Chapter Text
STORY TITLE: Year of the Cat
PART: 20 of ?? Cats in the Cradle, Playing Tea for Two
AUTHOR: Red Jacobson ([email protected])
DISTRIBUTION: Archive of Our Own, Hentai-Foundry, Questionable Questing, FanFiction.net
DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me; they all belong to JK Rowling and her publishers.
SUMMARY: A different take on the Prisoner of Azkaban, as Cat Animagus Bellatrix Lestrange escapes at the same time as Sirius, with a very different goal in mind!
FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster
RELATIONSHIPS: Harry/Bellatrix/Narcissa/Multi, Hermione/Fleur/Gabrielle, Harry/Hermione/Luna, Harry/Hermione/Lavender/Luna, Harry/Cho, Hermione/Susan/Hannah
RATING: NC-17
WORD COUNT: <7,332>
SPOILERS: None, if you don't know how the Harry Potter story goes by now, why are you reading this story?
WARNINGS: If you've ever read any of my stories, you know what to expect: Oral, anal, Femme-slash, Dom/sub, multiple partners, and Femme-cest. There is also partner swapping and slaves being treated as slaves, being made to serve other characters sexually.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've adjusted the dates of different events during the summer, both because the exact date Sirius escaped hasn't been provided, and also to give Harry more time in the Alley.
NOTE ON CHARACTER AGES: In this AU, Hogwarts starts at 14, so Harry is just over a month shy of his 16th Birthday when the story starts.
CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT: Senior Auror Connie Hammer, who makes a cameo appearance in this chapter, is property of Old Crow, used by permission
CASTING NOTE: Mary and Elizabeth Perkins are portrayed by Porn Actress Bree Olson
Narcissa Black Malfoy is portrayed by Porn Actress Devon
Lavender Brown is portrayed by Model Danielle Sellers
Parvati and Padma Patil are portrayed by Model Courtnie Quinlan
Fleur "Good Girl" Delacour is portrayed by Model Rhian Sugden
Gabrielle "Brat" Delacour is portrayed by Model Jurgita Valts
Daphne Greengrass is portrayed by Alexandra Daddario
Katie Bell is portrayed by Model Pia Marzo
Mei Chang is portrayed by Model Julri Waters
Pansy Parkinson is portrayed by Model Mellisa Clarke
Marietta Edgecombe is portrayed by Porn Actress Audrey Hollander
BETA'D BY: GRAMMARLY
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster's Conference Room
Friday, September 3rd, 1993
Before Breakfast
Minerva looked around the table; her entire teaching staff was crowded into the Conference Room. Other than Andromeda, all of the others were watching with varying amounts of patience for her to get started. Taking a sip of water, Minerva cleared her throat and said,
"Thank you for being here. I won't take up much of your time, but something was discovered last night, which is why Albus is not chairing this meeting. Professor Black had brought several concerns to me, about things that had been going on in the Slytherin Common Room, and the dormitories, witches being sexually used, will she or nil she, and it had been a problem as far back as Horace Slughorn's tenure as Head of Slytherin, but it was even worse under Severus Snape, at least Slughorn contented himself with just paying no heed to what was happening. Snape, on the other hand, took great delight in using any of the witches in the 3rd Year or older.
"What had Professor Black and I most concerned was the fact that numerous complaints and requests for Auror intervention had been started, but they disappeared in Albus' office, and very soon the student had forgotten ever starting to make a complaint. Last night, Andromeda and I came to Albus' office to confront him about our concerns. When I started questioning him about what had happened to the complaints, he looked confused. It seemed he had no idea what I was referring to, but at the same time, his hand came up with his wand pointed at me. Andromeda had stayed standing by the door so that he couldn't catch both of us with the same spell. As soon as the wand came out, Professor Black disarmed him, and I stunned him.
"The strangest thing was, even when he was pointing the wand toward me, I was watching Albus' eyes, and there was no awareness of what he was doing. Once Albus was unconscious, Andromeda, in her role as a certified healer, did a series of medical scans and discovered, among other things, three separate curses that were affecting him. One of the curses was about 50 years old, another was 30 years old, and the most recent was 15 years ago.
"If you know Albus' history, it's been almost 50 years since his final confrontation with Gellert Grindelwald. It had been about 30 years since Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, had come to Hogwarts to apply for the Defense Professor position. And 15 years ago would be right around the time that we lost James and Lily Potter, and Severus Snape became Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House.
