Dark Negotiations

You felt nervous being alone with the three fifth year girls who conspired together to poison a third year… on your behalf. Gemma hadn’t shown herself to be the least bit apologetic over what she had her friends do to Bletchley. The fact that she had a bezoar in her pocket the whole time didn’t negate the fact that she had a boy poisoned!

And now you were staring at the two girls who did it.

“Oh wait, before I forget,” Gemma said as her hand on her shoulder shifted and went fully around your shoulders and you found yourself pressed against her left side. “The clever little scamp figured it out. Like I told you he would. That means I won the bet. You two need to pay up.”

Was THAT what she meant when she said she bet on you? Also, did that mean they were here listening the whole time!? They obviously stopped to get their winter cloaks but after that had they really followed you all the way from the common room?

Your train of thought regarding Yaxley and Rowle’s presence was derailed when Gemma leaned in and whispered in your ear, “You’re gonna love this part.”

Lysandra and Evanora shared an awkward glance then they pulled open their winter cloaks. Rowle merely pulled hers open, revealing her uniform which included a long shin-length skirt similar to Gemma’s. Yaxley pulled her cloak completely off and your eyes instantly locked onto the exposed skin of her long pale legs which were on display due to the fact that, unlike her yearmates, she was wearing a knee-length skirt… in February… she must have applied some kind of Warming Charm. The fact that Lysandra was about three inches taller than both Gemma and Evanora meant that there was a fair bit more leg on display than if the other two were wearing similar-length skirts. And if the revealed skin hadn’t drawn your attention, her grumbled comment definitely did. “I can’t believe we’re giving our knickers to a first year…”

Your jaw dropped and you watched as the tallest of the three fifth years reached up under her skirt and flipped it up a tad as she grabbed her knickers and slid the small bit of dark fabric down her long bare legs. She did a quick shimmy and pulled one leg out of her knickers then KICKED her other leg up WAY over waist height which caused her skirt to flip up. Knowing that she was bottomless under the flipped skirt caused your eyes to dip down but there was too much shadow for you to make anything out before her leg lowered and the curtain fell back into place. You looked up and saw the wide toothy smirk on Lysandra’s face which told you that she’d caught you looking and guiltily shifted your gaze even higher to the underwear she sent flying toward you and managed to get your hand up in time to catch the flimsy flying fabric.

“Oooo… he really is quite the Keeper,” Yaxley teased you. “He can still catch even when he’s distracted trying to peek up my skirt.”

You felt your face heat up at Lysandra blatantly calling you out.

“If you didn’t want him to look… you wouldn’t have kicked your leg up so high.”

You let out a yelp at the voice coming from directly beside you. Because it wasn’t Gemma - who was still pressed against your left side with her arm over your shoulders. Instead, it was Evanora’s voice coming from directly to your right. ‘The quiet assassin’ once again exploited a distraction caused by the loud and flashy Lysandra to not only close the distance between you and slip inside your guard but also managed to remove her own knickers without you noticing.

The worst part was that you knew she was the one who poisoned Bletchley which meant she was the one you would’ve been paying the most attention to… but instead you’d allowed yourself to be distracted and completely overlooked her.

The blonde girl grabbed your wrist, turned your right hand over, and placed a bit of silvery fabric in your empty hand. “I’m buying your silence with these, Gaunt.”

It suddenly dawned on you that you had knickers from two different girls in your hands. You noted that despite these girls being three-to-four years older than the girls in your year… the knickers they gave you consisted of significantly _less _material. You looked down to your newly acquired treasure and were aware of Gemma peering down over your shoulder as well.

“Did you two seriously give him lingerie?” she asked.

Previously, Gemma’s black knickers were the skimpiest in your collection. But the knickers Lysandra kicked toward you were even smaller and softer and consisted of two thin triangles with a fancy lace pattern going over them. And instead of a single strap going around the sides for the waistband… there were actually two thin straps on each side.

Lysandra gave a shameless shrug, “We decided that if we were going to give our knickers to a first year… then we might as well give him something memorable.”

You eyed Evanora’s knickers in your other hand. Shockingly, they were the smallest of the three you got from the fifth years. The front was a small, silky, shimmering silver triangle with a high cut waistband and the back was an even slimmer silvery triangle. There was no way that would cover her bum without over half the cheeks sticking out.

“That’s called a thong,” Evanora quietly explained, “It provides the required coverage in the front and keeps a witch from having a visible pantyline in the back.”

If learning that she poisoned one of your Quidditch teammates hadn’t already done it… the quiet girl’s choice of underwear definitely convinced you to pay more attention to Evanora Rowle. You glanced down and noted that Evanora’s hips flared out a fair bit which caused the top of her skirt to fit her very snugly. You could see why not having a visible pantyline would be a priority for a witch when she wore such a snug. form-fitting uniform. In fact, for it to fit _that _snugly the skirt must’ve been a size too small at the waist.

You shifted the knickers into one hand and looked over at Gemma, “And I can really have these?”

She nodded, “That was the bet. If you figured out it was us… then they had to pay a forfeit and give you their knickers as an extra incentive for you to keep quiet about it.” She paused as Lysandra took a couple steps closer and you became extra aware of the fact that the three fifth years had you surrounded. “You will keep quiet about it, right?”

“Y-yes,” you hastily agreed as you realised that the knickers were both a reward and a BRIBE. “I promise I will not discuss your involvement with the incident at lunch with anyone who doesn’t already know.”

Gemma nodded, “Good enough.”

You were pretty sure that Daphne already knew since she was the one who strongly hinted at suspecting Gemma without actually naming her. And you knew that Daphne told Tracey everything so if Daphne knew then that meant Tracey knew too.

And if it came down to it, and they pulled something like this again, you wouldn’t need to discuss it to tip off Professor Snape.

The lack of concern over their victim still disturbed you. Bletchley would be nervous drinking anything in the Great Hall after what happened to him. Maybe you could do something nice for him and buy him a flask to drink from?

But while Gemma, Lysandra, and Evanora had dismissed Bletchley as unimportant and likely saw poisoning him as a necessary evil, you were the one who had to deal with Tracey questioning your moral choices while she compared you to both a brave hero like Aladdin and an insidious villain like Jafar. The three fifth year co-conspirators appeared to have gotten away with their crime which meant you were the only one able to hold them accountable for their actions.

You quickly sought to shift the attention away from your shady promise, “What would’ve happened if I didn’t figure out it was you?”

“Gemma wasn’t allowed to tell you so it would stay a secret,” Evanora answered, “Then she would’ve had to find some excuse to give you her knickers.”

“And her bra!” Lysandra added with a teasing grin.

