Tenebrae Et Lux Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Content Warnings: Semi-Public, Exhibitionism, Rough, Teasing, CMNF, Aftercare.

His Uncle had once told him the devil could take many forms.

To him, the devil had beautiful dark eyes and a playful smirk. And a body so perfect, it was perhaps sinful to even gaze upon it. And the sweet temptation she offered? If he was going to hell for indulging in it, he’d go there a happy man.

“Here?!” Harry whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from her body. His eyes shamelessly roved over her slender curves, determined to take the time to appreciate his partner’s beauty. All their previous encounters had been in his office or other semi-public places, and they’d all been somewhat quick affairs. His heart sped up as he peered into her smoky eyes. His gaze slowly shifted lower, moving past her plump, dark lips and settling on her modest breasts, each mound capped by a brown nub already stiff with arousal and begging for attention. His cock twitched as his eyes moved to her flat belly, his body reacting to the primeval urge to breed his mate.

No more, Harry thought as he took in the hint of pink peeking out from between her gleaming thighs, deciding they’d change things up after their risky quickie in the library.

He wondered how good it’d feel to have Wednesday Addams for an entire night.

“The library’s empty,” Wednesday lied. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. The library had indeed been empty when they’d walked in and as far as he knew, that was still very much the case. “And all this talk of dark rituals and poison has me…” she trailed off, deciding to use something far more potent than words to demonstrate her point. She dipped her fingers between her thighs to gather up her arousal and held up the digits so he could watch the tangy liquid gently roll off her skin and splash down to the floor before. “If you don’t want to, I guess we could always-”

She was cut off by Harry lunging forward and smashing his lips against hers. Her tongue met his in a playful duel as her nimble fingers joined his hands in an attempt to get rid of all the unnecessary layers of clothes covering his gorgeous physique as fast as possible. She tossed his unbuttoned shirt to one end of the room while he kicked his pants away to the other end. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, leaving a trail of kisses and hickeys along her pale skin.

“Against the bookshelf. Against all those dangerous, heinous, nasty books… ” Wednesday moaned, threading her fingers through his messy black hair even as her free hand tugged his boxers down to his ankles, finally freeing his massive erection. Harry groaned and nodded, effortlessly lifting her up into his arms. She locked her slender legs around his waist, grabbing his shoulders for support as he turned and pinned her against the nearest bookshelf.

“AH!” Wednesday screamed as her bruised, welted ass slammed against the hard wood. A delightful jolt of pain shot up her spine, immediately tugging into Subspace.

“You’re mine,” Harry growled.

“I’ll believe it when you manage to put a collar around my neck,” Wednesday shot back. Her eyes flickered to the window she had deliberately left open, her satisfaction growing at the sight of two pairs of brown eyes peering through the opening, spying on her and Harry.

“Spend the night with me,” Harry murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her keep her balance. His other hand wrapped around the base of his shaft. He slowly guided the tip of his throbbing cock to her dripping slit, determined to savor every second of his time with her.

“On one condition,” Wednesday moaned. She kept her eyes on the girls spying on them, making sure they realized she was aware of their presence. If they thought she’d stop now that she knew they were watching…

An audience makes everything better, she thought with a smirk. Fencing. Murder. Claiming my dominant in front of the vultures who think they have a chance with him.

“You say I’m yours. I don’t believe you. Fuck me like you’re claiming me,” Wednesday challenged. She trapped his earlobe between her teeth and tugged on it, enjoying the quiet hiss her actions elicited. “Fuck me like I’m yours, and I just might believe you,” Wednesday whispered, her hot breath tickling his skin.

She knew she was playing with fire, goading him on in such a brazen fashion. But she had seen glimpses of his other persona in the Shack, the one that was an unforgiving dominant.  Nothing had ever turned her on as much as being trapped in a house with that man. Now that she had a taste, she wanted more.

