Chapter 22

When Amelia Bones received intelligence from her informant in Fudge's office(this informant happened to be the secretary that the fat idiot had hired for the express purpose of ogling her) that Harry Potter had paid him a visit, she had wondered if perhaps she should have talked to him and Sirius Black instead of blowing them off. She genuinely hadn't had time then and had been irritated by their presumption to just walk into her office without an appointment.

Then Fudge showed up some twenty minutes later, flustered and nervous, stumbling through a permission to finally put out an arrest warrant for Dolores Umbridge.

As a general rule, Amelia hated it when high profile people visited the Minister's office. It inevitably led to Fudge getting manipulated or bribed into pushing someone else's agenda.

This was one agenda that she could live with however and within the hour, Dolores Umbridge was a wanted woman for the first time in her life.

It may shock people to know that Dolores Umbridge didn't handle solitude too well.

This was not because she was any kind of people person, but because she had an inferiority complex the size of the Swiss Alps which drove her to constantly put other people down to make herself feel better. It drove her to cloak herself in pink, kittens and sweetness because it was the exact opposite of what she was. She was not even a blood purist because she actually believed in the pureblood dogma, but because she saw their wealth and power and wanted to be one of them instead of the halfblood she really was.

People had turned their noses up at her for one reason or another her entire life and a political career in the Ministry of magic had provided all the opportunities to vent her mental issues on others that she could ever want.

Not that Umbridge was consciously aware of any of this. All she saw was the perfect Ministry(and by extension herself as its representative) and knew with ironclad certainty that anyone who didn't bow and scrape before it had to be shown their place.

With this in mind, it wasn't surprising that Umbridge didn't do the sensible thing and hide in some secluded corner of the world like Albania or something to wait for the situation to blow over.

Instead, she went to 'visit' her father, Orford Umbridge, an unambitious man whom she had long ago bundled away out of sight where he couldn't embarrass her.

Orford's family had never been wealthy but they had been pureblood and he had been raised to hate muggles, which made the story of how he had gotten married and had two children with a muggle woman almost romantic if not for how it ended. If forced to answer, he would grudgingly admit that he'd been horribly lonely and had been so pleased at having someone to talk to that he hadn't cared that the woman who had come to talk to him was a muggle. The prejudice came back with a vengeance when she bore him a squib son and she had eventually left him, taking her son with her. A young Dolores had grown up seeing the increasingly hateful screaming matches between her parents and had internalized a lot of that.

But that was a long time ago now and Orford was very lonely again. He hadn't protested having his daughter living with him for an indefinite amount of time even though he was aware what a monster she had grown up to be. It took less than a day for the sugar wrapped verbal abuse to start, but Orford was much too old and tired to really care.

For Dolores, this was far worse than anything else he could have done. If her father wasn't affected by her words, then that meant she was worthless and she couldn't tolerate being worthless.

The cottage that her father lived in was next to a small village in an out of the way corner of Britain. It was a muggle village of course and thus filled with potential targets. Dolores Umbridge became the most hated woman there inside a week.

By the time that a month had gone by, people were seriously contemplating murder. It wasn't like anyone would tell the police anything about who had killed the woman, so they could probably get away with it.

When one of the village teenagers excitedly told his parents that he'd seen an arrest warrant 'for that pink toad woman' on an internet news site, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder no less, they barely even bothered to verify their son's words before calling the police.

The muggle and magical worlds might be separate, but they did have a certain level of contact in places such as law enforcement(skewed in favor of the magical though it was), so word reached the Auror Office within hours. The subsequent arrest of Dolores Umbridge was a rather undramatic affair, as the aurors stunned her before she even properly realized what was going on.

"What a circus." Harry muttered as he and Sirius made their way into the Wizengamot judicial chamber.

It was filled with wizards and witches in plum colored robes, most of them older than dirt and probably about as qualified to be presiding over a trial as a three-year-old with Down Syndrome. Nevertheless they were indeed here for a trial, the trial of Dolores Jane Umbridge to be precise. Maybe they were hoping for a free lollipop at the end?

"Why do you think I never attend the meetings?" Sirius muttered back. He too thought that circus was an apt word for the Wizengamot. One person on trial and over fifty judges, the vast majority of whom made decisions based on their own private agendas rather than even the vaguest notion of justice, could hardly be called anything else.

"Order in the chamber." Dumbledore intoned formally, quieting the murmur of conversation that had been going on.

"The ringmaster has spoken." Harry muttered mockingly to his godfather.

Sirius snickered.

"Bring in the accused."

Umbridge walked in accompanied by two aurors that Harry wasn't familiar with, her nose in the air and a neck that looked stiff as a board. She aimed a short glare at Fudge but otherwise didn't look at anyone. A man that Harry figured was her legal counsel was also with them.

A short litany of information followed; who the interrogators were, the name of Umbridge's advocate and such.

"Criminal trial of the seventeenth of April for conspiracy to commit murder by Dolores Jane Umbridge on Harry James Potter." Dumbledore finished reciting. "How does the accused plea?"

"Not guilty." Umbridge said sweetly.

"Very well." Dumbledore nodded. "Madam Bones, you may present your evidence."

"We have a confession by Royston Welch, saying that he and his friends spoke to Madam Umbridge on the third of January, whereupon she paid them to kill Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour and whoever their hostages for the second task of the Tri-Wizard tournament would be."

"That hardly proves anything." Umbridge's lawyer interjected. "Anyone could have used Polyjuice to impersonate Madam Umbridge, perhaps hoping to frame her."

Amelia had known this argument would come up. It was practically a staple of any trial where eye witnesses were involved. It was a perfectly valid argument even, as people had done exactly that in the past to set up their enemies.

But she knew that Umbridge was as guilty as sin. The toad thought herself clever, but she really wasn't. Petty and vicious, but not clever. It would be just like her to conduct a deal like that in person without considering that things might go pear shaped.

For that purpose, Amelia had prepared a little 'insurance' to make sure that she didn't wiggle out of a sentence.

"Then explain this. " She said, pulling out a piece of parchment. "A set of instructions that was found in Welch's robes, signed by Madam Umbridge herself. The analysts have already confirmed that it was indeed she who had signed it."

No such thing had been found on Welch of course. It was a forgery with Umbridge's signature lifted from some other piece of parchment so that analysis would confirm it was really her signature. If questioned, Welch would swear up and down that Umbridge had indeed given it to him. He got a five year sentence reduction out of it after all.

Amelia didn't enjoy being a hypocrite, but she enjoyed criminals going free even less and both the Ministry and Wizengamot were rife with them. If she could put one piece of scum like Umbridge behind bars by compromising her morals, then so be it.

She had still been relatively young when she had the leadership of the DMLE dropped into her lap. With Crouch Sr. being dismissed from the post, Moody refusing to be promoted and all the people dead fighting Voldemort, she'd suddenly found herself being the most senior eligible auror in the department. They'd stuck her behind a desk with a bare few months experience at running a sub-department, nevermind the whole DMLE.

Many Death Eaters were now 'pillars of society' because she had been too inexperienced at the politicking involved in the position to make anything stick to the slippery bastards.

But that had been thirteen years ago, and she had learned that it was sometimes better to put high minded principles aside in order to get things done.

Sitting next to his godfather in the stands, Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the room exploded into a furor.

"Is it normal to spring evidence like this in the middle of a trial?" He asked quietly.

"I'm not really sure," Sirius admitted. "but nobody seems to be protesting, so I guess it must be."

Harry could only shake his head at that. This really was a circus. He would freely admit to not knowing all the nuances of the mundane legal system, but he was pretty sure that you couldn't just pull new evidence out of your arse while a trial was underway.

"Lies!" The distinctive screech of Umbridge sounded through the din. "It's a forgery! I never wrote that!"

Dumbledore had apparently decided that the excitement had gone on long enough and issued forth a bang from his wand, calling for order.

"Madam Umbridge, you dispute this document?" He asked once things had settled down.

"I do! Bones planted that evidence to frame me!" The pink dressed woman said firmly.

A few people scoffed. Everyone knew that Amelia Bones was a woman of great integrity, even her enemies.

"So the sighting of you was due to Polyjuice and the incriminating evidence is a forgery." Said woman spoke stonily. "Then perhaps you would like to explain why you disappeared mere days after Royston Welch was arrested?"

"Madam Umbridge was visiting her ailing father." The lawyer answered smoothly. "Surely your aurors reported that was where she was when they broke into the house and stunned her without so much as a word being spoken?"

"We can resolve this very quickly if Madam Umbridge would consent to the use of Veritaserum. We know that she has taken no antidote and has no skill with Occlumency, so it would be effective."

