Love and Monster Ch. 9 (Patreon)

Flowers of all colors stretched far and wide, painting a beautiful canvas of vibrant hues that enriched any set of eyes blessed enough to have seen them for even a moment. Their deep, fragrant aromas melded together into a symphony of smells that set one's very soul at ease from the moment they filled one's lungs.

Overall, this garden was a true earthly paradise, an Eden in all but name.

Aurora rejected it all. She needed to.

She was a warrior (had been a warrior)

She could not indulge in these decadent pleasures. She could not walk the small path that led to a gorgeous natural fountain, molded entirely out of stone and feeding small little rivers that ran through the garden, carrying delicate little petals that had fallen into their streams.

No, this was not her. She had fallen far, but she was still a dragon.

‘My gardens can be quite therapeutic. They hold something for every preference’

Clearly not for hers.

Aurora continued to walk, wondering how much longer she would need to be here before she could leave. How soon would be too soon? So soon that she would have scorned the Forest Queen's hospitality?

She tried to block out the beautiful sights and pleasants smells. She focused on herself. Her body was still sore, her ribcage especially smarting with every single breath she took. Her joints creaked, her wings were still tender and her horn…

Her horn was not there.

She dug her nails into her palm. She was a disgrace. She had lost her honour. Her opponent had deemed her not worthy enough to kill, and then he'd crushed her pride in one fell swoop.

How could she be Lady Amelia's guardian? How could she protect young Susan?

So caught up in her thoughts, Aurora did not notice that the scenery around her had changed until it all struck her at once, impacting her enough for her to stumble to a stop.

Gone were the flowers and lush greenery and well manicured shrubs and the singing birds.

She was standing in a disaster zone. The land was barren, trees had been uprooted and stripped bare. The cracked, dry earth was littered with craters, and the dessicated remains of smaller shrubs resembled grotesque stillbirths as they curled up on themselves.

It was a savage, desolate land. It brought forth images of complete and utter annihilation, the end of all things.

Aurora found that it had quite a beauty to it. A majestic presence all of its own.

She found herself sitting down, cross-legged, and just staring at the barrenness that stretched forth, trying to form patterns in the patternless.

She did not think. Her mind was completely blank, empty of all thoughts, positive or negative.

“I thought you said this was going to be a waste of time?”

She didn't jump upon hearing Shui's voice from behind her, partly because of her years of training, and partly because of just how calm she currently felt.

The water dragon was observing the surrounding with quiet interest. She always looked so elegant with the way she moved about, her snake-like lower half gliding along any surface as if she were on a cloud.

If Aurora hadn't personally seen her partner's exploits in battle, seen just how deadly she could be, she could admit that she might have ended up being dismissive of her. It would have been wrong on her part, but she would have done it.

“You knew of this place?”

Shui smiled serenely, her blue and green eyes looking at her with such maturity that for a moment, Aurora felt like a child despite them being close in age.

“Not all art is aesthetically pleasing. Meaning and understanding can be found in the grotesque just as well.”

Aurora snorted. “So that is a yes.”

Shui came to a stop in front of her, her face growing serious. “‘Rora, I know we came up together. We served under Tamara together, we've seen many of the same things, but we've always had different outlooks.”

Here it was, the point Shui was trying to make. Aurora would have just brushed her off, asking her not to waste her time, but she felt amenable, willing to listen.

“You have not clung to our traditions as tightly as I have.”

Shui smiled, her silky blue wings fluttering lightly behind her. “I believe in our ways, they have a grain of truth to them, a nugget of righteousness. But ‘Rora… how we were raised to be… it wasn't some edict from the goddess herself.”

Aurora sighed as Shui rehashed the same old argument. “You're saying I should dishonor my ancestors in order to ‘fit’ into this new world.”

Shui's voice now carried a hint of frustration. “That's the problem with ancestors, isn't it? They're so long gone, they cease to be people and turn into legends that are unassailable.”

Aurora refused to respond, still staring off into space.

“I never told you what the old queen mother told Amelia and I when she passed.”

Aurora's eyes widened as her head snapped to look at her.

The queen had been sick, and Shui and Amelia had withdrawn from actively participating in the war in order to care for her. It had been a point of contention between them and Tamara, who had cursed the two dragon's names to high heaven in a moment of rage, though she had later taken back her words.

Aurora had not left, feeling it was her duty to be in the front lines.

“You never did.”