Gemma gave a shrug as your eyes dipped down to the swell of her chest before you hastily pulled them back up before you were caught. “I was about to offer them as extra incentive to perform well against Mateo… but then you called me out.”

Her admission that she’d do just about anything to see Tamsin Applebee humiliated was the biggest spray of red sparks. You could see how the conversation would’ve taken a natural shift from an incentive to play well against Hufflepuff to an incentive to play well against Ravenclaw.

“Of course, what none of us counted on was you turning around and offering to get Gigi on the Quidditch team,” Evanora imparted. “And we definitely didn’t think she’d agree to snog you.”

Both of them called Gemma ‘Gigi’. You resolved to find out what it meant because with the teasing grins they kept throwing her it felt like an inside joke that you were on the outside of.

“Oooo… yes,” Lysandra agreed, “Tell us, Gigi, what was it like snogging a Parselmouth?”

“Tingly,” Gemma replied, “When he hisses… his tongue seems to vibrate and sends a simulating jolt through your tongue. It's a tad surprising at first but as it goes on it starts to feel like a pleasurable mouth massage.”

Lysandra and Evanora shared a glance with the tall, slim, pale, dark-haired girl shooting the four to four and a half inches shorter, somewhat tanned, notably curvy, short-haired blonde a look that plainly said ‘you ask’.

“Can we try?” Evanora requested.

They both wanted to snog you!? Wait… were they asking you… or Gemma? You cast a quick glance at the auburn-haired perfect and saw her mouth set in a firm line.

“You want to snog me?” you questioned.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a Slytherin pureblood girl who hasn’t thought about it,” Lysandra replied. “Parseltongue isn’t feared by the traditional families. In fact it's revered. I’d wager Greengrass, Parkinson, and Bulstrode have all whispered about it at least a dozen times.”

“I overheard Miranda Rosier mentioning it in the common room just last night,” Evanora supplied.

You reached up and rubbed the back of your neck with your hand that wasn’t holding knickers, “Er… who’s Miranda Rosier?”

“Third year,” Gemma answered, “Light brown hair down to about here…” She motioned to a point just below her shoulders. You vaguely remembered seeing the described girl around Bletchley, Montague, and Warrington. She was two years older than you, fairly pretty, not as curvy as Gemma or even Evanora. You hadn’t spoken a word to the girl but she had apparently been overheard talking about snogging you. “It was after you came back from Quidditch practice. Even Bletchley was aware of how much better than him you’ve been performing. He was expressing his concerns over Flint potentially giving you his spot as Starting Keeper. Miranda happily offered to distract you for him. According to Nora, she said something along the lines of ‘you get to keep playing Keeper… and I get to regularly snog a Parselmouth’. Not sure where she stands on the ‘who poisoned Bletchley’ issue yet but, just to be safe, keep an eye out for her in May when Bletchley tries to get his spot back for the match against Hufflepuff.”

“The point is,” Lysandra resolved, “When word gets out that a Parselmouth’s kisses are literally magical… there’ll likely be a queue of witches looking to snog you.”

Evanora picked up where she left off, “We figured our best chance at avoiding the line was to ask now after we’ve done you both a fairly big favor.”

The presumption that you owed them pissed you off.

But… you suddenly realised that you had leverage. You were the only Parselmouth in Hogwarts. If Gemma was presumptuous enough to think other people owed her for ALLOWING THEM them to kiss you. Then shouldn’t YOU - the one with the unique and valuable kissing ability - ALSO get something out of the deal?

“Hold on!” you objected, “Whatever favor Gemma owes you for helping her is a separate matter. You two poisoned a housemate without my knowledge and I was the one who got publicly blamed for it! I don’t owe you bollocks for that! If you want something from me… then you negotiate with me. That’s how it works.”

“Atta boy…” you heard Gemma whisper. Whatever. Now that you knew how she really was… you didn’t need her approval. The days where your stomach flipped when the pretty girl smiled at you were over. Or at least… you hoped. This was a three-on-one situation where you were going up against three older and morally questionable Slytherins. You needed every advantage you could get to make it out unscathed.

“HAH! Look who grew a spine!” Lysandra remarked with a pleased cackle. “Alright, how’s this for a deal…” The girl closed the distance between you and grabbed your chin. You did your best to refrain from showing any fear as you stared up at an eighteen year old witch who had a solid five inch height advantage over you. Her voice became low and was laced with a taste of danger, “You give me a proper snog… and I’ll give you a proper gander up my skirt.”

Your eyes practically bugged out at her offer, “Are you-eh hem,” your voice came out as a high-pitched squeak so you cleared your throat with a hasty cough and tried to lower your voice, “Are you serious?”

“Serious as a Killing Curse,” she replied in the same low dangerous tone. A wide toothy grin spread across her face and her dark eyes danced with a hint of menace. “Do we have a deal?”

“Sandra…” Gemma called out in warning.

Suddenly the danger and menace was gone and she turned to Gemma and gave a high-pitched whinge, “Aw, come on! Lemme do it! I’m officially cashing in my favor! The look on his face will be priceless!”

“Fine,” Farley conceded, “But no biting.”

Apparently, because you were Gemma’s ‘favorite’, her friends needed to ask her permission and cash in favors in order to snog you. You didn’t particularly like the idea of being ‘hers’. Not anymore anyway. You had no obligation toward her other than your vow to persuade Flint to let her on the Quidditch team. She didn’t control you. But it seemed she controlled them.

Also… biting? Gemma knew her friend better than you did… and if that was something Lysandra would actually do then it sounded like a good ground rule to establish.

“Not even a little nibble?” Yaxley pleaded.

“No biting,” Gemma firmly insisted.

“Killjoy,” Lysandra grumbled before she turned back to you, “So… a snog for a gander. No biting. Do we have a deal?”

You felt like you were missing something but realised that you wouldn’t learn what it was if you didn’t accept the offer. You took a moment to tuck the knickers into the pocket before you responded, “Deal.”

Lysandra leaned down and latched her lips to yours. You closed your eyes like you were taught in your snogging lesson but Yaxley seemed to have a different philosophy about snogging than Gemma because she completely disregarded the tip about starting soft and kissed hard right from the start. There was a fierceness to her kissing that caught you off guard. And then her tongue practically invaded your mouth and you found herself taking involuntary steps back as the fifth year threatened to overwhelm you.

But then you remembered your trump card. The whole reason she wanted to snog you in the first place. Gemma described your Parseltongue as a stimulating jolt that was surprising at first. You were counting on that surprise to help you turn the tide back in your favor. You took a deep breath in through your nose then LOUDLY hissed the word §KISSSSS§ in Parseltongue with much more intensity than you had with Gemma. It was the kind of hiss that a snake made when attacking then you flicked your vibrating tongue up to make contact with the underside of Lysandra’s.

