A Familiar Bond: Chapter 15 (Patreon)

The village of Little Hangleton still called it ‘the Riddle House’, even though it had been decades since anyone had lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, mold covering the outer walls, its windows in a state of disrepair, and tiles missing from its roof. Once a rich-looking manor, easily the grandest in the village, the Riddle House was now merely a shadow of its former self — damp, derelict, and dilapidated.

Whoever took a glance at the once pristine manor admitted that the old house was creepy. Roughly half a century ago, something horrible had happened there, something the old folk still liked to animatedly tell the tales of. Yet, like all tales, this one had been picked over so many times, trimmed at the edges, and embroidered in so many places that it was impossible to tell what was the truth anymore. However, each version of the tale began at the same place: Fifty years ago, on a warm summer day when the sun was blistering down on the village and the manor had still been well-kept and impressive, the housemaid arrived and found all five Riddles dead. The mother, the father, the son, the daughter-in-law, and the little child of nine.

The maid had run out of the manor, downhill into the village, screaming.

The police had been summoned, and the entire village had been rapt with shocked curiosity and ill-timed excitement. Nobody could find it in their hearts to feel sorry for the fate that befell the family, apart from the little child of nine.

Old Mr. and Mrs. Riddle had been rich, snobbish, and rude, and their son, Tom, had been, if anything, worse. All failed in comparison to the woman the son married – a true rich bint with a penchant for flaunting her wealth in the face of the underprivileged. The little child had been on his way to following in his family’s footsteps – an arrogant brat that felt as if the world revolved around him. Yet, the villagers dismissed it since he was nothing but a child and a victim of his family’s unbecoming behavior.

Nobody had stepped foot in the house since. The gardener, one Frank Bryce, had been convicted of murder, and since then, the house remained forgotten. Children had been scared away by the elders never to venture close, for terrible things would happen should they cross the boundary that had been erected around the hill after the incident.

The decrepit manor remained shrouded in darkness every hour for close to five decades until the villagers started seeing glimmers of golden lights through one of the mirrors a few months ago. Terrified as they all were, no one dared to investigate what the matter was, attributing it to several ne’er-do-wells using the house as a hideout for their worthless activities.

Little did they know that something much sinister was underfoot.

The sound of glass clanking echoed around the room as the man put his bottle of firewhiskey down on the floor. He looked over when he heard the dull scraping noise of a metallic chair being dragged across the floor. He stared in silence as the man pushed the chair into place and dropped to one knee when the chair was turned around, facing him.

Head bowed, Bartemius Crouch Junior stared at the floor as he felt his lord’s gaze at the back of his head. Behind the chair, his fellow Death Eater Walden Macnair stood in silence.

“Rise, Barty,” a cold voice echoed throughout the room.

“My Lord,” Barty bowed low once before he got to his feet. At his lord’s nod, he took his seat. Macnair came over and sat on the chair beside him.

“Where is Nagini, Walden?”

“Out on her hunt, my lord,” Macnair replied with a deferential bow of his head.

“Ensure you milk her once she returns,” the cold voice echoed once again. “I will need feeding in the night. This vessel does require more sustenance as the time passes.”

Macnair nodded.

“How is the plan progressing, Barty?”

“As we predicted, my lord,” Barty replied. “The boy is strong. He succeeded in becoming the Hogwarts champion, as you believed he would. I thought he would need my interference, but I should have never doubted you.”

“A lesson well learned. What about our former… associates who are in the castle? What about Severus and Igor?”

Barty bristled at the mention of the second, replying, “Severus is a complicated case, my lord. For all intents and purposes, he conducts himself befitting any Death Eater, and he loathes the mere existence of Harry Potter. Karkaroff on the other hand… it takes immense effort on my part not to kill him where he stands.”

“Patience, Barty,” the voice chuckled darkly. “You will get your opportunity soon. Our wayward former associate will soon get his comeuppance. You can have your fun with him when the time comes.”

Barty’s tongue slithered quickly out of his lips as he nodded in anticipation.

“We are still short on manpower,” the voice rasped. “With only two of you, there is no significant step we can undertake. If only Bella had not died…”

There was a long stretch of silence inside the room at that remark, and Barty broke it with a tentative whisper.

“My lord… is there any possibility that Bellatrix is alive?”