“She told us she regretted a lot of it. All that arduous training, the constant discipline. She regretted pushing so hard. She said her own mother had been more lax, and she'd pushed things further as a form of rebellion.”

Aurora's mouth was hanging open in abject shock. Old Lady Bones? The woman whom she had looked up to as a hero? The woman she viewed as the pinnacle of the ideal dragon?

“Then, before she passed, she cried.”

That shattered Aurora more than anything had.

“Why had you not told me this before?”

“I did not want to shatter the illusion. I'm not saying our ways are lies or fabrications, Aurora. We are dragons, and even in me, there is an innate need to bask in the thrill of battle. But when you let such things consume you, well…”

Shui swept her eyes over the barren wasteland before them, needing no further words to make her point.

“I need to be alone.”

Shui smiled at her partner. This time, her smile was warm and loving. This one conversation wouldn't be enough for Aurora to pull herself together, but she hoped it had been a push in the right direction.

“You know where to find me, Crescent.”

…

In a far off corner of the forest, a trio of women were treading cautiously through rocky terrain, eyes peeled for any sign of danger.

Apolline had her senses spread out as wide as she could manage. She had yet to encounter a living being who could hide their emotions from her. Even masters of occlumency were nothing to her abilities. But a small part of her feared that this Manticore was somehow different, that it could shield itself from her powers.

It was the only way she could explain not having found the bastard after days of fruitless searching.

She was in battle mode, the soft white feathers of her wings having turned to sharp steel, her hand twitching at the ready to hurl a fireball.

Lady Greengrass was unflappable as always, drifting along next to her with not much to say.

The third member of their little party was a new addition. If one silver lining could be found for this whole ordeal, it was the fact that the Acromantula had finally been forced out of their isolation.

Primrose Parkinson was the definition of a deadly beauty. A dark, imposing arachnid body as large as the dragons, mixed with a curvy upper half, her perfect chest pushing up against her thin vest while her sharp, angular face was framed by a bob of dark violet hair. Her ruby red eyes (two large ones with four smaller eyes on her forehead) completed her aura of dark sensuality.

So far, Apolline found her to be level headed and pragmatic, though she clearly deferred greatly to Lady Greengrass.

The three of them had spent hours finding nothing, and Apolline was very close to the point of calling it quits for the day.

“Does this thing not require food? Defecate? There were not even tracks found near where he fought the dragon.” Primrose commented as she glanced over a steep slope.

“If he has killed, with that tail of his, he can easily dispose of any remains.” Apolline pointed out as they made to turn back, being at the edge of the wards.

The two noticed that Lady Greengrass was facing away from them, seeming to be observing the wardline.

“Did you find something, my lady?” Primrose asked as they went to her.

It became apparent just what Lady Greengrass was looking at. As they drew nearer, they could see it shimmering.

There was a visible crack in the wardline. It was a jagged wound, about six feet in height and barely wide enough for a child or younger teenager to wedge themselves through.

“I thought the Phoenix had reinforced the wards?” Primrose said as she eyed the wound.

“She had.” Apolline said.

Lady Greengrass turned to face Apolline, who shook her head.

“I know Fawkes is within a decade of her next burning, but I do not believe she has lost her sharpness, certainly not to the point of missing this.”

“Perhaps the wards are simply not sustainable?” Primrose pointed out. “A barrier that spans the entirety of our forest, powerful enough to prevent anything from coming in or getting out… It seems like a tall order.”

Apolline sent Lady Greengrass a look. That had been a concern that they'd had, that the sheer magic required to power the wards simply wasn't there, that they would begin to fray at the ends sooner rather than later.

That was a possibility, but something told Apolline that there was more to it. Something else was going on.

Lady Greengrass got to work mending the cracks, weaving the wards back together. Apolline hoped that this had just been an anomaly, but her gut told her different.

…

“What do you want, Blaise? I'm missing a snaps tournament over this shit.”

Draco held out the clandestine note that Blaise had handed to him when they'd passed each other in between classes earlier.

“And what is it with this crap anyways? You know you can just tell me you need to talk, you fucking mong.”

“A bit spicy with the language, Draco.” Blaise said cooly as he brushed himself off. “You'll understand my need for subterfuge soon enough,”

The blonde Gryffindor scoffed, mumbling ‘subterfuge’ under his breath. “Well, go ahead, Unspeakable Zabini, what's so important that we had to meet here?”

