Chapter Text
Hermione was absolutely flabbergasted. How had she not heard of this course before? It wasn't listed among the curriculum in their letters this summer for her to buy any materials for. She'd never heard of students in years previous talk about it. Was it a brand new class?
She read through her timetable for the fourth time, looking for some new understanding in the same words she’d seen every other time. But no, it was still listed as a class first thing this morning: Marital Duties.
“Harry, what class do you have this morning?” she asked, turning to her best friend.
He glanced down, probably for the first time , she thought exasperatedly. “Marital Duties? What's that?” He looked up, confused.
“I dunno, Harry. I've never heard of it before.”
“Oh that's a standard sixth year class,” Ron answered around a bite of toast. “Mandatory for everyone.” He went on chewing, to Hermione's extreme annoyance.
“And what is it exactly? I don't have a textbook for it!”
“‘s no big deal ‘mione. ‘s like, anatomy lessons and communication skills. Obedience practice, that sorta stuff.”
Hermione knew her mouth was open, but she was at a loss for what to say. Surely Ron misspoke with his mouth so full. Or perhaps he had misunderstood when he'd been told about the class before. Thankfully Harry asked the question for her.
“What d’you mean ‘obedience practice?’”
Ron took a drink, finally clearing his mouth. “I mean, I don't know all the specifics. Probably just standard ‘obey your husband' type stuff.” He said it with a shrug, as if the words leaving his lips were just the customary expectation!
But before Hermione could further clarify, the Great Hall was clearing out, everyone heading to their first class of the new school year. She stood, following the crowd. Hermione wasn't sure if she should be nervous because of what Ron said, or excited for a new unexpected class to learn from.
It wasn't long before Hermione realized she was right to be worried. Marital Duties was apparently being taken by every sixth year at the same time. Students shuffled into the large lecture hall, segregating themselves by house to sit near friends.
“Everyone please take your seats,” came a deep voice, entering the room behind them and closing the door. A professor strode in that Hermione only vaguely recognised. She'd spotted him on rare occasions throughout the years but had never known what course he taught before.
“I'm professor Compton and it is my delight to welcome you all to Marital Duties,” his voice boomed, carrying to every student in the packed classroom and demanding their attention. Hermione found that she didn't mind giving him her attention at all with his wide shoulders and tall frame. The trimmed beard along his jaw, an odd sight in a society that could remove hair with a swish of a wand, gave him a rugged appearance, while the tousled waves on his head softened his whole look.
“While I'm sure most of you already have a basic knowledge of what this class entails, every year we have several students who do not. Allow me to explain.” Hermione was glad she already had her quill and parchment ready with the speed he was jumping right in. “Marital Duties is a mandatory class for every young witch or wizard before entering society. We'll go over everything you need to know to have a successful future marriage. The topics we'll cover include communication, division of labor, keys to compromising,” he ticked a finger up as he listed them off, “child rearing, obedience, discipline, pleasure, and more.”
He went on, further expanding on his first few points while Hermione tried wrapping her head around the last several. She glanced around the room, finding most students bored in their seats the way she usually found them during lectures. A few were more alert, taking notes as she should be doing. But no one seemed as struck as she was. Clearly she was just the only one who misunderstood.
Without a further thought, Hermione raised her hand into the air, intending to set this matter straight so she could properly concentrate.
Professor Compton finished his thought, directed his eyes to Hermione, and just as she opened her mouth to speak as she had been acknowledged, something in his gaze hardened. His eyes flicked down and then met hers again with the slightest arch in one eyebrow. Hermione slowly lowered her hand, confused. The Professor continued his explanation as if she had never interrupted it.
It only took her a moment to shake off the odd exchange and return to taking notes. She would just stay after class to ask all of her questions.
“And that brings me to our next point: obedience.” Professor Compton fell silent, surveying the classroom. Most students had perked up at the new topic. “I'm sure some of you will have noticed Miss Granger's hand in the air a while ago?” He waited as some people nodded and others turned their heads to find her. She felt her cheeks warm at the attention, but kept her eyes forward and attentive. “Miss Granger inadvertently became our first shining example of obedience. She had a question so she raised her hand as all good students should. She waited to be acknowledged. And then she did not ask her question. Can anyone tell me why?”
Everyone looked to their friends, searching for who would know the answer. Several turned to her, assuming she'd happily answer for her own motivations, but Hermione remained silent, not having an answer she could put into words.
“The simple answer,” he went on, drawing attention back to himself, “is that she was obedient! The more complicated answer will have to be better detailed when we get to that unit in the course, but it has to do with her taking the silent ques from me on what I wanted her to do, and choosing to follow them.
“This leads us to the next point: rewards. In a marriage, when your wife shows her willingness to obey, it is expected that you will reward her. We'll detail ways in which that can be done, but the most common and sought after is, of course, through pleasure.
