Ministry Inspector
"So, does anyone know who the extra woman at the head table is?" Hermione said at breakfast, "Is she a professor of one of the seasonal electives? I'm sure I've seen her here before, but I can't remember when."
"Which one?" said Ron.
"The one in black with silver trim, is she aping Professor Snape's aesthetics? Because … the other option is aping student uniforms and that seems like the opposite of Normal Professorial Behaviour," said Hermione, "(therefore I suspect she's either not a professor, or she's hinting we should group her with Professor Snape.)"
"I agree," said Harry, "but … aping the student uniforms as a form of camouflage, and then having the skills to do your job anyway without the assistance of colour coding, probably counts as a power move somehow. (Which yes, implies she's not a professor. They wear more colourful clothes so that we can find them easier when we need help, and I think so that they're the mildly more interesting thing to watch in the classroom.)"
"So you're reminding us," said Parvati, "that it is a time honoured ninja tactic for assassins to try to blend in with the local majority population, or with the local population most easily ignored by your target or their established security protocols."
"Basically."
"Wait, is that how Snape is able to pop up where you don't expect him?"
"That and walking with a country-quiet gate, instead of city-quiet gate," said Parvati.
"What does that even mean?"
"The ambient noise levels in the country can be like 35 decibels lower than in the city, (not counting cicada season)," said Parvati, "People that go through the trouble to learn to walk quietly, adjust for the environment they train in."
They all stared at her. She shrugged, "I'll be right back," and got up to scamper to the end of the table where she leaned over to consult with someone, probably Lavender.
"Professor Snape does not strike me as a country boy," said Hermione, "I can't even remember the last time I saw him outside that wasn't for escorting a Hogsmeade trip."
"If you ever notice Professor Snape fitting into a stereotype," said Harry, "watch out, he's doing it for his own ends, to trick someone."
Parvati returned and took her seat, "Rumours are that she's here as the new Ministry Inspector, or conversely that she's here as the yearly Board of Governor's Inspector. Anyway, her name is Griselda Marchbanks, and usually she comes at the end of the year to administer O.W.L.s. She's older than Dumbledore, and she's served the Wizarding Examinations Authority at all levels and the Hogwarts Board of Governors at least twice. But Neville isn't sure what her current positions are."
"OK," said Hermione, "If there's a yearly inspector from the Board of Governors, why have we never noticed before?"
Parvati shrugged.
"Nim informs me that it's usually the Headmaster," muttered Harry, "to save time, money, and paperwork."
"Hiring someone to inspect themselves is … like … the epitome of corruption," countered Hermione.
"Yeah," said Harry.
Parvati stared at the ceiling with a thoughtful frown, "But demanding someone turn over a copy of an inspection that they ought to have been conducting anyway does sound efficient if you don't think about it too hard."
"Ugh," said Hermione, "of course."
"I think, …" said Parvati, "hmm … I'm finished. I'll see you all in class later." Then she wandered back to the other end of the table.
...-...
Lion's-Keep reconvenes
"Oh, god," said Hermione, "What happened here?"
"No idea," said Harry, "Let me in so I can see?"
Hermione moved inside and out of his way.
He surveyed the room. It was wider and brighter than it had been, making the room square. And now the far wall also had a door.
About three quarters of the furniture and all of the storage cabinets were missing. What remained was arranged into a repeating sequence of: a book shelf, two student desks, and a brewing table. The pattern repeated twice on each side of the square room for a total of eight study stations. And two library tables occupied the centre of the room, with four chairs each, although there would be room for all eight chairs around either table, though the two at each end would be cramped.
"Six girls and you," said Hermione, "Makes seven stations, why do we have eight stations?"
"Nim?" said Harry, "an extra for tutoring projects? Because it makes things symmetrical?"
"What's beyond the door?"
"If it was the floor plan Susan and I discussed, it will be a dorm room."
They went in, The second room was also square, also bigger than the original, instead of one curtained-over window, there were two windows, and centred between them a king sized mattress, which lay directly on the floor with no headboard nor foot-board, nor posts and canopy. Its only furnishing was a sheet. Though on the wall between the windows, hung four towel racks, each of which held two quilts, two of each house colour. And around the edge of the room were four couches, two bracketing the door they'd entered by, and two at the centre of the left and right wall.
Three of the corners held a standard sized dorm four-poster bed, one with gryffindor curtains, and one with hufflepuff curtains, and one with slytherin curtains, again, no quilts, just sheets.
In the last corner a fireplace burned, giving evidence of recent tending, so elves had been here.
"This doesn't look like Susan's work," said Harry.
"No," agreed Hermione, "but whose?"
Harry shivered, "Maybe Snape, or … Snape's instruction to the house elves. It's really rather … standardised equipment in some ways."
Hermione frowned and went to the king sized mattress, and tapped it. "It's not conjured," she said, "Are there apartments where king sized beds are standard?"
"Professor apartments perhaps," said Harry.
"Point," said Hermione. She stood and turned to face him, then glanced behind him. He turned the rest of the way around, there were bulletin boards flanking the door.
The board hidden by the open door was titled: 'house rules,' the side that stared you in the face as you opened the door said, 'notices and announcements.'
"Humph," said Hermione, and turned around again.
"And there's the passive aggressiveness of giving a group of seven students eight quilts in standard house colours when none of us are slytherins."
"If Nim and I take the greens," said Harry, "that leaves red for you and Ginny, blue for Padma and Luna, Yellow for Susan and … I suppose Parvati … if she can colour change it from hufflepuff yellow to Shiva yellow."
Hermione snorted, "oddly … yeah that might cause minimal politics, or I could take yellow, if that reduces politics farther, it seems just like Snape to …"
"Encourage our house to divide if it is susceptible to a manipulation so petty?"
Hermione nodded, "Basically."
Hermione turned in a circle again, then one more time.
"What are you counting?"
"Not counting," said Hermione, "There, beside the fireplace, there's a door with a notice-me-not over where a forth bed should be."
She went over and opened it. Harry followed, It was a washroom with three stalls, three sinks, and a potions lab safety eye shower. Hermione tilted her head to one side, "Definitely Snape: work on potions too, but be safe about it. But you don't deserve a real shower here, you ought not to be spending all your time here, you have real dorms that you should actually have been sleeping in, there are showers for you there."
"Sounds right," said Harry.
"There's another door here," he opened it, it opened back into the work room, centred to the right side as entering from the hall. All the more direct access from potions stations to safety shower.
He went out and closed the door. The notice-me-not charm faded. He looked away, and it faded back. He concentrated on knowing it was there. It did not re-appear. He concentrated on needing to get to the loo, it faded back into view. He looked away until it vanished from his peripheral vision. He stared at it and concentrated on needing to wash his hands or his eyes, it faded back into view. He opened it and left it opened.
Let people get used to it existing, before letting it get left closed for aesthetic reasons most of the time.
He turned at the sound of another door closing, Hermione was at the other bare space opposite him.
"Um," said Hermione, "I don't know which corridor this is, all I can see are the end of a bookshelf, and three feet into the corner of an extremely messy, occupied, adult's bedroom. And it won't let me through the door."
"That's nice," said Harry, sarcasm mildly evident.
"So where's the boy's bathroom?" said Hermione.
"I'd bet you nine to one that you're the only member who is going to care."
Hermione blinked, "No, Ginny's the only one who is going to care, because I don't really. Given that we have proper stalls, Unless half of you start showering under the lab shower just to spite Snape's intentions."
Harry chuckled, "Susan and Luna will do that, if you so much as dare them to or mention that motivation."
"It probably only runs cold," she said.
"Hmm, probably only a September and June thing then," said Harry, "at least until someone runes it warm."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"If that starts happening, we can conjure curtains or something around it," said Harry.
"You think Luna would remember to close them?" said Hermione.
"Depends on what incentive we gave her," said Harry.
Hermione shrugged.