"This only took a moment or two before Andromeda issued a Healer's Order that Professor Dumbledore be put under the care of expert curse-breakers. Contacting Gringotts, we were able to get authorization to bring the Headmaster through the floo and into the Gringotts infirmary.
"The curse-breakers and healers started working immediately and were able to isolate the curses, but they were so entwined in Albus's magic that it wasn't certain if the Professor would still have his magic after the curses were removed.
"That is all the information I have, and I wanted to make sure you knew the truth if you are questioned about Professor Dumbledore's absence. He will be under the Healer's care for at least a few days, and in the meantime, I expect all of you to treat this as any ordinary day. I will continue teaching my NEWT Transfiguration, but I will need assistance with the younger years. Filius, do you think Miss Clearwater would be able to teach the lower years from a detailed lesson plan?"
The Charms Professor smiled, "Absolutely, she has been tutoring younger students in the Common Room since she was a third year. I can't see her having any problems at all."
"Very good, it's close to time for the students to start entering the Great Hall, so we'll wrap it up for now. Remus, if you can stay back, there is something I need to discuss with you."
Once the rest of the teachers had left, Minerva sat down next to Remus and said, "You appeared relieved to find out about the curses. Why is that?"
"Because it's easier to accept that someone I have looked up to, and admired from the time I was eleven, was not a danger to himself or others of his own free will. I was very concerned after hearing about Voldemort possessing Professor Quirrell two years ago, and a basilisk roaming the corridors, and nobody could figure out what it was, or where it came from, but a second-year Muggle-born? It would have been obvious from the time that the first student was found, still holding his camera, what had happened.
"For Merlin's sake, you have the ghost of the student who died the last time. Did Albus, or anybody, try to talk to Myrtle Carmichael about how she had died? Or were Harry and his friend Ron Weasley the only ones to make the connection?"
Minerva sat silently for a long moment, then shook her head. "I'm slipping, I didn't even think about doing what you suggested last year. If Albus recovers enough to take back the school, I'm going to give up the Assistant Head position and the Head of Gryffindor as well. Let me be the Transfiguration Professor, so I can devote enough time to do the job properly!"
There wasn't much Remus could say to Minerva, but she didn't seem to expect a response. She just stood, and the two of them made their way to the Staff Entrance of the Great Hall.
YOTC & YOTC & YOTC
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
South Wing, Lord Potter's Bedchamber
Saturday, September 4th, 1993
6:00 am
Bellatrix stretched, enjoying the freedom to take her natural form, a luxury that she could only experience in the privacy of Master and Mistress's chamber, since other than Luna, none of the others have any idea that 'Midnight' Master's pet cat, was actually Master's and Mistress's devoted slave. At least the world believed her to be dead so that the Aurors wouldn't be searching for her, but she still didn't dare to step outside the rooms without some way to conceal her identity.
There was a soft chime of the wake-up charm, and Bella shared a smile with her sister Luna, and, as Master and Mistress were starting to stir, Bella slipped into bed and opened Mistress' legs. With an eagerness that would have shocked and disgusted the old Bellatrix, she placed a kiss on Mistress' curls before teasing her lips to open, giving a mental 'two finger salute' to the old Bellatrix at her reaction to serving a muggleborn, although she would have used the term 'mudblood.'
Bella gathered the Mistress's juices on her tongue, saving the flavor before swallowing. Sucking gently on the swollen lips, she was rewarded by Mistress's voice encouraging her, that she was doing wonderfully. Happy to please Mistress, Bella worked her tongue between Mistress' lips, rubbing the sensitive inner walls before pulling back and brushing her tongue over Mistress' button, making her jerk on the bed, a gasp of pleasure tearing from her mouth.
Next to her, Luna was lying on her belly between Master's legs, one hand stroking his beautiful cock while the other was between her legs, rubbing herself as she used her mouth, wrapping her lips around the bulb of Master's cock. Luna hummed around him, lowering her face to take more of his shaft into her mouth, until she had most of it surrounded by the heat and moisture of the girl's mouth.