“None, Barty,” the voice whispered. “I felt the connection break. There is no other explanation possible. The mark is tied to the soul, and for the link to disappear, only one thing is possible. Bella is no more with us. Truly a waste.”

Barty frowned but gave a respectful nod. He did not know how the mark worked exactly, but if his lord was confident that Bella was no more with them, he would accept it.

“Dying so soon after escaping from Azkaban. I must admit I expected more of Bellatrix Lestrange,” Barty chuckled mockingly. “Azkaban must’ve done a number on her.”

“Now Barty,” the voice whispered once again with a hint of amusement in it. “It does not bode well to speak ill of the dead. Bella is no more with us, and no matter how useful an asset she was, we must move forward without her. There might be only two of you right now, but we will have to proceed with what we have.”

A moment of silence ensued as Barty nodded in understanding.

“My Lord,” Macnair began hesitantly. “If I may?”

“Speak, Walden.”

Macnair looked at Crouch who was staring out of the window before looking back at his lord once again.

“My Lord, would it not be prudent to approach a few of our former associates? I believe we could use their help,” he implored.

“Our former associates, you say?” the voice breathed softly. “Pray tell, Walden. Who do you have in mind?”

Macnair looked into the malevolent crimson irises of his lord and failed to get the words out.

“We can only count on those who chose to renounce me instead of remaining loyal,” Voldemort hissed. “You think any of those would adhere to my commands when I am like this? You returned, Walden, and you will be rewarded for it. But do not try to overreach. Lucius, Nott, Avery, the Carrows, Crabbe, Goyle, Selwyn, Yaxley. All of them betrayed me. All of them betrayed our cause. Do not even think that I would ever lower myself to begging traitors for help, Walden. I will not repeat this.”

Macnair bowed deeply in subservience and apologized profusely for his lapse in judgment.

“My most faithful are in Azkaban. They chose years of torture over turning their backs on me, and they shall be adequately rewarded for it.”

“You heard from Wormtail that our lord was alive, Macnair,” Crouch began. “And you did all you could to find him and bring him back home. You even freed me from my vile father’s clutches. You shall always have my gratitude for everything you have done. But our lord’s word is absolute. We shall not confide in traitors. There is no guarantee that they would even cooperate with us. To save their hide, they would give our lord up to the ministry, or even the old fool instead.”

“Indeed,” the voice hissed coldly. “This discussion is pointless. Now, on the other hand, if my most faithful can somehow be freed from Azkaban… that would indeed be a very welcome development. Alas, we cannot proceed with a venture so ambitious at this point in time.”

“Soon, my lord,” Crouch whispered as he stared into the fireplace. “Once we have succeeded in restoring you to your rightful glory, we can bring the traitors to heel and release our faithful comrades from their unjust confinement as well.”

He saw his lord give an approving nod and got up. He pulled out a bottomless bag from the pocket of his black robe and took out a small vial with a muddy viscous liquid inside. Uncorking the vial, he gulped the potion down.

The other two occupants watched as their third associate’s body began to transform. The skin bubbled and adjusted to facilitate the changes. Where stood a middle-aged man with brown hair now stood an older man with a slight belly, short gray hair parted to the side that looked unnaturally straight, and a narrow toothbrush mustache.

“Amusing that one of the biggest thorns in our side in the previous war is who I am looking at,” the cold voice whispered in mirth. “How your father must feel, Barty…”

“He should feel privileged that he is aiding me in restoring you to your glory, my lord,” the voice of Barty Crouch Sr. came out of his son’s mouth, and he smiled when he saw his lord’s approving nod. “I must take my leave, my lord. The tournament calls for significant contribution on my father’s part, and as such, I must devote myself to the role as befitting his standards.”

The voice chuckled amusedly as Crouch twisted on his spot and apparated away.

XXXXX

Daphne walked out of the archway that led to the Hogwarts courtyard with a smile affixed on her face. The previous evening had been one of the best in her life, and she had spent more than an hour with Harry. They talked, they kissed, they discussed, they made out, they had a heart-to-heart, and they kissed even more.

Her heart still beat furiously as the memory of his touch resurfaced in her mind, and she couldn’t stop the smile that blossomed on her face. However, she had a reputation to maintain, and it won’t do if the school saw the proper Daphne Greengrass look like a woman blissfully in love, even though that was exactly what she was.