.
"Parvati's coming."
"How do you know?"
"Sometimes when she activates her holster, she grabs it first, or pulls up her sleeve immediately after. And dragon hide that I've claimed sometimes gives me ghost sensation."
"You mean, phantom limb sensations?"
"Yes, that."
"Interesting. Is that why you've exclusively used dragon hide holsters for rune accessories."
"Huh?"
"There was talk at one point about necklaces."
Harry shrugged, "holsters are practical, dragon hide is practical, except when learning new self transfigurations and things."
"Silver or gold necklaces can be worn in the shower," said Hermione.
Harry nodded, "Imperturbable also works."
"But then you can't wash your forearm."
Harry shrugged.
"Hello," called Parvati.
"We're examining the new digs," Hermione called back.
"Digs?" said Parvati and entered, then gave an appreciative whistle, "I almost came last night to check on everyone, but I figured that no one would skip out until the season of orientations and whole house meetings was concluded."
"Same," said Harry.
"Who did all this?" said Parvati.
"Current theory is Snape with house-elf help."
"Right," said Parvati, "anyway: Here Harry, Dad sends these to you."
Harry took the messenger tube and carried it to one of the big tables and unpacked it.
"What's all this?" said Hermione.
"Not sure," said Parvati, "What should it be?"
Harry looked it over, "I love the anachronism of sticky-notes on parchment. It looks like a breed contract, another breed contract, and I think, a marriage contract, he checked the sticky notes again. Parvati?"
"What?"
"Do you already have an opinion whether you want a breed contract with me, or a marriage contract?"
"You're asking me?"
"I am," said Harry, "I'll read these carefully before making any decision, but … I'll tear either of them up without reading if you tell me that's what you'd prefer, or I can stick them back in the tube and not look at them until after O.W.L.s if that's what you instruct me."
She stared, "What would you prefer?"
"Your father, and I both know what Padma wants, I haven't been as sure what you want, and apparently he wasn't either, would you like to register an opinion right now before your men go any farther wasting time on options you don't want?"
Parvati sighed, then blinked, "read them both and … and take notes anything you don't like, or think I won't like, then I'll read them and do the same, then we compare notes?"
"Certainly," said Harry, "Standard contract critique, no matter what kind it is."
"Hello everyone," said Ginny, "What's up?"
"Mostly looking around and putting my books down," said Hermione, "then I'm back to the tower, as a prefect I think I won't be sleeping here all that often."
"There's a lot to look at," agreed Harry, "and pick out a work station while you're at it."
"Oh," said Ginny, "Oh, this is nice, who did all this?"
"We think Professor Snape," said Harry, "He's the only one I know for sure has access, and various bits seem to have his touch."
"Professor Snape can get in here?" said Ginny.
"Yes," said Harry.
"Why?"
"Among other things, because I felt like checking if I could change his dark mark to a lion mark. Also several other reasons, including he's the best head of house."
"No, he's not."
"Yes, he is," said Harry, "He's just the worst professor. Not counting Bins."
"Hmm," said Ginny.
She looked around, and disappeared into the bedroom.
"Read this one first," whispered Parvati and pushed the marriage contract back toward him.
Harry nodded, "Right now or…"
"Right now," she said and circled to pull out a chair and push it behind his knees. He sat down. She climbed into his lap and read with him.
It soon became evident she read faster.
.
"What don't you like?" said Parvati, "Enough to make you gasp like that?"
"Your right to an abortion without consulting me, my right to order you to get an abortion, and a non-exclusive list of reasons why."
"What don't you like?"
"It is my goal that no one will ever want an abortion for my lack of remembering to apply a proper and sufficient contraceptive charm."
"And what if we learn the hard way that one of us is immune to Lasere? Or allergic? Or whatever other methods are out there?"
Harry shrugged, "I guess it makes sense, it just … bothers my sense of … wanting a large family. I know there are also medical reasons why it might become the sensible choice."
"Yes, well," said Parvati.
They read on. Parvati moved a sticky note, gasped and put it back. And read on.
When Harry got to that sticky note it said 'negotiable' Harry picked it up, dowry of a million pounds or equivalent value in money, jewellery, stocks, bonds, rental property, or annuity, or paired insurance policies: disability and whole life, held in trust for Parvati or her heirs, should he die or become insolvent before all their heirs finished their schooling.
Harry would love to be that solvent, he'd love to partition off that much wealth to each of his heirs.
Actually, if he understood interest rates properly, he'd rather it said two million, and that he could also satisfy the demand.
He read on, most everything else was about what he expected, basically fit the definition of marriage as the muggle law defined it, or a muggleborn father might wish it were actually defined, when letting his underage daughter marry an underage lord.
.
"Any concerns?" said Harry.
"Lots of paragraphs that I wouldn't have thought of, but don't have a problem with."
"Like which?"
"Tuition, for me and my heirs," said Parvati.
"Sure," said Harry, "I agree in principle, but I don't actually have a grasp of the numbers involved."
"Yeah," she said, "Is 'Chemistry' the degree I'd want, to go into muggle hair products and combine them with potions?"
"To my knowledge, Yes," he said.
"Do you know how much that sort of degree would cost?"
"No idea," said Harry, "But I think it depends a lot on which Uni you go to."
"Alright," she said.
"What's your project?" said Ginny.
"Critiquing a marriage contract her dad sent me," said Harry.
"Critiquing … it together?" said Ginny.
"Yes," said Harry.
She stared at them, then pulled out a chair opposite them and sat down.
Parvati flipped back to the beginning of the contract and began skimming through it again rapidly.
Harry watched Ginny covering her face with her hands. He wasn't sure what to say. He'd never had a lot to say to her, and she didn't make it easy to get to know her. Maybe if I'd pursued her as hard as Padma or Susan had pursued me … but the things she'd offered at first were … only valuable for surviving in the world she knew, one dominated by her mother and the twins, not the world I live in, dominated by the statute of secrecy, school tests, and the threat of Voldemort.
But rumour said she might actually want as many children as he did, instead of … perhaps one or two or three named Bones, and one or two named Patil, and one or two named Potter. Which is what he suspected would happen if he went forward with the contracts available right now.
"We cannot decide anything tonight," said Harry, "Not without investigating my finances."
Ginny perked up a little.
"Yes, well," said Parvati, but she kept reading.
"Ginny?" said Harry.
"What Harry?"
"What do you want to do with your life?"
"Besides have some friends of my own?"
"Yes," said Harry, "to my knowledge everyone wants that."
She frowned, "lots of things, I'm not sure what you're asking."
"What are your favourite ways to help people? What things do you like to do for fun?"
"I like to swim and fly," she said, "I've … I'd like to have a shop like Fortescue's in Ottery St. Catchpole or Hogsmeade or somewhere, except serve food the way Mum cooks it."
Harry nodded.
"I'd like to play professional Quidditch," she said, "but …"
Harry nodded, again.
"Lots of other things too," she sighed.
"Harry?" said Parvati.
"What?"
"There is not a single reference in all of this to marital fidelity, and all the children of our union are mentioned in such a way that you can disown any that you can prove aren't yours, that … that you don't even need to disown them, as soon as you prove that they aren't yours, they're outside of the terms of the contract, probably making them mine alone, but whatever, and assuming you catch things early enough, you're allowed to order me to get an abortion, likewise, as you pointed out I can get one on my own for any reason without having to justify it to you."
"Um," said Harry.
"Or even abort it by accident probably, if I don't realise I'm pregnant and philander with someone who also uses lasere by default, or something stronger. And furthermore, I can get out of this for several reasons, but you sleeping around isn't listed."
"Because your father knew I already signed a breeding contract with the Bones Family, and he was offering me one with Padma already."
"Oh, Merlin," whimpered Ginny.
"What's this about me?" called Susan from the bedroom.
"Hello Susan," called Harry, "I didn't notice you arrive."
