24: A Slight Overstep (18+)

After my trial, things returned to some semblance of normalcy. It was a new kind of normal, mostly due to everything revealed during my trial, but it was normal all the same. I fell back into a routine of classes, research, and training Heather for the tournament.

Sure, students and staff alike treated me differently now. But no one took things too far, either into scorn or praise. Most of the Pure-Bloods were much more respectful and willing to listen to me — not that that had been much of a problem before. The Half-Bloods and Muggle-borns had seemed to collectively decide that my true heritage didn't matter all that much. I'd still been raised Muggle and therefore was more relateable than my Pure-Blood position implied.

It helped that most students had gotten the majority of their questions out of the way right after my trial when I'd held an impromptu question-and-answer panel in the Great Hall. I'd done my best to field every question they threw at me, from 'Will this change your teaching style?' (no) to 'How does it feel to be an incest baby?' (very conflicted). It was an exhausting process but a necessary one in my opinion.

Another thing that helped the acceptance process was the Weasley Twins' newest invention. To say I was impressed by them didn't even begin to cover it. Their 'WWO' was easily beyond NEWT-level charm work. With (quite) a bit more work, it might even earn the pair a pair of Masteries. It also showed off two inventive minds and a willingness to adapt and introduce Muggle ideas into the Wizarding world. Needless to say, I quickly pledged myself as the first investor for the joke shop they had planned for after they graduated.

So far, I was the only one of the Hogwarts staff who had been told about the WWO. The twins wanted to keep it to just the students for now. I could understand that sentiment. As it was now, the WWO was fresh, raw, and untamed by adults in all the best ways. It was something special for the Wizarding youth to call their own. The twins didn't want to ruin that by trying to expand too quickly.

Still, after the role WWO played in my trial for the students, there was no denying its usefulness. They were able to watch the events for themselves, forming their own opinions and reactions without the usual bias that pervaded Wizarding news sources. And when the Prophet's issue on my trial came out, condemning me for my 'domineering' actions in 'ruining Pure-Blood families', that freedom of information showed itself to be a necessity.

Without WWO, I'm sure my treatment by the Pure-Blood students would be much less accepting. With it, I'd even gained respect with some of the Pure-Bloods who'd previously been somewhat cold and distant with me. More students were willing to answer questions or were more willing to engage in my more experimental ideas of teaching. Of course, I could do without being called 'Heir Black' all the time.

It seemed people thought I was more involved in politics now than I really was. That was an annoying development but one I could deal with. Bella and I were scheduled to meet with Narcissa and Andromeda over the Yule break. Once that happened, I would hopefully be able to pass off the politics of my new position to someone with much more experience.

< Combat >

< +3 to Melee, +4 to Focus, +4 to Awareness, +5 to Attack, +5 to Defense, +5 to Healing, +6 to Dueling, +9 to Evasion, +10 to Agility, +15 to Accuracy >

< Melee 2+3=5/100, Focus 42+4=46/100, Awareness 35+4=39/100, Attack 40+5=45/100, Defense 38+5=43/100, Healing 35+5=40/100, Dueling 42+6=48/100, Evasion 31+9=40/100, Agility 30+10=40/100, Accuracy 26+15=41/100 >

< Combat is now Tier 5 >

< Magic >

< +2 to Herbology, +3 to Arithmancy, +3 to Magic Theory, +4 to Black Blood Magic, +5 to Wanded Magic, +5 to Occlumency, +5 to Transportation, +6 to Transfiguration, +6 to Runes, +6 to Dark Arts, +7 to Charms, +8 to Wandless Magic, +9 to DADA >

< Herbology 39+2=41/100, Arithmancy 50+3=53/100, Magic Theory 64+3=67/100, Black Blood Magic 11+4=15/100, Wanded Magic 55+5=60/100, Occlumency 39+5=44/100, Transportation 35+5=40/100, Transfiguration 51+6=57/100, Runes 48+6=54/100, Dark Arts 42+6=48/100, Charms 52+7=59/100, Wandless Magic 33+8=41/100, DADA 52+9=61/100 >

< Magic is now Tier 6 >

< Social >

< +10 to Notoriety, +10 to Influence >

< Notoriety 27+10=37/100, Influence 28+10=38/100 >

< Creation >

< +6 to Wards, +9 to Ritual Magic >

< Wards 35+6=41/100, Ritual Magic 35+9=44/100 >

Tier 6 Magic… Heady didn't even begin to describe that feeling. And I could feel the difference. It was like stepping free of a set of weights around my soul. There was still weight there as my magic sustained my existence against uncaring reality and time itself. But it was easier now. Much easier. Easy enough that more magic was freed up for my daily use.