Her eyes fell on her man who was sitting with his back against the trunk of a tree. Swann was sitting beside him, leaning against his shoulder as they looked over at the Black Lake. Slowly, she began walking toward them.

“Hey, Daph,” he said without turning around, and Daphne stopped in her tracks, staring at him in surprise. He simply turned around and gave her an amused smile. She felt a privacy ward come over around them and saw Swann tuck her wand back into her holster.

“How did you know I was here?” She asked curiously as she sat on his other side, smiling when he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close. She returned his kiss happily, caressing his cheek in response. It already felt so natural, as if they had been doing it for years now.

“I felt your magic,” he replied, gently looking down at her beautiful face. “It’s very soothing to me.”

Daphne looked at him in surprise.

“If you think that answered something, I’ll have you know you’re wrong,” she replied with a chuckle. “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said,” Harry replied, and Daphne looked over at Swann when she chuckled.

“Nothing,” the brunette replied with a smile. “It’s just you look like a curious child right now.”

“I, or rather we, can feel the magic around us,” Harry replied for her. “It’s a skill we’ve been actively working on for months.”

“That’s impressive,” Daphne commented with raised eyebrows. Harry smiled.

“You can do it as well. Just a little work, and that’s all,” he replied.

“And given what I saw that night, you won’t find it much difficult either,” Valerie replied with a smile. Daphne turned to look at her.

“That reminds me, how did you see what happened that night?” Daphne asked curiously. “You even heard what I said to Tracey and my sister. I saw no one in the dorm.”

Valerie chuckled as she looked at her before she shifted in place. Daphne’s eyes widened when she saw a midnight black cat in place of the young woman.

“I see,” she muttered as Valerie transformed back.

“I was going to teach Draco Malfoy a lesson that night,” she replied, amused. “However, seems someone did a better job that I could’ve managed. No matter though. Me or you, what difference does it make?”

Daphne looked at the woman and the meaning behind those words was not lost on her. She also knew that it was this woman who had told Harry everything about her and even gave him the push he needed to confess to her.

“Tell me, Swann,” Daphne began, only to stop abruptly when the brunette held her hand up.

“Call me Valerie, or even Val. We’re to be sister wives, and definitely more as well,” she replied, and Daphne was slightly surprised when the woman gave her a once over. She was not an amateur to not understand what that meant, and the gesture brought a small flush to her face. She had not realized that element of her prospective relationship with Harry.

The blonde cleared her throat to stave off any potential embarrassment and looked at Valerie, ignoring the teasing smirk on the woman’s lips.

“Okay. Tell me Valerie, why decide to voluntarily push for your boyfriend to be with other women? Nothing’s stopping you from keeping him all to yourself, right?”

Valerie chuckled.

“You’d be right in most cases, but as Harry told you, he has three lordships. Makes sense to keep the bloodlines separate to avoid issues in the future,” she replied.

Daphne nodded.

“That makes sense on his part. Why are you pushing for it though? If he decided that, I would understand,” she asked further.

Valerie gave the blonde a meaningful look, and said, “Because I know Harry had feelings for you. And I know you two would’ve gotten together if I had not been here. Considering the circumstances in which Harry and I got together, it felt unfair to take him from you.”

Daphne looked confused.

“Everything will be explained soon, Daph,” Harry replied with a small smile as he pulled her close. “And enough with these questions. Who cares why Val wants what she wants? The fact is we all are together now, and that’s all that matters.”

Daphne sighed and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck as she cuddled up to him. The privacy ward ensured that no one could see what was going on and she could be with her man without any worries.

“Who is the third one then?” She asked softly, having already accepted that she would be sharing Harry with two other women. She already knew about Valerie, but she had no idea who the other was.

“Nothing’s been decided yet,” Harry replied. “But we’re hoping it would be Fleur.”

Daphne’s eyes widened and she looked up at him.

“As in Delacour? Beauxbatons’ champion?”

“The one and only,” Harry replied with a nod.

“But she’s a veela,” Daphne said. “Veela don’t share.”