"That's alright," said Susan, "you were busy reading, what's up?"
Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I think we need to have a house meeting."
"Sounds likely," said Susan, "Do you want me to get the ravenclaws?"
"Feel free to try," said Harry, "But Padma is a prefect."
Susan opened her mouth then closed it again. But kept an eyebrow raised.
"Don't I know it," said Parvati, "Mum wouldn't shut up about it."
"I'm sorry," said Ginny and Harry at once.
"We need to get everyone's class schedule, and Padma and Hermione's prefect schedules gridded out," said Susan, "so we know when to schedule study times and meeting times."
"Definitely," said Harry, "Hermione probably won't be back tonight, and in general I think she won't be spending the night, but that's just hearsay based on, her possibly incomplete understanding of what her duties are."
"Don't count on Hermione's understanding of anything to be incomplete," said Parvati, "not saying it doesn't happen, just don't try to predict it."
"Fair," said Harry, "Anyway, if you do get in touch with our ravenclaws, mention that I'm spending the night here tonight, and that in general we're trying to determine when to schedule a house meeting."
"Alright," said Susan.
"That said, I am planning on spending the night here tonight, does anyone else want to?"
"I want to, but I'm not going to," said Susan, "What's the topics of the house meeting? Or should we all bring our own questions and topic suggestions?"
"Alright," said Harry, "Probably both, I assume we all might have topics, Mine are … I guess the three absent are those most in the know already, so I'll explain this part now, Over the summer I signed a breed contract with the Bones Family, (and no, there are no current plans for Susan to get pregnant before she takes her NEWTs). Likewise, the Patils and I are in negotiations about either two breed contracts or a breed contract and a marriage contract."
Ginny scrubbed her face again.
"If you want to look over the current state of the negotiations, I don't mind, but I'm not sure if each girl in question minds, and I'd rather their permission before I … move that far toward total transparency."
"I kind of don't want that," said Susan, "but I kind of do want anyone thinking about designing one to be able to reference mine, so … I don't know, let me think about it."
Harry nodded, "I sort of had an idea of posting copies on the 'rules of the house' bulletin board, but … since most of them are rules I and one other person have to follow, not rules everyone else has to follow, I'm not sure it would be appropriate."
"Oh! I get it," said Susan, "Yeah, that's kind of… Are you sure you aren't wanting to just frame copies of the last page of each?"
Just the signature blocks, in other words.
Harry shrugged, "maybe?"
"May it be on the wall over my desk?" she waved her hand vaguely behind her shoulder.
"Maybe," said Harry, "I really was thinking in the bedroom might be more appropriate than in here."
Susan shrugged, "Maybe … yes sort of, but … the contract I really want over my desk I probably won't know how to write until after Survey of Magical Law, at which point it will be over a different desk anyway."
"Hmm," said Harry, then he nodded.
"Hello, friends," said Luna.
"Hello, Luna," said Harry and Ginny. Echoed by the other two.
"Is it a lion night?"
"Depends on if you're asking if I'm going to be here," said Harry, "Or if you're asking if enough others are also for it to be worth staying?"
"Good grief," said Luna, "The house elves did even better than I asked."
"You did this?" said Susan.
"Not Professor Snape?" said Parvati.
"No, the house elves …" she wandered into the bedroom, then out the bathroom and back into the bedroom, then came back, "Professor Snape must have helped, maybe they didn't understand me and asked him how to do what I told them."
She took a step backwards to a desk and began to undress and fold her clothes onto the nearest desk chair.
"I've been thinking about adding clothes pegs between each pair of desks," said Susan, "but I'm not sure if we wouldn't rather have those in the bedroom."
Parvati got up and went with her to look around, and shortly after had claimed the work space by the entrance door for her own, and the neighbouring one around the corner from it for Padma. Luna scooted her clothes over one to be next to Padma, then Susan and Ginny bickered goodnaturedly for half a minute before Ginny took the work area beside Luna, Harry took the work area on the other side of the doorway to the bedroom, then Susan took the next, and by vote Hermione was given the next, (to mirror Padma on the other side). Apparently prefect badges meant more to some people than others. And under the potions desk in the final work area by the door, Harry put down the dog bed (Cat bed!) he'd gotten for Nim while she was recuperating and they were both afraid he'd roll over in his sleep onto her healing arm. It was apparently significantly more comfortable than anything he'd ever conjured for her. Also since it was degrading 'to sleep in a 'dog' bed'. Harry did his best not to annoy her by thinking about it.
When he stood up, Parvati was rolling up the Patil contracts and packing them back in their tube.
He arched an eyebrow at her. She brought them over and tried to shove the tube into his satchel, which didn't work until he placed his hand on it to verify that his satchel had permission to accept the deposit.
"What's up?" he said.
"Don't let Ginny burn them," she whispered, "you notice that Dad signed them in case we agreed to current terms without modifications."
Harry nodded.
"Eventually, Ginny would be sorry after," she whispered, "but it wouldn't stop her from lashing out at something symbolic of her frustration if the temptation stared her in the face long enough."
Harry nodded, "I'm proud of her for not running away, but I don't know what to say to help her."
"Me either," said Parvati, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, "I think I'll make myself scarce, otherwise I'd be tempted to seduce you, just when my patience at being able to say 'I waited' is this close to being finished."
Harry smiled, "I understand."
"You do?"
"I expected that attitude from Susan and Hermione."
"But they are a bulldog and an otter?" mused Parvati.
"I don't think that has as much to do with it."
Parvati smiled, "my many instincts are easier to sort out now, with the experience of the horse instincts having a chance to make sense."
Harry nodded, "Sounds right."
She kissed him on the other cheek, and said, "I'm going to go," a little louder, and then she did.
.
Harry looked up to see Susan standing in the bedroom doorway, watching whatever Ginny and Luna were up to.
He went to stand beside her.
Ginny was in a nightgown he recognised from last spring, Luna was starkers. And they were having a pillow fight with couch cushions.
Susan noticed him and took a step back and closed the door, "Do you know what Ginny's problem is?"
"She thinks she wants to marry me?"
Susan shook her head, "Beyond that?"
Harry shook his head.
"She's got relatives on her Mom's side that are housed."
Harry shrugged.
"Ottery St. Catchpole has been a free town and proud of it for a very long time. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more pushback about you marking Luna."
Harry shrugged, "there has been a little, but she's a special case and I think her whole family knows it."
"Alright, to say it differently: they are both part of the first and oldest town of blood traitors and proud of it."
Harry frowned, "and it wasn't wiped out in the previous war?"
Susan shook her head, "was never even attacked, which either proves something about the town wards, or about the dark lord's actual politics."
Harry boggled.
Susan nodded, "Leave that aside for later, Think about all your con—lionesses, Hermione is flexible and doesn't really plan to stay, the Patils are gold diggers, I'm a House Heir and already have the best contract I can possibly accept."
"An option to demand breeding rights up to two nights a month."
She nodded..
"I don't believe that about the Patils, but I will keep your suspicion in mind when I reread the contracts."
"Your gold isn't the only kind of gold they can be digging for," said Susan, "What does Luna want?"
"Luna needs tutoring from … Like Padma, Luna is a ravenclaw and tends to self tutor, but she needs a willing but not too pushy companion to help her see that through, then she'll be able to concentrate on what she wants in life instead of figuring out what this life thing even is."
Susan nodded, "She's a special case, and Ginny?"
"Instead of wanting sex or friends, she wants … to recapitulate the marriage that her parents have."
The door behind Susan was open now.
Susan nodded, "Are you interested in being Arthur Weasley?"
"Even if I wanted to, I have additional responsibilities," said Harry, "I admire him, and what he's managed to do with his family life, and with his ministry position. From what I can tell he's been passed over for promotion for lack of corruption, not for relative lack of competence or lack of enthusiasm."
"Agreed," said Susan, "Or at least, I've heard the same rumours."