They weren't anywhere particularly hidden. They were on a third floor corridor, standing beside a statue of a one-eyed witch. It was close to curfew, and so the corridor was currently empty, but it didn't stop Blaise from talking in hushed tones, eying the distant portraits suspiciously.

“You need to keep your pet muggleborn in line.”

Draco's eyes narrowed. “I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Blaise. Hermione is settling in just fine.”

The dark-skinned boy chuckled, “Oh, I'm sure she is. Spends a lot of time studying on her own, doesn't she?”

Draco grabbed Blaise by the collar, surprising the Ravenclaw as he began to roughly shake him.

“What are you playing at, Zabini?! She is under my protection. You know what that means!”

Blaise did not try to fight him off, instead putting his hands up. “I wouldn't be angry at me, Draco. I'd be angry at the muggleborn that's been cavorting with the creatures.”

All color drained from Draco's face immediately as he shoved Blaise up against the statue before letting go of him.

“Y-You lie!”

Blaise pushed himself off from the pillar as he stared right back at Draco. “Don't curse the messenger. I can show you proof, if you want.”

Draco clenched his fists, but in the end, he needed to know.

“I swear, Zabini, if you're messing with me-”

“Come on, they won't be there much longer.”

…

With Harry spending one on one time with each of the girls, along with a general relaxation of tensions after the first full moon faded into the rearview, the Slytherins no longer spent every waking moment bunched up together.

They hadn't found time to set up a first date until today, and Fleur had been the lucky winner. She and Harry had chosen to go out to the grounds for their date.

Vulpie, Susan and Daphne found themselves alone in the common room, lounging around the fireplace with their half-finished homework spread out across the coffee table, having spent the past hour or so being completely ignored.

“I'm saying, those two are up to something. Since when do Lavender and Delphi hang out together on their own?”

“Jealous that flower power stole Delphi from you?”

The pillow Susan tossed at Vulpie could be likened to a missile, and the Kitsune made the wise decision to duck her head away from its path.

“Daph, you don't have varmint brains, what do you think?”

Vulpie stuck out her tongue while Daphne closed the book she'd been reading.

“They are hiding something. It's quite clear.” She agreed.

“Aha!” Susan crowed triumphantly. “So what's the plan? We follow them around next time?”

“Are you even capable of stealth?” Vulpie asked.

“Are you even capable of not being a bitch?”

Vulpie leapt across the coffee table at Susan, who took the impact of the young fox's body as if it was nothing.

Daphne looked on in amusement as her two friends tumbled off the couch and began play fighting on the floor. While Vulpie could be quite slippery, there was no way for her to escape Susan's grap, and pretty soon the redhead dragon had the fox in a half-nelson as they lay sideways on the floor.

“I surrender!” Vulpie declared as both girls broke down into giggles.

Susan relinquished her grip as the two rolled off each other, crossing their legs as they sat on the floor. “As I was saying, how are we going to sniff out their little secret?”

Daphne stared at her with a blank expression. “People are allowed to have secrets, Susan. If Lavender and Delphi want to tell us, they will.”

“They're likely exploring the castle.” Vulpie said. “Lavender loves to be adventurous, and Delphi likely got dragged along for the ride.”

“That's not it!” Susan growled. “I bet its something way more interesting! Maybe they've found a way to sneak back into the forest and they're not telling us!”

“Why would they not tell us?” Daphne questioned.

“To have one over us, duh!”

Seeing that the other two were not really interested in snooping in on whatever their friends were doing. “Whatever, I'll figure it out myself. I got a date with Harry next, maybe the two of us can go and find out.”

Vulpie snorted. “You would waste that opportunity on spying on others?”

“Its a combat mission, fox!”

Susan now pounced on Vulpie, and the two girls resumed their play fighting as they rolled around on the carpeted floor. Daphne should have returned to her book, it was really quite interesting, but she found herself content to just watch as her friends messed around.

When Vulpie and Susan's shadows got long enough to be mere inches away from her, the young dementor couldn't hold herself back any longer.

She wanted to have fun.

The girl's shadows suddenly stiffened, no longer following their master's tumbling as they began to slowly sharpen.

Then, the shadows began to recede, creeping up on the two unsuspecting girls, until…

“Aaah!”

“Unhand me!”

Daphne never giggled, but she felt the equivalent of one well up in her lungs as she saw her two friends struggling against their own shadows, which had them wrapped up and suspended in air.

“Hey! What is the meaning of this, Daphne?! I didn't know you could do that!”