Harry growled and angled his tip against her dripping slit, keeping his hand wrapped around the base of his shaft to guide it. He took a deep breath and plunged into her with one firm thrust, impaling her tight pussy without preamble or warning.

“AH! Gods!” Wednesday screamed, her eyes flying wide open at the force of the thrust. Her attention shifted away from their audience for a brief second, dark eyes peering at her lover with a mixture of fear and lust. She loved this more primal side of him, even though he rarely showed it.

He’s perfect. Wednesday thought with a moan, squirming helplessly in his arms.

“You think you can escape?” Harry growled, thrusting deep inside her belly.

Wednesday lost her train of thought and the ability to speak as his tip brushed against her G-Spot. She moaned loudly, clinging to his shoulders for support as he bottomed out in her. He paused for a minute, allowing her to collect herself. Her eyes flickered to the window, the warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly growing at the sight of the two pairs of eyes transfixed on Harry’s back.

His large frame mostly obscured her body from view, which was a shame, but the scheming girls would still get an unobstructed view of her lover’s lean, muscled body and perfect ass. They’d get to see the sheer ecstasy on her face as Harry ravished her and watch his thick, long shaft plunge into the depths of her dripping core. They could stare all they wanted, but Harry was hers and no amount of scheming would ever change that.

SPLASH.

The sound drew her attention away from the window and she glanced down between their feet, at the rapidly growing puddle that had formed between Harry’s feet.

She watched another trickle of her arousal run down the length of Harry’s cock. A thin trail of her juices hung from the base of his shaft and when it got too heavy, it splashed down to the floor, only to be replaced by another trail within seconds.

SPLASH.

I wonder if they’ll let me borrow their memories because I’d love to watch this-

Her mind went blank as Harry pulled out of her tight pussy, only to thrust back in with as much force he could muster.

“Harry!” Wednesday moaned, all thoughts of memories forgotten as she focused on the here and now. Her nails dug into his skin, and she desperately held onto his shoulders as he pounded in and out of her pussy.

The books in the Forbidden Section had all been charmed so as not to accidentally fall from their shelves. But Harry’s thrusts were hard enough to make the entire rack she was pinned against rock back and forth, the books on its shelves rattling within the confines of their encasement charms.

Harry pistoned in and out of her needy core with a speed and ferocity he hadn’t displayed before. No one watching them would have any doubts about just how badly he wanted her.

Her burning walls fluttered around his shaft as every thrust caused them to stretch to their very limits. Only the copious amounts of her arousal coating his enormous girth and acting as lubricant allowed him to maintain the pace he had set. Even so, Wednesday knew she wouldn’t be walking anywhere the next day.

They were still watching, she realized through the haze of Subspace settling over her mind.

“Harder,” Wednesday begged, breathing heavily. She was swaying in his arms, fighting to stay conscious.

Harry obliged with a quiet grunt and increased the force of his thrusts. His balls were tightening, the tense coil in the pit of his stomach ready to explode. Still, he stubbornly held on, determined to pull Wednesday over the edge with him.

Her tiny body was now bouncing on his cock, every thrust pushing her up into the air, only for his hands on her hips to pull her back down on his cock. “H-Harry!” Wednesday moaned loudly. Beads of sweat rolled down from her forehead and onto her dark eyelashes, obscuring her vision. Everything was now hazy, from her eyesight to her thoughts. The uncomfortable tension in her belly was building up to unbearable levels, breaking down her resistance and causing her to beg for the first time in her life. “Please…” she whispered, begging for the release she so desperately craved.

“Who do you belong to?” Harry growled. He kept up the thrusting, ignoring the screams of protest from his tired and aching muscles.

“You!” Wednesday moaned, far beyond any thoughts of self-control or maintaining her public persona.

“Whose collar will you wear?”

“Yours!”

“You’re my perfect princess,” Harry whispered, his fingers digging into the soft skin of her hips to ensure he held her in place. He pushed deep inside her, burying his face in the crook of her neck to stifle his loud groan as he came.