Amelia knew that her own duplicity would be revealed if Umbridge actually agreed, but there was no chance of that happening. The whole thing was a ruse to cast more doubt on the toad's character when she refused.

How she wished that she could implement the use of the truth potion in all criminal investigations, but she knew that it was never going to happen. Aside from the antidote and Occlumency, those of sufficient willpower could also resist it, not to mention that it only revealed the truth as the drinker saw it. Those were all just excuses though. The real reason that Veritaserum was banned from use in criminal investigations was because people in power were deathly allergic to the truth and didn't want to risk having it used against them if they legalized its use.

"Veritaserum that was no doubt tampered with to get the results you want!" Umbridge snapped back.

As arguments were thrown back and forth, Fudge sat in the Wizengamot seat reserved for the Minister of Magic in conspicuous silence.

He really didn't want to convict Dolores. Not so much because he was overly fond of her, but because it would set a bad precedent of backstabbing his allies. But when he looked around the room and caught the intense green eyes of the young wizard who had pushed him to allow this trial to happen, Fudge knew that he didn't have a choice.

Do it . The stare seemed to say. Do it or else .

Fudge didn't want to find out what Harry would do if Dolores was deemed innocent. The Boy-Who-Lived may not have any official standing as of yet, but he could do a lot of damage with just a few words.

So he cleared his throat loudly to get people's attention and spoke. "With Madam Umbridge refusing Veritaserum, her guilt seems clear. I propose that we vote on it now."

Fudge resolutely did not look at the furious betrayal on Dolores' face as the noble lords and ladies Wizengamot voted guilty in an overwhelming majority. Many found Umbridge useful as a patsy to influence the Minister, but there wasn't a single soul in the room that didn't also find her incredibly annoying. They could always find another patsy.

"You'll regret this!" Umbridge shrieked as she saw the amount of people that were voting guilty. "You'll all regret this!"

Harry stared at the pudgy woman as she was led away, the hatred beneath her skin now visible as she screamed threats and insults every step of the way from the room.

He was oddly disappointed by the whole affair. He had been hoping to somehow contrive to trap her into a public duel to the death, but he could hardly justify that now.

"Here comes Fudge." Sirius muttered, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Harry looked over to see that the fat idiot was indeed coming over, his face a strange mixture of nervousness and eagerness. Well he'd made use of the Minister for Hire and now it was time to pay up. He could already hear the vultures outside the courtroom clamoring for a statement. Fucking reporters.

Less than two weeks later, Harry found himself returning to Potter Manor due to a summons from Penny. Apparently there was something of a situation afoot.

Walking into the room where the situation was taking place, he could only sigh in exasperation. What the hell was up with all the drama this year? Sure, he had kind of volunteered for some of it with the tournament and all, but this was ridiculous.

"Someone want to fill me in?" He suggested.

Sirius looked disgruntled and Adrastia looked amused.

"Hello, Harry. I needed to talk to you." The femme fatale said in a friendly manner.

"But she refuses to say what about." His godfather groused.

"I refuse to tell you what it is about, because it isn't any of your business." Adrastia riposted.

"Harry's my godson!" Sirius argued.

"And everyone in this room knows that he is more mature than you, so your argument doesn't hold any water. Be a good boy and go chase a squirrel in the backyard while we talk."

"I'm not leaving you alone with him!" Sirius glared.

"Her tricks don't work on me, remember? I'll be fine." Harry interjected irritably. Sirius had moped for a while after Adrastia had dumped him because she'd worked him over enough to get him decently infatuated, but now that had all turned into resentment on his part. "She's probably just winding you up anyway."

"But…"

"No buts. I'll tell you about it later if it's nothing sensitive."

"Fine." Sirius stalked out with a scowl.

"Are you regretting that you didn't let me kill him?" Adrastia asked, smiling.

"No." Harry said snippily. "Teeny, could you please bring us some drinks?"

Two glasses filled with colorful fruit cocktails appeared on a nearby table, complete with drinking straws.

"You see, this is one of the reasons why you are so much better than your godfather. You have an understanding of basic courtesy." Adrastia said and took one of the glasses, closing her eyes as she sucked on the straw and let out an almost sexual moan of enjoyment. "This is very good, your elf should be proud of herself."

Harry shook his head as he took the other drink and sat down, ignoring the stirring of his loins at her behavior. "You probably just made her day."

Adrastia smiled. She had always been a firm believer of treating one's house elves well. Only fools made enemies of their servants after all, even bonded ones. Besides, they were just so earnest that abusing them was beyond petty. "I was merely being honest."

"I assume you're here for some other reason than baiting Sirius?"

"I came to ask you on a date." She said glibly.

Harry choked on his own fruity concoction in sheer surprise. "What?"

"You heard me. I've been invited to a small get-together in Vienna that an old friend of mine is throwing and I need a date. I can't think of anyone better than you to accompany me there."

"I didn't know you had friends." Harry sniped.

"You wound me, my dear." Adrastia pouted sexily. "Just because my type of friends wouldn't fit in with Britain's magical elite doesn't mean I don't have them."

"Riiiiight." He drawled and continued sarcastically. "Anyway, it may have escaped your notice that I'm fourteen and still in school."

"You chose to discard your childhood when you took a ritual knife to your own flesh, do not try to hide behind your years now. You look twenty and act like it most of the time as well. Furthermore, Sirius told me that you are intending to use this tournament to emancipate yourself and leave Hogwarts."

Harry scowled. Of course Sirius did. It seemed like Voldemort's Horcrux was the only thing he hadn't told her, and even that was probably down to pure luck since it wasn't exactly a topic you can stumble on by accident.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I simply have no interest in going to a party in Vienna." There were a thousand other things he'd rather be doing, up to and including masturbating to gay porn, though just barely.

"I thought you might say that, so I made sure I had some leverage before I asked."

Harry closed his eyes and leaned back into the armchair in resignation. Of course she had leverage.

"What kind of leverage?"

"Did you know that I came to watch you during the second task?" Adrastia asked idly.

"No." Harry replied, not even bothering to ask how that was relevant.

"I suppose Nymphadora didn't pass on my greetings then. A pity."

"You spoke to her?" Harry demanded, tension crawling over his frame. He hadn't even known that the Metamorphmagus had been at the second task.

"I did indeed, though our conversation was brief." Adrastia confirmed, paying no mind to his suddenly dangerous air. It was only to be expected. "She was quite angry at me, likely due to a combination of her job and my part in the trouble that your relationship was going through, however tangential it was."

"What did you say to her?" Harry asked, his tone still demanding.

"Nothing much. We traded a few insults and I pointed out that she never would have given you the time of day if you weren't as impressive as you are. She walked out on me before anything meanigful could be said really."

Harry relaxed slightly. He couldn't sense any lie and what she had said wouldn't have pushed Dora into leaving him, though he would also ask her about it when there was an opportunity.

"What does this have to do with your leverage?" He asked, abandoning the topic.

"This in particular has nothing to do with it, the fact that I was there does. I had high hopes for seeing some kind of spectacle with you involved, but your stupid Ministry apparently didn't think things through very well and arranged for an event where the spectators could only watch the surface of a lake for an hour. This was obviously boring, so I left early. Imagine my surprise upon learning that I had actually missed some excitement when you dragged a Death Eater from the lake. I waited with baited breath for news on this development, only to receive… nothing."

"Yeah, Fudge was blocking the investigation." Harry grunted, still irritated by the memory.

"Yes, I do not usually pay much attention to puppets, but I have since heard about that dumpling and his obsession with public image." Adrastia nodded. "But it was not the Death Eater that caught my interest, but the other assassin."

"Let me guess, you know who he is?" Harry sighed. He wasn't even going to bother asking how she had learned about that not-exactly-public-knowledge bit of information. The Ministry leaked information like a sieve and a woman like her could get it easily enough, either through bribery or other means.

"Know him?" Adrastia laughed. "I've made use of him myself. The magical world is rather small, is it not?"

"Of course you did." Harry sighed again. "So who is he?"

"Murder for hire, nobody you need concern yourself with. It was nothing personal." Adrastia prevaricated.

"He tried to kill me." Harry retorted tersely.

"But he failed and will not try again. That is something you should be proud of by the way, he is rather good at what he does after all." She said glibly. "What you should concern yourself with is who hired him."

"I would love to concern myself with that, but the list of people that might want me dead probably isn't short."

"True, your involvement in the Dark Lord's destruction would have made you many enemies among his followers and those whose views aligned with his own." She agreed. " But, I am in posession of information that narrows that list down considerably."