“MMMM!” Yaxley yelped in surprise and you quickly pressed your advantage and drew out your ‘attack hiss’ as you used your tongue to nip around hers. You felt her falter, shake and squeak each time your tongues made contact and pushed forward. Suddenly, Lysandra was the one on the backfoot taking involuntary steps backward. You swirled your tongue around hers and ultimately claimed victory in the tongue wrestling match as you pinned hers down under yours then let out another hiss as you firmly massaged it. Lysandra rocked against you and then went completely unresponsive save for a low drawn-out grunt as you continued to rub your tongue on top of hers. “Mmuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh…”

Gemma’s first tip during your snogging lesson was that you were supposed to keep your eyes closed but you decided to open them a crack in order to check on the status of your partner. The menace completely vanished from Lysandra’s dark eyes and they were left looking glazed over.

That seemed like a sign to stop and that she had enough so you gave the girl’s shoulders a light push to separate you. You were thus surprised when she fell backwards and hit the ground with the light thud.

The sudden contact with the ground jolted Yaxley back to reality and she was left blinking up at the owls roosting in rafters in shock.

“What do you know,” Gemma remarked from behind you. “The infamous man-eater Lysandra Yaxley… was out-snogged by a first year.”

“You taught him well,” Evanora remarked. “Although, that extra bit seemed like it was mostly him.”

“Uuugghh…” Lysandra let out a low groan as she slowly sat up. “You said it was a pleasurable mouth massage… I felt that go through my whole body! My legs feel like they’re shaking.”

“It’s Parseltongue… think snake,” Evanora suggested, “A snake produces more venom when it feels threatened. And as you know, intent is key to most magic. He likes and trusts Gemma.” Not so much anymore. “...and went into it with the mentality that it was both a snogging lesson and a fun learning experience. You looked like you were trying to swallow the boy so it was only natural for him to defend himself to keep from being overwhelmed.”

That sounded like a pretty solid explanation to you.

“Now hurry up and pay the boy so I can have my turn!” the blonde urged her fallen friend.

You bristled at her repeated referral to you as ‘the boy’. This showed how little you actually knew them and further set your decision to at least get something fun for snogging them.

“Oh… riiight,” Lysandra flashed you another wide toothy grin as she raised her long bare legs up in front of her with the knees pressed together and even made a show of shifting her skirt to mid-thigh. “Ready?”

“...” You didn’t trust yourself to speak. Was this really happening? You settled for a simple nod.

Your breath caught in your throat as she slowly began to spread her long, pale legs… your eyes were drawn up her thighs like moths to a flame. The gap got wider and you braced yourself as you stared up her skirt into a dark void…

…and saw nothing.

It was completely black. You couldn’t see anything. Your view up her legs stopped at the edge of her skirt. It was like a shroud of shadows was blocking your view of the witch’s nethers.

Lysandra threw her head back and loudly cackled at your disappointed expression, “I promised you a gander up my skirt! I never said you’d actually see anything!”

Gemma gave your shoulder a consoling pat and provided an informative explanation to the shady bit of witchcraft, “It’s called the Skirt Obscurus Charm. It’s not taught in class but there’s an unwritten Hogwarts tradition going back decades to when the current uniforms were established for the older girls to teach it to the younger ones. That way boys can’t look up your skirt.”

Through Gemma’s explanation, your eyes remained glued to the shadowy veil. The literal dark magic was the only thing between your eyes and your first real glimpse at a girl’s vag.

Yaxley gave her hips a teasing wiggle, “Stare as hard as you like… you’re not gonna see a thing!” The skirt swayed and shifted but the shadowy shroud remained in place. She cackled again and seemed exceptionally pleased at having pulled one over you.

Gemma whispered in your ear, “That’s probably a good thing. There are rumors hers has teeth.”

Lysandra let out another gale of cackling laughter and leaned forward to give an over-the-top chomp and gnash her teeth which made you wonder if she started those rumors herself.

With another amused cackle, the tall dark-haired girl slid her legs back together and rose back up to her full height. She idly toyed with the waistband of her skirt as she came closer, “Wanna see something else I learned about the charm?” She pulled on the waistband and pulled out a couple inches. “It only works if a person’s looking up the skirt. It doesn’t hide anything from someone looking down since that’s usually you.”

You eyed the two inch gap warily. Was she telling the truth? Or was she playing another trick?

“Go on,” she prompted as she ran her tongue along her pearly white teeth. Some of them looked extra pointy. “Take another gander. I dare you. But fair warning… I promised Gigi I wouldn’t bite you while we were snogging and when you were looking up my skirt. That restriction doesn’t apply if you come close enough to look down my skirt.”

She was right. You’d have to get within a couple inches of her. Within biting range.

Gemma was notably quiet. She spoke up in your defense before… but now she was leaving you on your own. You couldn’t help but feel that you were being tested. And with that mentality, you took a moment to study Lysandra Yaxley and eventually came to a surprising conclusion: you weren’t scared of her.

You’d been in close proximity with a real killer in the two-faced attempted child-murderer Professor Quirinus Quirrell. You’d also been face-to-face-to-face-to-face with a massive Cerberus that could literally tear you to shreds and, moments later, a FLAMING BOGGART version of the Cerberus which was specifically crafted to scare you.

Compared to that, the three fifth years who admittedly never intended to actually kill anyone were nowhere near as threatening.

And on top of that, Gemma was one who orchestrated the poisoning of Bletchley. Evanora was the one who quietly executed the plan and cast the spell. They were the ones to be wary of. Lysandra was the distraction.

Yaxley was loud, flashy, and dramatic. And a similarly showy and dramatic part of you genuinely appreciated her extra flair. But you knew from your Fluffy research that the loudest dogs were often the ones with the softest bite. Lysandra came on strong when you were snogging but you managed to turn the tide and overwhelm her with minimal effort. And even though Gemma was the one who owed Lysandra a favor… Yaxley still deferred to her and asked Farley’s permission before she messed with you. That meant the Poisoned Prefect was in charge. And you knew you were essential to her plans. She needed you alive and in one piece both to play in the match on Saturday and to work your magic on Flint to get her on the Quidditch team. Lysandra might be tugging on her lead but you knew Gemma would rein her in before she did any actual damage. She made a show of flashing her teeth and played up the biting thing, but that was all a ruse. Because the truth was: Lysandra Yaxley was all bark and no bite.

You took a breath and steeled your nerve then closed the distance until you were directly in front of her and leaned over, fully entering her personal space, and peered down into the extended waistband of her skirt… and spotted an unruly nest of wild dark hair.

