A Flame Awakened Chapter 6 (Old Chapter Unlocked For All Patrons!) (Patreon)

Content Warnings: Semi-Public, Cumplay, Teasing.

“You have a godfather?!”

“Daphne!” Harry hissed, placing a hand on her head to gently push her back under the table. He was quick enough to ensure that no one other than Susan noticed Daphne poking her head out.

Susan’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her and her cheeks turned red. “Uhm… sorry… I didn’t… this is obviously a bad time…” she stammered. She hastily pushed the bench away from the table and stood, only to turn back and flop on the bench with a sigh at the sight of Draco sitting right at the edge of the Slytherin table by the doorway to the Great Hall. He was obviously waiting for her to leave. She nervously shifted on the bench, clearly not wanting to be a third wheel while Daphne and Harry were having an intimate moment but not quite having the courage to leave either.

Harry didn’t miss the scared look Susan gave Draco. “It’s okay,” he murmured with a frown. He reached out and patted Susan’s hand with a reassuring smile. “You can sit here for as long as you need, alright?”

Susan nodded. “I-Is Daphne alright?”

“Just… tying… Harry’s… shoelaces…” Daphne replied with a breathy moan. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the snitch assaulting her poor pussy, especially now that the shock of learning that her boyfriend had a godfather was wearing off.

It didn’t help that she was kneeling under a table, covered in her man’s cum and face-to-face with his magnificent cock. She was taking care of him while he took care of business. It was terribly exciting in a taboo sort of way.

In front of every successful man is his loving wife on her knees, helping him relax, Daphne thought with a delirious moan. This time it was loud enough to attract stares from Ginny and the Twins.

Susan coughed hastily to provide cover for the couple in front of her.

Daphne did her best to hold on. She was a good (when she wanted to be) girl who had no intention of orgasming without permission and she definitely did not want Padma to suffer the consequences of her disobedience. She clamped her thighs together and pushed two cum-covered fingers in her mouth to stifle her moans. She began to suck, focusing on the salty goodness coating her tongue and the proximity of Susan’s shapely legs to her ass, anything but the rough ball pistoning in and out of her tight pussy.

Harry’s hand appeared under the table and his fingers threaded through her hair, gently pushing her face into his crotch to muffle her increasingly desperate moans.

Daphne turned her head and peppered Harry’s softening cock with kisses. She concentrated on worshiping his shaft as a way to distract herself but it didn’t work. The vibrating snitch pumped in and out of her pussy roughly, imitating his cock. The golden ball felt too good, its vibrations against her stretched and sore walls too heavenly for her to hold on for too long. She came undone with a muffled cry, her body going limp as all energy seeped out of her muscles. She leaned against Harry’s legs, holding onto them for support and pressing needy kisses along his shaft as she rode out her orgasm. Daphne closed her eyes and tuned out the world, concentrating instead on the warmth spreading through the core and the wetness leaking out of her pink folds. Her thighs were slick with her arousal, her skirt was stained, and the stone floor between her legs had a small puddle of cum. Harry’s hand gently caressed her hair, reminding her of his claim on her even as she recovered.

Daphne whimpered as the snitch pushed out of her and fell to the floor with a quiet THUNK.

“Pick it up and keep it with you,” Harry ordered calmly.

Daphne’s alabaster cheeks turned pink as she pushed her hand between her legs. Her trembling fingers grabbed the ball that had landed in the puddle of her arousal and hastily tucked it into the pocket of her blouse. She tried to ignore the wetness seeping through the thin fabric of her uniform and staining her breast, instead concentrating on dressing Harry.

“Did someone notice?” Daphne asked hoarsely. She didn’t want anyone to see her in her current state. She was too messy and vulnerable. But a part of her also wanted to be caught, wanted the world to know that it didn’t matter if she was standing by Harry’s side or on her knees for him, she’d take care of him in every way that mattered for as long as he’d have her.