Namely the fact that It would take someone quite well connected to the wider European underground to get in contact with Goran. The isolationist attitude of Britain's wizards and witches generally restricted the possibilites to their wealthy social elite, with whom she was quite familiar thanks to her hobby. Cross reference that with the list of those who were of a more morally dubious persuasion and the list became very short indeed. Cross reference again with the list of those who stood to gain the most and keep in mind the incident at the World Cup, and one name suddenly stood far above all others.

Truly, Lucius Malfoy was too used to how many liberties his gold bought him. He was not nearly as subtle as he thought he was, nor was he the only one with connections.

"But you won't tell me unless I agree to be your date to this party?" Harry deduced sourly.

"Intelligence is a very attractive trait in a man." Adrastia purred in lieu of a confirmation.

Harry rubbed a hand over his face. He really didn't want to go to this party and he didn't want to get entangled any deeper with Adrastia, but he couldn't very well ignore the fact that someone was trying to kill him. They'd succeed eventually and she knew it, the sexy bitch.

"When is the party?" He asked in defeat.

"On Christmas." She answered, smiling brightly. "You don't need to worry about anything, I'll provide both the clothes you'll be wearing and the transport."

"Fine." He agreed grumpily, glaring at his empty glass as if it had just cast aspersions on his parentage. He had to wonder what the catch was about this party, because he didn't believe for a moment that it was as simple as she made it sound.

"Come now, don't be like that." Adrastia said with a sexy pout. "You'll enjoy it, I promise."

"Whatever." Harry grunted, not really believing her. "Just tell me who's trying to kill me."

"Lucius Malfoy."

Harry's eyebrows shot towards his hairline in surprise. But on the other hand… "I guess I can see that, I have kind of been bullying his son this whole year." And the man had already demonstrated enough pettyness to retaliate against Penny for giving the stupid brat a detention.

Adrastia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Silly fool, he wouldn't be trying to kill you over a schoolyard scuffle. If anything, he would be disappointed in his son for being unable to handle it himself in one way or another. No, he is trying to kill you because you are a danger to his ambitions."

"What ambitions am I a danger to?" Harry asked in confusion. "I couldn't get seriously involved in politics yet even if I wanted to."

Adrastia sighed in disappointment at how dense he was. Perhaps she should have expected this given who his godfather was, but she had for some reason assumed that Harry wouldn't be so ignorant on the topic.

"Not those ambitions. Sirius made you Heir to the Black family, yes?"

"Yes." Harry nodded cautiously.

"And Narcissa Malfoy is Sirius' cousin, yes?"

"Yes."

"That would have made Draco Malfoy the only viable Heir to the Black family holdings until you showed up and usurped his position. Lucius was not likely to be pleased about having that boon for his family snatched away by the unexpected event of Sirius being declared innocent."

"Ah, this bullshit." Harry said irritably. His grandparents' portraits had wanted to educate him on the matter of politics between Britain's prominent families, but he had waved them off, being utterly disinterested in that pureblood garbage aside from when it was immediately relevant. They had been annoyed, as his father had apparently blown them off too, but they were just portraits and couldn't put up much of a fight. Maybe he shouldn't have done that, but it had just seemed like such a huge waste of time when he could be doing something more interesting.

At least this finally explained why Malfoy Sr. had tried to get himself included that day when he had gone to talk to Amelia Bones, he had intended to manipulate Fudge into blocking Sirius' name from being cleared no doubt.

"Do you have proof?" He asked.

"Nothing that you could use." Adrastia answered. Malfoy had covered his tracks well enough for that.

"Then you could be wrong." Harry pointed out.

"Perhaps." She allowed. "But I'm not. Lucius Malfoy is the only wizard in the United Kingdom with both the means and sufficient motive to have orchestrated that assassination attempt. And to be blunt, he is also the only one in his social circle that is really active instead of merely re active."

"You're awfully sure of yourself for someone who isn't even British." He said cynically.

"I did spend a few years living here you know." She countered glibly. "It behooves a woman of my particular tastes and lifestyle to be aware of which sheep aspire to be wolves."

Harry couldn't help himself from snorting.

"Even if you're right, conjecture isn't going to let me do anything to him." And I can't just stroll into Malfoy Manor and murder him either.

"True." Adrastia agreed, smiling.

Harry sank into silence as he considered the problem. Malfoy would obviously have to die, he was simply too much trouble for any other solution to be acceptable, but how to do it? What he would have really liked would be to face the blond peacock in a public duel to the death like he had wanted to do with Umbridge. That would be the perfect time to show off his skill with wandless magic and terrify any would be schemers into backing off. But he needed a reason aside from 'I want to kill him' to set something like that up.

"Would you like some help?" Adrastia offered, sounding very amused.

Harry glared at her sourly.

She took that as a yes. "What you need to do is hit him where it really hurts. Lucius Malfoy is the sort to be obsessed with his family name. Throw dirt on that and he will go to great lengths to defend it."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" He asked with a sarcastically raised eyebrow. "Even publically calling him a Death Eater will just make me look childish."

"You really should educate yourself on the politics between the Noble Houses." Adrastia advised. "You are thinking of the situation from the perspective of Harry Potter the individual instead of as the future Lord Black. Once you are considered an adult in the eyes of the law and Sirius abdicates his position, you will have some control over Malfoy's wife and son, who are Blacks by birth. Providing that Arcturus Black adhered to the old ways - and he was known to be a staunch traditionalist - you should be able to contrive a reason to dissolve the marriage between Lucius and Narcissa as well as cast both her and Draco out of the family easily enough. That would leave his wife essentially nameless and hurt his prestige greatly as he is not himself part of the nobility. He would have little choice but to contest it."

"And I could offer to let it be settled by an honor duel." Harry finished, seeing where she was going with this.

"Exactly."

"And I can't tell Sirius about this, because he'd probably try to do it himself out of some misguided notion of protecting me." It also meant waiting until the summer and possibly giving Malfoy another shot at him, though he likely wouldn't have an opportunity to do it anywhere but at the third task.

"Probably."

"Why is it that every time you show up, I end up in some stupid lose-lose situation?"

"But look on the bright side, Harry. You get to take me to a party."

"I stand corrected, it's a lose-lose situation with some extra lose attached to it."

"So negative! Is it any wonder that Nymphadora left you?"

Harry glowered at the smiling woman. He knew that it wasn't really her fault that he was in this situation with Malfoy just like the mess with Dora and the Joining wasn't her fault. She'd only been removing his ignorance after all. But he didn't know what she was playing at and he didn't trust her.

"Who exactly is this friend of yours that's throwing this party?" He asked suspiciously.

"Now that would be telling." She teased.

"That's the idea, yes." Harry retorted sarcastically.

"Secrets are part of a lady's charm." She deflected loftily.

"You're about as charming as a human sized praying mantis in expensive clothes." He grumbled.

Adrastia burst into surprised laughter at comparison, unable to help herself.

Harry watched as the beautiful witch continued laughing gaily and found his own traitorous lips curving into a smile against his will. What he'd said wasn't true of course. Adrastia was charming, very much so even. That was the whole fucking problem. She wouldn't be half as dangerous if she was easy to dislike.

It took over a minute before her amusement died down and she regained her composure, trailing off into a final chuckle. "Oh my, I haven't laughed like that in years. If you keep on being so entertaining I might have to come around more often."

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Come now, Harry, don't be such a sourpuss. We're friends aren't we?"

"No."

Adrastia pouted playfully at the flat denial, not at all discouraged. They may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but she knew that Harry clicked far better with her than he did with the general population. The party that they would be attending together should serve to mellow him out as well.

Fleur gripped her wand tightly as she stared into Harry's intent gaze across the Room of Requirement. He had no wand in his hand, determined to fight handicapped. She would have been insulted if she didn't know it had nothing to do with her.

Harry had intensified his own training considerably of late, giving her the feeling that he was preparing for more than just the third task. As they had been told what the third task would be just yesterday, she expected him to be even more intense from now on. There was only a month left until the 24th of June after all.

"On the count of three." Luna said in her role as referee/spectator. "One, two, three!"

Fleur immediately started firing stunners at Harry, but he dodged easily, his reflexes honed through months of practice. And unlike when he had started, he barely needed to think about it anymore, leaving him plenty of opportunity to retaliate.

Fleur saw the small swarm of Magic Missiles as Harry called them moving towards her and put up a shield, knowing that dodging was useless. Her reaction time was impeccable, but unfortunately premature as Harry had made them deliberately slow in order to waste her time.

Immediately after casting the Magic Missiles, Harry started on a new spell, a Conjuration this time. A familiar one that he had used quite a few times already, though usually not in combat.