Wednesday, who wanted the people spying on them to hear as much as possible did the opposite, leaning back against the bookshelf and tilting her head up to make sure her loud moan would carry over to the open window.

Harry kept himself buried in her as he painted her velvet walls with ropes of thick, white seed. “Cum for me,” Harry ordered hoarsely, slowly kissing his way down her neck.

“I… YES!” Wednesday shrieked, almost like she had been waiting for his command to come undone. Her arousal soaked his cock, streaming down her thighs in thick trails.

They held each other as they rode the highs of their post-orgasmic bliss and tried to catch their breath. Neither wanted to be the one to pull away but after several minutes of improvised cuddling Wednesday cleared her throat softly.

Harry set her down on wobbly feet, keeping his hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn’t fall should her exhausted legs betray her.

Her entire body was sore and while she would have loved nothing more than to walk around the room enjoying the ache in her core that seemed to intensify with every step she took, she was on a mission and she was determined to see it through. She didn’t have to pretend to walk slowly.

Patricia and her friend had ample time to ogle her naked body as she limped across the room to grab her dress. She hoped they’d take in her skin gleaming with sweat, the trickle of white seed making its way down her thighs, and see their cause was hopeless. If they needed any more evidence, all they had to do was see the effect she had on Harry. She glanced back at her lover, her lips curving into a satisfied smirk at the sight of him leaning against the bookshelf, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

“We should do this more often,” Wednesday said, pulling the dress over her head. She limped back to him and turned, letting him zip it up for her.

“What? Fuck in the library?” Harry asked with a tired chuckle.

“The whole day. I wouldn’t mind meeting you outside of detention if our days look like this.”

“I’m glad you had a good time, Wednesday,” Harry murmured, kissing her forehead.

Her stupid heart flutter returned with a vengeance. “I’ll uh… I’ll be outside,” Wednesday said, a hint of pink gracing her cheeks. “I’ll make sure nobody noticed our little rendezvous.”

“Okay,” Harry murmured distractedly, walking around the room in search of his scattered clothes. He ducked under a table to grab his boxers.

Wednesday strutted out of the Forbidden Section on unsteady feet, not bothering to smoothen her ruffled dress or otherwise take care of her appearance. She normally preferred to be contrarian but well-dressed, but for this particular encounter, she wanted the girls to see just how well her… something (she still hadn’t decided what to call Harry, only that he wasn’t her boyfriend) had fucked her.

The two girls were seated on the bench, poring over an upside-down book between them in a poorly disguised attempt to pretend that they hadn’t been spying on her getting ravished by Harry the entire time.

“Interesting book?” Wednesday asked mildly, leaning against the table next to Romilda Vane. The younger Gryffindor met Wednesday’s intense gaze for a brief second before turning red and returning her attention to the pages in front of her. “I didn’t know reading the alphabet upside down was one of your abilities, Patricia. But I suppose when one has as few talents as you do, they focus all their energies on perfecting the ones they do possess.”

Patricia had the good grace to scowl. Wednesday smiled. She detested bullying, and an opponent that didn’t fight back wasn’t a worthy one to have in her mind.

“And you.” Wednesday turned to Romilda, deciding to knock some sense into the younger girl before dealing with her real target. While she thought it was sad and pathetic, she at least understood the Gryffindor acting like a lovesick puppy. Patricia was just there to cause trouble, and Wednesday decided it was high time she made her fellow housemate realize it wouldn’t end well for her. “Harry doesn’t sleep in Gryffindor Tower. The Head Boy and Girl have separate dormitories, which you don’t have access to,” Wednesday pointed out, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “The next time you try to come up with a sinister plot to entrap a man, go to someone with actual brains for help.”

“At least I’m better than a woman who lets her man fuck her anywhere he wants like a common slut,” Patricia said. “Ghoulish whore,” she added under her breath.

