The Alliance
Several cups of tea, and a trip to the loo later, Harry found himself, 'slow' dancing to an idiotically fast song. With Susan basically hanging off his shoulder while Padma was wandering around looking for either Neville or anyone male of her acquaintance and unoccupied enough to agree to lessons from Susan. Though given the impossibility of the latter, Harry wondered if she hadn't just wandered off in general, rather than specifically to look for Neville. Mostly he wished mildly that he'd had the presence of mind to volunteer for the seeking rather than the holding Susan. Except somehow Susan didn't mind his presence, and didn't know how to take Padma's presence.
Not that Harry knew how to take Padma's presence either.
Also there seemed to be a certain amount of trepidation on both their parts about whether Padma could hold up a girl as beefy as Susan.
Then the song ended and the floor cleared somewhat and Harry turned and saw him, leaning on his knees, panting. "Neville," he called.
Neville looked up.
"We were looking for you," Harry said, and nodded sideways at Susan.
"Were you really?" he said and came over.
He looked … somewhat angry. Or maybe he was just out of breath.
"Padma and I found her sitting in the corner just finishing up her observations on what drunkenness felt like, and looking for someone to bring her tea and/or your expertise on what else besides tea to do about ending drunkenness."
"Tea or coffee are best," said Neville, "there are some potions that are faster and more effective, but they are expensive." He shrugged, "Tea doesn't get the alcohol out faster, but one of the ways alcohol works is by drying you out, which you can partly counteract by pre-diluting it with water or tea. Or keep it from being absorbed in the first place with food. You can also encourage it to be metabolised with various things that increase metabolism, including tea, coffee, and certain foods. And with exercise, such as dancing, walking, or just staying standing."
"You already told me all that," said Susan.
"I was telling Harry also, since he's here now," said Neville.
"Oh," said Susan, "Anyway, I'm ready to be un-clumsy enough to dance, is that possible before the music stops?"
Neville cast the time telling charm, then nodded, "Barely," they stared at each other for several seconds, then he offered her his hand, and she let go of Harry, and they disappeared in the direction of the food tables.
Harry watched them go, feeling very conflicted. Like he always felt about Neville and Seamus getting drunk, only more so. He took a deep breath. At least Neville wasn't playing that game tonight, and was taking care of Susan. And Seamus had already left, so tonight at least, it seemed like he wouldn't have the responsibility to get anyone back to the tower.
"What are you thinking?" said Padma. From right behind his other shoulder.
"Slowly deciding to stop worrying," said Harry.
"You worry a lot, don't you?" said Padma.
"Not that I worry the same way that word is normally used," said Harry, "But yes, courage isn't 'not being afraid,' it's seeing something to be afraid of, and doing something anyway."
"Doing the right thing anyway?" said Padma.
"When possible," agreed Harry.
"Is courage also, not just seeing danger, but looking out for it?"
"In the sense of not covering your eyes when you see something that might be danger coming, yes," said Harry, "In the sense of putting yourself on watchman duties all the time, not necessarily. That can be a good thing to do, but I think it gets a different name."
"Nosy?" said Padma.
Harry chuckled and turned the rest of the way to face her, "Do you want to … dance whatever they play next, or shall we wait to see what they play before risking that sort of … promise."
It was Padma's turn to laugh.
She leaned closer, "it's not really my style of dancing, but I hear it's supposed to change once more before the end."
"Ah!" said Harry.
"But I'm not sure to what?" she said.
"I heard that Seamus was attempting to find enough others with instruments to put on something 'Irish or punk'. But that was so long ago, I don't have much hope."
She snorted, "hmm, actually, I was thinking about something to cool off a little."
"Like a drink, or like a walk in a snowy rose garden?"
"Or to check if the moon has set yet?"
"It was full last week," said Harry, "it won't set for hours."
She meant that as an excuse to visit the astronomy tower, and then not look at stars.
Thanks Nim.
"Do you want to look at some of my recent rune's projects?"
"You're doing custom runes projects outside of class?"
"Yeah."
"Like what?"
He held up his hands to show a hand-span square, "Last year I made some secret passageway tapestries the right size for my owl and cat."
"Oh, wow," she said.
"I'm still working on an idea to make some that intersect at the corners of a cube-shaped created space, instead of at the ends of a rectangular prism."
"Hmm," she said, "I can see how the arithmancy for that would be more difficult."
"Right!" he said, "I'm also trying to understand why dragon hide and basilisk hide are so much better at magical resistance, and if I can use anything similar to increase how much power my rune arrays can absorb."
"Certainly," she said, "but … don't confuse magical properties of living things with what runes are capable of, you might figure it out and realise that you'd need an array bigger than the great hall. Which you might never get the power to activate to start with."
"True," said Harry, "but I haven't found anything implying that anyone has written a proof that it's impossible, so … whatever."
"Hmm, no, it seems like a proof like that would outlaw rune arrays in general."
"Or it would allow the arithmancer to calculate the maximum size of any array."
"Which has been intermittently debated for several thousand years," agreed Padma.
"Exactly."
She shrugged, "what else have you done?"
"Have you ever heard of a personal rune?"
"Yes," she said, "There's a trance for finding your own, which is usually taught halfway through fifth year."
"Ah," said Harry, "I wonder…"
She raised an eyebrow.
The music started, it sounded like it was going to be another extremely loud one.
She yanked him (more gently than Hermione usually did) And tilted her chin in the general direction of the doors toward the grand staircase.
He nodded emphatically, and they left.
.
By two and a half flights up, the music had faded to a distant indistinct howl.
"That's better," she said, "What were you wondering about the fifth year personal rune trance?"
They weren't at the top of the stairs yet, so they kept climbing. Harry wondered if they would stop at third floor, or go all the way to seventh, and the turn off for Ravenclaw before stopping to discuss what to do next. He was fine with either option. And if they were in fact going to look at runes, his office would work. It would also put them somewhere private if she wanted to take things farther.
"If it is at all similar to the animagus discovery trance?" said Harry.
"Probably," she said, "At least in arithmantic form. They're both about self discovery, right?"
"True," he said.
"Why?"
"Because I found a rune in my animagus trance, and it seems to be useful for manipulating my own magic."
"Sounds right," she said, "A personal rune should allow you to tap into or temporarily alter your own magic. Or well, identify yourself to enchanted items you create."
"Exactly," said Harry.
"Good," she said, "and you found it in your animagus trance."
"Yes."
"Did you also find your animagus form, or was it completely derailed into a rune search trance?"
"I found my form," said Harry, "Not that I can transform yet, you know."
"Right," she said, "What's your animal?"
"Lion."
"Oh," she said and stopped walking, after several seconds she said, "Mine is gibbon."
"Um," said Harry, "those don't have tails?"
She snorted, "Yes, they are apes, not the smallest apes, but close." She held her hand a bit above where her elbow rested at her side, "This tall, not that gibbons stand up straight, they're arboreal, not …" she rotated her wrist back and forth, and shrugged, "walking and climbing are less alike than they seem."
"Do they have significant symbiology associated with them, or just, they're, I don't know, smart enough to act however they like?"
"Um, both," she said, "in several dialects they're called 'the gentleman of the forest,' they tend to be … I don't know … liminal between social and non-social."
"Like lions?" said Harry.
"Partly," she said, "perhaps in a dimension all their own."
There were several seconds of silence, also they'd stopped walking, first as if to see where the other would go next, then as if they were waiting for the next staircase, and then in obvious agreement that they were waiting for the next staircase.
"I understand that it's not what you meant," said Harry, "but I wish to register that I notice the humour of you calling attention to an arboreal species doing things differently than a plains dweller, with the word 'dimension'."
"Certainly," smirked Padma.
They both giggled. And for some reason tried to maintain eye contact while doing so.
The stairs arrived and they continued climbing.
"Has learning your animagus form changed your view of yourself?" said Padma.