Master was clearly enjoying what Luna was doing, his hands coming down to stroke the girl's hair and praising Luna for her devoted service. But Bella's attention was focused on Mistress, her hands were grasping her slave's hair, moving her mouth just as Mistress wanted. Bella kept licking and sucking, her tongue teasing the inner walls of Mistress's core, until Mistress froze, and then Bella had a mouth full of sweet juices.
Luna had gotten her morning treat as well, and as expected, what her sister didn't swallow, she shared with Bella, who swallowed her treat, and then pulled the girl closer, her tongue invading Luna's mouth, as the other girl moaned, allowing her tongue to claim the other girl. Luna showed her enjoyment by sucking on Bella's tongue, while dropping her hands to the older witch's arse, giving a light spank to each cheek. Bella shivered in pleasure at the sensation and moved so her thigh was rubbing against Luna's swollen lips.
The two witches were so involved in each other, aware that Master and Mistress were enjoying watching them, that it came as a surprise to discover the two of them were floating, and Bella was turned so her face was between Luna's thighs, and she felt the other girl's warm breath on her pussy. At Master's command, the two of them started licking each other enthusiastically. Master and Mistress always rewarded whoever got their partner to cum first.
It was Bella who took Luna over the edge, leaving the girl giggling and hugging herself, a wide smile spread across her face. Bella was lifted and, legs spread, floated over Mistress, who had used the Futa spell, and she relaxed as she settled on the cock, her muscles clenching around it, she took the whole thing inside her pussy, making Mistress grin up at her. Knowing what was coming, Bella leaned down, her breasts pressing against Mistress's tits as she reached back to hold herself open for her Master, still moving her hips to give Mistress pleasure.
Bella smiled in anticipation as she felt the preparation spells cleaning and stretching her arse. So she stilled her moving as Master pressed through her ring. She took him in her tightest hole with no pain at all, only pleasure that she could serve Master this way. Once both Master and Mistress were ready, they started moving inside her, shooting bolts of pleasure from her core all the way from her toes to her fingers, making her shut her eyes to enjoy the experience, and she wanted to shout at how amazing she was feeling.
Before she could make a sound, Bella felt hands on both sides of her head. Opening her eyes, she found herself facing Luna, who had taken advantage of the futa spell to give her a cock of her own.
Opening her mouth, Bella welcomed Luna's cock into her mouth, her tongue moving against the shaft as it pushed forward, until she wrapped her lips around it and moved back, sucking on the cock, still amazed that it felt the same as Master's cock in her mouth. It took all her concentration to adjust to having all her holes filled at the same time, but she managed to move with each of the cocks buried in her body, wondering who would be the first to flood her with their cum?
It was Mistress who gripped Bella by the hips, holding her in place as she buried the cock in her pussy. Bella felt the cock swelling inside her, and the hot cum filling her, and she could feel her climax approaching, but determined to keep control until Master and Luna hit their peak as well. It was Luna who gasped and pulled the cock back so only the head was between Bella's lips when the first blast of cum landed on her tongue, swallowing quickly as another burst followed quickly, and then a third, and Luna was withdrawing her rapidly softening cock and tapping it with her wand, ending the spell.
Now it was just Master, and Bella reveled in being able to move freely, pushing back against him as his cock plunged deeper into her arse. She had found herself in this position many times since the night she was found out and easily picked up the rhythm of Master's thrusts. Bella was still focused on getting Master to cum before relaxing her concentration and allowing her orgasm to wash over her. Master made it difficult to hold back when he reached around her, and his fingers rubbed her pussy, brushing her clit at the same time. She bit her lip to keep from crying out how good Master was making her feel.
It was a struggle, but Bella held back until Master's hips slapped against the fleshy cheeks of her bum, and she felt him let go with a growl, before relaxing and welcoming her waves of pleasure as she was washed away.
When she was aware of herself again, the Master and Mistress were standing by the bed. The master said, "Your sister is starting the bath, so go and help her. We will be joining you shortly."
It was half an hour later that four very clean people left the bath, three of them putting on clothes before leaving the room. Bella just willed herself back into Midnight and jumped up onto the window ledge that, even though the room was built without windows, Master and Mistress had created a window that had sunlight shining through it for all the hours of daylight. Bella wasn't sure how they had managed the magic, but didn't really care; she just loved basking in the warmth.
YOTC & YOTC & YOTC
Breakfast
Harry approached the staff table and walked up to Professor McGonagall. Saying
"Hermione and I will be out of the castle for several hours, Professor. We have an appointment with the Potter Account Manager to discuss some family business. I expect we will be back not long after lunch."