“Bold of you to assume Harry was the one who wanted to have sex in the Forbidden Section. Maybe he was just indulging my fantasy,” Wednesday said, her swollen lips twitching at the sight of their shocked faces. She leaned closer, her eyes boring into the two increasingly terrified girls. Her right hand disappeared into the folds of her dress and pulled out her knife from its specially designed pocket. Her eyes lit up with amusement when Romilda and Patricia visibly recoiled in fear.

“You see the thing about ghoulish whores…” She pushed the knife under her dress, scraping the blade against her soft skin to gather the cum trickling down her thighs. “They always get the man,” she murmured, bringing the knife to her lips. She ran her tongue along its edge, making sure they watched her lap up Harry’s cum.

She leaned closer to Patricia, trapping her in place. “Want to pick on me? That’s fine. Enid? Completely alright. She will probably rip you into two on one of the particularly bad nights she has every month. I quite look forward to it, to be honest. But Harry? He’s an incredibly powerful wizard who can turn you into gibbering monkeys with the flick of his wrist, but he’s also a kind, nice man who sees the best in everybody. Do anything to harm him and you’ll regret it,” Wednesday said, her voice calm and ice cold. It was the murderous look in her eyes that conveyed most of the threat.

“If Harry so much as develops heartburn in the next few days, I’ll carve out your hearts and nail them to the castle door.” Wednesday plunged the knife into the desk, the sharp blade sinking into the wood between two of Patricia’s fingers. “Are we clear?”

The two girls nodded with wide eyes and terrified expressions on their faces.

“Good.” Wednesday pulled away from them and was in the process of tucking her knife back into her dress when Harry emerged from the Forbidden Section, his hair wild and messy and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. All three girls took the opportunity to ogle him before he spoke and broke the spell.

“Everything alright?” Harry asked, eyeing Patricia and Romilda warily.

“Yes.” Wednesday nodded. “Patricia and-” She turned to the younger girl, still unaware of her name.

“Romilda Vane,” Harry spoke up when Romilda didn’t. He smiled politely at the girl who had once tried to drug him with a love potion.

“Romilda got here minutes ago. I was just having a chat with Patricia about a Divination assignment,” Wednesday said, moving to his side. “Shall we go? Hermione and Enid are probably waiting for us.”

Harry nodded. He stayed silent until they were out of the library and walking down the hallway to the staircase that would lead them up to the seventh floor and the Head Dormitories.

“Alright, what did you actually say to them?” Harry asked, chuckling quietly.

“I told you, a Divination assignment.”

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

She squirmed, trying to ignore the weird feeling that bloomed in her chest every time she lied to him.

“I threatened them to stay quiet about what they saw,” Wednesday admitted, deciding a half-truth was good enough. She had, after all, threatened them. “I doubt you want half the school to know what we got up to in the Forbidden Section by dinner time. I’m pretty sure we broke a few of your precious school rules back there.”

“Plenty,” Harry murmured with a quiet chuckle. He reached out to take Wednesday’s hand as they hopped onto a moving staircase and to his surprise, she didn’t immediately slap it away. She did pull her wrist free from his grasp once they were safely on the staircase but the moment of tenderness was enough for him. Baby steps, he reminded himself.

“So, what’d you threaten them with?”

“Hmm?”

“What was the threat?” Harry rephrased his question. They turned right once the creaking staircase had deposited them onto the sixth floor, walking down the hallway to the portrait of Morrigan the Elder that obscured the entrance to the Head Dormitories.

“I threatened to carve out their hearts and nail them to the castle doors,” Wednesday replied with an unbothered shrug.

“Threatening bodily harm to a student. That’s a week’s worth of detention, Miss Addams,” Harry said. “Nocturnus,” he added, watching the portrait swing to one side to reveal the opening behind it.