“No.” The hall was nearly empty, the remaining people having filtered out into the Atrium and to their dorms slowly. Harry tensed as the Twins and Ginny approached him on their way out. He shifted slightly, making sure they couldn’t see Daphne under the table. The girl for her part withdrew and grabbed the Invisibility Cloak from the floor, reluctantly using it to cover herself.

The risk of being caught and actually being caught were two different things. She was the Ice Queen and the privilege of looking at her after a messy blowjob belonged to Harry and Harry alone.

“Everything alright?” Fred asked.

Harry nodded.

“I thought I heard a scream,” George added.

“That was me,” Susan lied to cover for Harry. Her blush deepened and she kept her gaze fixed on Harry, convinced that the Twins would detect her lie if she looked at them. “I stubbed my toe. I’m very clumsy.”

“Oh. Are you coming, Harry? We were thinking of playing a game of Exploding Snap before bed,” Ginny asked.

“I’ll be up in ten minutes. Just need to finish discussing our Herbology project.”

Susan waved nervously as they left, only releasing the breath she was holding once they were out of the Great Hall.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Susan mumbled, her cheeks going from pink to red. “Does uh… does Daphne tie your shoelaces often?”

“She isn’t actually-”

“I know.” Susan squeaked and nodded before Harry could say anything more. She had a very rudimentary understanding of what was going on but even she wasn’t naive enough to believe the blonde under the table was actually there to help him with his shoes.

“Uh, right. This is the first time, actually,” Harry admitted sheepishly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Is Malfoy bothering you?” Harry asked, glancing at the Slytherin table. Malfoy had left the Great Hall but Harry could see him pretending to study the paintings in the Atrium. He was obviously hoping that Susan would think he had left and would come out of the Hall by herself. Harry had no intention of letting that happen.

Daphne growled under the table, her mama bear instincts kicking in. She had spent five years protecting Padma and her sister from that steaming pile of hippogriff dung. If she had to do the same for the sweet Hufflepuff behind her, she’d do it without hesitation.

Just don’t fall in love with this one, she reminded herself.

“No. Yes. Kinda,” Susan said before shrugging helplessly. “Your godfather told my auntie he’d explain everything to you. He told her that he had a way of contacting you that was faster and safer than a letter?”

“He does. He had called this morning but I was uh… busy.”

Daphne rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what he was busy with. Or more accurately, who he was busy with.

I wonder what’s more fun, soaping up Pads’ tits or licking whipped cream off them.

Daphne groaned and shook her head. Harry’s cock reduced her brain capacity to a single extremely horny brain cell.

“Is everything alright?!” Susan leaned to look under the table before she realized what she was doing and stopped midway. She blushed deeply and shot up, her back as straight as a rod. “I didn’t see anything!”

“It’s alright. Harry’s fully clothed and I’m under an invisibility cloak.”

“Oh. Good.” Susan had no idea what else to say, so she returned to the problem at hand. “I need your help. Can we go up to the DA room so we can talk without being overheard?”

Harry glanced at the Slytherin table and then at the Atrium. Draco was nowhere to be seen but Harry would have confidently bet his entire vault that the Slytherin was lurking somewhere in the basement, waiting for Susan to walk back to her dormitory so he could ambush her.

“Sure. Come on,” Harry pushed the bench away from the table and stood on unsteady feet. He made sure there was enough space for Daphne to come out safely before stepping back. “Do you need help?”

Daphne shook her head under the cloak, forgetting that he couldn’t see her. “I’m out. You’ll need to walk slowly, I don’t think I have any strength left in my legs.”

Harry nodded. The three of them silently walked out of the Great Hall and hopped on a staircase, letting it carry them up to the seventh floor.

Once they had turned the corner and reached the corridor that led to the Room of Requirement, Daphne glanced around to make sure they were alone before pulling the Invisibility Cloak over her head. She neatly folded the cloth and held the bundle in her arms, treating the magical artifact with the respect that it deserved. The trek up to the seventh floor had sapped her remaining strength and all she wanted to do was curl up on their couch in Harry’s arms.