Magic flowed through me as easily as walking or running. Not quite to the point of breathing yet but that would come with further Tier increases. It was as if I was constantly gliding on a cloud of my own essence, surrounded by something tangibly intangible and powerful as the universe was old. Even without casting or flexing my magic, I found myself contributing to the staff meetings more often, adding my knowledge to lesson plans from all corners of the Castle. Knowledge and power combined, elevating me to a new level.

About a week before the Yule Ball, something interesting happened to break up my routine. At the end of one of my classes, I received a note. It was from Heather and Hermione, delivered in the form of a charmed paper airplane. Why they went to such lengths was unclear. They were in that class and usually, they just walked up to talk to me after the other students started to leave. Still, I played along, following the directions on the note.

"Heather? Hermione? Is this really necessary?" I asked.

I walked into the Room of Requirement where they'd requested to meet me. The door to the Room was already visible so they must have been inside. I wasn't sure what to expect but a completely dark room wasn't it.

"Girls?" I called out. "Are you here? I can't see anything."

A giggle sounded from my left, sounding an awful lot like it'd come from Heather. I turned to it but still couldn't see anything. It was as if I was blindfolded. My arms tentatively stretched out in front of me.

"Ah~!"

My fingers sunk into pillowy soft perfection. Two points pebbled against my palms. Whatever I grabbed was warm against my skin, covered by thin triangles of fabric. For a moment, I just squeezed, mesmerized by the feeling spilling into my hands. Then my brain caught up to me.

"Heather?!" I jumped backward, losing my balance as I went over an unseen ledge.

Suddenly, I was plunged into lukewarm water. I naturally tried to swim toward the surface before realizing I could stand. As I sputtered and spat out water, the lights finally came on. For some reason, Heather and Hermione had configured the Room into an indoor pool and I was currently standing, fully clothed, in the shallow end.

At the ledge I'd just fallen off, Heather crouched down and smirked at me. Her position treated me to a tantalizing sight and my earlier realization was proven correct. In preparation for whatever she had planned, Heather wore a skimpy swimming costume that could only be accurately categorized as a bikini.

My eyes gravitated toward what I'd just been accidentally holding in my hands. Partially hidden by her position, Heather's breasts still spilled out from behind her thighs slightly. My gaze traveled downward. After a visual journey that would have been marked among the most picturesque vacations, I landed between Heather's crouching thighs, bearing witness to a thin strip of fabric that hugged plump lips.

"Hiya, Teach~" Heather smirked. "How do you like our surprise?"

Thankfully, her teasing snapped me out of gawking at her, "I'd like it better if I wasn't currently in drenched robes."

"Oh! Oh, we have to get you out of those before you catch a cold!" Hermione spoke up, reminding me of her presence.

I was all too eager to get out of the pool and out of soaking wet robes. As I leveraged myself onto the pool's ledge, Heather turned her smirk on her best friend.

"Isn't that a myth?"

I was busy discarding my outer robes and whipping my shirt over my head so I didn't see Hermione's expression but I certainly heard her hiss, "Shut up, Heather~!"

I got down to my pants and had them half off when I finally paused, "Uh… Do you have something for me to change into?"

"Oh yeah~" Heather purred, openly looking me up and down. "We've got something for you to ~get into~"

Now, I had a front-row seat to Hermione's blush as she handed me a swimming costume of my own. It also gave me my first honest look at her outfit. It matched Heather's in coverage but it was… softer. Heather's bikini was all thin string and sleek fabric that hugged her form. Hermione's looked as if it was knit from wool. Despite the differences in material, both bikinis showed off how beautiful the girls were to the fullest extent.

The crochet look of her bikini suited Hermione's body type. She was soft everywhere I looked. Her thighs were thick from walking up dozens of flights of stairs a day but still without too much definition to ruin her softness. Her hips were wide as if it was asking to be taken hold of and manhandled. Her waist was thin but there was still a definite softness there as opposed to Heather.

Heather was lean and defined. Her body looked like it was sculpted from stone. As if she was an Amazonian in everything but height. There was so much quality densely packed into her 5'1" frame. Her tummy was toned and tight. Her derriere was pert and bubbly. And despite how small and tight Heather was, her breasts still looked like they could have knocked a man out.