“But then, what should a good husband do when their wife does not obey? The answer is discipline. Disobedience cannot go unanswered, or you raise the risk of your witch going wild and becoming more and more disobedient.”
Hermione's hand shot back up, absolutely appalled at what she was hearing. A quick glance showed a few others felt the same, while several others were just confused. Half the class though seemed completely unaffected by this turn of events.
“Before I allow questions, let me speak very plainly, as I think it will answer several for those of you not from all magical families. In the wizarding world, wife's are subservient to their husbands. The specifics of the relationship are up to the individual but that fact is true of all relationships in our society. In marriage, your husbands will set rules that you will follow. Should you choose not to follow those rules they are within their rights to punish you. That punishment can take many forms, but the two that I think are most common and that we'll be detailing most thoroughly are spanking and the withholding of pleasure. That is to say not letting you find sexual release.
“Common in most marriages are rules about the sexual expectations from the wife. For example, some men will require their wife to be waiting naked when they arrive home from work, so they can immediately relieve built up stress. Others might require use of their wife's oral cavity to achieve release after each shower. The possibilities are endless.”
Hermione's hand had dropped at some point to cover her gaping mouth with her growing horror. This was absolutely barbaric! She knew that magical society lived a bit outdated, but for them to degrade women in this manner was completely unacceptable. She gathered her things, planning to storm out and never look back, but Professor Compton stopped her in her tracks.
“This class is mandatory for graduation. Failure or abstinence are not options. Anyone who does not pass the final exam this semester will be taking a harsher course after the holiday. Anyone who continues to fail after that second chance will be removed from Hogwarts permanently.”
He was watching Hermione now, daring her to rise as she intended, but she was frozen in place. Failure was not an option. She settled back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap, hoping she wasn't broadcasting the tumultuous feelings roaring inside of her
“Very good, Miss Granger. That's twice now you have shown your obedience to the dominant partner in a relationship–that relationship being that of student and teacher–and I am very proud of you. I think you'll do just fine in this course, despite the worries I know are running through that head “
Hermione blushed at the praise, glad when the Professor only smiled and moved on. “And that –what I just said–is an example of a reward. Praising your partner can go a very long way toward your continued marital happiness.”
—
After class, Hermione forced Ron and Harry to the library with her. Professor Compton had stopped her on her way out, silently offering a slip of paper to her before dismissing her entirely. It was a pass for the restricted section, likely exactly where she would find the resources she so desperately craved.
She waited until they were behind the restricted sections wards to turn on Ron, who somehow hadn't seen this coming. “Ronald Weasley you will tell me absolutely everything right now! Have you always expected to beat your wife if she steps a toe out of line!? Do you expect her to fulfill your every desire while treating her no better than a house elf?”
Ron's eyes went wide as he stuttered out his answer. “I- no, Hermione- I would nev- that's not-”
Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder to calm him down. “Hermione I'm sure this isn't going to be as bad as it sounds, alright? Give him a minute.”
“I will not give him a minute to find a way to sugarcoat this! Is this what it's like in your house, Ronald? I actually liked your dad, but if he's secretly been beating your mum-”
“What! No, Hermione! Look, it's not like that, okay? It's…not the same for everyone. Sure, mom has been-” he darted his eyes around before whispering, “ spanked occasionally, but it's not a bad thing! It helps bring her back on track when she spirals or veers off course or whatever. He doesn't beat her! And they always seem happier afterwards! It's…consensual?”
“Being forced into signing a contract is not consensual Ronald! You're telling me your mother just sits and takes this abuse happily? And what about you? Are you looking forward to- to putting your wife in her place!?”
Ron's ears went bright red at the questions. “It's not like that, Hermione! I'm not going to- to beat my wife, honest! We'll talk about what punishments will keep her in line that we're both comfortable with!”
“Keep her in line? ” Hermione scoffed, unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth. To think one of her best friends had no problem with this! She turned to Harry then, having had enough of Ron. “And what about you? I assume you were as blindsided by this as me. How do you feel?”
Harry was quiet for a moment before frowning at her. “I had no idea. And I'll give you that it sounds really bad. I certainly have no intention of harming my future wife.”
“But?” Hermione asked, hearing it in his voice.
“But, I'm thinking about all the witch adults that I know. Professor McGonagall doesn't seem like a meek afraid housewife who has been ‘put in her place’ on a regular basis. And the Weasleys are the happiest family I know. Maybe there's something to this. Maybe it's not how it sounds, yeah?”
Frustrated, Hermione let out a sound of rage and turned away from her friends to find the books she needed. Harry brought up good points that she would have to think about further, but for now she needed to stew in her indignation and get researching.