“A week seems excessive. I didn’t actually go through with my threat,” Wednesday countered. While she enjoyed their time together in his office, she also wanted to explore more… varied locations. His large desk and the semi-public nature of his office did place a number of restrictions on what they could do.

I wonder if Granger will let me install manacles and a spanking bench in here, she wondered, looking around the small common room. It had a central area with two couches arranged around a large wooden table that had on it an odd mixture of books and chocolate bars. In one corner of the room was a cozier sitting area with two comfy armchairs arranged right in front of the fireplace. A fire was blazing behind the ornate grill, warding away the cold October chill and keeping the room warm and toasty. The floor was covered with a soft, thick rug that immediately sank under her feet. The room fit his personality, she realized. Soft, warm, and welcoming.

“A week. You will report at eight every night there-” Harry turned to the staircase on his right, pointing at the shut door at its top. “And wait for me on the bed. Is that understood, Miss Addams?”

“Yes, sir,” Wednesday nodded, offering him a rare genuine smile. She wondered if he would let him peek at his brain so she could figure out how he could anticipate her desires with such ease.

“Where are Enid and Hermione?”

“Granger’s door is open. I’ll go get them.” She hiked up the steps leading up to the other door in the room and walked through the doorway into the Head Girl’s bedroom, only to chance upon a very curious sight.

Wednesday’s amused eyes took in the visage of her hogtied and blindfolded best friend and she chuckled quietly. The curtains around the four-poster bed were not drawn and anyone who walked into the quiet bedroom would have an unobstructed view of a trussed-up and very naked Enid Sinclair and hear the quiet mewls escaping her pink lips. Although the Head Boy and Girl had the privilege of private bedrooms, there was no charm or mechanism stopping them from accessing each other's rooms and the two girls had to have considered the possibility of either Harry or her walking in on them after they were done with their ‘research’ in the Forbidden Section.

Looks like I’m not the only one who enjoys an audience, she thought, resisting the urge to slip out and return with the camera Pugsley had gifted her. She was never going to let her best friend live this down. Ever.

“You’d think it’d be easy to get ice in a room that has three champagne bottles in it. But nope. It’s all melted. The best I could do is-” Hermione stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Wednesday leaning against the doorway. “Cold water,” she squeaked.

“Forget the water!” Enid moaned. She shifted, and it was then that Wednesday noticed the hot pink end of a dildo poking out from between her gleaming thighs. Wednesday’s smirk grew wider at the sight of the vibrating toy.

“You’re a witch, aren’t you Granger?”

“Huh?” Hermione blinked, her brain refusing to cooperate. After years of trying to deny her attraction to girls and busying herself with Ron as a distraction, she had finally caved when the peppy, adorable blonde asked her out. Enid was both her first serious girlfriend and first real submissive and while Harry’s tips had prepared her for a lot of situations, none of his advice had covered what to do if his girlfriend ever walked in on them.

“Wednesday?!” Enid squeaked. She tried to turn in the direction of her voice, only to accidentally roll off the bed and fall to the floor. “OW!”

“You’re a witch,” Wednesday pointed out again, watching the normally calm and collected Head Girl squirm with a satisfied smile. Principal Weems had often said she didn’t care if she made people uncomfortable. The woman was wrong. She enjoyed it. “If Harry can transfigure the old curtain in his office into a flogger, I’m pretty sure you can make ice. But Enid’s right, you should forget the water.” Wednesday turned to her friend, watching her squirm and moan on the floor with dark eyes alit with amusement. “That’s going to bruise, and not in a fun way. And you haven’t done the knot around her wrists properly. She’s going to lose circulation in her hands soon. And while I admit chopping off dead, shriveled limbs and preserving them in pickle jars is an exciting hobby, I’d much prefer it if my best friend kept all of hers for the foreseeable future.”

“Right.” Hermione’s face turned red, the blush extending to the roots of her hair. She thrust the pail of water into Wednesday’s hands before rushing over to help her distressed girlfriend.