Fleur had realized his deception quickly, but was struck by a brief moment of indecision. Should she keep up the shield and wait for the slow moving magical projectiles to reach her, or should she return to the attack?

It was enough for Harry to finish his spell and release it. Grease, a Conjuration of the First Circle. It wasn't quite the same as the usual fantasy game equivalent, as Harry had replaced the actual grease with sexual lubricant. Aside from being more familiar with it(He'd bought some Durex play gel specifically for the purpose of learning how to magically conjure the stuff), he also didn't want to cover Fleur in flammable material.

Fleur found herself struggling to stay standing on the suddenly slick floor, hindering her ability to focus on the duel. More to the point, she recognized what exactly Harry had conjured and was quite incredulous that he would use something like that in combat.

That gave Harry all the time he needed to cast a stunner at the veela. With her footing and focus too badly disrupted to cast a shield in time, she took a direct hit.

The next thing Fleur knew, she was lying on the ground, looking up at the ceiling.

"'Arry?" She said calmly.

"Yes?" He asked, amused.

"Did you cover ze floor with lubricant?" She asked, still calmly.

"I did." He nodded.

Fleur took a deep breath and got up. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of saying how stupid that was. It clearly worked, which meant it wasn't stupid. At least the conjured gunk vanished without leaving a trace on her clothes and hair.

They continued with the training for the next hour. They didn't use anything more dangerous than stunners or mild bludgeoning spells, as they didn't want to send each other to the infirmary, but it was still good practice. Sometimes Fleur won due to the superior casting speed that her wand allowed her and sometimes Harry would pull off a particularly clever trick to score a victory. They were short duels, usually only lasting a few spells each. Contrary to popular opinion, a magical duel was usually decided within moments rather than being a drawn out affair, the exceptions being battles between the extremely powerful and dumb situations like the underwater battle during the second task.

Fleur had long since asked Harry to teach her wandless magic, but he had refused. He was teaching Luna because she was his best friend and he knew that he could trust her implicitly. Fleur was nice, but he was not going to hand out his secrets to every pretty face that he got along with.

Fleur had been disappointed, but she had understood. She took it as less of a 'never' and more as a 'not yet'.

After the indignation of having her advances rejected had faded, the veela had decided to take his advice and do some thinking.

She had realized with a measure of guilt that she had been treating Harry the same way that most men treated veela. A prize to be taken, a status symbol.

Fleur had always found this mindset infuriating. It was easy to see where it came from of course. All veela were physically very similar, they had the same silver-blonde hair, the same sky-blue eyes, the same flawless complexion even. Put two veela whose families had not been in contact with each other for centuries close together and you could still easily mistake them for sisters. Furthermore, they all had the same innate abilities and magical proficiencies. It made it easy to think of all veela as identical clones of each other rather than individuals.

Easy or not, it was still deeply irritating to be considered as just another representative of her species rather than as herself. It was one of the main reasons that had pushed her into being the best and entering this tournament.

Harry wasn't in the same situation obviously. He was what she had always strived to be. Unique, exceptional. The source of Fleur's shame was that she had put little effort into getting to know him aside from her efforts at seducing him. She had wanted him simply because he was special. Perhaps even worse, she had been working under the assumption that she just had to get him into her bed once and he'd be hers. Even learning about his surprising ability to perform the Joining hadn't really changed that.

She had essentially been planning to snatch him for herself before anyone else could, like a jealous child hoarding the cookie jar. Yes, veela were drawn to the powerful thanks to their heritage, but this was beneath her.

Armed with this realization, Fleur had set out to really befriend Harry instead of just doing it as a means to an end and discovered that she had missed quite a few things.

She hadn't put much thought into how she felt about his personality before. Once a veela chose a mate and began sleeping with him or her regularly, their personality tended to… adjust, to better fit the veela. They remained the same person of course, they just… became a better fit for the veela in question. Taking a man's thoughts into account was new territory for her, but she dealt with it by pretending that he was a fellow veela to make it easier.

Without the reality lense of 'I'm a veela, it'll sort itself out', Fleur discovered that Harry had several personality traits that she didn't like too much.

He inevitably got tired of people after a certain time and retreated into solitude. He held grudges a lot longer than necessary. He was secretive and getting him to open up was like pulling teeth. There was an undercurrent of quiet contempt in his regard for most people. Nothing easily defined, but Fleur had noticed several times how he seemed to be restraining himself from impatiently tapping his foot when someone other than Luna or herself would come talk to him, as if he resented having his time wasted. Not even teachers seemed to be spared from this, with the possible exception of Dumbledore and the dark haired Arithmancy professor, Vector Fleur thought her name was, whom she had long since deduced through the elimination of all other possibilities as the one that he was sleeping with.

But for all that, Fleur also found plenty to like.

He took care of those who were close to him. There was a maturity to him that most boys didn't develop until their late teens, if not even later. He was thoughtful and considered his words carefully before he spoke, a trait that was perpetually in short supply. Perhaps most relevantly to her, he had always treated her as a person instead of as just a veela. His good looks certainly didn't hurt either.

All in all, Fleur had determined that she liked what she saw. Most of the flaws she had noted in him so far didn't really affect her, which made them unimportant and his positive traits more than made up for them. He was the kind of friend she would have liked to have in Beauxbatons instead of the acquaintances that passed for friends currently. He would probably give her a look of derision paired with an acerbic remark if she asked him to go shopping with her, but that was a small price to pay for having someone that would stick around and help her if she ever got into trouble.

In the six weeks or so that had passed since Harry had rejected her advances, she'd become good friends with both him and Luna. The sort of friends that were hard to come by for veela outside of their own kind. There was only one thing missing from the equation that would make it better and if it eventually grew into something more… well, Fleur would consider that a win. If it didn't, then she would still have a handsome male friend to have sex with and that wasn't something to be turned down. She was already long overdue to sate her needs and if she waited any longer, she was going to have to pick some random boy to have her way with or else she risked her Allure getting out of hand. That was something that she really didn't want to do. It would be the equivalent of settling for stale bread when there was a freshly baked loaf right in front of her.

"'Arry, could we talk?" Fleur asked at the conclusion of their last duel, glancing towards the cheerfully spectating Luna. "In private."

She didn't really have any particular objection to the younger blonde's desire to watch them having sex, veela not being at all ashamed of their sexuality. it would probably be beneficial to convince Harry to allow it sometime in the future actually, since Fleur was certain that Luna would become a staple of Harry's sex life as soon as she turned sixteen. That was one girl that knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to say so, which was something that Fleur could respect.

But it wouldn't be today. Harry hadn't grown up with a veela's sensibilities and wouldn't be comfortable with an audience. Fleur would try to loosen him up in the future, especially if things progressed like she hoped and a real relationship grew between them. Gabrielle would need someone to teach her about being a veela in a few years and she knew that her mother would suggest that she do it, as practice for her own daughters.

Rather than being upset at the implied request that she leave the room, Luna beamed happily at Fleur. "Have fun!"

Fleur couldn't help smiling. That girl really was a gem.

"Sure." Harry agreed. He had a feeling that this was coming and wasn't surprised.

"I 'ave thought about what you said." Fleur said casually, stepping closer to him.

"Reached any conclusions?" He asked, now looking down at her.

" Oui. " She confirmed, sliding her hands up his chest and then his neck so that she could pull him down for a kiss.

"Alright then." He wasn't going to question her any further if she was certain. What would happen would happen.

Fleur let out a low sound of enjoyment from her throat when their lips met. She had always known that Harry was powerful, but knowing it and getting to taste it were two entirely different things. The hour was late and his magic had long since turned cold, but her body burned with need.

Harry was a bit surprised at how aggressive Fleur became after their first kiss. He was used to taking the lead during sex and it seemed that so was Fleur. This should be fun.

The two of them quickly divested each other of their clothes and stumbled towards the bed that the Room of Requirement had provided for them.

Harry was intending to lay Fleur on her back, but she had other plans and shoved him onto the bed. Eyebrows raised in surprise, he took in sight of the panting veela standing at the foot of the bed. She truly was magnificent.

She also took the opportunity to get a good look at him and licked her lips at the sight. Yes, this was definitely the right thing to do. Even if everything went wrong later, it would be a crime not to have at least one night with him.

She joined him on the bed, going for a quick kiss before impatiently migrating further south.

Harry let out a surprised groan of pleasure when she took him in her mouth, having not expected her to go there quite so quickly. She wasn't quite as good at it as the now rather practiced Septima, but there was no faulting her enthusiasm.