“Harry?” Daphne murmured, frowning at the sweat on Harry’s forehead. It gleamed in the dull candlelight illuminating the hallway. His breathing was labored and while Susan had undoubtedly chalked it up to arousal, she had been with him long enough to know better. “You’re exhausted.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s your fault, princess.”

“No, not that way,” Daphne rolled her eyes. Here she was, trying to escape her horny brain and Harry seemed determined to have her spend the entire night in Subspace. “You’ve been pouring your magic into two active charms for over an hour. All magic has a cost, even the fun kind. You need to let go before you collapse.”

“The snitch is dead. The lea-the other thing, do you remember what happened the last time I abruptly killed the connection while you were deep in Subspace?”

Daphne shuddered. She was vulnerable and needy, and Harry’s presence was the only thing that stopped her from panicking about the lack of her usual emotional walls. She had no desire to suffer another panic attack because she couldn’t feel Harry in her mind. “Don’t kill the connection, please,” Daphne said, sounding needier than she had intended. “Just let go of the charm keeping it invisible.”

Harry shot Susan a worried glance.

“Harry, she just lied to cover up my orgasm. I don’t think what she’ll see is any worse than what she had to deal with in the Great Hall,” Daphne said. She turned to Susan with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Bones. If we had known… what’s wrong?” she asked, frowning when she realized Susan was staring at her with wide green eyes.

Susan blushed and quickly averted her gaze when she realized Daphne had caught her staring. She had always had a crush on Harry, every girl in the castle with functioning eyes and half a brain did. At first, it was his beautiful eyes and crooked smile, not to mention his messy black hair that just had her wanting to run her fingers through it. Then she joined the DA and saw that he was also an amazing teacher with strong hands that gripped her hips perfectly. His hands had started to feature prominently in her fantasies since then.

“Susan?”

“N-nothing,” Susan said, unable to help herself. She glanced at Daphne’s half-unbuttoned blouse, squeaked, then quickly averted her gaze. The sight of Daphne’s messy blonde hair and thick matted eyelashes gave away just what had been going on under the table. Daphne’s bruised, swollen lips and the hint of cleavage visible through her uniform caused an unfamiliar warmth to spread throughout her belly and Susan was suddenly worried she’d spontaneously combust.

“Oh, sorry.” Daphne quickly buttoned up her blouse. “Maybe Brown is right. Maybe I am in my slut era. Mind you, this is just me making a statement.”

“A statement?” Harry asked with an amused smile.

“Yep,” Daphne said without a hint of shame. “I told you. Politics is one big spectacle. You need to know how to send a message.”

“The only person who saw you was Susan, love.”

“And you,” Daphne added as they resumed walking. “You needed to realize that you’re mine and there’s no limit I won’t cross to protect that.”

“And Susan?”

Daphne smiled at the red-faced Hufflepuff. “She saw that I’m not like the shitstain and his friends who disgrace my House on a daily basis. That my body and my heart are yours. If she needs a friend in Slytherin, she knows where to look. Now, darling, let go of the charm because neither of us can carry you if you collapse.”

Harry nodded and released his hold on the leash in his mind. The air around it shimmered for a couple of seconds before the glimmering red leash faded into view.

Susan’s eyes widened as she followed the connection from the bracelet now visible on Harry’s wrist to the choker around Daphne’s creamy neck.

“I bound myself to him,” Daphne said with a hint of pride in her hoarse voice. “I’m the favorite member of his coven.”

“You’re the only member of my coven,” Harry pointed out with a smirk.

“Potato. Pohtato.” Daphne shrugged and paused in front of the blank wall opposite the tapestry of Barnaby and the trolls. She closed her eyes and focused on their bedroom.

Harry grasped the brass doorknob once the door appeared in the wall and turned it, pushing the door open to lead Daphne and Susan into the cozy bedroom.