Her eyes rolled in a way Harry interpreted to mean she knew the door was open now.
"Given that you cannot live in Ottery St. Catchpole, would you live in Godric's Hollow, or London, or somewhere else?"
"I've never been to Godric's Hollow," said Harry, "and I've never seen Ottery St. Catchpole closer than the grounds around the Burrow or the Rookery. Foot access to Diagon Alley would not outweigh the benefits of enough land somewhere rural enough to have space to fly. I'd like to visit Potter Manor sometime when there isn't a dark lord in residence."
"You and me both," said Susan.
They both sighed.
.
"You've never laid on your mother's grave?" asked Luna.
They all looked at her.
"—or taken her flowers? or sniffed them in her place? or let the sun look down on you and snuggle you in her place?"
Harry shook his head, "is that a normal thing to do?"
"Barring Luna's way of expressing it, yes, it very much is," said Susan, She rubbed his elbow. When her hand caught on his holster, she switched to rubbing his side and back, with perhaps a bit too much emphasis on rubbing past his hip across his bum and back up.
After three strokes, she said, "I'm going to go too, but expect me regularly after house catching up is finished, and the weather changes cold enough for good snuggling weather."
Harry nodded. She went away.
Luna stepped around Ginny, "Give me your knickers, Harry, and I'll go away too."
"What?"
"Susan wanted them more, but wouldn't ask for them, so I'm asking for them."
"What are you planning on doing with them?"
"Putting them under Padma's pillow, so that we both can feel like company, even though she cannot visit yet."
"I … see …" said Harry. Then he took them off and handed them over. She took them, and hugged him very tight, then let go and went over to her desk and stuffed the knickers in her robe pocket, then dressed, mostly, and went away.
.
...-...
In which 'Sewing for Ginny' becomes 'Sewing with Ginny'
Content warning: naked sewing and making out.
Ginny stared at the door after Luna had left. "I'm surprised you went along with that," said Ginny.
Harry shrugged, "seems like everyone here except for you and me is content with shifts-only for sleeping in."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
"I want to make you a shift like I made for Susan, and am most of the way done making for the Patils."
She stared at him.
"Do you want to start with perfume fragrance runes, or with measuring for the pattern?"
"Are you sure you're not Parvati?"
"Fairly sure," said Harry, "or do you want to collaborate on designing your own pattern?"
She stared at him a second, "Ron was right about you making Hanna's birthday shirt?"
"That's almost the only thing he was right about regarding the name 'Leona'."
She smirked and nodded, "Do I want to know?"
"I think we'll cover it, and Susan's additional security features at the house meeting."
"Fine," she said, "what's involved with perfume fragrances?"
"Choosing an herb, spice, or potions ingredient that you like the smell of, and isn't a skin irritant, and find the runes to transfigure sweat into that."
She goggled.
"I already have the 'transfiguring from sweat' runes part, I just need the 'into that' runes part."
She nodded, "next runes class, I'll look into that."
"Good," he nodded, "Next: what shape do you want?"
"What should I want?"
Harry took off his robes and folded them on his desk chair, then doffed his shirt into her hands, "Try this on, it's a bit loose on me for Leona reasons, check whether it's too tight on you."
She stared at him in his all together, but only for a moment, then stripped to shirt and knickers and tried it on. It fit, but it was a little snug.
"It fits me better than it fits you," she said.
He shrugged, "is that the fit you want?" he said, "or do you want more room to grow?"
"More room would probably be wise," she said, "Is this supposed to be a shirt or a shift or a nightgown?"
"I made it to … fit Leona vaguely the way it fits you, only on her there's more room left to grow," said Harry, "I did not correctly account for being taller than her."
She nodded, "It's an undershirt," she said.
Harry nodded.
"But everyone except you has been using them for chemise?"
"Susan wanted hers sun-dress sized, and has been using it for a chemise anyways."
"Because she's lewd and proud of it," said Ginny.
Harry shrugged.
"You expected to wear yours with drawers," said Ginny.
"I did."
"Luna's was weird."
"I didn't make Luna's," said Harry, "I presume she made it herself, but … maybe she already had it and I only subconsciously remembered it, so it is familiar instead of —"
"No," said Ginny, "That was the first time I saw it."
Harry shrugged.
"Also her breasts were not large enough last year for that shape to have made sense."
Harry shivered.
"You liked it?"
Harry shook his head, "I have no idea what to think about it. Except, 'leave it to Luna to invent and wear anti-clothes'."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "as in … 'the purpose of clothes is to cover the privates and as much more as weather demands', and she skipped the first part?"
Harry nodded, "There's a muggle movie where they gave a patient something called 'heat bandage,' to keep her warm but leave her naked enough for the healers to keep working on her, but then she woke up and wandered away to help save the world."
"Um… there are girl versions of you in muggle movies?"
"Well … she was sort of more Luna but gryffindor."
"Riight, but … you're planning on breeding with Luna, right?"
"Only if she still wants to after her NEWTs," said Harry.
Ginny frowned, "that's a weird hypothetical to point at."
"Meaning what?"
"When has Luna not wanted to have kids," said Ginny.
"The question was whether she wanted to have them with me," said Harry, "and how soon."
Ginny blinked, "I'm not sure … genetics really enters into her calculations, but yeah, she ought to … she ought to travel the world a bit before she settles for a homebody like you."
Harry shrugged, Well any bloke that puts up with her, and her children, deserves for those children to also be his own.
Harry raised an eyebrow, then shrugged again, "compared to Luna, everyone I know is a homebody."
Ginny nodded, "what do you need to measure about this before I take it off again?"
"Right, just a second."
Harry got out his notebook and tape measure and finished measuring.
"Do you think," said Ginny as he knelt in front of her noting down measurements, "That they all left with the intention of getting us in here alone together?"
"Susan left because she saw a fight brewing between you and Parvati, and didn't want to be drawn into it and forced to say, either that her aunt had to force her to sign, or didn't have to force her to sign. Parvati left to take the time pressure off all of us, give you time to process and express yourself with words we can understand," he tapped his head, "and give me time to think about what's in those contracts, and give each of them the review that it deserves, that she deserves."
"And Luna?"
"Luna wants sex, or … wants to find out what sex with another human is like, but given her options and respects, she would rather not take her turn ahead of her best friend."
Ginny compressed her lips, "and what do you want?"
Harry shrugged, "I won't say that I don't enjoy sex, but I'd rather not have sex with anyone who is not ready, I would like to spend the night here with you, but I'll turn into a lion or a girl if either of those things would make you more comfortable."
"I'd say just put some drawers on, except—wa? Don't be absurd, you cannot turn into a girl," said Ginny.
"It is a Lion's-Keep private secret," said Harry, "But … who did you think Leona was?"
Her eyes went wide, "Show me?"
Harry held up a finger, "Leona is some random eighth-veela orphan or bastard from the continent who through an accident of birth and lots of politics that happened over her head, was given her grandmother's unexpected English title to spite her father (or mother, whichever) for making a bastard with a veela he had no rights to. Before that she was in training since childhood to be a hit-wizard for a semi-criminal organisation."
Her eyes grew wide, "What?"
"It's just … what half of Dumbledore's faction and half of Amelia Bones faction managed to dig up about her, you're welcome to disbelieve all of it, or ask revealing questions to determine if you're speaking to the real Leona, or to a Lion's-Keep member who is wearing her disguise spell at the moment, because even I haven't seen her out of her disguise. But she did teach it to me and Susan, and Susan has added some security features she's going to teach us later."
"Never mind the slytherin stuff, show me?"
"Are you sure?"
"Don't ask me that, tell me why I wouldn't be sure?"
Harry sighed, "I think it was a prostitute spell originally, before it got changed into something aggressively dramatic and punk, if I change I'll be horny until about half an hour after I change back."
She nodded, "I trust you … as far as you trust you."