Fleur did not actually care right now how good she was at it. All she cared about was bringing him to orgasm as fast as possible. The small taste of his magic that she'd gotten from the kiss had left her aching for something more substantial and she was determined to get it.

A not much talked about facet of magic was that all bodily fluids carried some of it. It was the reason that blood was held in such reverence by wizards and witches everywhere, in a manner completely separate from any notions of blood purity, though it was no doubt a factor in how that nonsense got started.

But blood was a vampire's fixation. For veela, a wizard's seed and its instrinsic connection to sexuality was their main interest.

With the effort Fleur was putting into it, it didn't take long before Harry was reaching orgasm.

She ignored his warnings and barely heard his pleasured groan as his seed filled her mouth. She barely even registered that it actually tasted a bit sweet rather than the expected salty flavour. All of that was irrelevant compared to the sheer potency of the magic held in it. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before and she greedily guzzled it all down and then kept sucking on his member as if it was a straw, wanting more.

Harry groaned in near pain when she didn't let up. He had felt her magic swelling in strength when she had swallowed his sperm and realized that perhaps the blood of Lilith wasn't quite as thin in the long dead Succubi Queen's veela descendants as he'd thought. Fleur's magic now roared against his own like a furnace, firing up his runes as if the damn Sun was actually up.

He wasn't willing to just lay there and be a meal for her though. He'd gotten rather fond of the dominant position and wasn't going to concede it so easily. He reached down to grab Fleur's head and flipped them over so that she was the one on her back. The move fortunately also took her enough by surprise that he was able to liberate his member from the vaccum grip her lips had had around it.

"My turn." He growled, grabbing both of her hands and pinning them to the bed. Fleur momentarily glared bloody murder at him but rationality quickly returned and she smiled invitingly.

"I am all yours, 'Arry." She purred, bucking her hips towards him.

He gave her a quick kiss just like she had done to him earlier and moved down her body. Unlike her however, he did not immediately dive for the prize between her legs even though he really wanted to. Instead, he stopped at her nipples and began teasing them with his teeth and tongue, making sure to keep her arms and legs pinned the whole time.

At first, Fleur was content to enjoy it. Then she started bucking impatiently when he didn't move forward after the first thirty seconds. By the time that a minute had passed, she was actively fighting to escape his grip on her, complete with the occasional bit of French vulgarity.

Harry meanwhile was taking glee in tormenting her like this. Fleur was clearly used to being in control during sex. That was perfectly understandable, as the combination of Allure and her rampant sexuality had no doubt railroaded everyone she'd ever slept with into submission. That made taking control away from her all the sweeter and she couldn't do anything about it because he was considerably bigger, heavier and stronger than her.

By the five minute mark, her magic was making the air around them noticeably hotter, her struggles were downright violent, her groin had become slick with her juices and her words had turned into an almost birdlike screech that rang with magic. The most amazing thing however, had to be the appearance of something that Harry had originally taken to be fur, but had soon identified to actually be a fuzz of downy feathers.

Perhaps unwisely, he decided to continue teasing her. Not only was this transformation utterly fascinating, but her reactions were just too sexy for him to want to stop just yet.

He kept at it for another minute, the feathery fuzz getting thicker with every second and her arms grew actual feathers.

Then he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his hands and instinctively jerked them away, setting the lust maddened veela free.

She immediately used the opportunity to spin them around so that he was once again on his back and straddled him. He barely had time to realize what had happened before she impaled herself on his painfully hard member with a triumphant screech.

He gasped in shock at the incredible, unnatural heat surrounding him. The sensation was beyond incredible and he knew that he wasn't going to last long. Eyes still wide with surprise at the turnaround, he took in the inhuman creature that was now riding him with a violent intensity.

Her whole body now sported a light covering of silver fuzz, with larger feathers growing from her upper arms. Her fingers were tipped with curved, bloodstained talons. Her head remained mostly clear of the fuzz except for a bit at her ears, but the face itself was somewhat different than normal. It was sharper and somehow crueler, though that could be the effect of her now black eyes.

" Join with me ." She said in French with a strange, melodious echo to her voice.

Harry somehow knew what she wanted even though he couldn't understand the words and he could easily feel the powerful compulsion in them. It was like phoenix song turned into speech and he doubted that there were many people alive who would be able to resist it.

He was one of them, thought it was debatable whether that was down to how he had altered his own soul or to pure willpower. It was a moot point in any case as he had no intention of refusing.

He sent his magic out to embrace hers as their climax approached. He felt her walls clamp around him like a vice as her magic flared more brightly than ever and he released into her with a loud groan, her own cry of pleasure belonging more to a bird than a woman.

For the first time, Harry experienced what it was like to perform the Joining with someone who could do it themselves, however wild and uncontrolled. For a few glorious moments, he had an instinctive understanding of Fleur the likes of which even a lifetime of conversation wouldn't impart. Her Light washed through him like a river of flame, pushing back the Dark as if she was his very own Sun.

On Fleur's side, things were a little different. With the way that Harry had been teasing her, rationality had nearly fled her completely. There had been only desire and raw need, instinct having gone completely beyond control and turning her into a slave to her own lust.

Finally having him inside her had helped, but she had still completely forgotten that he couldn't understand French. She had barely managed not to simply shriek at him like a bird as it was.

Having his powerfully magical seed shooting into her had been every bit as intense and wonderful as she had hoped and had set off the most powerful orgasm she'd ever had in her life.

Lost in her own pleasure, she didn't even realize that her eyes had slipped shut and her focus turned to the soul of the man now Joined with her.

His magic had always both intrigued and frightened her and now she saw why. Patches of it were almost like a veela's, but so much more raw and haphazard, looking almost crudely attached to his soul. And in the darkest depths of it, she saw what looked like an endless black pit that was constantly drawing in everything it could reach and only being held back by a prison of burning starlight. Even as she stared into that black abyss she felt it pulling on her now that she was Joined with Harry. It was like standing on top of a great cliff and looking out into eternity and seeing the death of all things. But she knew instinctively that it had to be there, or else there would be nothing to keep the fires in check. A precarious balance between Light and Dark that Harry could no longer live without.

And then the moment passed and Fleur collapsed on Harry's chest, panting for breath as the veela transformation receded. The knowledge of what she'd seen during the Joining slipped away from her mind as if she was trying to hold on to smoke, leaving behind nothing but a vague dread on Harry's behalf.

For several long minutes neither did anything except lay quietly in the afterglow.

Then Harry took a deep breath and released it. "Wow."

Fleur giggled, inordinately pleased with herself for getting that reaction from him. "Are you regretting your decision to reject me ze first time?"

Harry hummed and ran a hand over her bottom. "No, I think this is better."

It was only then that he felt the stinging in his hands and brought them closer for a look.

"I am sorry." Fleur said guiltily as she saw the cuts on them.

"Quite alright, I was kind of asking for it." Harry reassured her and focused on a healing spell. His runes had already started the healing process, but there was no reason not to speed things up. In a few moments, the small wounds had closed, leaving behind only thin scars.

" Oui, you were asking for eet." Fleur agreed, remembering how maddening it had been to have her breasts played with when all she wanted him to do was plow her.

She had pushed herself up a bit on his chest to look at him when she said that and could suddenly do nothing but stare. There in the middle of Harry's forehead was a scar in what could only be a runic shape, though one she was unfamiliar with and there were two more circular ones on his temples. Looking down, she found his chest littered with rune scars of various design, his chest hair not really doing that great of a job hiding them.

"'Arry… what are zese?" She asked quietly, running a finger over his chest and the scars on them.

Harry's hand stilled where it had been fondling her bum. In a distant sort of way, he realized that he should be having a minor panic attack right about now because of this new development, but for some reason he wasn't. Some lingering effect of their Joining made him feel that this wasn't too big of a deal despite the fact that he knew that it really, really was.

"Ritual scars." He said with an unthinking casualness that even he was inwardly incredulous about. "They're a secret."

Fleur knew that she should be shocked. Rituals of this nature were highly illegal after all. Somehow though, it just didn't seem very shocking. She wanted to ask more, but the same lingering understanding that kept Harry's mind from instantly leaping towards damage control kept Fleur from digging into it. Secrets were dangerous. He would tell her eventually.

"They are sexy." She purred instead, lifting herself back up to a straddling position.

Harry grinned back at her and placed his hands on her hips. "I'm glad you think so." Then he flipped them over. "But I'm on top this time."

Later.

After several more rounds and an equal number of Joinings performed, Harry and Fleur were lying exhausted in the bed provided by the Room of Requirement, spooning contently. Neither one was intending to leave the bed until morning.