“This isn’t-”

“This is how the room appears when it’s just Harry, Padma, and me,” Daphne explained. The room was exactly how they had left it. The bed was still messy and a fire raged in the fireplace, flooding the room with light and warmth. Daphne shuffled towards her vanity and sank into the ottoman in front of it with a sigh.

“It stretches? How much? What is it made of?” Susan asked, staring at the red leash with fascination. She forgot her own worries for a minute as her attention shifted to the unusual but strangely perfect relationship.

“It’s not a physical thing. It acts like one but it’s just the manifestation of the magic binding me to Harry,” Daphne explained. She grabbed wet wipes from a box and started to clean her face. “As for how long it can be, we don’t know yet. I can go anywhere in this room while the connection is active without any problem.”

“What does it feel like?”

“For me or for Harry?”

“Both, I guess,” Susan said. She sat down on the armchair by the fireplace and chewed her lip nervously as she watched Harry flop onto the couch with a tired sigh, suddenly worried she was being far too intrusive. “Sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

“Whenever I activate the connection I feel a rush of power and confidence,” Harry said softly. “All my doubts and fears go away. I’m also stronger magically. I was struggling with our Transfiguration assignment yesterday and Daphne had me activate the connection. Next thing you know I cast the same charm three times in a row without any trouble.”

“It’s different for me,” Daphne said, applying a fresh coat of lipstick. “I can feel him. His presence is like a warm hug from a person you love. When it’s active I’m not afraid to be who I want to be. Padma thinks what we feel and what Harry feels will be different with every member of his coven.”

“Every-” Susan’s eyes landed on the seven golden rings on Harry’s bracelet. “Oh. Seven.”

“I don’t plan to bind anyone else but Padma,” Harry clarified.

“I wonder what you’ll feel with her. An irresistible urge to roleplay as librarian and naughty student? I’ll ask Tracey if you can borrow her wooden ruler,” Daphne teased as she cleaned her eyelashes. Once she was (mostly) clean she walked over to the couch. She settled down on it with her head in Harry’s lap and long legs dangling over the opposite end. She turned her head and stared at Susan, her stormy gray eyes studying the shy redhead.

“Let’s talk about Malfoy. He wants you in his bed. And he’s using his equally disgusting father to pressure you to agree,” Daphne said after a minute of awkward silence.

“Y-you know? Does everyone know?!”

“Don’t worry, hun, I was just guessing. Malfoy hasn’t had an original thought in his head for five years. He just tries to do everything Harry does and fails miserably.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Darling, he became a seeker because you did. Got a great broom because you got a good one. Tried to pet a hippogriff because you rode it. Now you have a coven of two witches who adore you and he’s feeling left out,” Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

“Doesn’t Pansy… I heard that Pansy… Why does he want to marry me immediately if he has Pansy to… you know, in bed?”

“Pansy jumps at the chance to polish his tiny wand, yeah. But he’ll never marry her. He thinks he deserves better.” Daphne paused and frowned. “Wait. He wants to marry you? Immediately?”

Susan nodded. “His father came to my auntie with a proposal that we get married over Christmas break.”

Daphne’s frown deepened. “This makes no sense. That’s the same proposal Malfoy gave papa for Tori. I don’t get it, why the hurry? And why you? There was a chance he could threaten my father into joining the Dark Lord. Your aunt will never do that.”

“Auntie thinks it’s a different kind of threat. They’ll kill us if we don’t agree.”

“Easier ways to threaten her than this. It’s a good psychological play, don’t get me wrong. She is now worried for your safety but other than that the impact of the proposal is limited.”

“Lucius Malfoy wants auntie dead. That’s what she told me.”

“Knowing how much trouble your aunt has given him and how close she’s gotten to tossing his ass in Azkaban on more than one occasion, I don’t doubt it. But he can’t do that right now. She’s too protected and his master is too weak to take on someone as powerful as the Head of the DMLE directly.”

“Maybe he’s playing the long game?” Harry suggested.

