Sure."
I have to Bond with him as soon as I can. Perhaps it will be a long time yet, at least until I can Apparate and meet.
The quarter of an hour passed. Sev came over to Lauren, pulled the Time-Turner out, and slipped the chain around her neck. He turned the mechanism three turns. It was daylight again.
I'm going to wait for her to put the skins on the ground. Meanwhile I undress.
Lauren made it halfway to the house and the edge of the woods. The four together, fine. I hope the sun doesn't wake us up when it dawns.
Sev carried and arranged the blankets while Lauren removed her robes and trousers. But not her shirt. What a legs she has, long and shapely, statuesque. She is a Goddess. They folded their clothes to use as pillows. Sev settled into his posture, turning his back to Lauren's side. She also got under the covers.
She doesn't touch me, maybe she's setting the alarm clock. No, she's already had plenty of time to do it. Too bad, well, she's missing out. I understand her, maybe she wants to make the Union with Jack too and she doesn't want him to find out that she even hugs me. When three minutes had passed, already half asleep, Sev felt her approach him, back to back.
Well…Something is better than nothing. And he fell asleep.