I managed to tent my underwear quite a bit before a bit of fabric was shoved in my face, knocking me out of my admiration. One of my hands held my pants up at mid-thigh while the other took the offered swimming costume. It unfurled in my hand, seemingly made of spandex and much smaller than I'd been expecting.

"Really?" I deadpanned. "Where did you even get trunks this tight?"

Butter wouldn't have melted in Heather's mouth as she replied, "That's just what the Room provided when we asked for swimming clothes."

Hermione steadfastly refused to meet my flat gaze, her face burning a very pleasant shade of pink.

I sighed, "Alright, fine. Is there a place for me to change?"

Heather's faux innocence continued, "Yeah-… Oh, what's this? The room didn't provide one? Gasp! How tragic!"

I had to try very hard to keep from rolling my eyes, "You can't literally say 'gasp' and expect me to believe you, Heather. Just… turn around. Both of you."

"Why don't you turn around instead? We won't peak. Promise," Heather's smirk returned.

At this point, it was easier to play along and get this over with. Heather was in one of her moods. And unlike usual, Hermione didn't seem like she was going to be any help at all.

I turned, letting my pants drop and stepping out of them. My underwear followed. I heard a gasp from behind me, almost certainly from Hermione. I knew that because Heather just purred at my exposure. Quickly, I stepped into the skin-tight trunks, pulling them up my legs and trying to avoid exposing myself any more than necessary. Once I was finished and had gotten comfortable in the trunks, I turned back around.

Hermione openly gaped at me, too overwhelmed to try and hide anything, "I-… I didn't know butts could be that attractive…"

Heather leered at both me and Hermione, "I certainly did~ And did you see that shadow between his legs~? Tasty~"

"Heather?!" Hermione gasped, scandalized but I saw the way her eyes darted down to the bulge in my trunks.

Hoping to save Hermione and myself some embarrassment, I changed the subject, "Girls? Why did you call me here? And why the letter?"

Heather shrugged, "We wanted to shake things up a bit. As for why we're here…"

"Heather got a hint about the golden egg. From Cedric Diggory!" Hermione rushed out, eager to contribute to the subject change.

"He said I should try having a bath with it."

"And then she smacked him."

Heather looked off to the side sheepishly, "I thought he was implying something else. His fault for coming up to a girl and telling her 'get naked and wet with it'."

"Honestly, Heather, I very much doubt he meant to be so inappropriate," Hermione huffed.

"Then he should learn to be more careful with how he words things!" Heather shot right back.

"In this situation, I think a little slap was deserved," I pacified both of them. "Why don't we forget the messy part and act on this information?"

Hermione didn't raise any objections, "Fine. I am rather eager to see what the clue is."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Heather bounced in excitement, a motion that did wonderful things for her… assets.

I was slightly hypnotized by the boobily bouncing boobies, "Uh… You to get the egg?"

"Oh, right…" Heather said, unfortunately stopping her movements so she could run off to get the egg from wherever she stashed it. "How do you think this will work? Cedric just said to take a bath with it."

"I imagine the egg will react with the bathwater somehow," Hermione postulated.

"We won't find out until we try," I added.

Heather grinned. Before we could question that grin, she took off toward the ledge of the pool, launching herself off of it and yelling all the while, "Cannonball!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and I couldn't help my chuckles at Heather's antics. She resurfaced from the pool, still grinning up at the two of us, "What are you guys waiting for? The water's great!"

We followed in a much more subdued manner. I slid into the pool first and then turned to help Hermione lower herself in as well. Almost immediately, Heather swam up behind me, pressing herself to my back. Warm, wet skin slid against my own, and a pair of pillows were smushed onto my lower back. Heather used me as a support, lifting herself most of the way out of the water with her arms around my shoulders.

"Mmmm~" Heather moaned into my ear. "Carry me? I can't seem to reach the bottom."

"Heather? Where's the egg?" I asked, rolling my eyes even as I spun her around me and into my arms.

Her eyes fluttered coyly in my embrace, "Hmm? Oh, I dropped it."

"Isn't it kind of the only reason we're doing this?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Don't make me drop you."

"Fiiii~neeee~ Let me down. I'll go get it," Heather said dramatically.