“Come and fight me like a woman, ghost girl! Let me go!”

…

Harry and Fleur had stepped out of the castle. It was before curfew, so they weren't technically sneaking out, but it sure felt like it. Because of the forest and lake being so close, there was very little space in the grounds that actually belonged to Hogwarts. With the forest being such a towering presence, only a few hundred yards away, students had refrained from spending time on the grounds, choosing to hang out in the courtyards when they wanted time outside.

It meant that Fleur and Harry were truly alone as they walked up a small hill.

Harry flushed as he glanced down at their interlaced fingers. Fleur's hand felt soft against his own, and as he looked up into her light blue eyes, he felt his lips curl up into a smile.

Fleur was smiling right back at him, and Harry bit his lip.

“You know, its not fair that you know exactly what I'm feeling and I have to guess.”

Fleur giggled. A light, airy sound that made Harry want to float up into the sky.

“I agree it isn't fair. I guess it sucks to be in your shoes, Harry.”

She tapped him lightly on the back of his calf with her foot. Harry glared at her.

Fleur was having way too much fun with this.

They stopped at the top of the hill, where they got a good view of the lake as it sat behind the wards. Harry had so many wonderful memories in that lake, memories of lazy days spent talking about nothing, memories of swimming across the whole thing just to prove Susan wrong.

He felt a tug at his arm and let himself be pulled down as he and Fleur settled down on the grass. It was dark out, but the stars and the lights from the castle were enough to provide a romantic atmosphere for the two young lovers.

Fleur's halo began to brighten, its pure white light intensifying until Fleur was fully bathed in its splendor. The young veela now truly looked like an angel sent from heaven, with her entire being glowing and her fluffy white wings looking almost ghostly against the backdrop of darkness that surrounded them.

Then, that angel leaned into him. Harry found his eyes closing on their own as he met her halfway, his heart fluttering as their lips met in an embrace.

Her lips were soft, pillowy and tender. Harry let out a shuddering breath as he wrapped an arm around her, his hand resting on her silky soft feathers.

He'd never touched Fleur's feathers before, it had felt like crossing a boundary. Now, she was mewling softly as he caressed her sensitive wings, her lips parting just enough to grant his tongue access.

Harry's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt Fleur's velvety tongue dance against his own. She felt so delicate and yet so sensual. He could feel heat rising up through his collar as Fleur grabbed his face and swirled her tongue around his own.

Harry was sure Fleur had never kissed before, yet she was clearly a natural, and Harry found himself getting lost in the pleasure of of their kiss.

When they finally came up for air, Harry felt as if he'd been hypnotized. His eyes were glazed over as he gazed at Fleur's gorgeous face, the slight bruising of her lips only adding to her golden beauty.

“I think now you have a better idea of what I'm feeling, don't you?” She whispered.

Harry felt like a man possessed as he kissed her again, pressing against her as Fleur leaned back against the grass.

Harry lay on top of her as they kissed, their young bodies sliding against each other as the fire between them seemed to only grow and grow.

They had all agreed to take things a bit slower, but while Harry wasn't sure if Fleur would be ready for sex just yet, he knew from the way she was rubbing her crotch against his own that she was more than willing to try something.

Harry wanted to experiment too.

He broke off their snog and slid down her body, groaning as his crotch shared one more glorious moment of friction with hers.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Fleur asked. Her breathing was heavy, and her tone was all curiosity and no aprehension.

They were completely alone, but they were also out in the open, and if anyone did happen to walk out onto the grounds, they would be spotted immediately.

That only added to the thrill of it all as Harry began creeping down Fleur's body, kissing her breasts and her stomach through her shirt before he reached her skirt.

He could see the goosebumps forming on Fleur's creamy thighs as he tentatively began to touch her.

She gasped when she first felt his fingers land on her bare skin, biting her lip as she looked down at him.

Harry looked back up, his unspoken questioned answered by a nod of her head as Fleur's steamy eyes filled with lust.

Harry licked his lips, which were tingling in anticipation as Fleur spread her legs. Harry finally scooted as low as he would go, and he dipped his head down to plant a searing kiss on the top of Fleur's thigh.

It was like he could feel as every single one of her nerve endings were set ablaze. Her skin was so soft and creamy, such a delectable treat…

Harry moved over and kissed the other thigh before planting a kiss on her inner thigh. Throughout it all, he kept getting slight glimpses under her skirt, flashes of her cotton white panties that were starting to become damp.