Professor McGonagall just nodded, "If you are delayed, ask permission to use the floo to let the staff know."
Agreeing to do so, Harry walked back to the Gryffindor table and sat down, finishing his meal. When the rest of the family finished, they left the hall, some going to the library to work on assignments, and others to visit their former houses. Harry and Hermione returned to their rooms in the South Wing, and, once the doors closed behind them, each of them put up privacy wards so they couldn't be monitored.
"Okay, Bella, you can enjoy the sunshine later, I promise," Harry said with a grin, as Midnight jumped down from the window, changing from her cat form when she landed.
Hermione tugged a few hairs from her scalp and dropped them into a metal flask, mixing the ingredients thoroughly. Stripping out of her clothes, Hermione handed the flask to Bella, who took it with a shudder, "I know it tastes horrible, last year three of us, your Master, our friend Ron, and I took it to get into the Slytherin Common Room trying to find out if Draco was the Heir of Slytherin. At least you have something to look forward to when you get back here. I've spoken to Dobby, and he is going to be preparing a meal of all your favorites to make up for the taste of the Polyjuice."
Bella's eyes lit up at the idea of a delicious meal, instead of the meal that Midnight usually eats. Taking a small drink from the flask, she grimaced, but her body started changing until two identical Hermiones were standing next to each other. Bella smirked at the underthings, "Been a long time since I've needed to wear knickers, I haven't missed them."
She finished dressing with no further comment, but did take a few minutes to get used to walking in shoes again.
Harry checked the time and saw that the portkey Gringotts provided the night before would activate in just over 15 minutes, and they needed to be outside the castle when that happened.
Fortunately the two of them made the front doors of the castle with minutes to spare, and, with each of them holding part of the quill that Gringotts had turned into a portkey, they felt the familiar hook in their stomachs and were sent on a bumpy ride to Diagon Alley, just outside Gringotts steps.
Walking purposefully up the marble steps, Harry nodded politely at the guard who held the door for them. Seeing Gnarlspike standing to the side of the lobby, Harry led the disguised Bellatrix toward his account manager. When they reached him, the goblin glanced at Bellatrix and nodded before turning and walking down a hallway toward his office. When they were at Gnarlspike's office, the guard opened the door for the account manager and, getting a signal from the senior goblin, let the two follow Gnarlspike, closing the door behind them. As the door closed completely, a wave of magic rolled over the two visitors, restoring Bellatrix's true appearance.
"If you had not advised me that she would be using Polyjuice, Lord Potter, your companion would have already lost her head to one of our axes. But now that you are here, the Black Account Manager will be joining us, since you were the last survivor of the Lestrange family, the contents of their vault were added to the Black family vaults." With that, Gnarlspike turned to Harry and asked, "How can Gringotts serve you today, Lord Potter?"
Before Harry could respond, a sharp knock came from a door in the left wall, which opened at a gesture from Gnarlspike. A wizened goblin stepped into the room and gestured to Bellatrix to follow, and the door closed behind the two of them.
"As I mentioned in the letter requesting this meeting, I want to confirm that Gringotts can render an extremely large serpent into its different parts."
"Yes, we certainly have the ability. Can you provide any additional information about where this serpent is located and what type of serpent it is, if you know that detail?"
"The serpent, a basilisk, is currently lying in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts; it is in the same position it was in when I killed it."
Gnarlspike almost swore at the surprise, but stopped himself from giving his customer any advantage that his loss of control would have provided. Keeping his voice steady, "You say that you killed this beast, Lord Potter? Can you tell me how it was done?"
Harry smiled, "I can do better than that, if you have a way to view memories."
The goblin nodded, "We do have that ability. One moment," turning to a cabinet behind his desk. Releasing the locks, he lifted a pyramid-shaped crystal on a dark wooden base. Setting the crystal in the center of his desk, Gnarlspike said, "If you will concentrate on the incident, and place your right hand, palm down on the tip of the crystal, it will record a copy of the memory for us to view."
Mentally shrugging, he did as he was directed, and soon the crystal was glowing with a soft white light. At the goblin's gesture, Harry lifted his hand from the device, and Gnarlspike tapped two spots on the wooden base, and an image appeared over the crystal, large enough so everything could clearly be seen.