I did and she swam off to get the egg. As we waited for her to return, Hermione seemed to huddle closer to me. I didn't even realize I'd put my arm around her until I felt her sigh into the side of my chest. Even then, I didn't release her. It just felt natural for us to stand like this.

Heather returned and we set our minds to figuring out Cedric's hint. It… didn't take long at all. Heather opened the egg, expecting something different from the screeching we'd grown accustomed to. Nothing had changed though, and the sudden ear-splitting wail caused Heather to drop the egg into the water again. Once submerged, the screeching shifted into melodic singing.

We all looked at each other in shock, "Huh…"

I was the first to dunk myself underwater in pursuit of the egg. Heather followed but strangely, Hermione stayed at the surface. Once underwater, the egg's singing became clear and intelligible.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour, the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

  The singsong riddle repeated when it was finished. Heather and I didn't bother listening a second time. She closed the egg and we resurfaced. I sent Hermione a questioning look while Heather just looked ponderous.

Hermione blushed, "I didn't want to get my hair wet…"

Nodding my understanding, I repeated the riddle for her, "-come back… What do you make of that?"

"It's not much of a clue," Hermione thought out loud. "It basically just says the champions will have something taken from them and that they'll have an hour to get it back. Though the task will likely involve water somehow considering the solution to the egg."

I nodded, "I'm pretty sure it was in Mermish. I just didn't recognize it before because I've never heard Mermish outside of the water."

"The Black Lake!" Hermione exclaimed. "There's a population of Merpeople living there. They must have been enlisted for the Second Task."

"Sounds likely. What really bothers me is what will be taken. 'Taken what you'll sorely miss'… Considering the First Task was against Dragons, the tournament organizers haven't inspired much confidence in me. Seems just cruel and unusual enough for them to take a champion's belongings and potentially not give them back."

"It's not items," Heather said in quiet realization. "What I'll sorely miss the most isn't an item. It's you two. And what better way to raise the stakes than by taking hostages?"

"Shite…" I swore. "I hate how much sense that makes. Of course, if that's the case, Dumbledore would never allow hostages to be lost forever."

"That part is probably a trick to make the champions more desperate," Hermione added.

Something mischievous sparkled in Heather's eye, "I'll give them something I'll sorely miss…"

Neither I nor Hermione had time to question what they meant. Heather stepped through the water up to me, lifting herself to hang off my body again. Only now did she hesitate, nerves showing on her face. She didn't back down though, proceeding forward with whatever spurred her into motion. Heather's eyes fluttered closed. I blinked.

Soft lips pressed hesitantly against my own. Despite the boldness of her actions and her usual unending confidence, none of that showed in her kiss. Heather kissed me, unsure and tentatively exploring this new sensation. Her arms clung to my neck. Her body molded itself to mine. And her lips parted slightly in a pleased hum.

Before I realized it, I was kissing her back. Her lips yielded to my initiative, letting me take the lead. 

I found my arms looped around the small of her back, fingers running along the lines of the tattoo I'd given her. 

Heather was just starting to really get into the kiss, opening her mouth and trying to slip me all of her tongue when a gasped exclamation broke us apart.

"Heather?! What about the plan?!?"

"Plan?" I asked, more than a bit amused.

Hermione's gaping mouth snapped closed and she instantly clammed up. Heather sighed and tapped my shoulder, "Let me down for a second."

I did. She then walked over to her best friend and said, "I'm not saying it's a bad plan. I'm still on board with it. You know I'd never abandon you like that. I just feel like maybe… we could speed things up a bit."

"But the plan! The ritual! The romance and all the… 'research' we put into this!" Hermione hissed in protest, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

Heather chuckled, "We can still do all of that. We'll get our hot-for-teacher moment yet. I doubt Atlas will induct us into his dastardly coven right this moment."

My voice rumbled in my chest, "I might~"

Heather nodded, continuing as if I hadn't just contradicted her "Exactly. So let's just calm down and go with the flow, yeah, Hermione? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. A kiss here and there. That's just typical courting behavior."

"I suppose you're right…" Hermione slowly let herself be pacified by her best friend's reassurance. "But are you sure Professor Atlas… consents? That he's into this? To us? T-To me…?"

"He was pretty damn enthusiastic with me at least," Heather smirked. "Why don't you find out for yourself? If he doesn't want to kiss you too, I'll do it for him~"

"You'll what?!" Hermione gaped at Heather.