The waistband snapped back into place and you looked up to see Lysandra staring at you in wide-eyed shock. She never expected you to actually take her up on the offer. She was counting on you to be too intimidated by the illusion of the flesh-eating monster to do anything.

You raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at you in flabbergasted shock and took a few steps back out of arm’s reach as you reached into your pocket and pulled out Lysandra’s lacy lingerie and did a mental size comparison between the black lace-patterned front triangle and the mass of unkempt dark hair you’d just spotted in Lysandra skirt and voiced your conclusion.

“There’s no way all that hair can fit in such small knickers.”

Behind you, both Gemma and Evanora burst out laughing at their friend’s expense while Lysandra’s pale face went BEET RED.

“GEMMA!” she shrieked, “Your pet firstie is a little pervert!”

“Nope, this one’s on you, Sandra,” Gemma replied through a fading fit of laughter. “I told you that he knew how to make the most of an opportunity when it was presented to him. You offered a teenaged boy with a collection of knickers a free look at your hairy minge… what did you think was going to happen?”

“He wasn’t supposed to actually look!” the embarrassed eighteen year old exclaimed. “I always wear an Obscurus Charm with a short skirt! And I only got with Wilkes so I could publicly break up with him at lunch a week later! For your plan! I knew after causing such a public scene that I likely wouldn't have another boyfriend for the rest of the term. No one was ever supposed to see it so I didn’t do any maintenance!”

That was a partial explanation which might have explained why she hadn’t stolen garden shears from the greenhouse along with the Hellebore but, much like the lacy knickers and her black shag carpet, it didn’t cover everything.

“How fast does your hair grow?” you couldn’t help but wonder as you tucked the knickers away. “That looked like months of growth instead of a week. Is the castle really so drafty in a skirt that you decided to don a winter coat? Can’t you cast a Warming Charm?”

Your very personal line of questioning elicited another chorus of loud laughter from the girls behind you.

“Ah-ha… ah-hahaha!” A red-faced Gemma was laughing so hard that she had to hold onto a hysterical and only slightly more subdued Evanora for support. “Stop! Stop! You’re killing me!”

A giggling Evanora quickly followed up, “Between the fangs and the thick fur coat… it sounds like Sandra’s hiding a werewolf up her skirt!”

Yaxley’s red face had turned purple and she glared at you - the source of her current humiliation - with gritted teeth. “You little shit!”

You gave a casual shrug, “You don’t scare me, Yaxley. You’re all bark and no bite.”

“I’LL SHOW YOU BITE!” she snarled like an animal backed into a corner then lunged toward you, and like a Keeper defending against a lone Chaser making a penalty shot, you read her movements and quickly deduced that she was aiming for your ear. Likely to bite it. Her anger was likely justified but you had no desire to be bitten so you quickly twisted and pushed yourself up onto your toes and intercepted her mouth with yours. “MMM!”

You kept your eyes open for this one and saw her staring back at wide-eyed shock before you slipped your tongue into her mouth - which was still opened and poised to bite you - and let out a hiss of Parseltongue. You were pleased when you felt her jaw relax and then remembered what Evanora said about venom and intent so instead of making an aggressive hiss to attack… you hissed the word §Calm§ in a low, soothing tone while intentionally drawing out the ‘S’s… because in Parseltongue every word contained ‘S’s. Your goal was to relax her and quell her anger with one of those stimulating mouth-massages Gemma described.

Lysandra quickly lost steam as you stroked her tongue with yours. Her lidded eyes began to flutter as she leaned against you. You kept it up for another two drawn out hisses before you finally withdrew and left the fifth year with her own tongue hanging out of her mouth as she stood there in a snogging-induced daze. More importantly, she was calm and no longer looked ready to strangle you. You reached up and patted her cheek then popped up on your toes and pecked her on the tip of her nose like you would with a well-behaved puppy. “Good girl.”

“Wow, Marvolo,” Gemma remarked from behind you. “You tamed the beast!”

You gave said ‘beast’ a reproachful smile as she slowly drew her tongue back into her mouth.

“You’re lucky you’re cute…” she eventually said then calmly grabbed your shoulders and used her hold to spin you around then pulled you back against her. “C’mere, Snuggles.” She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you close so your head and shoulders were against her chest then leaned down so her chin was resting on the top of your head. “You can make it up to me by letting me cuddle you for a few minutes.”

That seemed like a reasonable enough exchange for embarrassing her in front of her friends. Plus, Gemma’s Warming Charm had worn off. You idly noted that meant you’d been gone for over thirty minutes.

Your new position with your back to Lysandra meant you were now facing Gemma and Evanora. Rowle was watching with a raised eyebrow while Farley’s mouth was in a firm line as she folded her arms under her chest. In doing so, she hefted her bust up a bit which reminded you of the extra cushioning you usually felt when she was pressed against you like Yaxley currently was.

That wasn’t to say it was uncomfortable being snuggled by Sandra… she was still soft and fairly warm. But you were more aware of their difference in height and body shape now that you had been pressed snugly against both of them. Lysandra was tall and slim while Gemma was three inches shorter and notably curvier.

Your gaze shifted over to Evanora. She was actually the shortest of the trio but not by much. She was somewhere between an inch and a half an inch - maybe three-quarters? - shorter than Gemma. This meant she was about an inch and a half taller than you. Gemma had her second cousin beat in the chest department but that only made the extra width in Evanora’s shapely hips more apparent.

“I believe it’s your turn now,” you addressed ‘the quiet assassin’. “I’m willing to open negotiations but you might have to come over here for the actual snogging because I seem to be stuck.”

“Yes, Sandra clearly misses Mr. Bickles more than she lets on,” Gemma remarked. “I think she’s using you as a substitute teddy bear.”

The infamous Lysandra Yaxley had a teddy bear named Mr. Bickles? She was starting to look more like a cuddle monster than a flesh-eating one.

Evanora smirked and added, “She brought it to school with her in first year. She had to cast the Mending Charm on its ears because she kept nibbling on them when she cuddled it at night.”

Spend five and a half years rooming with someone and you no doubt amass a heap of **** material on the person. You were in the perfect position to feel Yaxley tense behind you as her friends aired her dirty laundry. After all the embarrassment she already suffered from you commenting on her shag carpet, you decided to run damage control to assure the secret softie that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

“Aw,” you remarked as you patted one of the arms wrapped around your waist. “So the big scary man-eating monster is just looking for someone to cuddle with? Happy to fill the role, I suppose.”

“Oh are you?” she replied. Her chin slipped off your head and, a second later, teeth clamped down on the top of your ear. It wasn’t hard. More of a nibble than an actual bite. You shivered when her tongue flicked against the inner shell of your ear then kept the shiver going as she whispered into it. “Oooo… I think Gigi’s getting jealous that I’m playing with her favorite firstie.”