—
The class met twice a week for two hours and Hermione absolutely dreaded going every single time. She could tell she wasn't the only one. Several other female students seemed apprehensive, but only a few of the males.
After that first class detailing what was to come, everything seemed fine for weeks. Professor Compton proved a capable instructor on the topic of communication, negotiation, and compromise. They were partnered up during class to try out new techniques as they were taught, and assigned essays over ways to settle various marital disputes. Hermione was surprised to find it all quite worthwhile information.
And then October hit and so began their lessons on pleasure.
Male anatomy came first, because of course male pleasure was the point of all of this. Hermione’s disgust returned with a vengeance. A spell had two large models projected in front of the class displaying both a circumcised and uncircumcised penis. Another spell had them growing erect for the class before Professor Compton got very detailed in the various ways in which a woman could use her body to please a man's using only this organ.
Another class highlighted stimulation of the scrotum and the prostate, though the latter would be only at their husband’s discretion. Not everyone would be comfortable with proximity to their rectum.
They then moved on to female anatomy, trading in the penile projections for that of various vulvas. They displayed the different ways the labia could look and varying styles of pubic hair. “Men, it'll ultimately be up to you how your wife grooms their pubic area so take note of your preferences when looking at these, but remember to keep an open mind. If your wife prefers a full bush, for example, it's best to try it out for a while before requiring her to spell it all off to meet your preference. Keep in mind everything we've said about compromise.”
Breasts and asses were displayed and explained as well, but special attention was paid to the clitoris, bringing the class their first lesson discipline. “Many women can not achieve release without stimulation of the clitoris, as we've already detailed, and that leads us into our first type of punishment: orgasm denial. Some men prefer to keep all forms of pleasure from their wife when they've gone astray, but another way is to bring them pleasure without allowing them to reach that ultimate pleasure. Stimulate them here,” he pointed to the large clitoris projection, “or one of the other areas we've examined but only until they approach that edge. Then pull away to keep them from reaching that goal. This can potentially be done several times in a row if your partner has done something really bad and is in need of serious correction.
“I must caution you though that all punishments must have a set expiration. A condition that must be met or a length of time for it to be carried out. If there is no end in sight it can lead to negative feelings from your wife, which spirals into resentment and only leads to her behaving worse.
“Let's look at some other forms of discipline.”
And on it went. Spanking seemed to be the most common way to punish a wayward wife. Her bare bottom provided the largest surface that could suffer the most pain. But there was always her thighs, her clitoris, her breasts, her nipples, or any other patch of skin they desired to see reddened.
“It is important to dole out pleasure to your wife when she so deserves. This could be by bringing her to mutual release, of course, but other gestures can also take this place. A word of gratitude can go a long way, for example. Or an offering for them to take a turn choosing something that falls under the man's purview. Remember the pubic hair? Perhaps allow their hair to grow how they choose for a set time. There are plenty of possibilities to choose from.”
—
November brought a whole new level of anxiety with the announcement that they were to be paired up to simulate being married for the following month. They would have to live together and employ the communication techniques they'd learned to create a happy marriage. The women were expected to obey their male partners in all things, including sexually.
“You can't be serious!”
Hermione wasn't sure when she'd stood up, and she was struggling to realize that she had been the one to interrupt Professor Compton in the middle of his explanation. Every eye was turned on her, some flicking back and forth to the professor too.
Professor Compton had fallen silent at her outburst, standing tall and patient as he stared her down. Hermione silently lowered herself down into her seat, embarrassed. He continued to watch her as she finally looked down to her lap, contrite.
“Was there something you wished to say, Miss Granger?”
Hermione shook her head, softly answering, “No sir. I apologize for my outburst.”
He made a deep humming noise in the back of his throat as he leaned back against his desk, crossing his feet in front of him. “Pop quiz time. Everyone, take out a spare bit of parchment. Men, I would like you to write down how you would discipline your wife if she were to very rudely interrupt you. Women, I'd like you to write down how you could apologize to your husband beyond saying ‘I’m sorry.’”
Hermione's cheeks were blazing. Not only was she the reason for a sudden quiz, but it was about her. And all the men were now thinking about how they'd like to reprimand her and it was just awful.
After only a minute or so Professor Compton called for a halt. “Make sure your name is on your parchment and ladies, raise yours into the air.” They did as they were told only for a spell to bring all their answers right to him in a neat stack.
“All right, I won't read off names but we'll grade these as a class. Men, if the answer I read off would be a good apology to you , then raise your hand.
“Right, first off we have ‘Fall to my knees and beg forgiveness.’” He paused to look around for raised hands. Only a few were up. He set the paper on the desk and read off the next one. “Suck his cock.’” His pause this time was short, as every hand was raised. Professor Compton set that one on the other side of him, making a new pile. “‘Pull down my skirt and bend over.’” Most hands raised at that, though several were only halfway raised. “Interesting. Tell me, Mr. Smith, why you seem unsure if that is an acceptable apology.”