The negotiations went very smoothly from that point, arranging to have a team at Hogwarts the next morning, and Harry would meet them to open the Chamber, and bring along any members of the staff who would be interested in viewing the beast.
They had just finished when Bella was escorted back into the office, carrying a small metal box. With Gnarlspike's permission, she took another drink of the foul potion, restoring her disguise.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts
Seventh Floor,
Across From The Tapestry Of Barnabas The Barmy
Right after Harry and Bellatrix had left
Hermione wanted to snicker; it had been a long time since she'd been able to hide under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and with the dimming of memories, the times they had used it were purged of the moments of terror that went with the use of the cloak.
She must have made some noise because Luna, standing beside her, shook her head slightly, a warning to be more careful. The two of them reached the right spot, and Hermione, still under the cloak, summoned the Room of Requirements by asking for a place to hide something.
When the door appeared, Luna pushed it open, holding it long enough for Hermione to slip in behind her. Closing the door, Hermione took off the cloak and folded it to put in her pocket.
Looking around, she said, "From what Harry said, it should be about two rows back, sitting on top of an ugly bust. Remember, if you find it, don't try to touch it, use your wand to shoot out sparks, and I will come to you. I'll do the same if I find it first."
Hermione was actually the one who found the diadem first and shot out the sparks so Luna could join her. When the blonde reached her, Luna's eyes widened at the sight of an artifact of Rowena Ravenclaw, but she was strong-willed enough to keep from stretching out her hands for it.
Hermione used her wand to levitate the diadem off the plaster bust and into a silk-lined bag to block the magical compulsions that Tom had put on the diadem before he arrived at the castle for his 'interview' with Albus Dumbledore.
Luna relaxed when the bag was closed and tied off. Hermione put the bag into her robe pocket and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and put it over her again. With a last look around, Luna opened the door, and when Hermione brushed her hand against Luna's rear, she let the door close, and the two of them made their way back to the south wing.
To their surprise, Harry and Bellatrix had just gotten back from Gringotts and the two of them, and Hermione, still under the invisibility cloak, walked into their rooms. Once inside, Hermione removed the cloak and handed it to Harry, while Bella had stripped out of Hermione's uniform and changed back into Midnight, jumping back up onto her preferred napping spot in the sun.
Shaking her head in amusement, Hermione took the bag out of her pocket and set it on the desk by the metal box from Gringotts.
Harry closed his eyes, conversing with Tom about the two items retrieved. With the guidance Tom provided, Harry first removed the traps and spells from the cup and the diadem. When they were free of the traps, Harry drew the soul pieces from each of the horcruxes and felt them joining with Tom's soul and memories.
What they hadn't expected was the horrid headache that struck when the last of the memories were absorbed. Harry groaned with pain, reaching for a seat and dropping into it, eyes closed and, thanks to Hermione, the lights in the room dimmed greatly. She had recognized the signs of a migraine, her mum suffered from them, and knew that a darkened room eased the pain a bit.
Fortunately, the pain faded with time, and Harry was able to go to Dinner with the rest of the families, while Dobby popped in with a small table and place settings before bringing several dishes of Bellatrix's favorite foods, and what she didn't finish, the devoted elf put on preserving charms. Bella was nicely full when she moved back from the table, and, while Dobby took the table and settings back to Malfoy Manor, she transformed into Midnight and managed to get back to the window. It was harder than expected, because what Bella considered pleasantly full, in a cat shape, was enough to make it difficult to jump. She didn't waste time thinking about it; she just curled up on the windowsill and fell asleep. And if she dreamed of being Midnight and stalking the wild venison sausage, that was nobody's business but hers.
Before Dinner
After Harry started recovering from his sudden headache, a school elf arrived, carrying a note from Remus. The note was short and to the point, asking Harry to stop by the Defense Office about an hour before Dinner, there is information that Harry should know.
Seeing the elf still waiting, Harry scrawled an agreement on the back of the note and gave it back to the elf.
At the requested time, Harry knocked on Remus' office door and was welcomed into the room by a cheerful Remus. Serving them tea, the older man started by asking Harry about his new classes, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and Harry was enthusiastic about what he was learning.
"That's good to know, and I'm glad you are starting to focus on your studies. I know you have plans if the wraith manages to get another body, but if you don't have the knowledge and skills to put the plans into effect, what good are they?