“Maybe. Why the insistence on an early marriage, in that case? There’s no chance Madame Bones says yes unless she thinks it’s the only way to keep Susan safe after her death. He approached my father in summer but waited till now to go to Madame Bones. He has to think she has no option other than to agree, but why?”

“Maybe because Voldemort is getting stronger? He killed Karkaroff and those two ex-Death Eaters. He’s cleaned up his house and is ready to make a move,” Harry suggested.

Daphne and Susan both shivered when Harry used the name.

“It’s not just that.” Daphne turned her head to look at Susan again. “When did he first approach your aunt?”

“A month ago. The twenty-first. It was a Monday, I think.”

“That’s the weekend you, Pads, and I went public with our relationship,” Daphne said with a smile, finally understanding Lucius Malfoy’s plan and why Susan had approached Harry.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“In our world alliances are sealed with marriage. That’s just how it is. The only two people who have the power to stand up to Lucius Malfoy when he’s backed by the newly resurrected Dark Lord are you and Dumbledore. Madame Bones can’t exactly marry her niece off to Dumbledore, can she?”

“But she can approach you with a marriage proposal,” Susan said shyly, staring at her fingernails.

“And then his idiot son ran to him complaining about Potter shacking up with two goddesses and making him think you’re off the marriage market,” Daphne said. “And in his son’s petulant demand for a coven of his own, Malfoy saw an opportunity.” Daphne’s face lit up, the girl excited by the thought of finally having a worthy opponent. “He’s picking potential brides for his son carefully. Tori. Susan. Both our families are one generation away from dying out.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Madame Bones has to be top on the list of people the Dark Lord wants dead. As for my family and me, it’ll be easy for him to fabricate evidence and convince his master that we need to die.” Daphne pushed herself off Harry’s lap and sat up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Draco was a fly and she took no joy in crushing him beneath her heel. But his father, oh, he was proving to be a wily one. She was going to do what no one else had managed, not even Madame Bones and Dumbledore. She was going to destroy Lucius Malfoy.

What better way to make an entrance than to take down the reigning king?

“What does this have to do with me?” Susan asked, just as confused as Harry was.

“He planned to make sure his son’s wives, that is, you and Tori, weren’t harmed. At least, until you give birth to a child. After that, well, so many things can happen to a young mother. An unfortunate accident… complications from childbirth…” Daphne shook her head. “It would have been staged to look like a natural death. Your title and wealth pass to your baby. Since they’ll be literal babies, all of it will be controlled by-”

“Malfoy,” Harry said in a horrified whisper.

“Bingo. Right now, Malfoy is giving your aunt two options. Her niece can either die or stay alive in an unhappy marriage. The thing is, no matter which option she chooses, you’re dead. Becoming Susan Malfoy won’t-”

“I’d rather die than take his name,” Susan said with unexpected vehemence.

Daphne nodded. “Good choice. You did the right thing by telling us. Harry, I, or another DA member we trust will be with you at all times. We can protect you here but I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do for your aunt right now.”

“She can look after herself,” Susan said proudly. Her auntie was the toughest woman she knew. Much tougher and braver than she was, that much was certain. “But what if there was a uhm… what if there’s a third option?”

“I wanted to castrate Draco with a dull butter knife but Harry won’t let me do it,” Daphne said grumpily.

The leash glowed and Daphne squealed at the current that ran down her spine.

“Fine! Nothing illegal. Just so you know, every great philosopher thinks morality is subjective,” Daphne groused. She slumped back on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d argue slight torture and minor maiming isn’t evil when the end goal is making sure our children don’t have to deal with that man’s progeny.”

“Oh, we’re having children, are we?” Harry teased, his emerald eyes twinkling.

“Not if you keep confiscating all my knives, sir,” Daphne said sweetly. She grinned when Harry’s hand closed around her thigh, his fingers digging into her soft skin hard enough to leave bruises in their wake.