Then, as Harry's kisses drew dangerously closer, Fleur threw all caution to the wind, grabbing her skirt and lifting it up, fully exposing her panty clad center to him.

Harry was left speechless. Her knickers did not obscure a single thing, and he was mesmerized as he stared at the cameltoe that was sticking up against the wet cloth that was supposed to keep it hidden.

Fleur's petals were a sight to behold, and they left Harry's mouth watering.

“You can do more than just look, Harry.”

Harry's face reddened in embarassment as Fleur giggled above him. Feeling a beast roaring inside of him, he renewed his assault, peppering Fleur's thighs with more heavy kisses that left the young veela squirming and squeezing his head in between her thighs.

Harry's face drifted upward just as Fleur's hands hooked on the sides of her knickers. Harry lifted his chin up as he saw the white garment sliding down the opposite way, and when his eyes returned to his goal, his mouth began to water.

Bare and hairless, Fleur's slit was the most delicious little peach he had ever seen. From her pink folds wafted an intoxicating aroma that was both sweet and tangy, and her clear juices were forming a light sheen over her mound.

Harry moved with complete and utter reverence as he approached her treasure. He traced the outline of her lips with his index finger, the tip of the digit ghosting over sensitive skin as Fleur shuddered above him.

Harry reached his head forward and captured one of her folds between his lips and sucked it into his mouth. Fleur's back arched as Harry moved his head up and continued licking up her labia.

“H-H-Harryyyy!”

Fleur's hands pushed his head deeper inward, desperate for even more contact. Harry's index finger began circling around her entrance, reveling in the little *schlicks* her pussyhole made as he played with it.

Harry moved over to the other side and did the same to the other labia, but Fleur was now grinding herself onto his face. The veela wanted more, she needed more.

“Stop being such a tease!” She gasped breathlessly.

Then she screeched to high heave as Harry plunged his finger into her cunt while sucking her clit into his mouth.

She had been so loud, they should have been worried that someone would come out and investigate. But they were too far gone. Harry was cycling Fleur's little bean around in his mouth, using copious amounts of spit as he licked and sucked while his finger twisted in and out of Fleur's tight little snatch.

Fleur's legs were now fully wrapped around his head and squeezing the life out of him, not that Harry minded. She was bucking wildly now, her body going off the rails as she could only gasp and whimper her way through Harry's ministrations.

Then, Harry slurped up her clit one last time, popped his finger out of her pussy and buried his tongue as deep as it would possibly go into her tight little snatch.

Fleur erupted onto his tongue, drenching it in her heavenly nectar. Harry drank greedily from her, and as his tongue continued to burrow in her cunt like a bear searching for honey, Fleur's orgasm only heightened.

Her back arched and Harry had to follow along as her hips lifted off the ground. He was drinking from her fountain and Fleur's legs were trembling something fierce.

“N-No more! T-That's it!”

Harry didn't heed the warning, and he kept licking her cunt even as she tried to force him off. It wasn't until she tugged his hair back as hard as she could manage that Harry finally pulled away.

He got on his knees, glancing down at his work with pride. An angel was sweating, her knickers at her ankles and her legs slick with her juices, her nipples hard enough for him to see them through her shirt.

Fleur was panting, trying to catch her breath as her eyes fixated on the bulge in his pants.

She twirled around so quickly that it actually startled him. Suddenly, she was on all fours in front of him, her face mere inches from his bulge.

Harry gulped. “Fleur, you don't have to-”

“Well its a good thing that I want to then. Isn't it, Harry?”

That was all it took to shut Harry up. He just watched appreciatively as Fleur's dainty hands made quick work of his fly. Very quickly, his thick length was out in the cool night air, bobbing in front of Fleur's awed face.

It had darkened even more now, or maybe they were so caught up in their own world that everything else faded away. Either way, the light from Fleur's halo became the only one Harry could see, and it did wonderful things to the blonde's angelic face as her lips wrapped around his cock.

“Ooooh Fleur!”

Her baby blue eyes stared up at him as she bobbed her head on his cock, her hands wrapped around his thick, veiny shaft as they slowly stroked its length. Those eyes were so gorgeous, so absolutely enticing, and then the lips, and the tongue…

Fleur's Halo sent out a pulse and its light turned pink. It turned their encounter even more intimate, even more sensual, and Harry swore that his cock now burned that much more intensely as Fleur's tongue swirled around his head.