"Sort of," said Harry, "actually, … make that a definite 'yes,'."
"Interesting," said Padma, "That is counter to some philosophers, who say that the nature of the animagus form is such that it cannot change who you are."
"Only make you more yourself," said Harry, "Yes, I read that. And I don't … necessarily disagree, but you didn't ask if it changed me, you asked if it gave me a different view of myself. Which might be to say a clearer view of myself. Or it might merely be to say a purified view of all the many things I could have been, but perhaps rejected during the trance?"
"Oh, my," she said, "perhaps. Do go on."
"What you didn't quite call my 'worry thing,' and Hermione sometimes called my 'saving people thing,': I try to protect my friends."
"Does she ever call it your 'saving your friends thing," said Padma, "Because that would be a less unusual thing than a 'saving people thing'."
"No," said Harry, "She's never called it that … hmm."
In fact Hermione and Ginny, hadn't strictly speaking been his friends when he'd rescued them. Neither had the philosopher's stone of course, though the philosopher's stone in the hands of Voldemort might represent a significantly worse threat than most of the other dangers he'd faced.
"When you're ready," she panted a little, "tell me more."
"I sort of … tend to collect friends that … I've helped once and … then I try to help them stay out of trouble."
"That looking after Susan was about whether she needed a lecture about not drinking?"
"No," said Harry, "She seemed fairly adamant that sort of thing wasn't necessary, more like … I learn who I value enough to call friends, by noticing what I'd be willing to risk to keep them alive, or safe, or to educate them in how to keep themselves alive and safe. Or conversely," he sighed, "what dangers I'd leave them alone to face on their own, because they've set about making themselves … deserve those dangers."
"Like Susan?"
"No, like Quirrell, or Guilderoy Lockhart."
"I never did hear, what happened to Quirrell?"
"He tried to fight me, and burned up. I'm not really sure how much was accidental magic on my part, how much was runes and wards in various places protecting me, or protecting Hogwarts students in general."
"Oh, wow," said Padma, "alright, then … how much beyond what is common knowledge do you know about Professor Lockhart?"
"Do you remember how Ron's wand was backfiring intermittently and progressively more consistently all through second year?"
"Yes."
"After the Heir kidnapped a student, the staff finally gave Lockhart what he'd been asking for: a free hand taking down the monster. Which had turned out to be a basilisk. But instead of going after it, or putting precautions in place, he packed up with an intent to flee the castle until everything was resolved."
"Oh."
You're giving her way too much information for free.
Nim, Maybe it's information I wish to be common knowledge.
Fine, but at least make her work for it, revealing some of her own information too.
Ah, I guess that is considered standard strategy.
"Which is when Ron and I showed up, with a new clue where to find the entrance to the chamber of secrets, he tried to memory charm us, except we both fought better than he did, but we weren't as persistent or as devious as him, so by the time he actually had a wand pointed at us, it happened to be Ron's wand. And his super memory charm backfired and he's still in Saint Mungo's permanent spell damage ward."
"Remind me never to cross wands with you."
"Just don't threaten me or mine," said Harry, "In general no bullying."
"And who is yours?"
Harry shrugged.
"Who isn't yours?"
"Bullies, generally. Specifically I guess: You-know-who," said Harry, "I'm not the kind of megalomaniac that will say, 'the top enemy is mine and mine alone,' or 'take him alive' or anything stupid like that, anyone who can kill him is welcome to as far as I'm concerned."
"I thought you already killed him."
"I have," said Harry, "Twice, three times if (like the general public) you choose to count what my Mom did when I was a baby."
"You've killed him three times?" she said, "are you sane?"
"Whether or not I'm sane, he keeps coming back, and he keeps hunting me, in spite of my frighteningly good luck."
"Oh," she said.
"Conversely," he said, "given my weird luck, and his general reputation for being unstoppable except for that, etc. I recommend not standing in his way. Or in general between him and wherever he thinks I am."
"You're not saying, 'don't fight him,' you're saying, 'don't protect you,'?"
"Exactly," said Harry, "I'm the lion that protects his pride. He's … not in my pride, beyond that, I'm not sure if I've met anyone who is completely ineligible to join my pride. "
"You're not looking to be king, with an army to fight for you."
"Correct!" said Harry.
"Interesting." She said.
"What about you?" said Harry, "how has choosing the gibbon, given you a clearer perspective of yourself?"
"I never chose it," she said, "but perhaps I can see your point that I'd already chosen to be the sort of person for whom the gibbon was the correct choice."
"Ah, alright," said Harry.
"As to what it means," she said, "They are social creatures, but with smaller troupes than the better known apes, apes are in general one of the higher animals. Gibbons are known for their problem solving skills, their generally sane family dynamics, also they sing, which I don't."
"At all, or just, 'yet'?"
"Not yet, at any rate," said Padma.
"And which of those—"
"Apply best to me?" said Padma, "I don't really … know how to explain, I didn't know anything about them before I looked them up, and what my Mom told me about them when I asked, sort of matched what I was starting to think."
"Which is?"
"I fade into the background," she said, "I observe everything, I know the terrain, I might even alter the terrain gradually over time. When gibbons are in the area, you know it! (Especially given the singing.) But they let you ignore them most of the time. They don't demonstrate that they're around. When you want to know what's safe to eat, or what is available to cure local poisons, or which animals can or cannot be trusted, or anything like that. Find the gibbons and watch them."
"Hmm, alright," said Harry.
"What was that?"
"Luna," said Harry.
"Who?"
"Luna Lovegood," said Harry, "do you know what they were doing to her?"
"Um?"
"Can you make them stop?"
"Harry," said Padma, "Luna didn't come to school this year. Small wonder after how many classes she skipped last year."
"Yes, she did, come this year," said Harry, "But she's invisible."
"That sounds like something she'd come up with."
"That's not the point," said Harry.
"Then what is the point?" said Padma.
"The point is," said Harry, "Over the summer I learned that she's being bullied, but I don't have access to Ravenclaw or their politics, so the protection that I can extend her is … spotty at best."
"Cow pocky," she said, "Parvati visits all the time, You know that the door isn't a password door like gryffindor tower, it's just riddles."
"Oh, um," said Harry, "Riddles are more Hermione and Draco's thing, not mine."
"Then I guess you don't have access to ravenclaw tower," she said.
"Never mind my lack of subtlety, Can you 'alter the terrain' in Ravenclaw to stop people from picking on first and second years and stealing their clothes and school supplies? To the point that they refused to go to class for lack of anything to wear or anything to write with or on."
"They can borrow …"
"Can they?" said Harry, "Can they really?"
Padma huffed, "I'm not the one borrowing things without asking."
"Good," said Harry, "But do you know who is?"
"Borrowing quills is common, borrowing parchment is almost as common, and a generally polite thing to allow. An unconscionable fraction of ravenclaws are the 'absent minded professor' type, if they are permitted to take notes, it's … a significantly saner place all around."
"I'm not arguing with that, I'm concerned that there are more like Luna who haven't come to my attention. And/or will not ask me for help, just as Luna herself didn't ask the prefects or Flitwick for help."
"The prefects for her year are … particularly … clueless about some things."
"What?"
"I haven't asked Parvati how prefect duties are assigned in gryffindor, but in ravenclaw the fifth year prefects take care of the first years, when they need the most help, the sixth years take care of the second through forth years, and the seventh years take care of fifth through seventh."
"So her first two years, they were the same prefects taking care of her."
"Yes."
"And this year it's the prefects that were fifth years last year, and perhaps got used to how the sixth years were treating her, and her bullies?"
"Yes."
"And next year it will be this year's fifth years, and the year after that it will be someone who is a fourth year now."
"Right," said Padma, "and the year after that it will be the same again when she crosses from forth to fifth year, and moves from the jurisdiction of the sixth year prefect to the jurisdiction of the seventh year prefect."