"The main reason I asked you here has to do with Professor Dumbledore. I won't lie, I was extremely disturbed by the stories I heard about your first two years." He grinned briefly, "But I would have paid good gold to see Hermione setting Snivellus' robes on fire! Your Dad, Sirius and I all hated the man as much as you did.
"I wanted to confront the Headmaster about several of the decisions he'd made, especially ones that affected you, but before I could gather the information I needed, Professor McGonagall and Professor Black went to speak with Albus about some things that concerned Minerva greatly.
"To put it bluntly, it didn't go as expected. When Professor McGonagall asked the Headmaster about her concerns, he seemed confused, like he didn't know what she was referring to, but, at the same time, he had his wand in hand and pointed it at Minerva, only to be disarmed by Professor Black. Professor McGonagall hit him with a stunning spell, and Professor Black, who is also a registered Healer with St Mungo's, ran several checks on the Headmaster and found at least three separate curses on him.
"From what she could determine, the first of the curses had been active for about 50 years, the other two were 30 and 15 years ago, and Professor McGonagall had a suspicion of who had cast the curses. Professor Black contacted Gringotts to get the curses removed, and the goblins were able to confirm that the curses were placed by Grindelwald, Tom Riddle, and Snivellus. Merlin only knows what the combination of curses would do to the man. The Gringotts healers are still not certain if the Professor will have his magic, so they are keeping him unconscious until they know for certain. They are being cautious because, if the Professor does not have access to his magic, and they revived him, he would be vulnerable to all the infirmities a man who is over 100 years old would suffer from."
Harry leaned forward, speaking intently: "Are you sure that things like sticking me with the Dursleys, or keeping the Philosopher's Stone behind a locked door and warning the students that they risk certain death if they attempt to discover what is behind the door are because he was cursed?"
"I believe so, but until the goblins are sure the Headmaster will survive, and they can take him through the memories of his decisions, we won't know for certain the curses are to blame. But, I did get him to agree that you should live with Sirius when you aren't in school, so you won't have to see the Dursleys again if you don't want to."
"That's good to know. I understand why you couldn't take me when my parents were killed, because of what my dad called 'your furry little problem.' The laws and oaths that the former Minister and that Umbridge woman pushed through were completely ridiculous! Treating you like a criminal, or at best a leper was plain foolishness, they should have been aware that, unless a person was already a criminal, all but one night of the month you are completely rational, and as long as you have a secure place to stay on the night of the full moon, there's no problem."
Remus took a sip of his tea and said, "Well, Fudge doesn't seem to have a hatred for people suffering from lycanthropy, and Amelia Bones is willing to try and repeal the laws; there's hope things will get better sometime in the future."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, "Being that I'm now the Head of the Potter family, and have a vote on the Wizengamot, I will probably get invited to some of the social events at Yule or during the long holiday. If Fudge is there, he would give his left testicle to have a picture of me smiling and shaking his hand printed on the front page of the Daily Prophet. I can drop a quick word about how it's awful that a whole group of voters is being persecuted for something that's not their fault. Think he will buy it?" He finished with a smirk.
Remus chuckled, "I think you're going to surprise the hell out of a lot of people, Harry, and I'm looking forward to watching it!"
"I think if I can get the Potter-Longbottom Alliance back up and active again, that will give us a bloc of votes that would be influential enough to get some changes made. Hell, I can see Hermione Potter as the first muggleborn Minister for Magic, can't you?"
Laughing, the two of them left the office, making their way to Dinner.
Later that Night
Harry was using the Invisibility Cloak after most of the girls had gone to sleep. Luna had come with him, not having experienced the cloak before. It was a quiet journey to the Trophy Room, where the Award for Special Services plaque for Tom M. Riddle sat, gathering dust.
Sliding his wand through a gap in the cloak, a silent 'Finite' and Remus would have his job for as long as he wants it. It would be good to have a reasonably trustworthy outside opinion to discuss plans with. Narcissa would do her best, but she, like he, Hermione, and Luna, were too close to the situation to be dispassionate about their goals.
Walking back toward their rooms, Harry paused as they approached the passage heading to the Library. With a grin, he said, "Have you ever thought about shagging in the Hogwarts Library, Luna?"
With a matching grin, she nodded, "Yes, Master, several times, both with Mistress and with you. Those were very enjoyable thoughts."