Wednesday carefully set the bucket of cold water on the floor. “Harry and I are waiting downstairs,” she said, struggling to keep her voice neutral. “Get dressed. We have a mystery to solve.”

She turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom. A year ago she would have stayed put, happily reveling in the embarrassment her presence was causing the two girls.

Pah. My stupidly adorable dominant is making me soft.

“I don’t care what he thinks,” she muttered to herself. Still, she stomped down the stairs to the Common Room, ignoring the immediate speeding up of her heart at the sight of the handsome man seated in the armchair by the fire, staring broodingly into the flames.

He’s sexy when he broods.

Shut up, Wednesday growled at the suspiciously Enidesque voice in the back of her head. He’s… alright. Nothing special.

Wednesday flopped onto Harry’s lap, curling up against his chest in a very catlike fashion.

Harry raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, simply wrapping his arm around her slender frame and drawing her deeper into his chest. “Hermione and Enid?”

“They’ll be down in a bit,” Wednesday answered, snuggling into him. “Enid is… tied up with something.”

It wasn’t like she enjoyed it when he held her. Cuddles were simply the socially acceptable convention when it came to staking claim, and if she had to keep the sickeningly sweet and hapless man under her safe from all the women circling him like vultures, she’d have to stomach some measure of affectionate gestures. She snuggled deeper into the warmth of his chest, an involuntary yawn escaping her lips.

“Tired?” Harry murmured. He chuckled at the quiet hiss when his hands shifted to her bruised ass. He lifted his wand from the coffee table next to the chair, opened the door to his room with a flick of his wrist, and summoned a jar of salve.

“That better be aftershave,” Wednesday mumbled when she heard the gentle clink of the jar landing on the wooden table. She didn’t answer his question. She was sore, tired, and bruised after what she considered to be an excellent day, but exhaustion, like all other vulnerabilities, was not something she cared to display publicly.

“It’s a dittany salve. To make sure your welts heal properly,” Harry answered.

“I don’t-” Wednesday attempted to pull away from him, only to be wordlessly yanked back into the embrace of his chest.

“It’ll sting just as much as the aftershave,” Harry growled, roughly pushing his knee between her thighs. He lifted his foot and rested it on the footrest in front of the armchair, raising her ass in the air for easy access. An arm remained wrapped around her back, keeping her pinned against his chest.

Wednesday couldn’t help the sigh escaping her lips. If this was his version of aftercare… she could live with it. It was still annoyingly sappy, but he added just enough force and pain to make it palatable. She lifted her hips to help him yank her dress up to her hips, hissing quietly as a gentle gust of warm air tickled her bruised skin.

He pushed his hand into the jar, smearing the salve onto his fingers. His fingers roughly smeared each dark red welt on her pale ass with the salve. He did not shy away from forcefully massaging the balm into her skin.

“Fuck,” Wednesday moaned. The combination of the gentle stinging caused by the dittany and the throbbing brought on by the massage of his calloused fingers was nothing short of divine. It was like he knew perfectly both what she needed and what she would accept, and had no trouble coming up with a middle path. She gently spread her legs, exposing her aching pussy to him should he wish to have access to it. It wasn’t the smartest of moves given she was so sore she could barely walk, but for the first time in her life, Wednesday Addams wasn’t thinking with her brain.

She didn’t just want Harry. She hungered for him.

“Seriously?!”

Hermione’s snort broke the spell and Harry’s hands withdrew. Wednesday gently pushed herself up on his chest, turning to look at the two girls standing by the unoccupied armchair with a look that clearly said, ‘Really?’

“In the Common Room, Harry?” Hermione forged ahead despite the faint blush on her cheeks.

“At least it’s better than substituting ice with cold water,” Wednesday pointed out, her hands lazily tugging on her dress to cover her bruised ass.

“Ice with cold water? For what?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

“For sexy time,” Enid squeaked.