You noticed that too. Her mouth was still a firm line but her eyes had narrowed into a very hard stare. You knew Gemma had a jealous streak and now it was on full display. Revealing her friend’s emBEARassing secret seemed like a bitch move… but was also an unsurprising one from the green-eyed monster.

On the other hand, Lysandra was still holding onto you so you couldn’t help but wonder if she was intentionally provoking Gemma in retaliation for the comments she made about her ‘hairy minge’.

You decided to try and diffuse the situation before someone exploded, “Have you, perhaps, considered finding your own firstie to play with?”

“But Gigi’s already done such a good job of training you,” Lysandra whispered while huskily breathing in your ear, “And you know so many fun tricks!” She communed which trick she meant by flicking her tongue into your ear making you shiver, “And where am I going to find a cuddly little firstie who will stay still and let me nibble on him?” She gave your earlobe a quick nip before finally pulling away.

Yeah… Lysandra was definitely antagonising Gemma. She was trying to no-sell it but her sapphire eyes were blazing like blue fire.

“Try Blaise Zabini,” you offered.

“ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?” Yaxley yelled as she yanked you flush against her. “You want me to go after Circe Zabini’s son? That woman has murdered at least four husbands and gotten away with it! We’re amateurs! She’s a professional! What do you think the infamous Black Widow would do to me if she learned I was messing with her only son?”

The genuine panic in her voice and the suddenly frantic pounding of her heart against your back told you that Lysandra truly believed that Blaise’s mother would have her killed if she caught her ‘playing’ with her son.

“Sorry, Blaise,” you mentally apologised to your friend who you knew found Lysandra attractive, “Can’t say I didn’t try.”

“Nope,” Lysandra resolved as she reached up and cupped your chin, “I’d rather risk the wrath of Evil-Nora and Jelly-Gigi.”

“That reminds me,” you said as you looked over at Evanora, “My first offer is information in exchange for a snog. Since you’re so willing to share Sandra’s secrets… I reckon you might be open to explaining this ‘Gigi’ nickname that I’m pretty sure you only started using today. And also why you two keep acting like I’m her property just because I’m her so-called ‘favorite’.”

“It’s the first day you’ve heard us use it,” Lysandra imparted before Evanora could say anything. “We’ve actually been calling Gemma ‘Gigi’ since the start of December. But we really broke it in over the holidays. If you had been at the Parkinson’s party you might’ve heard us.”

“Sandra…” ‘Gigi’ called out in warning before she shared a quick look with Evanora.

“Yeah, can’t do that, Gaunt,” Evanora eventually answered. “Spilling one person’s secret is one thing but if I spilled that secret then I’d be in violation of Girl Code.”

“Interesting,” you remarked, “I suppose there is honor among murderers and thieves.” That earned you matching cross looks from the two Rowle second cousins. “Alright, then how about Plan B… your bum?”

“Excuse me?” the blonde pureblood gasped.

“In a strange roundabout way… Sandra did give me that gander at her front bits,” you stated, “I figure a peek at your backside would be on the same level. I was able to do a comparison of how Sandra’s knickers fit over her… garden. A look at your bum will help me picture how those thong-things work.”

Rather than be offended, Lysandra threw her head back and laughed loudly. Her arms slid back down to encircle your waist and her fingers lightly ran across your belly. “Looks like I set the bar! Now Nora’s gotta match it to stay in the game!”

“I’m not showing you my bum, Gaunt,” Rowle responded.

“Alright!” you said an agreeable shrug, “Then we don’t have to snog. You should be able to get by on descriptions from Gemma, Sandra - and any other witches I end up snogging - what it's like to snog a Parselmouth.” You paused for a beat, “Speaking of witches… I should probably be getting back to the common room, some of them are going to wonder what’s taking so long. The Warming Charm that Gemma cast on my cloak when we left the castle wore off… which is half the reason I’m so agreeable to being snuggled. That means we’ve been gone for at least thirty minutes. Daphne’s definitely going to have a long line of questions. The last time I withheld information from her, she and Tracey chased me through the castle until they cornered me in an empty room, and then tackled me to the ground so they could pin me down and interrogate me.”

You, no doubt, had another fun interrogation to look forward to in the very near future.

“I warned you earlier that she was nosy,” you reminded Gemma with a pointed look, “I’m going to have to tell her something. Maybe if I actually admit you were teaching me to snog and then show her what I learned that might stop her from asking why you taught me.”

“So you’re willing to give her a free snog,” Evanora noted.

“It’s not free,” you replied, “I just said it would be to keep her quiet and from asking questions. Getting that girl to drop anything is a challenge.” You had a hard enough time convincing her to stay away from a vicious attempted child-murderer like Professor Quirrell. And you were pretty sure that between your warning and letting her read your Fluffy essay that you convince her to stay away from the Forbidden Corridor. “She spent the better part of two months stalking me. Gemma said she was rather cross with her back in the common room. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was outside the Owlery right now with her binoculars.”

You made a point of turning so you could glance out through the open Owlery doors. Daphne wasn’t there. And neither was Tracey. But the fact that you caught Gemma looking along with you when you turned back around meant she realised that spying on your outing with Gemma was something Daphne would do.

“The point is… I know Daphne,” you resolved as you turned back to Evanora, “So I know a fair price for her. I don’t know you so I’m basing your price off of what I got from Sandra… who I’m starting to get to know.”

“Throw an occasional snuggle my way and I'll let you keep calling me Sandra,” Lysandra cut in as she reached up and pinched your cheek. So she did notice you started calling her that.

You didn’t let Lysandra distract you this time and kept your focus on Evanora, “You seem like the type that does well on exams. It’s multiple choice. A - answers. B - bum. C - none of the above. And I want it up front so I don’t get scammed again. Either way, it’s your choice and you’d best make it quick because now we all know there’s somewhere I need to be.”

Gemma’s expression was firm, “If you want to cash in your favor for a snog like Sandra did… then you can. But you are not earning it at my expense. Sandra paid him herself. If you want it… then you can put your arse on the line… not mine.”

“...” Evanora looked very annoyed at Gemma. But Gemma wouldn’t let her explain why. So much like the flesh-eating cuddle monster… ‘the quiet assassin’ and main branch member of the Rowle family deferred to ‘the manipulative chessmaster’ that was her second cousin.

Yaxley released you and took a couple steps back, “Here, Snuggles, if you’re gonna leave then I might as well help you with that Warming Charm.” You felt her wand tap your shoulders and she repeated the incantation that Gemma used earlier and you felt a wave of warmth rush down your back as she charmed your robes.