"Well then, let's see how the real thing compares," Harry said, taking Luna by the hand and turning down the passage, the Library doors in sight.
When they finally got back to their rooms, they agreed that the reality was even better than the fantasy, and Hermione stated that she would be the next to enjoy the experience.
YOTC & YOTC & YOTC
Gringotts Infirmary
Saturday, September 4th, 1993
11:00 pm
The lead curse-breaker stood at the edge of the room, watching as the healer examined the helpless old man. The curse-breaker sneered at the 'great Albus Dumbledore.' If the walking roast weren't so old, he would be an excellent guest of honor at a Clan Feast, but at his age, the meat would be too tough to be worth cooking. Besides, they were being paid very nicely to provide curse-breaking and healing services, so the profit was enough to pass up the honor of gutting the old man.
The healer had finished doing whatever healers do, examining the fist-sized gems arranged around the bed space Dumbledore was occupying. The gems were set in pairs, one at the top of his head, the matching gem at his feet, the other pairs on each side of his body, all of them glowing with different color lights, some stronger than others. When the healer approached, the curse-breaker said, "What have you determined, Healer?"
"He endured the removal of the major curses quite well. Your team did an exceptional job in unraveling them from the patient's magic. He is healthy enough, for a man of his reported age, but there is no sign of his magic restoring itself. Until we can be certain that he had enough magic to sustain him, he will be kept asleep."
"Were the analysts able to determine the sources of the different curses? The Black account holder would want that information when I contact her."
The healer nodded, flipping through the forms on the chart he had been carrying. "Yes, it was as the Black surmised. The three curses were placed, in order, by Gellert Grindelwald, Tom M Riddle, also known as Voldemort, and Severus Snape. The analysis team is still working to determine exactly what effect the combination of the curses had on the patient."
"And do you have any estimated time when you can judge whether the man still has his magic?"
"At this point, I would expect to have enough readings to give a judgment within 48 to 72 hours, but not before."
With a nod, the curse-breaker said, "Thank you, healer, I will contact the Black witch and give her the information, for whatever good it will do her."
YOTC & YOTC & YOTC
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Chamber of Secrets
Sunday, September 5th, 1993
9:00 am
There was quite a crowd following Harry and the goblins down the steps from Myrtle's Bathroom. Hermione and Ron were there, of course, and the students most affected by the Basilisk the previous year. They were followed by Professors McGonagall, Black, and Lupin, and a handful of students from each of the houses.
The doors into the Chamber itself were standing open, and a breeze could be felt. The room was also well lit, instead of nearly dark, the way it was when Harry had been here the first time.
When the entire group was at the entry, Professor McGonagall moved over to Harry, quietly saying, "This looks entirely different from what you described last term. How did this happen?"
Harry smirked, "I'm a Gryffindor, Professor, would you expect me to avoid the place? As soon as I was released from the Infirmary, I came back to Myrtle's bathroom and experimented with different words and phrases in Parseltongue, and brought up the stairs, and found the command for lights, and to freshen the air, otherwise you would need a bubblehead charm to even function, the smell was worse than anything I'd encountered, including what Ron brewed up in Potions last year." He finished with a wink at his friend, who acted offended, before grinning back.
The goblins paid no attention to the quiet conversation, although several of them gave Harry looks of respect when the corpse of the beast came into view.
The Team Leader approached the staff, asking, "Which of you is the Potions Professor?"
Andromeda had been staring in disbelief at the monster's corpse, but pulled her attention away and acknowledged the goblin's question, "I'm Professor Black, Potions Professor."
"Then you will need to stay with the team to ensure you receive the portion of the beast that Lord Potter had negotiated as part of the payment for the privilege of rendering and marketing the remains."
Andromeda was speechless, unable to believe Harry's generosity. She gave him a smile and a nod, a Black does not show her emotions in public, after all.
Harry turned to the other victims of the basilisk and said, "The Potter Account Manager will be passing each of you a key to a Gringotts vault, each with 10,000 galleons deposited, to make up for the trouble last year and help to discover the source of the problem and resolve the trouble."