Harry chuckled. “Well, it’s a good thing then that I’ve got a little idea to overcome that limitation. We’ll be meeting her father after the first task and I’ll explain everything to him. Fleur, or at least the non-veela side of her, is very much interested in becoming part of this little arrangement.”

Daphne could only stare in surprise before her eyes widened. Harry looked at her askance.

“So that’s why she was looking at me like that,” the blonde whispered, and Harry exchanged a look with Val before they looked back toward her once again.

“What do you mean?” Val asked curiously. Daphne looked at the brunette and blushed slightly.

“As if I was some sort of meat she wanted to feast,” she replied, shivering a little. Harry and Val looked at each other and chuckled.

“Looks like she was serious about it,” Harry remarked, grinning.

“What?” Daphne asked in surprise. “You knew?”

Harry nodded. “She said Veela mostly satisfy their urges amongst themselves, and she won’t mind being with you, if you catch my drift. Looks like your beauty fascinated a veela herself.”

Daphne swatted his chest at his teasing remark, earning an amused grin from him.

“It’s good that we’re all on the same page in this,” Valerie remarked with a smile. “Would save us too much drama in the future.”

“That wouldn’t have been a worry, Val,” Harry replied easily. “Remember what we’ll be doing? It would’ve taken care of any strife between the three of you easily.”

“Alright, you two need to stop talking in riddles now,” Daphne stated firmly. “What is this thing you’ve been talking about all this while?”

Harry chuckled. “You’ll know soon,” he replied, pecking her softly. “I’ve sent the contract over to your mother already. The moment I receive it back, you’ll know everything.”

Daphne pecked him once again before she pulled back, looking up at him.

“Why do I get this feeling that things are about to get much more serious?”

Harry chuckled as Valerie smiled at the blonde. She had no idea how much serious it was going to get.

“I trust you, Daph,” Harry replied. “And I know you won’t shy away from anything. Don’t worry. Just a little patience and that’s all I want from you right now.”

With a sigh, the blonde nodded.

“I trust you.”

XXXXX

“So it’s dragons then,” Harry stated as a matter of fact, looking ahead at the scores of dragon handlers who were trying to keep the creatures under control. There were three in total, and Harry was admittedly surprised to see the species the organizers had managed to procure.

“Truly magnificent,” he muttered to himself, his eyes taking in every detail about the creatures. “You two recognize any?”

Pressed up against his front under the cloak, Daphne and Valerie looked at the spectacle with fascination. Twin yelps made him chuckle when he pinched their waists.

“You idiot!” Daphne hissed as she looked up at him.

“I asked you two a question, but you were so lost in that,” he replied gesturing forward with his chin.

“We heard you,” Valerie replied with an eye roll. “That one is a Norwegian Ridgeback. Judging by the attributes, it’s a female,” she said, pointing toward a dark brown dragon with black pointed ridges over its back.

“Still less hostile than most others, but it has venomous fangs. A powerful flame too,” Harry muttered. “Would need to keep my distance.”

“As if that doesn’t apply to all of them,” Daphne replied sarcastically, yelping when Harry pinched her waist once again. “I warn you Harry, one more time and you’ll find it difficult to sit straight for an entire month when I’m done with you.”

Harry simply gave her an amused smile and looked over at the second dragon.

“That one I know of. The Horntail,” he said, and the women looked over at the creature with visible frowns.

It had black scales all over, with massive pointed ridges that looked very sharp, and a spiked tail. One hit and it could pierce through the body as if a hot knife through butter.

“It’s considered one of the most aggressive breeds, if not the most aggressive,” Daphne remarked in concern. “I truly hope you don’t get that one.”

“And it’s a female as well,” Valerie noted with wide eyes. “Merlin, add another point to the aggressiveness metric.”

Daphne nodded, unable to keep her eyes off the lizard-like creature.

“What about the final one?” Harry asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one.”

“Neither have I,” Valerie replied. Both looked at Daphne expectantly who sighed.

“The Ukrainian Ironbelly,” she replied, and they stared at the massive grey dragon. “It’s said to be the largest species of dragons in the world, and those talons and scales are as hard as steel. If that was not scary enough, its flames are considered among the hottest.”

“So this is the Ironbelly,” Valerie muttered. “I’ve heard a lot about those, although I never saw one.”