"Alright, I get it," said Harry.
"Do you get that Flitwick is a half goblin and has mastered classroom dynamics to an amazing degree, and human social dynamics when there is a clear hierarchy, but fails at non-hierarchical social dynamics outside of classroom or sports training."
"Oh," said Harry, "No, I hadn't figured that out."
She nodded, "As such, the prefect selection process has more to do with how clean one's record is, and one's academic performance, than in ability to manage the social dynamics of the tower."
"Oh dear," said Harry, "so … it's slytherin and hufflepuff that have competent heads of house, and the rest of us that can claim the badge of pride that at least our head of house is a competent professor."
"Merlin," she said, "perhaps. By the way, why are we stopped?"
"Hmm," said Harry.
"Is this where you read me in to the ravenclaws-visiting-gryffindor-tower rules, so that you can formally invite me in?"
"Not exactly."
"Fine, because I was about to say I visit Parvati all the time, so I know all that."
Harry nodded, and pointed, "Can you see this door?"
"No?" she reached forward then jerked her hand back. "What?"
"What did you observe?"
"I had a dizzy sensation that the wall was … a few inches farther away than it seemed."
"Perhaps by the depth that a door and its frame might be set back into the wall?"
"… Yes," she said.
"What can we do about Ravenclaw?"
They stared at each other Padma glanced again at the wall, then pointedly away from it and at Harry.
She swallowed, "I could become prefect."
"Can you?"
She nodded, "My academics are close enough that I can get them there, my record is clean."
Harry nodded, "what help do you need?"
She shrugged, "defence is your strong subject?"
He shrugged, "transfiguration and charms aren't that far behind. Potions is bad but will be better than last year. I think I'm ahead in runes, but still behind in arithmancy."
She nodded, "Your … pragmatic approach to runes is … legendary."
He smiled, "and yet, I'm the forth year with the invisible door."
She blinked and glanced at the wall again, then tore her eyes away again, "it's not completely invisible, just invisible to sight."
"That is what invisible means," said Harry.
She shook her head, "I mean, it's not unobtrusive now that I know it's there. I just can't see it."
Harry nodded.
"Why are you worried?" she said.
He shrugged, "I want to deputise you to help me protect Luna, but I don't yet trust your ability or your concern."
They stared at each other.
"What do you want?" she said.
"I want the bullies in ravenclaw defanged, I'm not sure how that best should happen, or how, if it did happen, would be best for me to become aware of that fact."
"I see what you mean," she said, "most of what happens in ravenclaw isn't technically any of your business."
"Agreed," said Harry, "and yet, I promised her and her father to try to look out for her, mostly what I've done is made sure that gryffindor knows she's welcome to come and hang out with Ginny Weasley."
"Ginny Weasley!"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, it's just that … that is not a safe association, I barely get away with visiting my sister. She's earned the right to visit me, so that's fine. But … friends with a gryffindor?"
"With several gryffindors," said Harry.
Padma sniffed.
"Do I detect prejudice?" said Harry.
They stared at each other.
"Yes, but … not mine, it's just …"
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"There is … lets back up," she said, "what is your prejudice in all this?"
"I believe it was McGonagall, who said, 'your house will be your family, while you are at Hogwarts,' basically gryffindor has been the first family I ever experienced. And now I see ravenclaw house acting very differently regarding protecting what might have been at the time, their weakest member, and I wonder what ravenclaws want in a family."
Padma swallowed, "ravenclaw is not at all what I want in a family, and I only know how to fix a very small fraction of that."
Harry nodded, "do you care enough to 'change your local terrain'?"
"Yes," she said.
"That sounded like a promise," said Harry.
"Yes," she said.
"Do you have words, or a plan, already, or just the desire?"
"Just the desire," she said, "parts of the plan, I'm going to become a prefect, I'm going to … track down Luna and get concrete accusations I can take to Flitwick."
"If I told you it might be difficult to get Luna to testify to anything?"
Padma shrugged, "I don't need her to tell 'authority' who to punish or why, I just need to know who to start tracking, so I can testify."
"You're picturing a prolonged detective operation."
"I guess."
"That is what you keep saying, a prolonged research project, a prolonged implementation process, aimed at systemic change, not at quick rescues or individual punishments."
"Yes," she said, "I thought that was what you were suggesting, help her, help make sure that any others in the same situation also get help."
"Hmm," said Harry, "That is … outside my normal operation plans, I like it, but couldn't provide feedback on whether I approve of implementation details, consider consulting Hermione on ethics and Snape on sociology."
"Merlin," she said, "you're a hundred times more serious about this than I am."
"Alright," said Harry, "how big were you planning to start?"
"I … I thought you wanted me to promise to start treating Luna like a little sister or something."
"I'm willing to accept that," said Harry.
"And then do my best ravenclaw studying and analysing, and my best slytherin networking to get her that protection."
"I would not expect anything less from anyone protecting their little sister."
Padma nodded.
They stared at each other.
Padma licked her lips.
They stared at each other.
"You've already promised to take care of her like a little sister?" said Padma.
"Sister, cousin," Harry shrugged and nodded.
Padma's eyes gradually grew rounder, "and you are known to do more to protect your cousins than I … ever can imagine being able to do … though I guess I would try … to protect Parvati."
"There was another promise?" whispered Harry.
"I don't have any idea how to keep that one yet either," said Padma.
"You never know until you step out of the crowd and can see the true extent, and true weaknesses of the danger." soothed Harry.
"Hmm, alright," said Padma.
"Close your eyes," said Harry.
She closed her eyes and pushed out her lips slightly.
Harry stared at her lips a second, then shrugged, and placed his lips to hers, wrapped his arms around her and backed through the door.
At the sound of the door closing she opened her eyes, gave a start, and looked around.
Notably she didn't take her arms from Harry's.
"Where are we?"
"My office," said Harry, "Hermione and I study and practice runes and potions here."
Padma's curiosity got the better of her and she let go and took a turn about the room glancing over the book titles, and keeping her eyes away from the parchments. Finally she turned back "and law."
"Yes, all the studies we don't do in the library, or our common room, we tend to do here."
She finished her tour of the room, and stopped at the back, "What happens over here?"
"Sometimes charms or defence practice," said Harry.
"And the rest of the time?" she said.
"Would you believe transfiguration practice?" said Harry.
"All this space, for transfiguration?"
"Yes," said Harry, then shrugged, "not all of it by volume, but significant fractions of the area."
She looked around, "would you mind giving a demonstration?"
"I was hoping you'd ask," said Harry.
She gave him a sceptical look.
He walked over to stand next to her and drew his wand. After careful concentration he transfigured the teacher's desk into a fourposter bed in contrasting stripes of blue and scarlet, with a variegated brass and bronze frame.
"First of all that is robins egg not ravenclaw blue."
"True," said Harry, "and it's not gryffindor red either, but they do go well together."
"Agreed," she said, "second of all … MERLIN HARRY, THAT'S HUGE. HOW POWERFUL ARE YOU?"
"Not particularly that I'm aware of," said Harry, "it's just practice."
She sighed, "Then you're lots closer to being ready for animagus transformation than I am."
Harry shrugged again.
They stared at each other.
Then she blushed and looked away. Then back at the bed, then back at Harry, "How long have you been 'hoping to give me this demonstration'?"
"Since you offered to take my step-cousin and ward to be your step-sister and ward, even after already specifying that such a project might significantly push your study and networking efforts past your normal level of comfort."
She breathed, "only that long?"
"There was also you helping taking care of Susan, and … just generally being obviously capable of helping."
"That was mildly mere posturing."
"I know."
"Then why do you care?"
"Because you wanted to be known for being capable of helping care for people," said Harry, "and taking care of people is what I do, if you want to help, it would be irresponsible for me not to be aware of what you can do and what you're willing to do and how and who for. And the extent to which you can keep from becoming a liability in the sorts of situations that rescues might already be required."