“Thanks,” you said and looked back to see her tap her wand on her hips as she cast the Warming Charm on her skirt. “So you do know it.”

“Of course,” she replied, “Who do you think taught it to your friend Davis?”

You suddenly recalled that when Daphne and Tracey chased you up the Grand Staircase, pinned you down in the bunker, and gave you their knickers in exchange for answers… they were wearing short skirts. At one point, Daphne was even sitting on your stomach with only her short skirt covering her bits. And before your Scooby Doo chase through the school… they had been outside spying on you at Quidditch practice. You hadn’t fully realised it back then because Gemma only told you about temporary Warming Charms thirty minutes ago.

“Well… thanks again, I suppose,” you remarked.

“Your nosy stalker girlfriend asked how I could stand to wear a short skirt during the winter,” Lysandra recounted. “So I showed ‘em. The little blonde half-blood caught on quickly. I figure she helped the other one get it.”

“Yeah, out of the ten first year Slytherins… Tracey’s the best at Charms,” you admitted but continued to eye Sandra’s skirt. “So if it’s not for warmth then why all the hair?”

Lysandra rolled her eyes, “You’re really not gonna let this one go. Look… I like soft and fluffy and I like stroking it when I pet my bits. So if I’m not dating anyone I grow some extra scruff. Happy?”

“Yes, thank you for a third time,” you replied as you fought down a blush at the mental image of Lysandra ‘petting her bits’. But then you smirked as you imagined her petting them like a fluffy animal. “That finally explains it.”

“Don’t tell anyone, alright?” she requested. “Gigi says you can keep a secret.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” you agreed with a nod. It was a very personal matter and you were grateful that she explained it at all.

“Come on, Nora!” the tall girl turned and egged on Evanora, “I just told a fourteen year old why I grow my pubic hair. Your bum isn’t nearly as embarrassing.”

“Is there something embarrassing about her bum?” you inquired. That would explain why she was so ****. She gave you a thong instead of knickers and she was really eager to get her snog a moment ago. You didn’t expect showing off her bum to be such an issue.

“No, it’s actually quite nice,” Lysandra answered. “A lot bigger and rounder than mine. I’ve seen it a lot more often than most people.”

“I didn’t realise the two of you were so close,” you replied. They had been roommates for four and a half years but then you though of your roommate. “I haven’t seen Draco’s bum and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Gemma spoke up with a small amused grin, “Nora’s dragging her feet because she has a mole on her bum. Sandra’s been on mole duty checking it over for the last three years.”

“GEMMA!” Nora shrieked as her face went bright red. That was the loudest you ever heard her.

Wow… Evanora Rowle had an embarrassing butt mole. It didn’t seem all that embarrassing to you but the mole wasn’t on your bum.

“It appeared over the summer three years ago,” Lysandra the mole minder reported, “It started as a cute speck but every summer since it’s grown. Now it looks like a splotchy brown cumulus cloud. There’s no branch of Divination that relates to moles and blemishes… buutt… cumulus clouds are fair weather clouds so I’ve interpreted it as a sign that she’s gotten too much sun.”

Lysandra took Divination? And she tried to divine a sign from the mole on her friend’s bum like it was some kind of omen!?

“Saandraa…” Nora whined as she covered her flushed face with her hands. This was the quiet assassin who poisoned Bletchley?

Lysandra flashed a toothy grin, “That was for Mr. Bickles.”

You shook your head. The two bickering fifth years couldn’t have looked less like scheming murderous assassins in that moment. They were normal teenage girls with normal quirks and insecurities. Granted, they were also both purebloods from Sacred families… but it was now clear that they weren’t monsters… they were as human as you were.

Although, you did note that while Yaxley and Rowle were now technically even when it came to revealing embarrassing secrets… it was actually GEMMA who revealed both those secrets and was refusing to allow them to reveal her own. They wouldn’t even explain the ‘Gigi’ nickname.

“Another bitch move on her part,” you mused. This was how she treated her friends who put themselves at personal risk by enacting her poisonous plot?

Maybe she was the real monster?

You eyed Evanora with mild concern, you still didn’t fully understand this ‘mole’ situation. But you plainly see that it distressed the blonde fifth year. “Do you spend a lot of time in the sun? That’s what causes freckles to show up, right?”

Nora nodded, “The main house of the Rowle family is located in Cornwall. But we also have a villa on an island in Greece that came from my mum’s side. We go every summer. It’s quiet and secluded. But there’s also a public muggle beach nearby and that’s where I first saw women wearing swim costumes with thongs for bottoms. In addition to eliminating pantylines… thongs are wonderful for preventing tan lines on your backside. When we’d go over the summer... I used to be able to spend all day lying on my stomach and reading out in the sun. It wasn’t a problem before.”

You hadn’t noticed Evanora back in September when her tan might’ve been at its darkest but it had likely faded over the course of the winter. Despite the fading pigment, she was still a few shades darker than Gemma, who you knew was a frequent flier - at least at home - which meant she spent long periods of time outdoors, and several shades darker than the pale Lysandra who was likely the least outdoorsy of the three.

“I like my bum,” Evanora explained with her eyes locked on her feet. “I like the way it’s shaped… I like the way it looks in my skirt but then the mole showed up. At first I didn’t mind it… it was just a cute beauty mark on my bum. But then it started growing and now all I see when I look at my bum is this glaring imperfection that keeps getting bigger.” She gave a long sigh and stared down at her feet for a second for another few seconds then shuffled off to the side away from the open doorway. “Come here… I’ll show you…”

“Are you sure?” you inquired. “Asking an eighteen year old who gave me a thong to flash her bum for a few seconds didn’t seem like that big of a deal. If you’re sensitive about it… I don’t want to **** you to show me. That’s not my bag.”

“You already know about it,” she said as she removed her winter cloak and outer robes and stood in her uniform which consisted of her jumper, oxford shirt and Slytherin tie, her form fitting, shin-length skirt, and her shin-length black socks that met her skirt. “I have to trust that you won’t tell anyone either way. At least then I’ll get a unique snog out of it. And if you see it… maybe you’ll understand why I hate it so much and don’t want anyone to know about it.”

You walked over and stood behind her. Both of you were off to the side and out of view of the Owlery door so even if Daphne had been watching from outside with her binoculars… the new angle meant she wouldn’t be able to see you now.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Evanora begged.

“I won’t,” you reassured her. You weren’t sure about Gemma and Lysandra though. “If anyone else learns about it… it won’t be because of me.” You cast a pointed look at the other two fifth years. The three of them seemed to feel no guilt about sharing their friends’ most embarrassing secrets… except for Gemma’s.