“There are rumors that the Ironbelly species is used by the goblins of Gringotts to guard the most valuable vaults,” Daphne informed. “I saw one when I visited the Greengrass vaults with my mother.”

Harry and Valerie nodded.

“Those vaults must be very deep underground, right?” the latter asked. Daphne nodded with a small smile.

“It takes over ten minutes to get there by the Gringotts carts,” she replied. “Those dragons are massive, easily able to crush entire dwellings if they land. You better not let that one step on you if you get it.”

Harry chuckled.

“I’ll ensure it doesn’t walk on me,” he replied mirthfully. With the purpose of their excursion achieved, the threesome turned around and started walking back toward the castle. However, a curious sight ahead made them pause.

Igor Karkaroff was sneaking about, using the trees to hide. Daphne chuckled softly.

“Who made this guy the headmaster of Durmstrang? He knows a disillusionment charm would do the trick, right?”

“Who cares,” Harry replied with a chuckle. “Looks like Krum would be knowing about the dragons as well.”

“That leaves Delacour,” Daphne replied. “I think we should tell her as well.”

“No need,” Valerie replied before Harry could agree, and they turned to look at her. She was pointing to the side, and they saw none other than Hagrid and Madame Maxime walking together, hand-in-hand, toward where the dragons were kept.

“Are they…” Daphne trailed off, staring wide-eyed at the pair.

“I think they are…” Valerie whispered as she turned around.

Harry snorted.

“Come on, let them enjoy their lovely date,” he replied as he took their hands and started walking forward. “Even though it looks like Madame Maxime will be telling Fleur, it won’t hurt to tell her ourselves.”

“Looking to earn some brownie points with the hot Frenchie, huh?” Valerie teased. Harry simply smirked.

“It’s something though,” Daphne remarked. “Both the heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons have no hesitation whatsoever in cheating, and there’s Dumbledore, who would never budge from his morality.”

“He is like that,” Harry replied as they walked past the foliage of the Forbidden Forest and began trekking up the hill. “And to be honest, I think I can quite manage without the help of the headmaster. I have two brilliant minds right here, in addition to mine, of course.”

They chuckled at that. Once they reached the castle, Harry pulled the cloak off and tucked it in the pocket of his robe as they walked. However, he stopped when he saw Valerie take Daphne’s hand and trail behind.

“You go on and charm the Frenchie,” Valerie smirked. “Daphne and I will be having some one on one. I believe it’s long overdue.”

Harry smirked and with a nod toward Daphne, he turned around to walk away, leaving the two women to themselves.

XXXXX

The students of Beauxbatons had been given the entire fifth floor to themselves. Classrooms that had stood abandoned for years were used by their faculties to conduct their classes, and the dormitories were large and spacious.

Fleur Delacour had come back from her classes roughly an hour ago and had treated herself to a nice, long bath. She was in the middle of putting on her casual clothes, having nothing else to do when an ethereal stag phased through the window and bowed in front of her.

‘Hey Fleur, just wanted to tell you that the first task involves Dragons. No clue what the full details are, but they have one for each of us. There is a Norwegian Ridgeback, a Ukrainian Ironbelly, and a Hungarian Horntail, all females. Prepare accordingly.

‘Also, if you’d like to know a bit more about them, I’ve got a pretty nice book with me. Come over to the seventh floor and we could read up together or something.’

The Patronus dissipated in a swirl of white mist and Fleur chuckled.

“Pretty nice book, my ass,” she muttered to herself in amusement. Harry had a pretty weird way of asking to spend some private time. However, she decided to humor him. Putting on her bra and panties, she walked over to her cupboard and selected a nice full-sleeve red dress that came to her knees. A pair of black stockings completed her attire and as she stood in front of the mirror, she smirked to herself.

There was no chance her dress was coming off this evening, but Harry would be blown away all the same.

Dressed to impress, the blonde vixen walked out of the Beauxbatons Common Room and made her way up the stairs. She saw him leaning against the wall right opposite where the staircase ended on the seventh floor, and she failed to hold back her smirk as she saw him look over. The desire in his eyes was tangible, and Fleur could barely hold back the hum of pleasure both the veela and her own self felt. Now that there was no one to share him with, even the veela wanted to play.