She nodded, "it wasn't that the gesture was empty. It was that it was about the right things, and then you spent the last hour finding out if I matter?"
"You matter, the question is if you matter to my goals as a helper, or only as one of the many people who deserve to get rescued if your luck starts to run out."
She nodded and glanced at the bed, "how sure are you that this level of precision and power doesn't represent something genetic?"
"Are you flirting for something more than friendship?"
"No," she said, "Yes, but not immediately? Um. …" she sighed and turned to face him, "does this represent … you want my somewhat competent help rescuing all the people. Or an audition to help me with my desire to bring the most capable babies possible into the world?"
He nodded, "Why not both?"
"I'm not entirely sure how to interpret that," she said.
"Yes, but not immediately?" he said.
"Just auditions," she agreed.
He nodded, "I really do mean it as … I really do offer to mean it as … consummation of an agreement to work together to protect Luna and other young ravenclaws from bullying."
"Not real marriage: as the sacred covenant to take care of each other and an unknown number of future children. Just a pale imitation of that ritual: with a goal of taking Luna as my ward too, and however many more young ravenclaws cross my path with similar necessities before I leave Hogwarts."
Harry shivered, "yes."
"I agree," she said and kissed him.
He did his best to kiss back, but he was having trouble keeping from smiling.
She pulled back, "You're not a very good kisser."
He shrugged, "So teach me."
"What?" she said.
"How should I know," he said.
"That was your first?"
"If you don't count my owl snuggling my cheek and sniffing around for bacon, which I don't quite, then yes, the one in the doorway was my first time kissing a girl."
"I thought when you said you'd practised making the bed, and implied it was in company with Hermione."
"We're … lab partners in many things, including sex, but we haven't tried kissing."
"Why not?"
Harry shrugged, "I never wondered that before."
They stared at each other.
"She's kind of the one in charge of scheduling lessons," he said.
"Of course she is," said Padma, "well … now that I've brought it up, are you going to add it to your 'lessons'?"
"With her or with you?"
"Oh," said Padma, "Just to clarify, is that an offer to share you with her?"
"You specifically implied wishing for permission to pick my brains about just about everything in your quest to do so well academically that you cannot be turned down as prefect. I agreed, or at least, I kept pressing that I wanted that goal to go forward even in light of that possible cost."
She nodded, "That did happen, what's your point."
"What academics, and what affections, you want to practice with me or on me, or to mean to me, don't necessarily need to match what Hermione wants."
"Agreed but …"
"But what?"
"I don't know whether to feel jealous."
"Would it help that Hermione has proposed and discussed all our sex as 'experimental learning experiences'. You're the one who brought up language about genetics, breeding, and the sacred nature of true marriage."
"OK, but … what am I missing?"
"I'm a lion, lions unlike other cats are social but also unlike the others have mostly mono-androus prides. And when they aren't mono-androus, it's usually brothers that are shared by the pride."
"You don't mind being shared."
"I don't."
"And Hermione?"
"She's an otter, she'll be extremely curious and possibly promiscuous until she finds the one, and then she'll pair-bond for life."
"Oh," said Padma.
"What about gibbons?"
"Looks like marriage," said Padma, "and sometimes like divorce, opinions diverge about how adolescents act, or how they find mates. So … perhaps they're just very private."
"Or perhaps they're higher primates and individuals make individual decisions."
Padma smiled, "no doubt."
She took his shoulders again.
He realised she was going to kiss him again, and tilted his head far enough to let her.
Almost immediately she pulled back, "Do you prefer this?" she kissed him again for two seconds, then pulled back again, "or this?" she leaned in again and pressed her lips firmly against his.
Two seconds later she pulled away again, and raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm," he said, "I think the second, not entirely sure why."
"Do you also prefer firm hand shakes to limp ones?"
"Yes."
"Rumour is, that preference is extremely common," she said, "kiss like you mean it, not like a limp fish."
"Oh, Hmm," he said, and leaned in again. Almost instantly she tensed against him and wrapped her arms around him, and pulled harder. After more seconds than he could keep track of without diverting more attention than he'd allocated to such things, she relaxed and they pulled apart.
"Thank Merlin you're a fast learner," she said.
He smiled, "that is something I tend to have going for me," he agreed, "What do you want?"
"Take off my clothes."
"Certainly," he said.
"Together with kissing, or separately?" she said.
"I have no idea," he said, "sounds like something to practice."
"Certainly," she said.
.
"Was that the contraceptive charm?"
"Yes," he said.
"I'm heartened to find that you know it, but the wordless cast creeps me out, please don't be offended that I'm going to recast it myself?"
"I understand," he said, "I guess I'd do the same in your place."
She found her wand and cast, then stared at him, "you really don't mind?"
"Why would I?"
"What do you want?" she said.
"I want to be your friend," he said, "I want you to be my ally in taking care of everyone."
She nodded, "I'm only agreeing to that about Luna and as many ravenclaws as I get jurisdiction over, which at first, will just be the youngest."
"I understand," he said, "What do you want?"
"I want you to pretend that I'm your second best lioness after Hermione, and you're trying to give me, all at once, all the most powerful little witch and wizard lions that will be capable of taking care of themselves, and helping us take care of the world."
"All the babies, all a once, sounds like a bee and ant thing."
"Stop nit-picking and get inside me."
"Yes, ma'am, witch-gibbon-lioness," said Harry.
"Thank you," said Padma, "and that's supposed to be 'my witch-gibbon-lioness' while we're in bed."
"I can do that," said Harry, "But first I want to warn you that my weird luck tends to attach to people I claim as my own."
"Good luck?"
"Predominantly good for survival, but still weird," he said, "I'm being serious about this warning."
"I know you're all about improving chances of survival, and I know that your idea of 'by any means necessary' has … creative outcomes," she said, "or I wouldn't have thought you were interesting enough to try to get closer to."
"It's your life," he said, "Are you sure you want it any more interesting than it has to be?"
"What are we negotiating about again?"
"Whether I call you 'mine' in bed."
"I'd rather you did."
"Do you want me to mean it?"
"Yes, but only in bed, and with the understanding that at least until and unless we get married, or agree that we never will, or whatever, I get to choose when I want to come to bed."
"Yes, dear."
"Are you sure it cannot be, 'yes my dear,'?"
"You have no idea what you're asking for," said Harry.
"I'm already part of the 'everyone' that you want to protect."
"Yes."
"And already part of the friends that can generally take care of themselves, so you don't have to monitor them all the time."
"Yes."
"And allies that have enough excess competence to donate it for taking care of others sometimes."
"Yes."
"What's left?"
"What you said earlier, being one of my lionesses."
"You are actively inside me, right now, and we agreed that we might do this again, intermittently."
"Yes."
"What else is there?"
"Perhaps not anything," said Harry.
"We get to use each others' first names in public."
"I thought we already did that."
"We do, but that was trading on my sister being in your house and year, not on anything direct, this definitely is."
"Agreed," said Harry.
"You're done already?" said Padma.
"I am, but even when my timing is bad enough to finish this early, if I focus, I can usually stay big enough to keep being pleasing for awhile."
"First of all, good, second of all, how long have you and Hermione been practising?"
"Since mid-summer or so, now give me a minute to let me focus."
"Ok, my lion."
.
"Alright, I think it's safe to talk, as long as it's not too abstract."
Padma giggled, "what counts as abstract?"
"Arithmancy, or colour alignment of various curses."
"Oh. Ah yes, for opposite reasons. Arithmancy focuses on the abstract at the expense of the immediate, and colour alignment requires your ability to process emotions to be freed up from real emotions to run simulations on possible future emotions."
"Right," said Harry, "Did you want philosophical, or did you want me big?"
"Big!" she said quickly, "Right now I want you big."
.
"May I have a turn on top?"
"Yes, you may."
.
"Padma?"