"What does that mean?" said Harry.
"Means I'll get dressed as far as you tell me, before you show me."
"I can resist the imperious," said Harry, "I won't do anything, you don't ask me to do. But I don't promise not to make encouraging or disappointed faces at you or whatever."
Ginny nodded, "Show me."
Harry stood up and changed, and took off his glasses.
"You look like Luna."
"I do?"
Ginny inspected minutely, then looked her in the eye, "you're exactly my height."
Leona nodded and shrugged, "I guess so."
Ginny handed the leather shirt back, "show me how this fits you?"
Leona put her shirt on.
Ginny eyed the lower edge critically, "that seems … as revealing as it can possibly be, without showing anything."
Leona shrugged and nodded, "As long as I don't pick up my knees at all. I said I was under the influence of this form when I designed it. Luna wasn't, I guess she designed hers to cover as much as it could while hiding nothing."
"She was definitely running on her own instincts when she tried that," said Ginny.
They stared at each other.
"You're exactly my height," said Ginny, "and the Patil's skin colour, and Luna's and my hair colours, no … maybe not mine, she held a lock of her hair up to Leona's red braids.
"Anyway," she stepped back, "so there was no veela bastard, you made this up? To be a believable half sister to each of us? What do you have of Hermione?"
"Exactly perfect vision," said Leona, "I can read for hours like this with no headaches."
"And from Susan?"
"Guess?"
She shrugged, "What?"
"Chest size," said Leona.
"Hmm," said Ginny, "yes, I see."
There was a dead silence.
"Would you like me to lose weight?" said Ginny.
Leona frowned, "I don't think you should worry about it, there's nothing unnatural seeming about your shape," said Leona, "I think you should put on a little more muscle, but if you make the Quidditch team, I don't think that will be a problem for you at all."
"Hmm," she said.
"Having more muscle, might over time burn up some of your fat, or it might give you enough appetite to keep you stable where you are," he shrugged, "like I said, I wouldn't worry about that."
"But you don't think I'm pretty?"
"Pretty is a silly, genetically-induced, instinctive indicator of general healthiness. And I think you look healthy."
"I thought that made you horny? … But am I … all that compared to Susan?"
"Susan has put more effort into being badass physically," said Leona, "Parvati … has a mental discipline about her that makes me think she'd battle just as long if the need came. You have a badass attitude, against everyone it seems, except me. Would you …"
She stood up straighter and her eyes flashed, then she laughed, "I'd be the first to draw a wand in anger, where Susan would be first to draw it from training and paranoia?"
"Something like that."
"And Parvati would be the last to put hers down?"
Leona shrugged.
"And Hermione and Padma?"
"Know what they want and ask for it."
"And Luna?"
"Knows what we all want, and asks for it for us. And serves herself from the leftovers."
Ginny bit her lip. "And you?"
"I make sure that someone is listening to Luna, because she's easy to ignore when nothing she says makes sense, until you see all of her."
Ginny's eyebrows quirked down in something that was somehow not a frown.
"And if I'm listening hard enough to hear quiet Luna, usually I can hear everyone else too, but sometimes, you don't ask for anything."
"What do you think I want?"
Leona shrugged, "You … want to see how families other than your own operate?"
Ginny grimaced, "You're not wrong?"
(But perhaps not as right as Ginny would have preferred.)
"You like that Lion's-Keep is a family, instead of a house."
"Definitely," said Ginny.
"You see eye to eye with me on how big families should be, but you don't see the point of having a house too, even bigger than that?"
She narrowed her eyes, for several seconds, then sighed, and shrugged, "Sometimes I think, I wouldn't mind having a house, if you were in charge of it, and other times I resent the idea so much that I cannot imagine you'd want to be part of all that."
Leona sighed and shrugged, "I'd rather have my own house to look after, than a Wizengamot seat to look after."
She gaped.
"But as I have both, I'll just have to do my best."
"But you didn't have to have a house," she said, "you still might not." She glanced toward the table where three contracts had been laying. Harry really needed to check to see what Padma's said about family alliances. It would only take about three paragraphs to place her and her offspring into a family under the protection of the House of Potter. Or maybe it already said those things.
"Maybe I don't need to go out of my way to make sure it is useful to anyone. But it still is a weapon I can wield or that can be wielded against me."
Her lips tightened, anger, disappointment, despair, disbelief.
"I have a house … and a mark even," Harry said, "You don't need to be under my protection, but I need to be proficient at protecting, in case any of my friends ever need it."
"I need to be proficient also," said Ginny, "But my duty isn't to everyone, my duty is to my family."
"Would you like that family to be inside my house, as my house is inside Great Britain, or are you content to be free and equal with other free families within Great Britain?"
Her face screwed up like she was going to cry. "I don't know," she said.
"You don't need to decide tonight," said Harry.
"I need to decide before Parvati?"
"I don't think there's an upper limit how many families can be in a house," He frowned, "Is Susan correct? I wonder, about houses not being inside other houses, not counting Windsor."
Ginny sighed.
Harry moved to reach out to her, and found he'd left himself in a female body and got so distracted worrying about how awkward Ginny might or might not feel about seeing a stranger instead of himself, or about his/her nakedness that he lost the thread of what he'd been thinking of and looked away.
Right, the goal had been making clothes. A different kind of protection, the kind of protecting that went with being Leona instead of the kind that went with being Harry.
Ugh, I hope this isn't making me schizophrenic. Maybe I also need to practice sewing while male and defence spells while female.
Nim paused in her hunting to laugh, I'll remind you to practice, she thought, Though you really aren't vicious enough yet to claim to fight like a daughter of the House of Black.
… Thanks.
.
Leona looked up from running her perforating block along the edge of Ginny's hip gussets (or 'wedges') to find Ginny had already started stitching a side seam together. Leona stared hard enough determine that she wasn't sewing it on wrong side out, because there wasn't yet a wrong side out, and it was fine, so instead of objecting to the help, she oriented, folded and placed the gusset in before Ginny got there, then she got out her own cord and began lacing up the other side.
After the cord was tied off and the fifth stitch taken, Leona realised that it would work better if they found a rhythm to interleave stitches, and it was no sooner thought than she knew where to put the pause for Ginny to catch up. Leona didn't even need to say anything, two cycles later Ginny had understood the difference, and copied it to her rhythm, and then they both were back to working at very nearly top speed. And Ginny was smiling.
"In case you care," said Leona, "Hermione says that two or more people or things doing the exact same thing at the exact same time is called syncrony, but what is more common is doing the same thing at slight offsets, like we are, which is called 'in tandem'."
"Talking is making you lose your rhythm," said Ginny, "be quiet."
Leona laughed, and went back to work. Then Ginny took several slow stitches to start the gusset, then their tandem pattern worked again until Leona had to start the gusset on her side, and before she finished the first half of the gusset Ginny had finished and had to slow down also for tying off, and tying on again for the other half of the gusset seam.
"I think," said Leona, "That it's too late in the evening for the concentration required to get the runes perfect. I'm going to put them off until tomorrow. But you can wear it tonight anyway, to make sure it fits and all. It just won't be as comfortable temperature wise."
"I understand," Ginny said, "I'd like that." She finished tying off her seam and headed for the loo.
Leona finished and put her equipment away.
.
Ginny returned, saw that it was finished, and tried it on. "I still say it's a very Luna sort of style," she said, "Except tonight's the first time I've seen Luna in leather that I can remember."
"It's Leona's style," said Leona.
Ginny raised an eyebrow, "Say again Harry?"
Leona chewed her lip, "Um, this is a thing that needs to be negotiated as a group, but … and I'll go along with a quorum or whatever, but … I'd sort of rather anyone in Leona form be addressed as Leona, and requested to answer questions about themselves in the third person."
Ginny looked confused.