Susan coughed awkwardly, trying to stop the couple before they went any further. Daphne was already on Harry’s lap and she could see his hand pushing under her skirt.

“Right.” Harry snatched his hand out from under Daphne’s skirt, ignoring her disappointed whine. He turned his head and gave Susan a sheepish smile. “What’s the third option?”

“As Daphne said, being married to you is one of the best ways I can be safe. So my auntie might have told Malfoy a tiny harmless lie.”

“She told Malfoy you can’t marry his son because you’re already married to Harry,” Daphne guessed, her smile growing at the shocked expression on Harry’s face.

“Betrothed! She told him we were betrothed,” Susan corrected Daphne. She stared at her hands, unable to look at Harry or Daphne. She didn’t know what scared her more, them kicking her out or them agreeing to her proposal.

“So we have to get engaged?”

“N-no. No! I… well, auntie and your godfather thought we could pretend until they can come up with another solution?” Susan suggested meekly. “We just have to be seen together in public. I’ll sit with you during some meals, maybe I can accompany you, Daphne, and Padma for walks on the castle grounds? I won’t be a bother I swear. I’ll bug out the minute you want to be alone with Padma or Daphne.”

“Will it really keep you safe?”

“It will,” Daphne answered before Susan could speak. “And if people think Madame Bones has your, and by extension, my father’s support in the Ministry, that makes her safer too.”

“What about you and Padma?”

“Neither of us is heartless enough to have a problem with you fake dating Bones to keep her safe. Do you have a problem with it?”

Harry shook his head. “Uh… congratulations on our fake engagement?” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

Susan smiled, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She rushed out of the armchair and ran to Harry and Daphne, pulling both of them into a crushing hug.

“Not… not a hugger!” Daphne gasped, struggling for air.

“Right! Right. Sorry. It’s just… Crabbe and Goyle have been following me everywhere and I was so scared to come and talk to you about this,” Susan mumbled, nervously playing with her hands.

“Nobody is going to do anything to you,” Harry growled protectively.

“Thank you,” Susan said shyly, giving Harry a sweet smile.

“Right. Now, let’s move on to more important questions. How does your fake fiancée know about your godfather but I don’t?”

“It’s complicated. Remember how I’ve been telling you and Padma about my adventures? The real stories, not the rumors you’ve been hearing over the years.”

Daphne nodded. “He started from year one. We’ve just gotten to the part where he and Ronald realize Lockhart is a lecherous fraud. I’m never going to let Tracey forget her stupid crush on him,” Daphne said for Susan’s benefit.

“Right. Well, in my third year, I found out I had a godfather. He had been wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Had been imprisoned for a crime… what, is your godfather Sirius Black?” Daphne asked, rolling her eyes. Her smile disappeared when she realized Harry and Susan were silently staring at her. “Your godfather is Sirius Black?!”

Harry nodded. “Sirius Black is my godfather.”

“And you’re saying he’s innocent.”

“Yep. The man who actually betrayed my parents is Peter Pettigrew. When Sirius cornered him, he faked his death and got Sirius imprisoned in the process.”

“What happened to Pettigrew?” Daphne asked with a frown. She leaned forward, the pieces slowly falling into place. She had always wondered how a powerless Voldemort had come back to life if Crouch Jr. had been in Hogwarts.

“The simple version? He spent the last two decades in hiding. Sirius broke out of Azkaban to catch Pettigrew but he escaped again. He’s the reason why Voldemort is back.”

Daphne and Susan shuddered again.

“Wow. Okay.” Daphne chuckled and leaned into Harry’s side, resting her head on his shoulder. “You lead an interesting life, don’t you?”

“T-That’s it?” Susan stammered, staring at Daphne with wide eyes. “I had a panic attack when my auntie told me. It took her an entire evening to convince me. Is this how much you trust Harry?” Susan asked, a hint of longing creeping into her voice. Every girl in the castle had their own reason to envy Daphne Greengrass. Some were jealous of her looks, some wanted her skill with magic or her talent for politics.