She popped his cock out of her mouth and smacked it against her lips as she pouted. “You taste so good, Harry. I wonder how you would have tasted after you fucked Vulpie's pussy.”

Harry's knees buckled as Fleur's words drove him mad, his cock jumping in her firm grip as she squeezed his shaft tighter. “You don't have to lie to me, Harry. You would love to see that, wouldn't you? See us play with each other? Tell me, would you rather me lick Daphne's asshole clean first, or take Delphi's tail into my pussy?”

“Fuck! Fleur!”

She never once broke eye contact as the pink tinted light shone down and played against her porcelain skin. She took him in her hot mouth once more, and Harry felt his balls rumble as she parted her lips for him to see as her tongue and throat worked on his member.

Harry ran a hand through Fleur's silky smooth hair and the girl leaned her face into it while keeping his cock in her mouth. Harry ended up with Fleur resting her head

On his arm while nursing on his glans, baby blue eyes tidally locked with emerald green.

He couldn't hold back any longer, and he shot his first spurt directly into Fleur's mouth. His cock bounced out and another rope coated her face, and then to his utter shock and amazement, his last few spurts of semen splashed against Fleur's halo and arched above her head, landing on her angelic wings.

When he was finally done, he had a gorgeous angel on hands and knees with an eye closed as cum dripped down from her brow. The seed on her halo (which until now he had not thought to be solid at all) was dripping down like fresh glaze on a donut, and Fleur held her tongue out to catch the droplets as they fell. Meanwhile, her right wing was all gunked up with his spunk.

The sacred had met the profane.

Fleur held her hand out and Harry helped her up to her feet before getting up himself. She was brushing grass off her skirt and knees with a slight smile on her face.

She glanced at him and giggled, “Why are you staring?” She scooped up some of the cum running down her face and popped it into her mouth, making a show out of licking her finger clean. “Is it because of this?” She asked.

“You're going to give me a heart attack Fleur, I swear.”

She laughed again as the light of her halo went from pink back to white, a much less intense white than when their session had begun.

“Wanna go back up to the castle?” Harry asked.

Fleur huffed as she glared at him in mock indignation. “That's how it is, Harry? You get what you want and you're ready to leave?”

Harry's mouth hung open until Fleur broke out into more giggles. The boy sent her a cross look.

“You really love fucking with me, don't you?”

“Can you blame me?” Was her cheeky response.

Harry rolled his eyes as he glanced at his wristwatch. “We still have half an hour before curfew. Wanna sit down and talk?”

Fleur smiled gently, “I'd like that.”

And so, the two of them plopped back down on the grass and enjoyed each other's company, and Harry tried to ignore the fact that on Fleur's wings and halo he could now clearly see his dried, crusted up cum.

It was nearing the time for them to return to the castle. Fleur was getting to her feet and Harry was about to do the same when something caught his eye in the distance.

“What is it?” Fleur asked him.

Harry gestured towards the lake. “Over there, doesn't that seem a bit off?”

Fleur's eyes narrowed, unable to pinpoint what it was but knowing that Harry was right.

“Wanna check it out?”

Before he could even answer, the blonde was already skipping downhill and Harry had to hop to his feet and rush over to catch up.

The new wards that surrounded the forest were usually not visible outside of the glowing green lines that had been painted along the perimeter. But now, as the two children looked up, they could see a shimmering gash, a narrow, jagged gap.

“Its broken.” Harry said as he poked his head through.

On the other side he could suddenly smell the fresh lake water.

He stepped over the gap, minding the edges as he was unsure what would happen if he touched them. He held his hand out and helped Fleur through, and soon, the two of them were walking along the lake.

Fleur took a deep breath, “I've missed this.” she said, shooting a longing look towards the forest.

Harry nodded, a mischievous grin on his face.

“We should get back before Fawkes goes looking for us. But we are definitely telling the others about this.”

Fleur's eyes lit up. “The return of forest adventures! Just, this time we have to hide from our mothers.”

“That'll just make it even more fun!”

Knowing that their time was near its end, and not wanting Fawkes to ruin their fun by discovering the tear, the two of them ran off back to the boundary, completely unaware of the pair of ancient golden eyes that watched their every move from amidst the trees.

…

“Why the hell are you bringing me out here in this cold?”

Draco was shivering as he covered his hands with the sleeves of his robes. Blaise had brought him out to the courtyard, which was completely empty this close to curfew, as anyone with any kind of sense would have preferred to hang out in the warm common room.