Zacharias grimaced at being called on. “It doesn't really say why they're bending over so how am I to know if that's an apology? Are they presenting themselves to be fucked or to be spanked or just mooning me?”
“Excellent, yes! It's important to be specific in however you choose to communicate with your partners. If you have previously agreed that presenting your rear is the form in which you are to apologize, then this is an excellent choice. If not, then you need to do better.” He added that answer to the first pile which Hermione took to mean that stack was for inadequate answers. The dreadful realization that followed that thought was that ‘suck his cock’ was therefore a correct answer.
Professor Compton read through the whole stack, sorting several sexual acts into the ‘correct’ pile, as well as a few spanking answers. Joining the ‘inadequate’ was Hermione’s own answer (‘promise to try not to do it again’) and several other non-physical options. To sum things up, if clothes weren’t coming off, the wife wasn’t apologizing well enough.
“For those of you who’s answers went in this stack,” he held up the parchments Hermione deemed ‘correct,’ “congratulations, you’ve passed the test. If your answer went over here,” he held up the smaller stack, “then you owe me 7 inches on why your answer wasn’t acceptable.”
He stacked them together then, waving his wand and sending them into his connected office for him to attend to later. “Men, your turn. Answers in the air.”
He relaxed back against his desk to start the whole process over again. “Women, you will raise your hand if you think that I read off an adequate punishment. First up, ‘shove my cock into her mouth to show her a better use for her throat.’”
Hermione was among the half who did not raise her hand. “Miss Bones, why would you say this is an inadequate punishment?”
That Susan agreed with Hermione was a relief. She’d always thought the Hufflepuff had a good head on her shoulders. “Well for one, it’s crude. For another, it sounds as if his wife isn’t allowed to speak at all, which is completely unfair. And for a third, it’s angry. You said not to discipline while angry.”
Professor Compton nodded thoughtfully then rifled through the stack of answers in his hand, pulling one to the top. “How about this one? ‘Remind her that opening her mouth out of turn will be seen as a desire for me to fill it. Which I will then do with my cock.’ Is that better?”
Nearly all the women’s hands went up at that and Professor Compton separated the two answers on his desk. Hermione was still appalled. That speaking up could force a penis into her mouth was unthinkable! And it might very well be her reality come the start of her pretend marriage.
Several more answers were read through. Various similar answers to the first two were given as well as several spankings. One said writing lines and another suggested washing their mouth out with soap. Only ones that were worded too harshly were ‘incorrect’ but everything else was accepted. “The reason nearly all of you got that right is because you are the one who gets to set the punishment. What you say, goes. Within reason. And for some of your wives, things like writing lines may very well be the hardest punishment for her to carry out. That will be for you to discover in the coming month.”
He sent those pages off to join the first group, conveniently not assigning the failed men any assignment as he’d done the women. “Now,” he shifted his gaze to look directly at Hermione. “Humiliation is a viable form of punishment we only touched briefly on. Everyone, raise your hand if you think it to be a sufficient form of discipline.”
Hermione’s raised, as did most others. “Good. We didn’t go much into that yet because there are rules for your month-long project. One of which says all marital acts are to be done inside your assigned dwellings. That means any physical form of sexual act, discipline, or reward. Therefore ‘humiliation’ isn't something you’ll have as much access to in your punishment toolkit. However, if you feel you truly need to add a spot of humiliation to get a point across to your partner, you may schedule a time for me to come by your dwelling for you to perform such a discipline.”
Hermione could feel her cheeks burning at the idea. For a teacher to see her being spanked or fucked or… whatever, was truly horrifying.
“On your desk,” he flicked his wand to summon papers for everyone, “is the guidelines for this project. The rules and regulations. The limits. I want to specifically highlight the rule at the very top. You’ll be signing a contract for this project that will keep everything between two partners completely secret, with the exception of myself and a few other professors should they need to step in. Any attempt to break this contract and share details with an outside party will lead to an automatic failure for the course and expulsion from Hogwarts. We do not take this lightly.
“Read through the rest on your own time and come to class on Thursday with any questions you might have. Additionally, I have more homework for you. Men, you will need to submit the rules that you will require your wife to follow. This will not be contractually binding. Rules in a marriage are not binding, they’re building blocks. They can be altered and changed to fit the specific relationship needs, but you must start somewhere. You can submit any number you want, and we’ll go over them in the meetings I have scheduled for you. We’ll use that time to talk through which will or won't work, as well as receive input from your assigned wife.
“Likewise, women. Provide a list of hard limits for yourself. Things that you will not do or will not have done to you. Keep in mind, there are very few limits I will allow you to keep and bind your husband to as well.”