Evanora gave a long sigh then grabbed the sides of her skirt and pulled it down below her bum… which gave you a glimpse of the bottom half of her cheeks then she pulled the back of her shirt off and revealed the moon in its full glory.

There you were… staring at the shapely bum of an eighteen year old fifth year witch. She seemed to be squeezing her cheeks together which caused them to jut out even further than they normally did. The extra thickness of her hips lent some extra mass to her bum. The cheeks were full and plump with a nice round outward swell to them. And naturally, your eyes went to the dark brown mark almost dead center on her left cheek. It was about the size of your thumb nail. The sides weren’t smooth or even and it instead looked like it was made of smaller freckle-sized spots with a notable raised lump in the middle. It didn’t look that bad in your opinion but it did draw the eye.

“See! It’s the first thing your eyes are drawn to!” Evanora exclaimed.

“I think that’s mostly because you talked it up so much,” you replied as you removed your eyes from the blemish and eyed her crack then traveled up it to the very top of her rounded cheeks where you saw two pale strips of flesh seemed to continue up her back and contrasted with the fading tan of her bum. “I thought you said a thong was meant to prevent tan lines?”

“I’d have to be completely naked to have NO tan lines,” the witch said which caused you to blush BRIGHT red at the thought of Evanora sunbathing in the nude. She dropped her shirt and pulled her skirt back up. “But the rest of the cheeks are uniform… or at least they’re supposed to be.”

Right… the mole.

“If it bothers you so much… can’t you remove it? Surely there’s a potion…”

“We tried!” Evanora explained. “We didn’t start trying to remove it until last term after it grew again… but there’s no potion for mole removal!”

“Why do you think muggle depictions of witches have them with ugly moles and warts?” Gemma supplied, “There were no potions to remove them. And since the muggles like to make us out to be monsters… they’d take a small blemish and exaggerate it to make it as ugly as possible.”

“We even tried some other potions,” Lysandra added, you remembered Gemma mentioning that she was skilled with Potions, “We tried the Cure for Boils, Topical Bruise Remover, and Burn Paste but none of them worked because they’re all meant for other kinds of blemishes. Common healing potions didn’t work either because it’s not an injury. We even tried Mrs. Skower’s Magical Mess Remover.”

“Isn’t that for stains?” you questioned. There really should be a potion for mole removal.

“I’m getting ****!” Rowle said, “If it gets much bigger I may have to cut it off. I’d rather have a scar there than a giant sickle-sized mole!”

“Can’t you go to a healer?” you suggested.

“No! I don’t want anyone to know!” the blonde insisted, “If I went to a healer they’d have to make a record of my… affliction and our medical records aren’t safe! Four years ago… my oldest brother was in a splinching accident. He went to Saint Mungo’s to have his arm reattached… and the story was in the Daily Prophet the very next day! Rita Skeeter must have somehow gotten her hands on his medical record because the story was written as if she was there in the room with the healer! My brother was humiliated.”

Gemma revealing her friends’ embarrassing secrets to a lone first year was one thing… but writing about it in the newspaper? Now THAT was a queen-sized bitch move.

Evanora’s words were getting faster as she was getting worked up by the prospect of her embarrassing secret getting out. “And going to Madam Pomfrey here at Hogwarts would be even worse! This school has had numerous notorious pranksters. Tulip Karasu and the Tonks girl were a nightmare! And the Hufflepuffs already don’t like me much because of my association with Gemma. And Slytherins are the Weasley Twins’ favorite targets! If they got a hold of my record and my secret got out… I’d die!”

As the first year who recently broke into the Hogwarts Caretaker’s office in order to read the Hogwarts Gamekeeper’s disciplinary file… you could admit that her concern over her Hogwarts medical record might have merit.

The distressed blonde let out a light whimper, “I’d rather be the quiet girl that absolutely no one knows… then have people in the school actually know and recognise me as mole butt!”

That would be very embarrassing.

“Well, if it helps, I like your bum,” you offered with your best reassuring smile, “And letting me see it definitely earned you a snog.” You decided on a whim to try and kiss her from behind. With Sandra that would’ve been awkward and would’ve involved a bunch of awkward leaning. But Evanora was only around an inch and a half taller than you which made her much easier to reach. You stepped closer and wrapped one of your arms around her waist then reached up with your other one to cup her chin and turned her head so she was looking back over her shoulder at you. You tilted your head and brought your lips to hers.

“Mmm…” Evanora let out a light moan and leaned back against you. You brought your raised arm down so both your arms were wrapped around her waist from behind.

You knew how distressed this mole business was making her… so when you added tongue you hissed the word §Calm§ in the same low, soothing tone that you had with Lysandra. Your goal was to relax and reassure her so you made sure to go slow and draw it out. And indeed, you felt Evanora relax against you. In fact, you had to spread your legs a bit to brace yourself as the curvy fifth year leaned almost all her weight against you. This resulted in her big soft bum being pressed against your bits. Girls were soft. And you found you quite liked the extra padding that some of them came with.

“Mmm…” Rowle let out another soft moan as you flicked your tongue against hers while you gave another two calming hisses.

You decided that since Lysandra got two snogs… and since you made Evanora work a lot harder for hers… that you’d draw her snog out a bit longer to compensate. So you continued to slowly stroke her tongue with yours as you gave another calm, soothing hiss… and then another… and then Evanora went completely limp.

Did she… fall asleep?

“URK!” you grunted as you tightened your hold around her waist. The blonde fifth year was dead weight and you were the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the ground. That was when you discovered that you really liked Nora’s bum because your tightened hold around her waist resulted in the soft cushion being pushed fully against your bits.

“Did you put her to sleep?” Gemma asked.

“She seemed distressed… I was trying to relax her,” you defended yourself.

“Might’ve made her a bit too relaxed,’ Lysandra remarked, “I think Evanora’s starting to snore-a.”

She was right, the girl you were struggling to hold upright was letting out soft exhales as her head lolled to the side in a sleepy stupor.

“A little help?” you requested. Evanora was taller, a bit wider, and also heavier than you. Not by much which is why you hadn’t collapsed under her. But you were straining to keep the limp blonde from falling.

“Nope,” Gemma refused with a curt shake of her head, “You put the witch to sleep so you take responsibility and deal with the consequences.”

“Grab her boob!” Lysandra suggested with an impish grin.

“NO!” you refused. “She’s not awake to say it’s okay!”

“Probably a good idea,” Gemma stated as he gave Lysandra a firm look, “As a prefect… I’d be obligated to stop that sort of thing.”

“Here, I’ll ask her,” Yaxley offered as she walked over. No, not to actually be helpful and aid you in holding her sleeping roommate but to brush Rowle’s hair away from her ear and whisper into it. “Nora… is it okay if Gaunt gives your bap a little squeeze?”