Not Draco, he was an idiot that let his friend hurl insults at his muggleborn and then drag him on a wild goose chase.

“They're very clever, those monsters.” Blaise said as they zig and zagged all around the courtyard. “We wouldn't be able to get close to where they are, not without them finding out and sneaking out. They're resourceful little snakes.”

Draco was starting to worry that Blaise had lost his mind when the dark-skinned boy dug his hand into his robe. After a little bit of searching, he pulled out a pair of omnioculars.

“But what those creatures don't know is that wizards will always be cleverer.”

He held the omnioculars out to Draco, who looked at them with trepidation and only took them after Blaise practically forced them onto his hands.

“There.”

Blaise pointed his finger up towards the building they were now facing.

“Third floor up, sixth window from the left.”

More out of a need to get this over with, Draco put the omnioculars on, going up three floors and counting down windows until he reached the one Blaise had been pointing at.

…

“I don't know, you think it'll work?” Hermione asked in an embarrassed tone.

Lavender waved her hand. “Are you asking me about plants or not? Believe me, next time you have Herbology, sneak some gillyweed, Sprout won't mind at all, and then the asphodel you can take from the potions stores. Mix em together with some type of oil and your curls will be absolutely on point!”

Delphi giggled, “This is one topic she's an expert on, Hermione.”

“Hey! I'm an expert on a lot of things, thank you very much!”

The other two girls giggled as Lavender smiled, glad to have made them laugh.

Delphi glanced at the clock above their heads. “I think it's time to go.” She said.

“Same time tomorrow?” Hermione asked.

“Tomorrow we might not be able to,” Delphi said. “But the day after we can all work on our charms essays!”

Hermione smiled brightly as the other two girls stood from their seats. “I'll see you guys then!”

Lavender wagged a finger at her. “You better listen to me! I want to see that hair nice and shiny next time we meet.”

As the other two girls left, Hermione stayed behind, knowing she would need to wait a bit to not rouse any suspicion.

She'd had to cover her tracks and even learn some extra magic (she still couldn't do a disillusionment charm, but she could silence her steps!), but it had been more than worth it.

In just a short amount of time, the budding friendship she'd grown with Lavender and Delphi had felt nice, it had felt… genuine.

In Gryffindor, it felt as if everyone treated her like a child, almost even like a pet. As appreciative as she was for all the help she had received, especially from Draco, she couldn't help but feel like a lot of people in Gryffindor just treated her good because they felt they had to, and not because they genuinely liked her.

None of them seemed remotely interested in getting to know Hermione Granger the person.

Delphi and Lavender had been the first genuine interactions she'd had with children her age, perhaps in her entire life.

Delphi was like her: a quiet, studious soul. Plus, she had the kindest heart Hermione had ever seen.

She hadn't thought she'd like Lavender at first, her bubbly personality reminded her far too much of girls that had bullied her in grammar school, but she'd quickly found that she'd judged her wrong, and she'd grown to like the cheerful, funny green haired girl a lot.

These moments with them were like a breath of fresh air. If only… if only things weren't so complicated outside of that.

Hermione sighed. Perhaps, as the years progressed, she could begin to change some minds about her friends. To truly change them, to show them that in the end, the Slytherins were just normal teenagers, just like them.

Hermione collected her things and left the classroom, she needed to be in before curfew.

…

The omnioculars dropped to the floor, shattering one of the lenses upon impact.

Blaise didn't seem to care, he was completely focused on Draco's face.

The boy was struck dumb, his face pale and his eyes full of pain and betrayal.

“I think we should go to your father, shouldn't we?”

“Father?” Draco snapped as he turned to look at Blaise.

“Of course. He sponsors a muggleborn, helps her out, and this is how she repays him?”

Draco shook his head, clenching his fists as he glared at Blaise.

“My father will not know about this. I will speak to Hermione. Clearly, she has been deceived by those vile creatures. I will set her straight.”

Blaise frowned, he'd expected Draco to be ready to go scorched earth. “But your fat-”

“What my father needs to know is my business, Blaise!” Draco hissed.

Blaise put his hands up defensively. “My apologies.”

Draco stalked off towards the castle as Blaise kicked his omnioculars onto the grass.

He would let Draco have it his way, but he wouldn't wait too long either.

If their people were to survive, they couldn't afford any bad apples, not a single one.