"What, Harry? Wait, Are you crying?"
Harry nodded, "The sensation becomes more intense the longer it goes on."
"Well, yeah."
"Anyway, it's just tears, crying is not measured on the same dimension."
"Speaking of abstract things… Weren't you about to ask me something?"
"How badly do you want me to call you 'mine,' and how thoroughly do you want me to mean it?"
"I want you to mean it as thoroughly as you can, and still manage to stop meaning it, the moment I climb out of bed."
"Always my ally, but also my sexy-lioness when you're willing?"
"Yes."
"Agreed, my sexy, sexy, lioness."
"Say it again?"
"My sexy sexy lioness."
"Hmm," she murmured, "Yes, yes, I am."
"What are you?" whispered Harry.
"Your sexy sexy lioness."
"Mine," said Harry.
"Yours," said Padma.
"Mine," said Harry.
"YOUORGEEEEES!" screamed Padma.
"Mine," agreed Harry, "Are you alright?"
Padma panted for a long time, then nodded and panted some more.
Finally she said, "What the hell was that?"
"I think that was a regular orgasm with a squirting orgasm layered on top."
"A what?"
"Theory is, males usually have one kind of orgasm, that has (after a certain amount of tension build up), the inevitability of a sneeze, females usually have a different kind, with a different kind of sensation buildup, then the inevitability of a yawn."
"… Sure."
"But we can both have both kinds, depending on how much bother we put into looking for each."
"Oh," said Padma, "and that was both at once?"
"It's what it looked like, and … felt like from the outside, but without experiencing your memories of the event, outside observation isn't a great indicator, and I'm not an expert."
"But you're the witness that I had handy, and that's your guess."
"Yes."
"Is it normal for my back to be extremely itchy afterwards? Or did you scratch me raw, in the process of our activities?"
"I don't know, let me look?"
"Later?"
"Does it feel like … some of my magic got injected under your skin?"
"What would … yes, sort of, why would…?"
"Where my wand fingers were touching you when you agreed the third time, after I called you mine the third time?"
She stared at him, "What?"
"Let me see?"
She glared at him, then shivered and nodded. And climbed off of him.
He sat up as she turned around, "Yes," he said.
"Yes, what?"
"You have my personal rune on your back?"
"What does it look like?"
"Like a tattoo, made from three almost-runes."
"I have a tramp stamp?"
"I don't know what that is."
Padma shuddered, "get me my wand."
Harry slid far enough out of bed to comply, then slid back in.
She conjured two mirrors, she held one near her face and hovered the other over her shoulder until she could see that part of her back.
"Hmph, weird. Looks vaguely Korean-Japanese, what does it mean?"
"Part of my pride," said Harry.
"Is that a normal place for it?"
"'Wherever my wand or wand fingers are touching at the time,' seems to be the normal place, I've only done it once before, I sort of expected right above my heart, which would have been under your right breast or something."
"But you weren't … expecting, this?"
"No," he said, "I sort of expected it wouldn't be concentrated enough to be visible, without having my wand drawn."
"And it noticeably isn't offset to where your wand holster is," she said.
"Agreed," said Harry.
"It's kind of cute, in a, 'I wasn't planning on doing anything so permanent as getting a tattoo tonight,' sort of way."
"Um?" said Harry.
She stared at him, "I wasn't planning on doing anything so permanent as giving you your first kiss either, but such is life."
"I'm glad my first kiss was from someone as sensible as you," said Harry.
"I'm not sure if that didn't come out right, or if you have a very weird type."
"If I said my type might be 'ravenclaws that are passionate about something that I am also passionate about,' would you understand?"
"Me and Hermione?"
Harry smiled.
"Half ravenclaw, half gryffindor?" said Padma.
"I don't presume to tell anyone what their true house is," said Harry.
Padma grinned, "sensible of you," she said, "what's your true house?"
"Anything I want," said Harry.
"No really?"
"That's what the hat said, 'I could put you anywhere, what do you wish?'"
"I thought that's always what it said," said Padma.
Harry's eyes popped open, "not that anyone else has reported to me, not that I've asked more than a handful."
They stared at each other.
"Maybe you just have a strong enough will to keep your memories of it," said Padma.
"And you?"
"Strong enough memory to not lose my memories of it," said Padma.
"You're doubling down on ravenclaw as an inevitable sorting," said Harry.
"Not exactly," said Padma, "just the talents to excel in that environment, but what is your interpretation of your sorting then?"
"Like I said, the strengths for each house, should I care to exercise them, the weaknesses of each house, should I neglect to guard against them."
"Hmm," said Padma, "I like that, I may have to review my motivational strategy for shortcuts toward improvement."
Harry shrugged, "Don't change yourself on my account, become your own best Padma, not your own best imitation of Harry."
Padma smiled, "well of course, Are you going to become prefect?"
"I haven't any idea."
"Wrong attitude, Mr. Lion, pull out your slytherin ambition, and your hufflepuff work ethic, and say, 'certainly, my excellent lioness, and I'll be Head Boy in my seventh year, will you be the Head Girl by my side?"
"Merlin," said Harry, "of all the things to be ambitious about."
"What is your ambition then?"
Harry shrugged, "A party leader in the Wizengamot or something, make the laws properly neutral, rather than favouring the upper class even farther than their wealth already does."
"Are you going to also work for the abolishing of the hereditary seats?"
"Not sure," said Harry, "They tend to push for legislation that is … not flashy enough or the wrong kind of controversial to be good for re-election, the elected seats cannot do that."
"True," she said, "But they also push for the legislation that you're complaining about being there to start with."
Harry shrugged, "Probably so, I'll have to think about it."
She shrugged again and stood up.
Harry watched the tattoo fade from her back.
"What just happened," she said.
"What did it feel like?"
"For a moment, maybe two seconds something flickered, like I couldn't see everything properly.
"What specifically couldn't you see?"
"I … couldn't see my hand."
"You're only mine while you're in my bed," said Harry, "You just got out, so your implied permission to see all my nifflers expired, so you couldn't see yourself. Then my rune didn't apply to you, and faded, leaving you no longer one of my nifflers, and you became visible."
"What do nifflers have to do with anything?"
"That's what Luna called becoming invisible when she asked for my protection, and I asked her to verify what she wanted enough times that I could agree to protect her enough times that my rune appeared on her," he touched his collarbone, "crest of protection."
"Ward of the house," she said, "except ward of your pride?"
Harry nodded.
Padma shivered, "How different is that than thrall?"
"Similar magic," said Harry, "different oaths."
"Am I your thrall too then?"
Harry shrugged, "maybe, but only in bed."
Padma slid sideways and sat on the bed again, "I don't feel any different."
"Can you differentiate the ideas of sex with me and rape by me?"
"Yes," she said.
"Do those differences stay the same if you get out of bed?"
She got up again.
"They're still different, but … a different group of differences stands out."
Harry nodded, "I'm afraid you are a … something of mine, but not strictly a thrall, not even in bed."
"I'm merely an ally with err… benefits," said Padma.
Harry nodded, "and when you're in bed?"
She got back in bed, "There is implied consent," said Padma, "But it's instantly revocable via verbal or physical signalling."
Harry smiled, "Good, very much not a thrall."
"You're relieved," said Padma.
"Yes," said Harry.
"What do you want?"
"The biggest family in the world."
"Not tonight," said Padma.
"Not restricting myself to genetic family," said Harry, "Though those can sometimes be the easiest to convince to see the relationship as mutual."
"And I have the feeling that you're also not restricting yourself to covenant family," said Padma.
"No … not exactly," said Harry.
"Anyone who will recognise you, and help you further your goals?"
Harry shrugged, "teachers aren't family merely by virtue of teaching."
"No," she said, "I meant allies."
Harry nodded, "something like that."
"You're looking for allies, but you intend to treat them like family," she said, "Do you realise how unbalanced and exposed to exploitation that leaves you?"