Heather waved her off, intentionally deflecting, "Don't worry about it. Just go get your helping of sugar from our man~"

"Our man? Don't be sexist, Heather. It's not like we have some sort of claim on him," Hermione scoffed halfheartedly as she walked to me, clearly saying it just to disguise her growing nerves.

"You kind of do," I said. "I'm rather invested in the two of you and I'm not opposed to seeing how our relationship evolves. I quite like you, Hermione. And Heather too."

"O-Oh…" Hermione squeaked, coming to a stop in front of me and staring intensely at my bare chest.

My finger on her chin tilted her face up toward me. She absently twirled her hair around a finger. Her eyes darted all across my face, eager anxiety visible within them. Hermione licked suddenly dry lips.

"S-So… Y-You come here often?" Hermione stuttered, wincing at her own awkwardness.

Chuckling, I reached out for her. One of my hands fell to her hip, resting on the smooth swell of soft skin. My other cupped the back of her neck, leading her to look up at me with slightly parted lips. I leaned down, stopping right before contact to whisper.

"At least one of us will be 'coming' often… Try not to overthink all of this, Hermione~"

She gasped at my innuendo and I took the opportunity to seize her lips with mine. Soft and firm, I pressed into her. My lips moved, guiding her through the kiss. Her palms came up to rest on my pecs and she leaned into my body as much as she physically could.

Hermione might as well have thrown herself over the edge of passion. She was inexperienced. She was clumsy. And she was the most eager of learners. 

Her teeth clacked lightly against mine thanks to pure enthusiasm. Her lip movements were stunted and exaggerated at the same time. Her tongue tried to press into my mouth as she leaped into this new learning experience as she did with everything else that caught her interest.

When I finally let her in, meeting her questing tongue and sucking it between my lips, Hermione was wracked with a full-body shiver.

A moan filled my mouth. Diamonds hardened against my chest. Thickness pressed between her legs and Hermione began to grind without even knowing what she was doing.

By the time we came apart, Hermione was panting and I was breathing heavily myself. Her eyes stayed shut as if she was still in a moment that had passed. My eyes flicked over her features, trying to burn this scene into my memory. She shuddered and I felt myself throb into the space between her thighs.

Slowly and with great effort, I let her go. As much as I wanted to ravish her, this didn't feel like the right moment. She and Heather apparently had a whole plan. I wasn't about to sabotage that because I couldn't control myself.

Hermione leaned into me until we separated. I still supported her with a hand on her hip. Her eyes fluttered open, staring up at me above flushed cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by something unexpected.

Seemingly with a mind of its own, Hermione's swimming costume came undone. Her crotchet top fell, flashing hard, perky, pink nipples and gloriously shaped teardrops. Her bottoms fell away as well, clinging to her full lower half until the movement of the water pulled them away. Hermione jumped, accidentally putting even more of herself on display before covering her front in a hurry.

Behind Hermione, Heather couldn't have looked more guilty if she tried. And not just because she was holding Hermione's undone swimsuit. She also sported an unrepentant grin and appreciative eyes for her best friend.

"Heather?!" Hermione gasped, her blush reaching all the way down her chest.

"Don't you think that was uncalled for?" I asked with a sigh.

Heather didn't stop grinning, "Nah, I didn't want you two lovebirds getting carried away. If Hermione's going to get on me about 'the plan', she has to stick to it as well."

"Heather!" Hermione exclaimed again, her flush taking on an angry, frustrated hue.

"I think you went a little too far here, Heather."

Still, her grin didn't die, "Oh? What are you gonna do? Punish me?"

"Yes."

"Oh yea-… wait, what?! Ack! Hold on, hold on!"

I paid Heather's protests no mind. Before she could process what was happening, I swept her up in my arms and carried her out of the pool. Hermione followed, briefly stopping to recover her swimsuit and continuing to cover herself. Her expression was one of unsure gratefulness and amused exasperation.

Once we were out of the pool, the Room shifted, seemingly listening to my unspoken will. A comfy couch appeared to be used for my purposes. I dried the three of us with a wave of my free hand, carrying Heather bodily under my other arm. She kicked and squirmed, halfheartedly trying to get free. I didn't let her.

I laid her across my lap as I sat down on the couch. Hermione got redressed in the background and hesitantly came to sit with us, positioning herself so that Heather's head was toward her. Heather fixed her best friend with a pleading look.

"You've never been physically disciplined like this, have you, Heather?" It was more of a statement than a real question.