"For example, if Susan and I are both in Leona form, me because I'm taking a break from wearing my glasses, and she because she's practising additional arithmancy on it or whatever, and you want to ask me something; I'd rather you asked, 'Leona, do you know if Harry is planning on skipping lunch?' or something like that. And I'll try to answer something like, 'I don't know if he has plans, but I'll send him down after you when he's available,' or 'let me get him, right away.' Then run in the bathroom and change, or whatever."
Ginny nodded, "Ok, but why?"
"Because, as much as possible I don't want anyone to get in the habit of admitting to being Leona sometimes, or knowing anyone who changes into Leona sometimes."
"Ok, but why?"
"Because, you-know-who, and some people in the ministry want both me and Leona dead separately, I'd rather they not also want us dead together. Also given that fact, I'm not even certain we should even be using it as a disguise anymore. But … it's still a useful tool."
"For what?"
Leona shrugged, "glasses, different muscle and weight distribution."
Ginny nodded, "Put on your smock, do you want to do my hair before bed, or just go to bed?"
"I don't mind doing your hair," said Leona.
They went into the bedroom and negotiated who would sit where, finally they agreed on pulling a couch away from the wall far enough for Ginny to sit on it and Leona to stand behind it to work on her hair.
.
"Leona's fingers are softer than Harry's," said Ginny.
"Hmm, interesting, I guess that makes sense."
"Who did you design them after?"
"No idea, they might even be the default from before I started altering it."
"Oh."
"If they aren't standard, probably Hermione."
"We'll have to check sometime."
"Then again, now that you've made me think about it, I might change it without meaning to," said Leona, "Transfiguration patterns can be like that."
"True."
"I also like you being my height," said Ginny, "I cannot explain why."
"I like being able to see eye-to-eye," agreed Leona, "and I don't just mean physically, but that is part of it."
"Yeah."
"Are you ready for Quidditch tryouts tomorrow?"
"I will be as soon as my hair is done."
"Point," said Leona.
"Are you coming?"
"I think I'm helping judge, I assume I'll scrimmage against whoever gets the position to prove to the spectators that we still have a chance, or to prove to Angelina how well or how poorly I am after no practice all summer. Which should also help inform her decision to put you on as understudy, or as starting. And whether to keep me to train you, or to dump me completely, or to keep me for starting but let me off practice, which I doubt."
Ginny snorted, "I just wish you'd told me about this last year."
"Sorry, I was busy concentrating on other things."
"Yeah, you were still out of it that day you visited Luna. But you seemed fine the day of Hanna's party."
"Leona had brought Nim back by then."
Ginny froze, then turned to stare, "Which Leona?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "all of them, none of them, Only Leonas can differentiate themselves."
"What?"
"And we have a strange knack of explaining your current predicament by how you handled it in another universe."
"Like what?"
"Like … once upon a time, I dreamed that I went to that magical school in the City of Hogsforde and Grant Prewett rescued me from an addiction to a certain famous mind enhancing diadem. We dated for a little while, his parents liked me, but he was a pureblood, and his grandparents thought he could do better than a half blood ravenclaw, don't you know."
"What are you talking about?" said Ginny.
"I must say," said Leona, "I like you better as a girl and especially as a Weasley."
"Oh," said Ginny.
"I mean, you were alright as a man, but only after you figured out you didn't have to do what your parents interpreted your grandparents meant when they dropped snide comments."
"About duties to family and house?" said Ginny.
"Among other things," said Leona.
"What about you, I mean Harry," said Ginny, "Does he have a healthy disrespect for duties to family and house when they get in the way of his happiness?"
Leona froze for several seconds, "No, He cannot shirk his duties to his family or his house until each is strong enough to take up the slack on the days he takes off."
"I see," said Ginny, "What's the point?"
"It can be a way of offering advice, or just a way of complimenting a person for not doing things as poorly as they might have, or letting them see how their life might have turned out if they'd made different choices, or had different choices made for them. Or just to snap them out of hopelessness by reminding them that the universe could have been different than it is, and can be changed for better in the future."
"So … it's not divination?"
"It's advice or coaching presented as if it's divination, but as it's about a different universe, or sometimes several different universes, it isn't a prediction how things should go, just a mirror for how things could have gone, or could still go if we try."
"I think I like that better than divination, I like to try things."
"I agree," said Harry.
"Where did you learn this?"
"The other Leona's taught me."
Ginny snorted, "Try again."
"It happens to be true," said Harry.
"It doesn't happen to be useful."
"Luna suggested it, Susan caught on and showed me how, I was the one noticing certain people really strongly objecting to their names and pretended to diagnose each of them with the other's problem, and then got in the habit of starting everyone off with a switched gender version of themselves, just to wake them up to the kind of lies we were telling them, but also to shake them loose from, I guess, the kinds of lies we're taught to tell ourselves, in case that helps them see through their own masks."
"What do you mean?"
"I can wear a male or female human body, and I can wear a human body or a male lion, but that reality and those instincts only penetrate as deep as my brain, my mind goes deeper than that, and I don't have to obey my abused orphan boy brain telling me to keep everyone at arms' length, nor my lion's mind noticing that humans look like a conveniently sized package of meat, though not as good as a deer, and with an inconvenient habit of wearing clothes and carrying knives and wands, but still, enough meat to satisfy for a day or two, and not so much as would go to waste before I finish eating, Nor do I need to listen to my rebel girl mind tell me to breed with everything that looks human and healthy." Or mugglebait everything that has eyes and enough sense of temporal reality to be worth messing with.
"Leona is that … easy?"
"It took me two thirds of an afternoon to get used to, I will back up anyone who says they don't want to try it until they've practised with animagus first. I practised with animagus first. I think Susan has not, and she treats it a bit differently."
"Humph," said Ginny.
"I guess technically I practised with hunger first, and imperious second, and then with animagus."
"Do you want to snog?"
"I would like to snog with you," said Leona, "If you also want to make out, I'd rather stay in this body, if you also want sex, I'd rather go and get Harry for you."
"I hadn't thought that far ahead."
"I'd say … well I won't say that I like thinking ahead, I mean anticipation is nice, but it also takes you out of the moment, you know."
"No, I don't know."
"Sorry," said Leona, "I like sex best if I decide ahead of time what things I might or might not want, declare them so no one is surprised or offended later when I say 'no, I haven't changed my mind, yet,' and then relax and enjoy the moment, the moment has a way of being much more satisfying without too much anticipation to promise more than can be delivered or even experienced."
Ginny turned to stare at her, "If we go past snogging tonight, I want it to be towards making out, I'm not even sure I want to go that far. Quidditch try outs are a thing, and are scheduled for tomorrow."
"That's fine."
"I want it to be in a bed, Not sure if I want the lights out or not."
"Lets put out all that we cannot reach by wand, from whichever bed."
Ginny pointed to the small bed in gryffindor colours.
Leona put out lights everywhere except the bathroom. Then grabbed a green and a red quilt and laid them within reach.
They did snog for a while before Ginny tentatively pulled Leona farther across the bed and down onto her back, before climbing on top. They moved together at tentative speeds but a deliberate use of force that was all Ginny.
"What makes you smile like that?"
"Susan might be stronger than you, but much less sure of what to do with it, you're not afraid to push hard or hold on tight. It feels very good."
"Oh," said Ginny, "Sooo, I should be afraid of my own strength as I get stronger?"
"More like, I expect all the exercise you've ever done has been chores or whatever, motions geared towards getting real work accomplished, the same way I was until the summer after the Chamber of Secrets. I expect a huge amount of the exercise Susan has learned and built strength from, has been motions for fighting and hurting people. When she isn't trying to hurt people, she doesn't know how much of her force to use."
"I have six brothers," said Ginny, "I know how to fight."
"You know how to wrestle with people you love," said Leona, "Which is sort of exactly what we're doing. It's not the same as trying to break bones."
"Oh, I see," said Ginny.
They kissed and snuggled for a while longer.
"What about the others?"