“That… that’s not going to work,” Harry said with a quiet chuckle.

“I thought maybe if I dipped a cloth… it was a stupid idea and I know that now.” Hermione flopped into the armchair with a huff. She grabbed Enid’s wrist and gently pulled her girlfriend into her lap.

“She also tied Enid up with a dangerous knot.” While Wednesday usually steered clear of Enid’s relationships, Hermione seemed to genuinely make her happy. She also cared about her friend’s physical safety, so she decided to wade in just this once. Begrudgingly.

“I gave you that book, didn’t it help?”

Hermione shrugged helplessly. “I tried to follow the instructions exactly as written.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Enid protested, squirming as Wednesday’s dark eyes flickered up to her. Wednesday held her gaze until she broke down and admitted, “Okay, I was starting to lose some sensation in my hands but it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Relax,” Wednesday said softly. “For once, I approve of your choice of a partner. Even if she is shockingly incompetent.”

“Hey!” Hermione turned red and glared at Wednesday, before turning to Harry in the hopes that he would back her up.

“I mean… there was a compliment there too? She approves of you. Merlin, I’ve been her boy toy for more than a month and she’s yet to tell me she approves of me,” Harry pointed out diplomatically, far too smart to place himself in between his kinda-sorta-girlfriend and best friend.

“When we have the time, Harry can demonstrate safe knots on me,” Wednesday forged ahead, ignoring the exchange. What others thought of her didn’t bother her in the slightest. Besides, she approved of Harry. She just didn’t want to tell him that and give him a big head.

“On you?!”

“Yes. Here. I’ll undress, he’ll get some rope, and he can show you how to safely tie your partner up.”

“I… Uh… What… No?” Hermione spluttered.

“Go easy on her, she still has a bit of what I call the ‘Ronald Weasley hangover’.” Wednesday knew who he was. They’d spent a lot of time during her detentions with him talking about their respective pasts. She also knew why they weren’t close anymore. “The man thinks a girl snogging in public is grounds enough to call her slutty and unfortunately some of his opinions rubbed off on Mione,” Harry whispered, placing a restraining hand on Wednesday’s shoulder.

Gods. He really is making me soft.

“Look,” Wednesday said firmly, her tone softening just a smidge. “You can watch and learn or Harry or I can sit in every time the two of you have sex and give you pointers there. Your choice.”

“Please pick option one Mione. Because I do not want to have to coach you every time you sleep with Enid. It’s going to be like the time I tried to teach you how to fly, but worse,” Harry begged.

“Wednesday wouldn’t-”

“She would.” “I would.” Harry and Wednesday said at the same time.

“Your girlfriend is ridiculous,” Hermione huffed.

“She’s not my-”

“-girlfriend,” Wednesday finished for Harry.

“Fine.” Hermione groaned in frustration, giving up. “You can teach us with a practical demonstration sometime in the future. For now, can we concentrate on the possibility that Voldemort might be back?”

Harry sighed as the mood in the room grew noticeably more serious within seconds. “Yeah. Did you two find something before you got distracted with… sexy time?” Harry asked, co-opting Enid’s amusing euphemism.

“So,” Hermione started, awkwardly clearing her throat. She mimicked Harry’s actions as much as possible, trying to learn from her more experienced friends. Enid was more than happy to settle into her arms, and the werewolf rested her head on Hermione’s chest with a shy smile.

Wednesday was in a similar position, curled up on Harry’s lap with her arms wrapped around his neck and her head resting on her shoulder. That was where the similarities ended, she reminded herself. Unlike Enid, she was not cuddling her partner. She was simply practicing for when she would have to assert her claim to him in public.

I’m doing this to protect him from idiots like Thornberry and Vane, she reminded herself.

“So,” Harry echoed. He undid her messy pigtail, his nimble fingers expertly braiding her hair in just the style she liked.

‘He’s braiding your hair,’ Enid mouthed.