The students murmured with delight and surprise, and even Argus Filch looked a bit misty-eyed as he cradled Mrs. Norris in his arms. Looking over at Ron, Harry was relieved that his friend just looked surprised and happy. Ginny, too, looked surprised and happy, but Harry could read the uncertainty on her face. Moving to stand beside the pale redhead, he said quietly, "You deserve the gold Ginny, you were the one who suffered the most thanks to Lucius Malfoy, and while I would love to have taken the gold from his vaults, the ponce did us all a favor by getting killed in a potions accident, along with Draco. Madame Malfoy had nothing to do with Lucius' plans, so she shouldn't be penalized beyond losing her husband and child."
Ginny listened carefully to what he was saying before the confusion cleared and a more natural smile spread across her face. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly, to Ron and Hermione's visible amusement.
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Hogwarts South Wing
Monday, September 6th, 1993
After Dinner
Harry had gone into his room to grab the books he needed for homework when he noticed the sealed envelope on his desk. The handwriting was Narcissa's, but he still checked for any hostile magic, in case someone could mimic her handwriting.
Breaking the seal, he started to read,
"Master, as requested, I've done some checking into the Carrow family, as well as Scabior. And they are both heavily involved in criminal activities in the Muggle world, primarily narcotics and forced prostitution. If either of them had ambitions to expand their businesses, arranging an accident such as the one you mentioned would be well within their capabilities.
"However, whether they are the ones who were responsible or not, I haven't been able to determine so far. There are a few other families that were competing with the family that was killed, and I will be seeing what I can discover about them.
"I will send another message next Monday with anything else I have learned. Also, Sirius has accepted the 60-day Concubine Bond, and she will be taking and finalizing the oath this evening. I will be there to assist, or that is what I will claim if Sirius questions me, although I doubt he would even care."
There was no signature, just an imprint of a pair of lips on the parchment, and Harry locked the note away, grabbed his Ancient Runes textbook and headed toward the common room, where all of them did any homework assignments. He and Hermione had made it a requirement that all of their homework had to be properly completed before they could start fun time. To prove that they weren't expecting the girls to do something that He and Hermione wouldn't do, the two of them, when not researching an essay in the Library, were sitting at one of the tables in the common room, their texts open in front of them.
After finishing the work, Harry saw that Padma and Parvati had both completed their assignments. Hermione read over their work to ensure it was complete and correct before nodding with a smile. Harry stood up and held out his hands to the twins, bringing them to their feet. With a laugh, both girls happily followed Harry into his bedroom. Hermione was already planning on having Marietta and Cho visit for the night.
He and Hermione were very careful to make sure to spend the same amount of time with each of the girls, to avoid any of them feeling neglected. It was something that they discussed when making their plans, because harmony among their slaves would be a requirement. They were determined to avoid anything that could cause serious conflict, stepping in before a situation escalated to the point of raised voices or wands being lifted. So far, it seemed to be working, but it was still early days.
He could consider what else may be required later; he had two eager girls waiting for him.
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Patil Residence
443 Mountbatten Place
Clapham, London
Wednesday, September 8th, 1993
7:00 pm
The Dinner was finished, the elves had cleared the table, and Sampta had just poured the first glass of wine for her sister and herself, amazed at how relaxing it had been since the man they had been forced to marry fell afoul of Gringotts. They still kept an eye on the family business, just so the employees would know that the Patil family is still their employer and was watching over them. The managers that Gringotts had appointed were already improving things, but one of them mentioned that they appreciated the oversight; they were all good at their jobs, but knowing that the owners were interested gave them someone to contact if necessary.
A flutter of wings captured their attention, and Sira smiled, recognizing their Master's owl. "Hello, Hedwig, it's good to see you. There is water and owl treats in the kitchen for you."
Hedwig bobbed her head, letting out a 'Prek!' that seemed to speak a thousand words, before holding her leg out to Sira to take the letter.
Breaking the seal, she read the brief letter and smiled happily. Her twin reached for the letter, "I take it the word from our Master is good news?" Reading the message, Sampta's smile matched her sister's. "At last! After the way our daughters described their experiences, it's been torture waiting for Master to claim us."
Sira nodded in agreement, but she said, "We need to make sure our nightwear is clean and still fits us. I know Master prefers his women to be in their skin, we should make it special, give him gifts to unwrap before he opens our legs for the first time."
The wine forgotten, the women hurried up the stairs to their bedroom, choosing their wrapping for Friday evening when they arrive at Hogwarts.
End Chapter Twenty
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