Heather's craned her head to look up at me, "Uhhh…"

I nodded, "That's what I thought. This will be for your own good. We love you, Heather, but you have a tendency to push your pranks a bit too far. You push and push until you unintentionally burn someone.

"Like just now, for example. You embarrassed your best friend and possibly ruined our moment together. So as your temporary guardian, I'm going to take it upon myself to show you the error of your ways. Hopefully, experiencing a bit of discomfort and embarrassment for yourself will make you more empathetic."

"Can't we talk about this?" Heather pleaded.

"I don't think talking would change anything at this point. You need something to shock you, something that you won't forget immediately."

She squirmed in my lap. Her behind raised into the air, inadvertently presenting me with the perfect target. The thong-style bottoms she wore split a pair of perfectly taut cheeks. Like a lush peach, Heather's butt enticed me to take a bite.

I resisted that urge. Instead, my hand came down to caress her lower cheeks. Heather shivered at my touch and shivered even more when my hand slid between her legs. An intense heat graced my fingers when they grazed her crotch. It was soon joined by hints of damp arousal.

"Count out loud," I instructed.

"W-What do you-…! Ah! O-One!"

"Good girl," I cooed.

Heather's whole body jolted with the force of her first spank. My hand rubbed the spot I'd just struck. With a keening whine, Heather tried to bury her face in the couch to hide her reaction to my forceful discipline. However, she couldn't hide the way her butt pushed back into my caressing hand.

Heather's body really was a work of art. With her so close and so at my mercy, I couldn't keep pretending not to notice that fact. Smooth skin covered her lean muscles with a healthy hint of fat for flavor. Her butt was bubbly and generously padded with that fat and muscle. Her legs looked so long on her petite frame and so deliciously toned.

My hand cocked back and came down on her other buttcheek. It rippled just right, springing back into shape instantly. Already, hints of red were beginning to color her golden-tanned skin.

"T-Two!" Heather called out.

I gave her a short break again, letting the tension in the air build. I felt Heather's body tense across my lap. Her abs might as well have been steel and a certain hardened part of my own anatomy reached up to meet them. She began to chuckle lightly at the feeling but before she could get in a cutting remark, I resumed her spanking.

"T-T-Threeeeee~" There was a definite moan in Heather's counting voice.

My hand dipped back between her legs, "Are you enjoying this, Heather?"

"N-No… S-So painful… And definitely not in a good way…"

"You're leaking," I pointed out.

Heather stayed silent, grinding her crotch down into my hand.

I turned to Hermione, "Did you know your best friend was a slut for pain?"

"H-Hey!" Heather squeaked in protest.

Hermione met my eyes, shaking her head in reply while a blush quickly spread across her cheeks. I tried to communicate something with my gaze, telling her to play along.

"I-Is that true, Heather?" Hermione thankfully picked up on my unspoke request. "Are you enjoying this? Being spanked like a disobedient child? Being taken to hand by a strong, older authority figure?"

Heather groaned, "Shut uuuuuuuppppp~"

"You know I am…" She added in a whisper.

"Keep counting," I ordered, spanking her again.

"F-Fourrrr~"

"Fiiiiii~veeeee~"

"S-Six~ Yes~!"

"S-Sev-… Seven~ So close…"

"Eight, eight, eight, eight~!"

Heather tensed in my lap. I left her hanging on the edge of nirvana, teasing her with light touches across her reddened buttcheeks and light pressure to her covered, dripping pussy.

"This isn't turning out to be much of a punishment, is it?" I absently asked Hermione.

"N-No," Hermione stuttered. "Just… really hot…"

"It's punishment!" Heather insisted. "I'll be good from now on! I promise, I promise, I promise~! Just let me cummmmmmmm~!"

I hummed, "You think you've been suitably punished?"

"Sooooooo~ punished~"

"Fine," I eventually decided. "We'll just have to revisit this regularly so you don't start acting out and going too far again."

"Thank yooooooooouuuuuuuuu~!" Heather started to say before her words transitioned into a drawl-out squeal.

The cause of that squeal was me. I started back in on the spanking, suddenly going at a much more rapid pace. Slaps of skin on skin sounded back to back to back. The red of Heather's butt deepened. Her whole body jolted and bucked beneath the assault. Her hands clutched at the fabric of the couch. Her head bowed and her feet kicked. And through it all, she kept counting.