"Exploitation is a form of bullying, and is what I aim to eradicate."
Padma jerked back and stared, "so you're not only going to take on the hereditary half of the Wizengamot, but also the sociopathic half of industry?"
Harry shrugged, "I cannot do everything, I'll have to prioritise."
"Certainly," said Padma.
"I'm not good at prioritising," said Harry, "I tend to go help whoever asks me for help first, so far that's mostly been Ron, Nim, Draco, and Luna."
"That's not inherently a defect," said Padma, "there are first response Aurors, and there are detectives."
"Good point," said Harry, "and there are the lawyers that help a judge with a trial, and there are the lawyers that help legislators draft laws."
"True," said Padma. She stared at him, "you want a second for legislating, and you don't have it yet?"
Harry nodded, "I was checking to see if Susan could give me hints how and what to study, but … I think she'd be the better fit for being anti-exploitative corporations, not for legal reform."
"You're thinking about putting together the entire British Magical version of the ACLU?"
"What's the ACLU."
"One of the weirder and crazier lawyer's guilds in muggle America, you should probably check out their promotional literature, in case it's what you want, and in case you can detect pitfalls that they've already figured out they need to avoid. Then you'll have to translate it all into the nearest applicable British magical law, but whatever."
"Nim is the weird crazy one, I have to be as sane as I can."
Padma smiled, "I'll help, when I can."
"Help with legal reforms?"
"Help keep you sane," said Padma, "maybe the other stuff too."
Harry smiled, "Thanks."
Padma smiled, and nodded toward the far corner of the bed, "Do those pillows work, or are they only for show?"
"They work," said Harry and threw her one.
She caught it and aligned it vaguely parallel to his torso and flopped on top of it.
"Do you want to be a lawyer?" said Harry.
"I was thinking charm-crofter," said Padma, "but I wouldn't mind doing both, I sort of wanted to read up on the law anyway, merely because three of my four grandparents are muggles and there are apparently lots of discrepancies between muggle law and magical law, and it would behove me to know the difference."
"Yeah," said Harry.
"Hmm?" said Padma, "What are you looking at?"
"Vaguely jealous of that pillow," said Harry.
"No offence Harry, but you're bony. Your arms and legs have enough muscle to be kind of comfortable but not your hips and ribs."
"Fair enough," said Harry, "I actually meant that as an offer of another round of sex."
"Hmm," said Padma, "That sounds like a bluff that it might be worth my time to call."
Harry sat up, Padma did not.
"What do you want?" he said.
"Hmm," said Padma, "have you ever heard of doggy style?"
"No, but … I presume that's … meant to be the closest human approximation of the posture that dogs use?"
"Yes," said Padma, "I saw it in a book once."
"Am I supposed to be entering err …. your back or your front?"
"My front," said Padma, "Just, coming from behind. Can you see what you're doing? The pictures showed a half standing up way, and another way using two or three pillows."
"Then by all means," said Harry, and handed her the other pillow. She took it and folded it in half and placed it where she thought she wanted it.
Harry moved behind her and figured out where he was aiming.
"I suspect," said Harry, "That this posture could be improved by you putting your wrist under your stomach, so you can use the heal of your hand on your clit when you feel like it, and your fingers on my scrotum when you feel like that."
"An interesting suspicion," agreed Padma, "I shall take that under advisement."
"…"
"Harry?"
"Um?"
"Get in me already?"
"Just a second," said Harry, "just wanted to refresh this, lasere ducatus."
"You just wanted my back filled too, in case you miss."
"I beg your pardon," said Harry, "My aim is impeccable."
"I'm sure, That's why you're a seeker and only have to catch, never toss a pass or through a hoop."
"I'm fairly sure that the snitch avoids focus," said Harry, "You have to be so good at catching that you're doing so on instinct, not on purpose. And then you have to get close enough without meaning to, that you can let your instincts take over and do the catching."
"That is the weirdest thing I've ever heard," said Padma, "But then Cho said some weird things about her place on the team too, so perhaps the seeker skill is in fact as unusual as everyone makes it out to be."
Harry shrugged, "I never tried out for the position, no one's been willing for me to resign, but … I'm enjoying this break from the constant practice schedule, Hermione and I have been contemplating whether I should resign anyway."
"Have you considered grooming a replacement, talk is that slytherin and hufflepuff have second string teams, and that gryffindor doesn't."
"I've heard rumours, and seen them playing games as a form of practice," agreed Harry, "I never saw a lot of point, my role is to be in the right place at the right time, without giving away whether or not I know where the right place is. Practising with a full pitch only helps me feel comfortable on a full pitch, and therefore able to focus, it doesn't help me practice the focusing, or the being in the right place, or the catching by accident. I can do any of that just as well on my broom alone, or alone with a snitch."
"Hmm, Slytherin uses first team on second team scrimmage to make sure they always have the best team in the best shape, and hufflepuff because they're mainly in it for the fun so why not."
"Ravenclaw?"
"Barely has enough people willing to glance away from their academics long enough to practice, to create one team, let alone two."
"Fair enough."
"Harry."
"Hmm?"
"Stop drawing quidditch play diagrams on my bum, and move."
"Yes, right," said Harry, and that wasn't a quidditch diagram.
.
"What are you thinking?"
"You called this tattoo placement a tramp stamp?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"That sounds … unnecessarily derogatory."
"You could say that, yes."
"How worried should I be that you're going to start resenting me and it and I don't know what all, by the end of the month?"
"Not especially," said Padma, "I mostly quit that when I knew for sure you didn't mean to put it there specifically, and the rest of the way when I was sure that it goes away when I'm not in bed with you."
"Um?"
"What?"
"We kept saying, 'in bed' not 'in bed with me.' We should check whether that makes the difference."
"Merlin, yes, get out of bed."
"Right."
"I mean, Now," said Padma.
"It's gone," said Harry.
"You're just saying that, so that you don't have to stop," said Padma.
"No," said Harry, "I mean, it disappeared with your consent, also you're pinching me so tight that I'm afraid to pull out too quickly without hurting you."
"Oh," said Padma, "Interesting, now try. Also, wand."
"Have you considered learning a wand-less summon that doesn't indirect through your boyfriend?"
"I have yet to call you my boyfriend."
"You're right, I don't yet volunteer to be called that, when you're not in my bed."
"Damn straight," said Padma, "Thanks for getting my wand. Wingardium Leviosa." She hovered one mirror to her hand, and the other over her back again.
"Alright," she said, "I see myself, naked in a bed with you, and no tramp stamp." She bit her lip and stared harder into the mirror. The mark returned.
"And there," she said, "and gone, and there, and I'm gone… and there, back again. Hmm, can I do just invisibility?"
"Probably having a difference between belonging to me as an ally, or as a protectorate, or as a sex partner, or as I don't know what else."
"OK … half invisible? I can't see whether my stamp is there or not."
"It's also half invisible," said Harry.
"Humph, how about now?"
"It's invisible," said Harry.
"But am I?" said Padma.
"I am not qualified to answer that," said Harry.
"Why not?"
"Because I can always see my nifflers, and I think that my nifflers can always see my nifflers."
"Huh," said Padma, "alright, how about now?"
"I can see the rune," said Harry, "also I can feel it drawing on my magic, so … I suspect that you're invisible."
"Except that there's no one here to hide me from, so it might shouldn't be drawing any magic to hide me with."
"But maybe it still needs to run a search pattern for who it ought to be hiding you from?" said Harry.
"Maybe," said Padma, "or maybe it does more things than just invisibility."
"Oh," said Harry.
"What's it doing now?"
"Getting darker, brighter, whatever that colour is, more intense, seems to exist on a different plane than your back."
"More evidently magic and less evidently physical?"
"I'm going to go with 'yes'," said Harry, "it's somewhat disconcerting."