"I could get used to zis." Fleur murmured, more satisfied than she had ever felt in her life. Her magic was a glorious song echoing in her bones. The cold of Harry's that had once intimidated her was now familiar and soothing. "Will you come to France wiz me?"

"Maybe after the summer is over, I already have plans during it." Harry murmured back.

Fleur was immensely disappointed to hear that. "What plans? And 'ow would you come to France after ze summer when you 'ave school?"

"I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year, so I'll be able to go wherever I want." He answered the latter question first. "And there's a bunch of us going to a private island that Sirius' family owns."

While Fleur was considerably cheered up to hear that he wouldn't be stuck in this drafty castle for the next few years, she was still disappointed to hear that she wouldn't have him around during the summer. Although… "A private island…"

Harry grinned at her wistful sigh. She was doing that blatant hinting thing again. "Would you like to come too?"

"Yes!"

He chuckled at her eager response, inwardly wondering if he was setting himself up for an explosion. There were going to be a rather large amount of women that he was/had been sleeping with on that island. Eh, screw it. Whatever happens, happens.

The thought of things happening brought to mind something rather important. "Crap, hold on a second. I need to cast a contraceptive charm on you."

This time it was Fleur's turn to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked.

That made her laugh into the pillow.

"What?" He pressed insistently.

"Oh 'Arry, zose charms do not work on veela." She answered, still chuckling.

Harry froze. "Come again?"

"Veela need a special potion to prevent pregnancy." She explained. A veela getting pregnant was an event that had less to do with a man's sperm finding an egg than it did with a magical transfer. The sperm itself was still required, but as a vessel for the magic rather than to fertilize the eggs. It was the reason for their low fertility rates, all female offspring and inability to become pregnant with non-magical men, though Fleur wondered if Harry's potency and ability to perform the Joining might not increase the chances of pregnancy considerably. It was probably a good thing that he had reminded her actually. "Do not worry, I 'ave some in my room back at ze carriages."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that."

"I am sorry." Fleur said insincerely.

Four weeks later, on top of the Astronomy Tower at three in the morning.

It was a beautiful night, Harry thought. Cloudless and clear, with the stars shining brightly.

He was going to miss this bloody tower. It was a great place to think. In fact, he would probably miss this tower the most out of everything in Hogwarts.

Well… maybe not quite as much as Septima, but you couldn't really compare the two. He couldn't fuck the Astronomy Tower and he couldn't think on top of the Arithmancy professor.

Today was also the last time he would have one of his private lessons with Septima. He patted the object in his pocket and smiled. It would be interesting to see how much she had learned.

Their arrangement hadn't ended simply because he was now also sleeping with Fleur after all.

Later in the day.

Septima was currently teaching her last class of the term, the sixth years. It contained all the more serious students who had passed their OWLs and decided to try for a NEWT in Arithmancy. It was usually a very routine class to teach, she had long ago worked out a curriculum for all five years worth of students that she taught and deviations only happened once in a blue moon.

Today was very different though. Today she had to teach the class while experiencing a constant state of fear that had her insides squirming.

Fear that her moist folds would squelch obscenely for all to hear whenever she took a step. Fear that one of the periodic drops of vaginal fluid wouldn't trickle quietly down her legs but instead soak through her underwear to land on the floor with an audible splat. Fear that someone would be able to smell the musky scent of arousal wafting from between her legs.

She had never felt so alive.

Harry had done some pretty bold things since they started their sordid affair.

He had taken her on every piece of furniture she owned in the castle, as well as in her bath. There wasn't a single spot left in her room that didn't bring back memories of what they'd done there.

He had Vanished her underwear and presented her with an alternative that he found more appealing. Septima had never spent any notable amount of time among muggles and had certainly never seen undergarments so… small. She had been reluctant and embarrassed to wear something like that, but had to agree since the only other choice Harry had left her had been to go naked. The first few days of wearing them had been like a naughty adventure that made her feel as if she was playing a dirty joke on everyone. Now she couldn't believe that she'd ever been comfortable wearing the unflattering, baggy 'granny panties' as Harry had called them.

He had made her masturbate while he watched.

He had decided that since she gave him lessons in Arithmancy he would also give her lessons, and began teaching her how to relax her throat when she serviced him with her mouth so that she could take all of his length. Coincidentally, they had switched to four lessons per week instead of two since then.

For every new thing he did, she raised a token objection before accepting it, like they both knew she would. She was enjoying having her boundaries pushed too much to do anything else.

But this latest stunt took the cake, she would remember it until the day she died.

Flashback

Septima wasn't one of those people that were still half dead when they woke up, but she did like to come to her senses gradually.

She wasn't granted that luxury today, as a hand was placed over her mouth, making her scream into it and thrash instictively.

"Shhh. Calm down." A familiar voice said soothingly.

Incredulous blue eyes stared into amused emerald green. What the blazes was Harry doing in her room? Before the crack of dawn no less if the lack of light streaming in from her window was any indication.

"That night shirt looks good on you." He complimented, reaching out to give her nipple a light pinch through it.

Septima flushed. He had been the one to give her the sheer, shimmering garment and insisted that she wear it to bed. Not that she had a choice after he had Vanished all of her old night gowns, contemptuously calling them 'granny wear'. She didn't mind though, it was sexy.

"Get on your knees and lift your arse into the air." He ordered, finally taking his hand away from her mouth.

"Harry, we can't!" She protested, sitting up on the bed. "Someone will see you leaving my room." She wasn't the only teacher living in this part of the castle and Harry being seen leaving her room at this hour was a lot different than if it happened after a scheduled Arithmancy lesson.

"You let me worry about that, now do as I said."

She obeyed as they both knew she would. No matter how much anything new he did scared her, the exhiliration always won out.

She crawled to the center of the bed on all fours and lifted up her rear end while pressing her cheek into the bed. The nightie slid across her body until it was around her armpits, leaving her almost completely exposed. She felt him hook his fingers into the waistband of the g-string that was her only lower body garment and pulled it down around her knees. As a finishing touch, she felt a petrification spell take hold and lock her into place. Her vaginal opening drooled obscenely.

"Excited, are we?" He asked teasingly.

Septima felt another rush of blood go up to her face. She couldn't help getting wet when he was like this.

A finger gently probed her folds and made her shiver in anticipation. Then it retreated and she heard the unmistakable sound of it being licked. She shivered again.

"Mmm, still as tasty as ever."

If she could have, Septima would have jiggled her bum impatiently.

To her immense surprise, she felt a slick, spit covered digit being pushed into the tight ring of her anus. Before she could even properly register exactly what Harry had just done, she felt a spell go off and spray her bowels with something gooey and viscous.

She tried to lift her head and demand an explanation, but the petrification kept her still and silent.

"Don't worry, I'm just getting you ready." He said leisurely.

Septima's eyes widened as much as they could in her current state and she panted for breath fearfully. Surely he wouldnt? That was too dirty! Her insides clenched tightly with terrified arousal.

Something cold, metallic and much smaller than his member was slowly pushed into her spell lubricated hole. It was even smaller than his finger. A strange mix of relief and disappointment filled her as she felt the metal 'hook' at the other end of the object settle comfortably into the crack of her buttocks. Why had he even bothered to lubricate her for something that tiny? She could barely feel it.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I just put inside you." Harry said conversationally.

Of course she was, but the petrification didn't let her say so.

Harry was obviously aware of this and continued speaking. "It's called a butt plug."

Well it was certainly in her butt, but she wasn't feeling particularly plugged.

"I modified it quite a bit though. See, it's shrunk at the moment for easier insertion, but if I do this…"

Septima's eyes widened as the object began expanding until she felt the cool metal touch the walls of her rectum. It had previously been too small for her to get a feel for its shape, but now she could tell that it curved ever so slightly upwards and was bulbous towards the end instead of a uniform size. The lubricant he had previously conjured in there spurted out of her as the space in her rectum was taken up by the steel intruder and she flushed further in embarrassment at the obscene sound. It wasn't over yet though, as the now aptly named butt plug became just a little bit larger and then shrunk a bit again.

A whimper escaped the Arithmancy professor's throat as it continued to expand and contract in tiny increments, stretching her just a little further each time.

"Don't worry, it won't keep getting bigger indefinitely." Harry assured her. "Though it will keep expanding and contracting until I remove it. And I do mean when I remove it. It's cursed you see and won't allow you to do it yourself. I suppose you could get someone like Dumbledore or maybe Snape to break the curse, but I somehow doubt you'd be willing to do that."

Septima whimpered some more. She was going to have that thing stuck in her bum until he decided to take it out.

"Don't worry about going to the bathroom either. There's a Vanishing Charm on it specifically targeted at human waste. You do not want to know what a bitch it was getting that right."