"Nine~! Ten~! Eleven~! T-Tweee~lveeeee~! Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, cumming~! Oh, oh, oh, yes~!"

As she declared her climax, Heather went stiff and still. My hand naturally gravitated to her core, applying pressure so I could feel her pussy spasming against my touch. 

Ever so gently, I frigged her back and forth, targeting her clit and bringing her to an even greater peak. Her juices did their best to gush through her swimsuit bottoms, drenching my fingers in sweet nectar.

Slowly, her tense muscles began to relax. I soothed her through the rest of her orgasm with soft touches. She all but melted into me. Then she tried to move, turning herself over to look up at me.

"Haaaaaaaa~ Ow, I think I pulled something there," Heather chuckled.

"I really hope I didn't make you cum hard enough to warrant a trip to Madam Pomfrey," I said flatly.

That comment sent Heather spiraling into giggles. Hermione joined her as well, stealthily pulling her hands away from her own crotch. I pretended not to notice the wet spot on the couch between her legs.

"I don't think you would ever hear the end of that one," Hermione teased her friend.

"Merlin, can you imagine? Poppy would lecture me about 'stretching' or something and then immediately give me all of the birth control potions. Again. Even though she already gave them to all the girls at the beginning of Third Year," Heather managed to get out between giggles.

I tucked that bit of information away for later, "Weren't we talking about something important? Before Heather decided to jump me and earned herself a spanking?"

"And I'll do it again!"

Hermione gasped, "The Second Task! What are we going to do? Just let the judges take potentially unwilling hostages?!"

A viciously mischievous grin settled onto Heather's face, "I have a few ideas… I think it could be good for Hermione to get some practice resisting authority. You know, for her revolution?"

"Revolution?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ignore that!" Hermione frantically deflected. "Nothing to see there! And I'm totally not planning on using you as a figurehead! Hey, look! A distraction! So, Heather… what were your ideas?"

I rolled my eyes. Hermione needed to work on her lying if she wanted to do anything that could reasonably be called a revolution. Or she could delegate, I guess. I couldn't deny my interest now that the idea had been brought up.

Heather smirked a smirk that spoke only of trouble for the tournament's organizers, "I was thinking it would go a little something like this-…"

IIIII

"Don't worry too much, Atlas dear," Septima said, fiddling with my bowtie for the fifth time in the past five minutes. "Y-You'll do fine. We'll do fine. This is just the Yule Ball. Just your first appearance in society since the reveal. Nothing less. Nothing more. After all, the major Pure-Blood Lords and Ladies won't be here. Just their heirs… And some important Ministry officials… Officials that tried to see you sent to Azkaban on trumped up charges… S-See? N-Nothing to worry about-…"

"Septima," I interrupted her, placing my hands on top of hers. "I'm not worried. And you shouldn't be either."

"I-I-…" She stuttered and sighed. "Haaa… I know. It's just… this is the first time the whole coven will be gathered in public. Even if you're only officially going with me and Aurora. You might as well be going with Luna, Gabrielle, Heather, and Hermione too. If only Mother Bella could be here…"

"No offense, baby," I snorted. "But bringing Bella to a public function like this sounds like a terrible idea at the moment."

That got a nervous giggle from my first and foremost mate, "Y-Yes, I can imagine the chaos she would cause."

"If you get too anxious, just tell me. Aurora and I will whisk you away from the Ball and we'll continue our date in private. I'm sure Aurora won't mind, will you?"

Aurora giggled, "Not at all. I may actually prefer that. We can go to the Astronomy Tower and I can show you this new potion Severus concocted. He told me he took inspiration from a Muggle drug called Ketamine~"

"As… intimidating as that sounds," I hedged. "I would still rather do that than have you feel uncomfortable, Septima."

Septima took a deep breath, "No, I'll be fine. This has been a dream of mine for so long and it's finally coming true. Not necessarily the social aspects. But I knew that would be a part of forming a new House. So… I can do this. And it won't be alone. I have the whole coven to lean on."

"If you're sure," I allowed. "Just know that the offer stands. I won't put others over the happiness of the coven. That includes you, 'Tima. If it wasn't for you, none of this would be possible."

A shy but bright smile graced her face, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

I nodded, asking, "Ready then? Both of you?"

At their nods, I extended an arm each for Aurora and Septima to latch onto, "Shall we?"

Aurora and Septima looked at each other around me, nodding in sync, "Let's."