"What kind of disconcerting," said Padma.
"I don't know," said Harry, "I sort of want to look away, and I sort of want to … take control of it and make it stop doing that, it's my magic after all."
"Yes, it is," said Padma, "what kind of control can you take of it?"
"Mine," said Harry.
"I'm invisible," said Padma, "and it itches more than before, not in the 'more magic than before' direction, but … I guess more evidently foreign than before."
"OK, what about this?" said Harry.
Padma shuddered, for several seconds, "Wow, what was that?"
"First was pulling my magic away from you, and starting to reabsorb it as it left you, second was giving it to you, pushing it into you, less about you becoming mine to protect, and more about some of my magic becoming yours, not in the way you took control of some of it and pulled it inside, that was merely a loan, but in the way of feeding it to your magic."
"Hmm," said Padma, "Nice, it … was … kind of nauseating, but also orgasmic, I … suggest that raw magic is an acquired taste, also that that was too big a dose."
"Fair," said Harry.
"And that you should give me orgasms by the regular method not by force feeding me your magic, or not without an agreement that we're going to be experimenting with that."
"Or unless you're passed out with magical exhaustion for some reason," said Harry.
"I agree, under circumstances that normal rest and recuperation is not ideal, or not safe," she said, "Otherwise, wait until I wake up and agree before making the donation."
"Sure, whatever," said Harry.
"How about now?"
"How about now what?"
"Is it different now, and how does it make you feel?"
"It's not brighter again exactly, but it is more … concentrated."
"Hmm, and how does it make you feel?"
"Excited," said Harry, "what's the focus to get it like that?"
"Attracting your attention," said Padma, "specifically as a sex partner."
"So this particular glow …" said Harry, "Padma, my friend and ally, may I have … the pleasure of pleasing you?"
"Yes," she said, "Come on in."
"Should I have guessed, from you never getting up from that position, that your consent was never completely gone, only paused while you checked on the specifics of your my-rune?"
"Yes," said Padma, "I guess I could have and should have specified more clearly."
"I'm an advocate of open communication," agreed Harry, "on the other hand, mild slytherin tendencies here toward subtlety, willing to be developed somewhat more."
"Good," said Padma, "development is good."
.
After a longer session of exercise, and a longer and significantly more collapsed breather, Harry picked his head up, "Are you planning something?"
"If you can almost orgasm me by magic alone, by gifting your magic to me through my tramp stamp, can you orgasm me through it more gently, by choosing a different intention?"
"Probably," said Harry, "But would it work more than once? Would it work all the time, or only when the topic of focus was already sex?"
"Hmm," said Padma, "good point. What are you really getting ready to ask?"
"Curfew."
"I have it on … well I won't say good authority, merely on rumour from several different sources, that there will not be anyone available to enforce curfew tonight, hence, effectively, no curfew, though it is still not recommended to just stand around in the corridor between the great hall and any particular professor's quarters."
"Ah," said Harry.
"But I could stay here all night, and no one will notice, except by whichever of my dorm mates don't stay out all night. And they're all used to me leaving at odd hours to visit Parvati."
"Even in the middle of the night?"
"Especially in the middle of the night."
"Oh," said Harry, "the fact that I've never noticed that bothers me slightly, does Hermione know?"
"She calls me Parvati whenever she sees me in gryffindor tower without my tie on, as long as I get up far enough before or after Parvati that no one sees us together, I'm usually fine. One of your firsties is on to me, don't know how, but has no skin in the game, and hasn't tried to report me to anyone."
"Ah. Also, I'm not certain how many of them are so used to Luna practically living with Ginny, that they figure it's normal for some of the girls to visit their closest friends in the other tower."
"Plausible," said Padma.
"Alright, so no curfew, we can stay as long as we wish, how long do you wish to stay?"
"How long am I welcome?"
"Until sometime after breakfast when Hermione comes in and wants to study, at which point you're welcome to stay and study."
"Without my tramp stamp showing I presume?"
"It is a cold drafty castle," said Harry, "I've patched most of the drafts in this room, and enchanted some self-warming tapestries, but … I find it easier to concentrate with clothes on."
"You're not going to forbid me to study from bed and naked?"
"If you do, Hermione is going to verify in excruciating detail whether this is a one time thing, or a prolonged experimental regimen, or a tutoring contract, or who knows what else, oh and if and when she's welcome to join in."
"She's lesbian?"
"She's curious."
"Oh," said Padma, "Is … she going to be jealous?"
"Earlier I felt jealous of a pillow," said Harry, "but emotions as a sense are different than emotions that you … focus on and feed."
"True," said Padma, "are you telling me that Hermione won't give in to the jealousy that she'll for sure feel as soon as she sees me here?"
"I'm not promising anything, but it would surprise me more if she did feed that emotion, than if she didn't. Also it would surprise me more than either, if she didn't interview one or both of us thoroughly before deciding which choice was logical."
"Certainly," said Padma, "will things go better if she interviews you first or me first?"
"No idea," said Harry, "If she flirts with you, are you going to take her up on the idea?"
"Of kissing, or sex?"
"Either one?"
"Probably not the kissing, if she isn't into that."
"And the sex?"
"It depends on her sales pitch," said Padma, "I told you that half of my fun was from submitting to the instinct (while also subverting it with a contraceptive) to breed with a male with very desirable traits."
"Hmm," said Harry, "fair."
"I think, I wouldn't care for her help looking for pleasure. I might be willing to help her search for pleasure, if the stakes were right. Hmm, or maybe for the right stakes, I could let her bring me to arousal, in anticipation of letting you take me the rest of the way."
"Hmm," said Harry, "I believe you have a specific thing you're trying to say, but what I'm hearing is, you're not lesbian, but you're … I don't know, mildly willing to fake it to achieve specific goals?"
Padma nodded, "Not fake 'being lesbian,' I doubt I could do that. Merely I could engage in lesbian acts, for the benefit of particular people, maybe even particular causes."
"That is an interesting difference," said Harry, "I'm not surprised that I didn't catch that or manage to keep track of it when you described even subtler things."
"Not as slytherin as you think," said Padma.
"Anyway," said Harry, "do I need to know who 'for the benefit of particular people or causes' refers to?"
"In this case, directly for Hermione's benefit, indirectly for your benefit, doubly indirectly for my benefit, as in, for continued access to you pleasing me."
"So … it's not prostitution, because it's not payable in money it's payable in sex, just not directly?"
"I'm not touching that vocabulary!" said Padma.
"Sorry."
"I'm saying that I'd be willing to please Hermione, to win whatever status might be required to maintain continued access to sex with you. But … it would be annoying and boring, I wouldn't do it often. Just enough to prove a point. I could probably find another boy somewhere, maybe not as desirable, certainly not one as goal and capability aligned as you, or not on short notice."
"I'm not sure if that would be status clarification, or status obfuscation?"
"Status obfuscation is a useful skill," said Padma, "one that Luna lacks, though she seemed quite able to obfuscate nearly everything else."
"Oh dear," said Harry.
.
"I'm still impressed by the size and quality of your transfiguration," said Padma, patting the bed, "and your commitment to helping Luna."
"You're welcome," said Harry.
"What?"
"You said 'thank you, for being desirable enough to make sex extra fun,' I said 'you're welcome,'" said Harry, "I wasn't sure what else to say."
"It was a compliment, you could have said 'thank you,'"
"Oh, alright," said Harry, "Thank you."
"Good," said Padma, "Do you have favourite sleeping positions?"
"I'm aware that spooning is a classic, but I happen to like on my back best, and back to back next best."
"Back to back is nice," agreed Padma, "do you like upper or lower?"
"What?"
"My bum in the small of your back, or your bum in the small of my back?"
"I never really thought about it," said Harry, "I guess I tend to end up the one farther out from under the covers."
"Upper then," said Padma, "That's fine, I don't mind lower. Since I'm less active than Parvati she does tend to have the warmer metabolism and more heat to vent also."