She walked over and Harry stepped forward. She had to commend the mental control he had and the way he casually took her hand and led her as if it was a regular occurrence and not something that was happening for the first time. She could not deny that she was looking forward to how he would escalate their interaction this evening.

She was not trying to hide her intentions either. The veela might not agree to share, but there was no denying the attraction she fully felt for him. And nothing was denying them from having some fun, even if there was a possibility that nothing would come out of it. It would be their fun little memory to cherish forever should nothing happen, and if something did happen, well, it would simply be the first of many.

They walked in silence, but instead of suffocating, it was one filled with anticipation. It almost felt as if both knew what was brewing underneath the surface, threatening to erupt, and both were playing the patient waiting game.

However, Fleur was surprised when Harry suddenly made them stop in a vacant corridor with walls on either side.

“Something wrong?” She asked curiously. His response was a smirk as he released his grasp on her hand and walked forward. Confused, Fleur watched him walking from left to right and back again. Thrice he walked, and she stared, wide-eyed, at the door that materialized on the wall out of nowhere.

Still smirking, Harry took her hand once again and pushed the door open. They walked inside and he left her to look around. Absentmindedly, Fleur walked forward, taking in the sight as she distantly heard the telltale sound of the door locking shut.

It was a cozy living room with a soft beige sofa and a pair of cushions. There was a fireplace right in front of the sofa, cackling and glowing, and the room was filled with a pleasant aroma. A small coffee table was placed in front of the sofa, with a couple of books strewn about. To her right behind the sofa, she could see a large window covered with thin, cream curtains, and to her surprise, rays of sunlight teased their way through the fabric, scattering natural light in the room. It truly felt like a place where one could unwind after a tiresome day and enjoy the few simple pleasures of life.

Her breath hitched when she felt him come behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist without any hesitation whatsoever. She felt him pull her flush against him, and she blushed when she felt her rear resting against him.

“You like?” He whispered in her ear, softly stroking her belly over her dress. Fleur nodded faintly.

“Come on then,” he whispered again and took her hand. Fleur felt the loss of contact immediately, but she let him lead her over to the sofa. He gently helped her sit and took his seat right beside her. She turned to look at him.

Harry smiled. “I’m sorry, but reading about the dragons is the furthest thing from my mind right now.”

Despite the emotional overdrive her brain was going through, Fleur managed a faint smirk.

“I don’t need to read about the dragons either. Our professor covered them very exhaustively last year,” she replied. Her breath hitched when she felt him lean closer.

“I’m glad we seem to be on the same page then,” he whispered, barely a finger away from her lips, and she saw him remain where he was.

This was it. She understood what this was. He was giving her the choice to meet him in the middle. He would not force anything, and if she wanted to take this forward, the choice remained with her.

The veela was rejoicing at finally having him for herself, and the woman inside her never had any doubts whatsoever. In the end, it was a fairly easy choice.

Fleur’s lips met his, and the world had never felt more right. The veela cried out in elation, and her body moved on its own accord. He kissed her so softly that she could hardly feel his velvety touch. He did not want to rush though, and he leaned back, looking at her before leaning forward once again, pressing his lips against hers. This time, Fleur responded with much more urgency than she previously had. She felt an intense pleasure from his smell, her olfactory senses overwhelmed as a consequence of her heritage, and she let him caress her lips with his.

Harry smiled into the kiss and gently probed her lips with her tongue, and akin to the petals of a flower, her lips opened sedately to his advance. His tongue ventured further, and he intertwined it with hers. They were in no hurry, and minutes passed as they caressed each other’s tongues.

He ventured forward, exploring her mouth with his tongue, and she permitted him explicitly to invade her mouth as much as he wished.

All the while, their hands did nothing but caress each other over their clothes.

“I bet you didn’t have this in mind when they talked about international cooperation,” Harry whispered with a chuckle as he pulled back, looking down at her flushed face.

“Shut up,” she retorted with a chuckle and threw her leg over his, straddling his lap. His hands came to hold her by her waist as Fleur leaned over him. “First base is the most you’ll have to be content with, at least until this plan of yours plays out. If it does, I’m sure we can venture as much beyond as we like.”

Harry smirked, and his hands quickly grabbed her plump rear. He pulled her flush against him and looked up just as Fleur’s lips smashed against his once again.

The time for more was imminent.

XXXXX

To be continued…