Oh gods, Septima wasn't sure if she could take much more of this. Harry had done some pretty bold and embarrassing things to her before, but this made it all seem as tame as knitting a sweater.

Harry leaned over to whisper into her ear then, his breath tickling her skin. "Enjoy the butt plug, Professor, because it's final exam day and you'll need the practice to get an Outstanding."

End flashback

He had left the room then, leaving her petrified on the bed in more ways than one. She knew that the chances of someone barging into her room and seeing her in that compromising and helpless position was nearly nil, but that didn't help assuage her terror of it happening anyway. She knew that he had done it on purpose, knowing full well what the fear of being caught would do to her.

The petrification spell wore off after about fifteen minutes and she was able to get her wand. An few awkward detection spells cast on her rear end had confirmed his words. The butt plug was indeed cursed. Benignly cursed but still cursed. There was also a low powered cushioning charm on it that Harry hadn't mentioned, which she guessed was there to prevent discomfort or injury. She could almost admire the skill with which the multi-layered enchantment had been applied, but the fact that it was lodged up her arse rather distracted her from that.

The day had been pure torture. Learning to walk normally without letting on about Harry's 'gift' had been a chore. Trying to eat breakfast with the steel intruder slowly massaging her anal cavity, stimulating erogenous zones she'd never known existed and leaving her constantly horny, had been nerve wracking. Teaching classes knowing that with every passing minute it was getting closer to the time that Harry would come to replace it with his member and plunder the last hole of hers that he hadn't taken yet had made it difficult to focus on what she was teaching.

She couldn't help loving it, the obscenity of it all only making the experience better. She'd never have been brave enough by herself to do any of the things he'd done to her, but she had at least thought about most of them. This though… she'd never even considered anything so dirty and erotic. The entire day was spent in a state of fear and anticipation. She had no idea how she was going to be able to teach him any Arithmancy with that hanging over her. But she knew that she would have to, he wouldn't let things progress until she did. That was sometimes as frustrating as it was admirable.

The class finally ended and the brats were too blessedly excited about the summer to ask any questions, leaving her able to gingerly sit down for the first time since it had started. Sitting down only made things worse though, as the intruder in her rectum was pushed a bit deeper and forced Septima to stifle a cry of pleasure, but her legs ached too much to stay standing.

Expand. Contract. Expand. Contract. It just never ended, a ceaseless rhymth that kept her in a constant state of arousal but was too slow to bring her to orgasm. She wanted to plunge her hand under her robes and rub herself until the relief came, but she knew that Harry wouldn't take it easy on her just because she had tired herself out beforehand. And their lesson was in the evening, when there were no more classes. He wouldn't have a limited amount of time, he would take her over and over until he was tired.

Septima shuddered and inadvertently clenched, gripping the butt plug as if it was Harry's member. She could hardly wait.

The last private lesson with of the year with Harry inevitable arrived and Septima could barely pay attention to the Arithmancy she was trying to teach. The minutes ticked by in a blur of frustrated arousal.

"Looks like we're out of time." Harry said musingly and got up.

Septima all but pounced on him, pulling him down and attacking his lips with her own.

"Well someone's eager." Harry chuckled into her neck as he pulled her robes over her head.

"You have no idea what you've been putting me through all day." The Arithmancy professor panted back, now dressed only in the black bra and thong that he'd brought her. "People kept asking me if I was alright and suggesting I visit Poppy because I looked a little flushed!"

"You know you loved it." Harry smirked back, reaching out to give her nipples a light pinch after removing her bra.

Septima cried out in pleasure and redoubled her efforts to get him naked. His shirt flew off first, followed by his shoes and finally his pants. This left her in a familiar kneeling position, staring at his erect manhood.

"Time for your oral exam, Professor." Harry said, deliberately using her title to highlight just how improper the situation was. "Let's see how much you've learned."

Septima was almost vibrating with impatience by now, hours and hours of having a steel butt plug stimulating her arse having left her desperate for the main event, but she knew that he wouldn't allow her to skip the foreplay.

She took him in her mouth without protest, gradually going deeper until his head hit the back of her throat. With the benefit of repeated practice, she was able to suppress her gag reflex and keep going until her nose was buried in his pubic hair. The pleased groan he let out as he threaded his fingers through her hair made her close her eyes in enjoyment while she continued deep throating him, moving up and down his member in a practiced rhytm that allowed her to breathe something close to normally. Her groin may be gushing and aching with need, but the sense of pride she felt at being able to please him would tide her over until his was his turn to please her.

A few minutes later, she felt him tensing up and digging his fingers into her scalp. She took him as deep as she could and sucked on it while spurts of thick, hot spunk were fired down her esophagus. His loud groans in combination with the butt plug nearly had her orgasming then and there. When he was done, she moved back and licked off what remained of his faintly sweet discharge.

It used to taste salty, but Harry had switched to a much more fruit heavy diet when she had mentioned it. She would have swallowed it all even if he hadn't done that since it hadn't tasted horrible even before, but she was touched by his consideration anyway. She hadn't even known it was possible to change the taste of a man's sperm that way. The things muggles researched…

"Outstanding work, Professor." Harry breathed out. "You've clearly been paying attention."

"I had a good teacher." She replied coyly, getting rising to her feet. It was a good thing she had a thick carpet covering the floor, or else this would have been murder on her knees.

"My turn to taste you now." He growled, herding her towards the bed.

"You don't have to…" Septima tried to protest. She was more than ready for the main event.

"I insist." Like hell was he going to pass up an opportunity to lick her soaking cunt. He'd been looking forward to it all day.

The Arithmancy professor didn't protest again as she was laid down on the bed with her rump on the edge. Her shoes and socks were quickly pulled off and thrown away, followed by her sopping wet underwear. Harry was now kneeling by the foot of the bed with her legs spread to either side of him.

"You really are eager." Harry commented with a grin, seeing how wet she was. There were traces of wetness all over her groin and even her upper thighs.

Septima didn't say anything, merely bit her lip and flushed, glad that he couldn't see her face right now.

Harry wasn't content to leave it at that though. "Did you enjoy having this thing in your arse all day?" He asked, using a single finger to push the butt plug further into her.

Septima cried out in surprised pleasure and answered quickly before he decided to torment her any further. "Yes, I liked it!"

"I thought you might." He chuckled and leaned forward to run his tongue over the length of her groin before focusing on the more sensitive parts.

Septima could only shudder in pleasure at his ministrations and clench the sheets in her fists. Combined with the occasional poke at the butt plug, it took less than a minute before she was moaning out her release.

"Mmm, tasty." Harry commented while she was recovering. "Get on all fours."

She obeyed unhesitatingly and crawled to the center of the bed even though her legs were still shaking slightly from the long awaited orgasm. She felt a tingle along the nerves of her vagina and clitoris. He must have used the Share Sensation spell again and was stroking himself in preparation. She squirmed impatiently as the bed dipped under his weight.

"Hmm, I think I'm going to need some extra lubricant before getting to the main event." He said musingly, rubbing the tip of his member along her soaking labia. "How fortunate that you have so much."

"No…" She protested weakly. She wasn't sure if she could survive being taken from behind with the butt plug still in her rectum.

But he wasn't listening and slipped inside her with ease. Septima released a surprised scream when she felt his member and the butt plug rub against each other through her inner walls. She could only bunch up the sheets in front of her and sink her teeth into them when he started thrusting.

Looking down at the woman keening helplessly into the sheets she was biting, Harry just couldn't help himself from escalating a bit further and grabbed hold of the butt plug. As the curse on it was cast by him, it didn't resist when he started gently moving it in and out.

Septima's world went a bit fuzzy from the overabundance of stimulation. She felt so full and her coherence was lost in an endless sea of sensation. The rising tension of a coming orgasm suddenly released and darkness encroached on her vision. A series of grunts as Harry released into her was the last thing she heard befor her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she lost consciousness.

"Professor?" An amused voice was calling but it didn't matter because everything just felt too good.

"Septima?" The voice tried again. She recognized Harry this time.

"Wha' 'appened?" She tried to ask, slurring terribly. Her jaw and gums ached.

"You passed out." Harry told her, amused.

"I did?" Septima asked numbly, still getting her bearings. She wasn't on her knees anymore, but flat on her belly.

"Yes, you did. Very rude of you too, we aren't done yet." He said sternly.

Oh. She could still feel the butt plug in her arse.

"I don't think I can take any more." She said pleadingly.

"Of course you can, Septima. You're a big girl." He replied dismissively. "And I know you want it. Just tell me what exactly you want and I'll take care of the rest."