"What?"
"Male metabolism tends on average to be warmer than female. Though Mom says rules like that go out the window for pregnancy."
"Alright?"
"Also, diet, exercise, and several other things will alter that. Hence in this case more heat to vent to maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature. Hence, you, like Parvati, naturally tend to be farther out of the blankets. Hence I'm used to sleeping lower while back-to-back and I don't mind.
"Fine," said Harry, "Fair enough." He rolled over.
"What?" said Padma.
"Nothing," said Harry.
"Seriously, what are you angry about?"
"I'm not angry at you," said Harry.
"Who are you angry at?"
"The world in general, my aunt and uncle in particular."
"Why?"
"My cousin is less than a month older than I," said Harry, "We grew up together since my parents died."
"Oh," said Padma.
"We could have been raised as twins, basically. Enough affection for both of us, and liberty to snuggle at night sometimes," said Harry, "and we were raised as … who was it? Cinderella, I guess, house elf anyway."
"House elf as in servant, or house elf as in … lots of psychological abuse?"
"Psychological, physical, emotional, everything except sexual I guess."
"Wait," said Padma, "were you the house elf, or Cinderella's step-sister?"
"I was Cinderella," said Harry, "only I was legitimate to neither parent, so no one cared what happened to me, except I was a convenient scapegoat, whipping boy, and prop for dominance plays, until the summer before last when I … somehow convinced them I was worth the time to train me into a soldier," (and cat's paw into the wizarding world that had caused them so much terror), "instead of a servant, it's been better but not by much."
"Oh," said Padma, "And that's why you soak up affection like a sponge, and only Hermione has gotten to you first?"
"Well Mrs. Weasley and Draco also, but only in more mothering-centric ways."
"I'll be sure to tell Malfoy you think his affections are 'mothering'."
Harry snorted, "Please don't, in my case he might take that as a compliment."
"Hmm," said Padma.
"Which might lead him to double down, on the wrong selection of them."
"Oh, fair enough," said Padma.
.
"It occurs to me," said Padma, "if we'd done the doggy style first, I might have had your mark as a cutie mark instead of a tramp stamp."
"What's a cutie mark?"
"Never mind," said Padma, "on my hip or thigh."
"Oh," said Harry, "Possibly."
.
"Padma?"
"What Harry?"
"I cannot sleep like this, do you mind if I lay on my back instead?"
"I don't mind," said Padma.
He scooted away and lay back.
She snuggled back against his side, "OK, but why?"
"Basically what I already told you," said Harry, "Lonely abused orphan, I don't trust quite as easily as … my logic and observations tell me I should."
"What?"
"I trust you enough to sleep while you're in the room, but I'm not willing to sleep not-on-my-back, with someone new in the room."
"Oh, I see," said Padma, though her tone suggested she barely understood the surface of the problem. "I tend to sleep on my back in new places," she said, "unless it's with someone I trust to put my back to."
"How many people is that?"
"So far, you're the first person outside my family I've climbed into bed with," she said, "sleeping with other people in the room, I've done on several different trains, both gryffindor and ravenclaw towers, and camping with my father's family."
"Sure," said Harry.
"I've had one of my dorm mates climb into bed with me, once for sure by accident, and at least once on purpose, and the other times were harder to classify."
"Am I your first time having sex?"
"Yes and no," said Padma, "I've practised with girls before, I'm not sure it counts if I didn't orgasm, or if upon bringing them to orgasm, I suddenly remembered that they were not male, and got supernaturally bored with the whole experiment."
"I think it depends on whether you're counting a willingness to be physically intimate, willingness to be as … is the term 'fluid bound' a Hermione-only concept?"
"I've never heard the term before but I can guess it's a muggle phrase for not using a condom?"
"I guess that also."
"Or finally whether you care more about the desire to please or be pleased, or whether you're focusing on some aspect of the power dynamic, the whole 'call me yours' thing."
"That wasn't power dynamic, that was intimacy dynamic," said Padma, "Though … I guess you could … I'm vaguely angry I didn't figure out you didn't comprehend that."
Harry flinched, "Hmm."
"Are you sexually active with Luna too?"
"No," said Harry, "She has invaded my mind and ransacked my memories for Nim and Hedwig having orgasms, which was all that was there to ransack at that time. Depending on how you categorise masturbation, which … I don't do as often as my dorm mates, something about growing up with a below average amount of privacy."
"Are you aware that occlumency exists?"
"Yes," said Harry, "I'm practising the techniques, but it's having more of an effect on my studies and my transfiguration proficiency than it is helping my confidence that I could keep Luna out if she tried to come in again."
"Are you helping her because she asked, or because she's blackmailing you?"
"Because she seemed to think she didn't deserve help, and begged, rather than asked, and I realised that she was probably as terrible at demanding the help she deserved in every area, and would continue to be until someone helped her, and taught her her rights and how to protect them. I started with what I could."
"I'll get her a copy of the Hogwarts code of conduct."
"I'd like a modern copy of that."
"What makes you think it's still published?" said Padma, "It's been out of print for almost sixty years."
"Um, what?"
"There's two copies chained to each end of the book case in the ravenclaw common room. And one by the fireplace. Perfectly within reach for anyone sitting prosecution or defence or jury. The judge you understand has to work from memory, or request an assistant to read a passage."
"I'm starting to suspect that ravenclaw has all the apparatus and advantages necessary to be the best house, and just doesn't choose to use them properly."
"It is the best house," said Padma, "it just has the wrong people in charge."
Harry snickered.
Then Padma did too, she rolled over so she could look at him.
"I'm beginning to suspect that your sense of humour is one I'd like, if you'd let it out more often."
Harry smiled.
"We're the only people in the room," she said, "What if you laid facing me instead of with your back to me?"
"Hmm," he said, "Spooning?"
"Spooning, or what Parvati calls 'heaped wrists'."
"How does that go?"
"Roll on your side facing me."
"Sure."
"Then I face you, knees stack, probably like so, and wrists and maybe elbows are just far enough against each other to signal snugness and affection, and also to transmit echos of balance and getting ready to move, so that nothing is a surprise, when one gets up or moves around and finally does touch you on the way out of bed."
"Hmm, alright," said Harry.
"Do you understand now that the 'my dear' and 'my lioness' wasn't about the power dynamic of the 'my' but the intimacy of well, excluding what isn't yours, isn't dear or your lioness or…"
"I hear your instinct," said Harry, "but the words invite my instinct. What is mine, is mine to protect, I'm not trying to own it either, ideally I'd be sufficiently powerful to protect everyone from everything, but in fact, I'm not, and I'll have to get by with networking."
"Right."
"I'd have been a little angry myself, or at least a lot more reluctant, if you'd thought I wanted to own you. But you made it very temporary, and very mutually consensual."
"You don't want to own me in bed, you want to own me when I'm in danger?"
Harry shrugged, "that's what my protection is for, yes. But if that's not what you want, then that's not a problem."
"Wow … alright," said Padma.
.
"Good morning, Harry."
"Good morning, Padma. It feels very early."
"It is," said Padma, "I'm not running away from you, I just have an appointment with a shower before breakfast, and want to make use of it even more than usual."
"Certainly," said Harry, "Enjoy."
Padma went out, then came back in, "By the way, I can see your door now."
"That doesn't surprise me," said Harry.
"How many people can see your door?"
"Me, you, Hermione, I assume Luna. Neville could when I gave him temporary permission to see it. He could probably still find it well enough to knock. I suspect the defence professor can see in, but I'm not going to draw his attention to it by asking."
"Certainly," said Padma, "Sleep well, or have a good day, or whatever I'm supposed to be saying at this point."
"I'll try to do each of those, in that order," said Harry.
.
...-...
{End Chapter 10}
AN: Thanks all for the editing suggestions, reviews, and favourites.