Susan realized that the Slytherin’s greatest treasure was a partner she could trust without question.

“I trust him enough to know he will never lie to me,” Daphne replied, breaking Susan free from her reverie. “And that was before we had our connection. Now? I can feel him, Susan. It’s… it’s hard to explain to someone who can’t feel what I feel.”

“It’s alright.” Susan smiled, although her voice was tinged with a hint of sadness. She doubted she’d ever experience the joy and sense of belonging that Daphne had. The same unfamiliar heat pooled in her belly as she stared at Daphne snuggling into Harry’s chest. She pressed her thighs together as she watched him kiss her forehead, knowing she had to leave before she embarrassed herself. “I’ll join you for breakfast. I can’t thank you enough for helping me. Goodnight, Harry. Goodnight, Daphne.”

“It’s late.” Harry frowned. “Spend the night with us.”

“W-with you?!” Susan’s heart sped up. The strange coil of tension in her stomach tightened and she was certain Daphne had noticed her eyes flickering to Harry’s crotch for a brief second.

“Yeah. Padma’s having a girl’s night out. You and Daph can take the bed and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Oh! Oh. You mean… yes, that’s uh…. that’s perfectly fine!” Susan blushed and forced herself to pull her mind out of the gutter. She decided to retreat and take a second before she made an even bigger fool of herself. “Is… is that the bathroom?” she asked, pointing to the only other door in the room.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll just freshen up.” With that, Susan practically ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her before collapsing to the cool marble floor with a needy sigh.

“What an anxious and adorable duckling. She reminds me of Padma back when I first met her.” Daphne grinned, her gray eyes twinkling mischievously. “Cute too. Just think about those big green eyes looking up at you while she-” Daphne paused and looked up when Harry didn’t react to her teasing at all. She frowned at the contemplative look on his face. “What’re you thinking about, love?”

“I keep thinking about the date Malfoy is insisting on,” Harry murmured. “Why does he want the marriages to take place over Christmas break? What’s going to happen after it?”

                                                                                ---

Malfoy Manor:

“Are the preparations done?”

Narcissa ignored the shiver that ran down her spine every time she heard the cold, high-pitched voice. She was curled up in her cramped hiding place, furiously noting down everything she heard. Her elbow brushed against a wooden panel when she reached up to wipe sweat from her forehead. The old wood creaked loudly and she froze in fear, convinced she was about to be discovered and summarily executed.

“What was that?” Voldemort hissed.

“The manor is aging, my lord,” Malfoy replied with a nervous smile. “We’ve had a problem with rats ever since Pettigrew moved in.” He looked at the mousy man with a contemptuous glare. “I’ll make sure Narcissa takes care of it.”

“Nagini,” Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue. He frowned when the snake did not respond to his call. “Where is Nagini, Wormtail?” Voldemort asked, switching to normal speech.

“She’s hunting in the grounds, my lord.”

Malfoy winced. He wondered how many of his prized peacocks would die to fill that unnatural beast’s belly.

Unseen by the three men, Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief. She folded up the paper and tucked it into her blouse before pushing the quill in the valley between her breasts. She took a deep breath and began to carefully crawl through the hidden passageway back to her bedroom, not willing to press her luck any further.

“I just hope this much is enough,” she mumbled once she had safely reached her bedroom. She pulled the parchment out of her blouse and added it to her secret stash of evidence. She couldn’t stay in the manor for much longer. It was time to make her move.

Notes:

The Coven is slowly shaping up! We have Daphne and Padma, and pretty soon Susan will join them too. Who do you think the remaining members will be? I'll drop you some hints. One of the Chasers will join the Coven, so will an interesting character from Durmstrang. I'm pretty confident Narcissa will win her poll too, but even if she doesn't she's always a great character to have in a story. Harry needs friends and partners who are good schemers and can help him outwit Voldemort and win the war without losing loved ones and friends.