"Harry…"

"Just tell me what you want."

"… I want you to… put it in." She stammered out shamefully.

"That's not good enough. You need to be concise, Professor."

Septima stayed silent, too embarrassed to say it.

"If you want to stop…"

"No!" She quickly protested. "Please…"

"Please what?"

"… Please fuck my arse." She whispered and buried her face in the sheets, mortally embarrassed.

"I couldn't heeeear youuuuu~." He sang teasingly.

"Please fuck my arse!" She snarled and once again buried her face in the sheets, feeling as if there was no blood left below her neck.

"That's what I wanted to hear."

She felt him grip the butt plug and slowly pull it out. The bulbous tip made her whimper as it stretched her slightly more in its passing, the worst of it being when it passed through her anus. When it was finally removed and her rectum was left clear for the first time all day, Septima thought she'd feel relieved and she did, but the gaping emptiness of her bowels was also strangely unpleasant now.

A finger was placed on the rim of her stretched hole and a new coating of lubricant was conjured. Harry then climbed on top of her and placed the head of his member against the hole that she had never considered as anything other than an exit before today.

"Get ready." He whispered into her ear and began pushing in.

"Oh, Harry. What have you done to me?" Septima sighed lazily when they were finished, draped over Harry's chest. "I used to be such a proper woman and now I've got your cum dribbling out of my arse."

"You were bored to tears being a proper woman." Harry pointed out. "And I can clean that up for you if you want." Casting this close to another magic user wasn't a problem here since she wouldn't be trying to fight him.

"Please."

A few moments of focus later, Septima felt something akin to a cold breeze pass through her bowels and clean them out. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But you're right, I was bored to tears being proper." She chuckled. "I'm going to miss this during the summer."

"Septima, I'm not coming back to Hogwarts next year." He said softly.

Her head snapped up in shock to stare at his eyes. "What? Why?"

"There's nothing much left for me here." He explained. "I mean sure, you and Professor Babbling can still teach me a few things, but other than that I'm making better progress on my own than listening to any of the classes. It's just not worth it for me to stay here any more."

Septima surpressed the almost instinctive 'what about me?' that sprung to the forefront of her mind. That response would have nothing to do with his education and everything to do with her desire to keep their affair going. There was an unspoken 'no strings attached' agreement between them and she wasn't going to complicate that. Thinking of it objectively, she had to admit that Harry was right, Hogwarts really didn't have much left to offer him.

Even she didn't have much left to teach him that he couldn't learn either by self-study or through practice. He had revealed his wandless magic to her some time ago and she had been astonished and excited to figure out how Arithmancy applied to it. The disappointing answer was not much, as wandless magic was apparently more art than science. This had allowed Harry to skip a great deal of things that she would have insisted on teaching most students and he had progressed well past NEWT level already in the rest. That enchantment on the butt plug was actually a good example of spellwork that no Hogwarts student should have been capable of.

"What will you do then?" She asked instead.

Harry shrugged under her. "I was thinking of travelling a bit. There has to be more to the world than just Britain."

"That sounds nice." She said, thinking of her own dull life. A dull life that she might be going back to if Harry wouldn't be around anymore. It was an utterly depressing thought.

"What about you?" He asked.

"What about me?" She asked back unhappily.

"I don't think you'd be happy going back to being just Septima Vector, Hogwarts Arithmancy teacher." He elaborated.

He really believed that too. He'd noted a sharp rise in the potency of Septima's magic over the past few months. She definitely enjoyed being submissive during sex and got off on having someone stronger make demands of her and push her boundaries, but it had somewhat paradoxically helped boost her confidence as well. She wasn't quite the same woman that she had been a few months ago and there had been no soul manipulation involved either.

"I've never really been anything else." She said pensively. "I spent a couple of years working for the Ministry after I finished Hogwarts but then I heard that the Arithmancy post was free and came back. I've been here ever since."

"I'm not saying you have to leave if you don't want to." He said, grinning mischievously. "Maybe you can pick another student to play with."

"Harry." Septima said, scandalized. But on the other hand…

"Or maybe two students." Harry went on, ignoring her protests as usual. "I hear the Weasley twins do everything together. I'm sure you could teach them a thing or two in their last year. Maybe you could even try your hand in the dominant role for a change and show them the price for breaking the rules. I could get you a leather corset, a whip and a set of crotchless panties."

"You are horrible." She moaned, hiding her face in his chest. Now she couldn't stop thinking of holding the two jokesters back after class and giving them some… encouragement in their studies. They could sandwich her between them, identical cocks taking one hole each… "Horrible!"

"I know." He grinned. "And I should probably be going. Keep the butt plug, I've removed the curse on it so you can play with it any time you want now."

Septima glanced at the item in question as Harry got dressed and already knew that it would be seeing a lot of use. She might have spent the whole day terrified that her dirty secret would somehow get out, but it certainly hadn't been boring . The gleam of firelight reflecting off its steel surface seemed to be beckoning her even now…

Meanwhile, in the Beauxbaton's carriages.

"You look different, happier." Apolline Delacour said as she took in her daughter. "Did you finally get that man you wanted?"

Fleur smiled at the thought of Harry. "Not exactly, we have an arrangement."

"An arrangement?" Apolline repeated skeptically. Veela did not have 'arrangements' with anyone except other veela.

"I know what you are thinking, but Harry is different." Fleur told her mother. "He is immune to the effects of the Allure and the Joining." She would not mention that he could perform the Joining himself. Some things were simply not talked about, even to one's mother.

"I see." Apolline said, blinking in surprise. If that knowledge circulated to the right people, there would be veela the length and breadth of Europe seeking him out for joyrides. "But how can that be?"

"He is just… so strong ." Fleur shivered as she said it, remembering the power that filled her every time they slept together. And he had unreal stamina thanks to those runes of his.

He had eventually explained those to both her and Luna and they had sworn to keep it secret.

Apolline grinned at her daughter's reaction. That young man must really be something special to have affected her so. She couldn't wait to meet him.

"You are obviously infatuated with him." She said, still grinning. "Does he not feel the same?"

"He doesn't want to be in a relationship right now." Fleur answered evasively.

It was more complicated than that of course. Harry had apparently decided that he liked being single more than being in a relationship. Or perhaps he simply didn't want things getting too serious for fear of failure. Not to mention the omnipresent specter of Luna's own claim on him. Then there was his separate arrangement with his Arithmancy professor, which she knew he was having sex with at this very moment.

Fleur would not deny that she would be pleased if Harry decided to make theirs an official relationship, but she was also happy with what they had now. She didn't care about his promiscuity, it being less of a concern for veela than it would for a human woman. They were friends who had sex together and that was fine for now and for the foreseeable future. He would settle down eventually and she intended to be there when that happened.

And even if it didn't, Fleur had already determined that she would stay with him. She was happy and that was what counted. Eventually, she would want children and hoped that he would agree to be the father even if he didn't want to be involved in their upbringing. She sincerely doubted that she would ever be satisfied with a lesser wizard now that she had been with Harry, so it really was the only course of action available. But that was years in the future and not worth worrying about right now.

"He will not come to visit us in France then?" Apolline asked with a frown.

"Not over the summer, but he does want to travel and it shouldn't be hard to convince him to make a stop in France and spend some time with us." Fleur said and then hesitated. "Also, he invited me to join him on a private island in the tropics that his godfather owns…"

Apolline grinned again. "And you want to go?"

" Maman, I am staying in Britain, with 'Arry." She hadn't outright asked Harry if she could live with him yet, but she had been feeling out how he felt about it during conversation and she was sure that he would agree to let her move into his manor. She didn't want to be left behind when he eventually decided to enact his travel plans.

Now Apolline had to struggle to keep her jaw from dropping. Her English hating daughter wanted to stay here? Harry Potter must really be something else. In fact, this was sounding worryingly like how a wizard would act after a veela decided to take him as a mate.

"Fleur, you know what these British think of us." She said delicately.

"I know, but it will only be for a few months. I will go with him and Luna when they start travelling. You know how I thought about becoming a curse-breaker? Well this sounds much more exciting."

Apolline was still worried about her daughter but recognized that there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. Fleur was an adult and would know the symptoms just as well as her, so if she was determined to go down this course then she could only support her. Though insidious and skewed in the veela's favor, the Joining made for some very happy spouses as long as they were taken care of. She would want to meet Harry Potter for herself, but Fleur was a smart girl and wouldn't recklessly throw herself under another's power.

If that was even what was going on and this wasn't just regular teenage infatuation. Veela weren't completely exempt from that growing pain even if they weren't human, it just functioned differently.