"Hmm?" said Leona, "Oh. Well, the Patils aren't farm girls. I don't know what chores they've helped with, here at Hogwarts they do the same as the rest of us, potions, herbology, and going up and down stairs. Hermione runs and does flexibility aerobics because someone told her it was a healthy idea, and she swims for fun during the summer." Leona shrugged.
"So?"
"So you're stronger than most," said Harry, "and more confident than all."
"I'm the strongest that isn't afraid of hurting you? And you like it?"
"Yes," said Leona. And Nim started teaching me when I was only fourteen and not as big, and definitely not as beefy, and she might not have updated her technique according to what I can handle now.
Should I?
As long as you don't also slobber all over me like Susan.
Of course not. Thought Nim.
"Good," said Ginny.
"It is," agreed Leona, "May I pick up my knee, it will change how and where we're putting pressure on each other, if you like it you can also balance more of your weight on the knee you have between my legs."
Ginny gave Leona a bemused but expectant eyebrow and nodded.
Leona made the change.
Ginny's eyes went wide, then snapped closed and she returned her concentration to grinding, this time much more of her weight pressed their nether regions to each other's hips, and that much less weight was left to compress their breasts. Leona concentrated on re-finding a speed to breathe at, then lifted her hands to Ginny's breasts to kneed, and to tilt her even farther back against Leona's raised knee.
Ginny gasped and froze several times before she adjusted to how much weight she really wanted down there, and managed to find a rhythm that made use of the new obstacle to press against, and then she got the super-hungry jitters and couldn't keep it up, and Leona had to do her best to keep it up for her.
"OoOoOoh, Harry," she breathed when she could speak again.
"Hmm?" smiled Leona.
But Ginny didn't explain at first, she just laughed, and laughed, also she wrapped her arms under Leona's and squeezed very tight.
Laughing so hard with their chests pressed tight, was rather enticing, but it was a step back from climax for Leona. But she wasn't going to confuse the camaraderie of Ginny's first time by giving into impatience to keep moving toward her own climax.
Eventually Ginny ran out of air the second time, and her giggles began to subside, she sat up and looked Leona in the eyes, "That wasn't what I expected."
"What was that funny?"
"That it wasn't what I expected," said Ginny, "'tickle' is the physical sensation of unexpectedness." She saw Leona's frown, "Luna told me you told her that?"
"Oh, that … yes, sorry, I didn't understand which kind of laughing you were doing."
Ginny raised an eyebrow, though her giggles weren't completely gone.
"I might need to check the arithmancy for the tickling jinx, I may be solving it improperly."
Ginny ran poking fingers all up and down Leona's sides.
"May you start again, or let me be on top?" said Leona.
"Which would you rather?" said Ginny.
Leona smiled, "I'd rather you stayed on top, I liked what you were doing at the end, before it pushed you over the edge."
Ginny grinned and started again, but this time she put her palms around Leona's breasts instead of on the bed under Leona's shoulders.
"I'm going to climax soon," said Leona, "I promise that I'll want you to keep going, even when I cannot talk.
Ginny raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"If I change my mind, and can't talk, I'll put my knee down and try to pick you up at your hips, understand?"
"Yes."
"If … as long as I'm doing anything else, I want you to keep going, keep trying to make my climax last longer, or whatever."
Ginny nodded, and this time she smiled.
"Good," smiled Leona, then realised that somehow that reassurance had pushed away the tension of climax, instead of relaxing her toward just accepting it when it came.
Oh, well, whatever. They say patience is a virtue.
Then at her next inhale the climax arrived anyway.
And thanks to the previous reassurance, Ginny kept powering on, straight through until she could breathe again.
"Oh, Circe! Ginny that was awesome."
"In what ways exactly?" said Ginny, there was a playful light in her eyes that belied her attempt … at mockery of Hermione's mode of 'diagnosing the charm that failed in an unusual way.'
Leona didn't want to get into anatomy and pressure and friction strategies, and shrugged, "Mostly that you kept on going the way I asked, and just generally the way you were moving before that."
Ginny nodded.
"I mean …" Leona smirked, "I mean that was absolutely terrible and we really ought to practice a bunch to catch you up to the others."
Ginny froze and looked a little sick.
"Kidding," Leona ran poking fingers along her ribs, "Ginny relax, it was one of the best first times I've had with any of them."
"Then it was OK?" said Ginny.
"It wasn't just OK, it was wonderful," said Leona, "Normally, after anything that good, Leona would ask for another turn. But it's late, so I won't."
"Oh," said Ginny, and rolled her hips and adjusted her balance.
"I will however grant you permission to try for another climax of your own, if you want."
"Sort of do want," said Ginny, "But it is late."
She rolled off and before she had even a moment to make a choice, Leona rolled away and scooted back into the hollow of her.
"Leona!" said Ginny, "You … you're really working at acting like Luna aren't you?"
"… maybe?" said Leona, "Is it working?"
"Depends on what your point is."
"Putting you in charge enough that you can fall asleep fast, and rest well."
"Oh," said Ginny, and hooked her hand into the fold of Leona's knee and pulled her hip up into a much tighter curl. And then she rolled a bit back and a bit forward again, with her own upper knee over Leona's lower thigh. "Is this alright?" she said, "This is how Luna and I usually sleep."
"It's fine," said Leona.
"With a distant second of, sometimes I roll onto my back and if I snore loud enough to wake her up, Luna will roll over and press her ear to my ribs as if she wishes I was snoring even louder."
"Hmm," said Leona.
"Feel free to do that, or to make sure the pillow is in a good place, and then roll me off my back so I stop snoring."
"Fair enough," said Leona.
.
Leona woke on her back with a tongue in her mouth and an aggressive clit scrubbing her hip. Mauling her hip? And her other arm still pinned by the hug of a sleeping girl.
Leona opened her eyes and saw another Leona in the dim light and closed her eyes.
It wasn't Susan because the style of face mauling was all wrong for that.
The pleasure was building and echoing at the oddly fast speed that meant Nim was also enjoying herself.
Good Morning, Nim.
Good Morning, my lord?
Are you hoping for a different thing to call me?
Maybe. Is this wake up method alright?
Today it is. Unless Ginny objects, in which case it is not ever alright when I'm sharing the bed with just her.
"What?" Ginny jerked and sat up.
Leona opened her eyes again.
No, Nim wasn't wearing Leona's face, just … her own features but Leona's size. Oh, interesting.
Also, I'm here to tell you that Angelina was looking for you to make sure you were breakfasted and made it to the pitch on time.
"Damn it, Nim, why didn't you say that to start with?" said Leona pushing Nim up and off.
"Because you weren't awake enough at first," said Nim, then shifted small and ran away.
"She …"
"Our mutual cousin Bellatrix," sighed Leona, "and old enough for us to call Auntie, also an animagus and my familiar, also my sex tutor for about a year, and … somewhat annoyed that in the month's time since I've learned to turn into a girl, I've made out with two girls without asking her for lessons first."
"Oh."
"Also she claims Angelina Johnson has already made one attempt to remind me to be at Quidditch tryouts, so I suggest we head for either breakfast or showers."
"Which do you suggest?"
"…Breakfast," said Leona, "and save the shower for after Quidditch, when we'll definitely need it."
Ginny made a face, then agreed to the practicality.
...-...
Strange Demands and Unsolicited Help
The remaining members of the old team were already at breakfast and sitting together, they and the hopefuls … and Hermione made up most everyone who'd gotten up for breakfast this early on a Saturday.
Harry sat on the side of Hermione closest to the team.
He'd always been several years away from the rest of them and none of them had minded before that he tended to eat with his own clique. At least when his own clique was available.
But this year … he was probably going to be skating on thin ice so to speak, either with the team, or with all gryffindor.
.