“Mmkay…” Evanora mumbled in her sleep.

Lysandra smirked at you.

“NO!” you objected. “She’s not even properly conscious!”

“Aw, that’s not fun,” the tall fifth year complained then poked her friend’s cheek, “Hey Sleepy Snora, what do you think of our new friend Marvolo Gaunt?”

“Adorable…” Evanora mumbled back. “Wanna kiss ‘im again…” Your cheeks went pink but this proved that she was at least semi-coherent since she answered both of Yaxley’s questions.

Lysandra let out another one of her usual cackling laughs.

“Not so scary now, is she?” Gemma teased you.

And for some reason, that really annoyed you. Was this another one of her manipulative schemes? You were already aware of the fact that she was somehow exploiting her established relationship with you to have you pay off favors that she owed her friends. But at the same time, she also revealed their embarrassing secrets to you and ‘humanised’ the two scary fifth years in your eyes. What was her goal here? To endear them to you and make you more sympathetic to her co-conspirators and thus less willing to snitch on them?

You didn’t like being the manipulative witch’s pawn.

So you decided to do something to catch her off guard, “Hey Nora,” you whispered in the semi-conscious witch’s other ear. “What’s the story behind that ‘Gigi’ name?”

“Not a name…” Nora mumbled back just like she had with Sandra, “Initials.”

Initials?

Not Gigi… but G.G.... and since they used it around you that meant the initials for Gemma… Gaunt. She wanted to MARRY YOU!? The fact that she didn’t want her friends to tell you meant it wasn’t just a teasing nickname but she was actually serious about it.

The prospective Mrs. Gaunt was staring at you in wide-eyed shock. Her cheeks were bright red. Yeah, the manipulative chessmaster hadn’t seen that coming. Knight takes Bishop! Served her right. NOW the three fifth years were even.

You hefted Evanora up and pushed her over to Yaxley who managed to catch her still not fully conscious roommate and hold her up.

An hour ago… the idea of eventually marrying Gemma would’ve been a lot more appealing. But now you knew what she was truly like and how manipulative, jealous, and spiteful she could really be. Gemma wasn’t someone you could ever afford to let your guard down around. You would never truly know if she was being honest or leading you on in another one of her schemes. And if this was how she treated her best friends and their secrets… what would she do if she learned some of yours?

Daphne and Tracey both knew about your Serpent’s Gaze. But it hadn’t gotten out because, unlike Gemma, THEY could keep a secret. Knowing the type of person she was, you could NEVER reveal that kind of secret to Gemma.

“Long game, huh?” you mused as you eyed the Poisoned Prefect. “Don’t hold your breath.”

You brushed yourself off and straightened out your robes and uniform then took a few seconds to survey the three fifth years. Evanora ‘the quiet assassin’ slumped sleepily against her roommate, Lysandra ‘the flesh-eating monster’ more of a cuddly puppy, and Gemma ‘the manipulative chessmaster’ who you were still obligated to get on the Quidditch team in the short term but who seemed to have a lot more long-term plans for you. Of course, she hadn’t bothered to ask your opinion on those future plans.

If there was one thing you knew, it was that when you decided to marry someone… she would be a witch that YOU chose. No one else got to decide who you spent the rest of your life with.

“I believe we’re done here,” you resolved as you headed for the door.

“Hey!” Gemma called after you. You looked back at her. “Now you know… I’m betting heavily on Gaunt. In more ways than one. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Hmph,” you didn’t give a proper response and instead settled for a Snape-like grunt as you stuffed your hands in your pockets and finally left the Owlery. Lysandra’s new Warming Charm on your robes protected you from the cold as you made your way down the steps.

You eventually let out a long sigh as you reached the bottom and began your trek back to the castle. For a fourteen year ago old wizard who just snogged three pretty older witches, scored two interesting knickers, had seen one girl’s bush and another girl’s bum, and on top of that was going to be playing Keeper in his first Quidditch match in less than two days… you probably should’ve felt happier.

But the truth was… part of your heart had broken today. Your first crush wasn’t the amazing witch you thought she was. And now you’d never look at Gemma Farley the same way again.

You idly wondered how long she’d been scheming to ensnare you. And your mind flashed back to your first private lesson in her dorm room where she taught you the Knockback Jinx.

Gemma was the one who told you about the Skirt Obscurus Charm. That meant she knew it. Your first glimpse at a girl’s knickers was still seared into your mind. But you couldn’t help but wonder now if she’d simply forgotten to cast the spell or if she intentionally left it off after placing herself - rather deliberately - in front of her bed.

You needed time and space to properly process your feelings for her. But unfortunately, you weren’t going to be getting it anytime soon since you still needed her to hold your broomstick and you were still honorbound to persuade Flint to give her a proper chance on the Quidditch team.

Girls were complicated.

Speaking of girls, you were surprised to find that Daphne was not waiting by the door when you made it back to the common room. In fact, all the first year girls were gone. So you went over to the boys and took a few minutes to explain the situation to them.

“Sorry I ran out so quickly earlier,” you said, “But Professor Snape helped me figure out a way around the broom rule and we needed to get the owl off as quickly as we could so the broom will get here in time for tomorrow’s practice.” You gave Draco a reassuring pat on the shoulder, “At any rate, I’m definitely going to let you have a go on the Nimbus at practice tomorrow night. It would be in the entire team’s best interest to have Higgs go against a Seeker on a Nimbus Two Thousand since that’s what Parkin’s going to be using on Saturday. You did alright on Pucey’s Silver Arrow but now you’ll finally get a chance to show Flint what you can do on a quality broomstick. Getting to fly it yourself might also help you decide if you want to stick with that Comet Two-Sixty you've got at home or if you want to switch brands and upgrade to a newer model.”

Draco nodded and seemed genuinely grateful, “Thank you.” Although, he was likely already trying to figure out if your method of acquiring a broom would work for him. “I’m counting on you to put on a good show in the match on Saturday. If you do well, Flint might actually give me a chance.”

Boys really were so much simpler than girls.

“Anyway… I’m going to try and get some of my assignments done so I don’t have much else hanging over me while I’m trying to focus on Quidditch during the weekend.”

That said, you went to your room and were pleased to see that Goyle had returned your school bag like you requested when Flint grabbed you. You took a minute to stash Lysandra and Evanora’s knickers in your trunk with the rest of your collection then brought your school bag over to your desk and mused over which of your homework assignments to start on.

But before you could make a decision… there was a knock on your door.

You went to the door and opened it to find Daphne, Tracey, Pansy, and Millicent all standing out in the hallway. Daphne and Tracey were both holding binoculars.

“HA!” you let out a short laugh, “Called it!”