‘Shut up.’ Wednesday realized she had neither the will nor the desire to stop Harry. She liked the feel of his fingers pushing through her hair and the gentle tugs that came with every new twist of her braid. So she simply resorted to glaring at her best friend, daring her to say what was on her mind.

‘He’s braiding your hair,’ Enid repeated with a smirk.

Wednesday’s glare intensified, but the peppy werewolf ignored it.

“There’s a hairbrush on the table next to you,” Enid murmured, leaning up to kiss Hermione’s cheek. “Can you brush my hair with it, please? I’ve read that doing your partner’s hair is very romantic and can be a real bonding experience. Isn’t that right, Harry?” Enid asked with an innocent smile.

Harry nodded, missing the significance of Enid’s words. “Honestly, there’s nothing quite like it. I’d do it every night if I could.”

‘Every night,’ Enid mouthed, her grin growing.

“Of course, darling,” Hermione murmured, reaching out to grab the brush.

Enid wasn’t paying attention to her, having instead entered into a silent conversation with her best friend. After three years of living together, it was an art form they had perfected.

‘I’m going to kill you.’

‘Just admit you like him.’

‘Slowly and painfully Enid, I mean it.’

“Mione, you were going to tell us something,” Harry said, interrupting their conversation. The girls turned their attention to their respective partners, both of whom were now brushing their hair.

“Right,” Hermione murmured, carefully pushing the hairbrush through Enid’s golden curls. “Well, I found a very complicated Runic ritual that reveals the presence of a soul. So if any part of Voldemort is still kicking around, it should reveal its existence.”

“Just its existence, not its location?” Harry asked, securing Wednesday’s braid with a black ribbon conjured from his wand before moving to her other pigtail.

“Unfortunately, that’s right. All the ritual will tell us is that it exists. It will take me a few days just to work out all the steps but that’s not even our biggest problem.”

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like the next bit of information you’re about to give us.”

Hermione chuckled dryly. After everything they had been through, it truly seemed like they were returning to their roots. First an injured unicorn, and now this. “One of the ingredients I need to conduct the ritual is fresh Acromantula venom.”

“Seriously?!” Harry groaned. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish,” Hermione mumbled. While she had thankfully only encountered the giant beasts during the Battle of Hogwarts, that experience combined with the stories Harry had told her about Aragog had been more than enough for her to realize that she was happy to live out her life without ever meeting an Acromantula in person. “We could go during the daytime?”

“Acromantulas retreat into their webs at dawn and only emerge to hunt and socialize at sundown. You do not want to enter a sleeping Acromantula’s nest unless you’re looking to be torn from limb to limb,” Wednesday said, her voice trembling with excitement. When Harry turned to her with a raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “I think they’re interesting. I’ve always wanted to meet one.”

“Remind me to introduce you to Hagrid. He’ll love you,” Harry mumbled, groaning quietly. “Fine. Fine. Wednesday and I will go to the Forest tomorrow and get you fresh Acromantula venom.”

“Unless we get eaten,” Wednesday chimed in gleefully.

“Yes, that is a distinct possibility. One which I’d like to avoid so we should all go to sleep and wake up nice and early tomorrow to prepare.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Wednesday mumbled, nuzzling into Harry’s chest. She let him carry her to his room, too tired and too sore to protest the intimacy that came with having to share a bed with him.

                                                            ---

Far away in a cave that had once been created to house something of great power but was now devoid of anything of note except for thousands of inert Inferni, a hooded figure emptied vial after vial of unicorn blood into the lake that housed the dead bodies.

Notes:

Did I have fun writing this update? Hell, yes. Wednesday has a deep protective side to her and she can deny it as much as she wants, but she will always go to bat for those she cares about in the end. This is honestly my first time writing an Unconventional Romance, and I am quite pleased with the results. We know Harry has a caring side, but do we want him to get hurt (just a little) so Wednesday has to show her caring side?