At the lockers, Harry put on his jersey, but not his pads. And turned to face Angelina when she entered. She'd always joined the team in the boys lockers after she was done suiting up, it suited Wood's management style, and paranoia for information on proprietary plays to give pep-talks in the privacy of the lockers rather than on the pitch. And the male half of the team had adapted to the female half of the team invading as soon as they were done kitting out.
She took in everyone's relative states of readiness, including that Harry hadn't put on pads.
She came over and grabbed him by the front of his jersey, "Are you with us or not?"
"I want to see gryffindor team win the cup," growled Harry, "and I'll do what I can to help that happen."
She mouthed something that he couldn't hear in this environment, maybe that was tasting the slight difference between, 'I'll do what I can' and 'I'll do everything I can'
She leaned in again and said at volume, "Do your pads represent enough of a handicap to outweigh the speed of your broom, compared to the new recruits on their average brooms?"
"Probably not."
"Put them on anyway."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She smirked, "Captain also works."
.
Ginny was picked for second string seeker by a large margin. Cormac MacLaggen was picked for starting lineup over Ron by a significantly smaller margin. And Fay Dunbar was selected for second string chaser, no one else stood out from the rest enough for Angelina to offer them the benefit of practising with the team.
.
"Alright people," said Angelina, after all the other hopefuls had left, "Here's my plan, one hour practice every morning, not two to three. Odd days of the week we'll run practice drills, even days we'll play mock games five players each team, two chasers and one beater, seeker, and keeper.
"The other option is three days two hours each, votes?"
Everyone voted for fewer but longer practices.
"Good, I'll get the pitch scheduled and get back to you when everything is finalised, I'm glad we could do this early, hopefully we can reserve a good spread of times that are not too damn early."
"Hear hear!" said Fred and George.
She asked for questions and concerns.
Gradually the topic shifted away from her plans for the team, and the team's plans for the team, and on to other things. Several people left.
Harry contemplated whether the meeting had been dismissed while he hadn't noticed, because he'd rather be outside in sun, or inside someplace warmer than the locker room.
Angelina noticed him looking around, "Harry, Walk with me."
She led the way out of the locker building then back in the door to the girls lockers, then she stood in the corner and turned to face the centre of the room.
"Why am I here?" said Harry.
She pulled his elbow a yard farther toward the centre of the room then turned him to face her, (and the wall). "I saw how you were around veelas last year, I know you keep your eyes off what isn't yours to look at, but the new girls might not have noticed that about you."
Harry shrugged, and nodded, "That's how here, not why anything. What's up?"
"Whichever days we don't have practice on the pitch, you and I have tutoring sessions, arithmancy and anything else you think might be holding you back."
"Ah, alright," said Harry, "Umm… Thanks, but why?"
"You're our best seeker at the moment. Ginny's in your league, but not yet at your level. Maybe by the end of the year we can put her on the starting lineup, but until then, I still want you coming to practices and doing your best to improve your game, and improve hers. You said improving your grades matter to you more than improving your skills on the pitch. And I'm not disagreeing with your priorities or trying to convince you otherwise. I'm not saying that you're one of those great athletes with one and only one talent, all brawn and no brain, someone who needs classroom accommodations or anything like that. I'm just saying that you're worth enough to the team, you're worth enough to my team, that I'm willing to give you enough of my time to make sure that staying on the team, and giving what it takes, stays worth it to you."
"Oh. Yeah, I see."
"My goal is for you to go to McGonagall in less than a month and request to skip a year in whichever courses you wish. Study like that's your goal too, take notes about anything you don't understand easily," she snapped her fingers twice, "and we'll go over it together. Quidditch practice stops after the last game of the season, this lasts until you sit for your OWLs."
Harry nodded.
"If professors ask, it's tutoring, if McGonagall asks, I'm being very helpful and communicating well, and if that creepy bastard I had to pick for keeper asks, I'm shagging your brains out, because you're pretty, innocent, and sweet, none of which he is."
Harry swallowed, "I'm not a virgin."
"You just think you're not," said Angelina, "I can change that if you really want me to, or if you don't think you can be convincing for MacLaggen otherwise."
Harry shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure he understands English sometimes, which leaves me in doubt that he means the words that come out of his mouth."
"You're alright, Potter," shouted Alicia Spinnet over the hiss of her shower.
Angelina nodded, "you can go now."
"Can I share him with you, Ange?" said Katie.
Harry cleared his throat without turning around, "Applications to join my harem or schedule snuggle time, can be turned in to Ginny, passing scores in defence are required."
"What in Merlin's name?" said Katie.
"He said 'hell no,'" said Ginny, "but he offered you the chance to practice writing personal ads, in case you're going to need that later in life, Also in case it gets you off to wonder whether I just burn your essays about your good qualities, or read them to him between sessions of snogging and blowing up runes projects."
Angelina glared at him, "I guess that answers the question about whether your girlfriend is welcome to my arithmancy tutoring sessions."
Harry shrugged.
"Go shower already, Potter."
Harry saluted and got out.
.
Most of the boys asked him what she'd wanted.
He told them the short version, he'd tried to quit the team in order to keep up with study, Angelina had made a deal: fewer hours of practice, and 'free' tutoring, if he stayed on the team.
Fred and George made much of pretending that the shorter practice hours were entirely his responsibility. (and thanking him for more time to sleep.)
Ron just watched him from behind hooded eyes.
And Cormac just smirked.
That's right bitch, underestimate me. I never agreed to lie to you, but by the wording of my order, I don't have to lie to you until you ask.
Finally Harry got his turn in the showers.
When he got out, the locker room was empty except Ron.
Harry crossed to his clothes and started dressing, "Good job making the team," said Harry, "I knew you could, I'm fairly sure you're better than MacLaggen too, but you froze up a couple times."
Ron nodded, and grabbed the chest of Harry's shirt, "you wearing your girlfriend's shirt?"
"Only sort of," said Harry.
"Sort of?" said Ron.
"This is one of those Leona shirts."
Ron let go and rubbed his fingers together, "Does warm as well as cool?"
"Yeah," said Harry, "I was thinking about making some more copies, but I'll need to order leather, and I've got a lot of coursework now, and I still have my actual class runes projects to work on."
"Of course," said Ron, "and I have prefect duties, I am so glad now I didn't take Runes or Arithmancy."
Harry nodded, "I love learning it all, I just don't have nearly enough time for all the revising."
Ron nodded.
"Are you still planning on taking the animagus seminar?"
Ron grinned, "wouldn't miss it."
Harry smirked, and nodded, "me too, I mean …"
Ron stared at him, "What?"
"Sirius got me a bit of tutoring, I managed to transform, but … what I can do with a lot of concentration and standing still, and what McGonagall and others can do in motion. Are two very different things, so, I'm planning on going anyway, to find out what else I should know about how to practise safely if nothing else, I bet there's lots of little secrets that don't sound like anything until you've changed several times and then they're super good advice how to take it to the next level."
"That seems like how transfiguration always is," said Ron.
"And potions and charms," said Harry.
Ron shrugged, "You're dressed, let's go."
...-...
{End Chapter 12}
A/N:
Hey everyone, thanks for being patient with me.
I buried my familiar today.
She's been sick for a while now. So, yeah. Very sad.
But also … my head seems amazingly clear. But not very focused. I don't know what else to say.
On top of her grave and a meter or two surrounding, I scattered all the leftover flower seeds I could find in the shed, that said they didn't mind growing in partial shade. I have no idea what fraction of them will come up in the spring.
But then my luck getting flowers to germinate often seems very random. But generally I'm more conscientious than to be just scattering things randomly in November.
.
I won't try to claim she was a co-author or anything, but she was inspirational for some scenes and she might have been doing more to keep me grounded than I had any idea.
At this point I'm no longer promising to finish this story, but here's a chapter anyway. I have about 500k words of backlog, (Though perhaps much of it belongs on the cutting room floor) I might just be posting what I have then putting it up for adoption.
.
~HB