Dark Pre-Match Mind Games pt 3

There wasn’t much fanfare when you entered the Great Hall with Tracey Davis beside you and Daphne Greengrass on your arm, but you were hardly expecting a standing ovation.

Daphne - still riding high on her snogging-induced confidence boost - stated her rationale before you finally exited the broom closet. She wanted to make a bold public statement by attaching herself to you before your upcoming Quidditch *victory* rather than look like a groupie who only latched on after you won. You weren’t officially dating yet, nor had you actually won the match, but she wanted to make her intent clear, and you were happy to have her public declaration of support. Not that the emerald green ‘Gaunt’ Slytherin Quidditch jumper didn’t do that already.

There might not have been any applause, but your entrance drew some curious glances. You pointedly avoided looking over at the Gryffindor table, but spotted Skye Parkin and four other blue-clad Ravenclaw Quidditch players. Mateo and Fawley hadn’t made it back down from Ravenclaw tower yet. You skimmed over the Hufflepuff table, only pausing to eye Megan Jones among the first years since Draco name dropped her in the common room earlier.

At the Slytherin table, six boys of varying size in emerald green robes meant you were the last of your Quidditch team to arrive at breakfast. Flint looked relieved that you were present after all the drama your afternoon disappearance caused yesterday.

Your focus went to the three fifth year girls midway down the table. Rowle and Yaxley were once again sitting with their back to the room, which meant you were met by a raised eyebrow over a pair of sapphire eyes. You still needed to confront Evanora, but made a point not to stare for too long to avoid giving away what you knew.

The first years were gathered at the end of the Slytheirn table. Pansy’s short, dark hair fully revealed the silver ‘SLYTHERIN’ going across the top of her back while Millicent’s thick, brown hair mostly hid the name ‘GAUNT’ going across hers.

“Morning, everyone,” you greeted the first years. They saved you spots. The two places beside Millicent were left empty for Daphne and Tracey to join the rest of the green-clad girl gang. Meanwhile, across the table, Draco left a space for you between him and Goyle.

But Bold-Daphne had a different vision, she refused to relinquish her hold on your arm and instead guided you to the empty spot beside Millicent and claimed the spot at the very end of the bench for herself. Malfoy and Davis locked eyes when they realised the space left for you was going to go to her, but Daphne solved that problem too.

”Budge over, you two,” she ordered the two large boys across from you.

Crabbe and Goyle stared at her in surprise, not used to taking orders from Greengrass. Daphne was previously someone on their level who went with the flow, supported the more vocal members of the house, and took orders - mostly from Pansy. You were both proud and amused to see the bold Princess Greengrass immediately use her association with you to bolster her social standing.

Millicent seemed to like this new seating arrangement and reached across the table to grab the empty plate and goblet meant for you and handed them off to you, this allowed Gregory and Vincent to pick up their half-filled plates and goblets and slide down the bench closer to Draco. You were quick to place the empty plates down in Crabbe’s vacated spot.

“Thank you,” Tracey addressed Vincent in a much softer tone than Daphne’s as she sat on the end of the bench beside him.

You looked over at Draco and offered him an explanation so he would see your not taking the seat he saved for you as a way to appease Daphne as opposed to a slight against him. “Daphne wanted to sit together. It made more sense for us to take the two empty seats rather than squeeze into that one space beside you.”

Draco nodded and seemed to accept your explanation. You learned earlier how he could hold a grudge against a person who (unknowingly or deliberately) publicly slighted him. “Looks like you worked things out. How’d you manage to talk your way through this one?”

“He was honest,” Daphne answered on your behalf. You reached for a tea cup that was on a tray near Draco, which Daphne promptly plucked out of your hand - it seemed she wanted tea too - so you grabbed a second one for yourself, then poured both of you a cup of green tea. “And it helps that Marvolo is an outstanding kisser.” You were curious to see how the rest of the Slytherin first years reacted to Confident-Daphne and smirked at the various looks of surprise as you stirred a spoonful of sugar into your tea, then offered the sugar bowl to Daphne so she could sweeten hers however she liked. “Have you ever kissed a Parselmouth?”

“Obviously not,” Draco retorted.

“Well, I have,” Daphne replied, “When he hisses during a kiss, his tongue vibrates and that sends a warm, tingly feeling through you. That’s enough to put a girl in a good mood.”

There was a ‘TINK’ noise, and you turned your attention to Draco’s other side to see Theodore Nott tapping his fork on his plate, that was usually a sign that the quiet boy was interested in an ongoing topic and wanted the speaker to say more. Linguistics was a strange interest for a boy who barely spoke, but then again, the ability to speak Parseltongue was rare and wasn’t a subject that was often written about.

“Erm… I’m a fluent Parselmouth,” you informed him, “which means I can turn it on and off just as easily as a fluent bilingual French speaker can switch to French from English. And you know there are certain kinds of magic that are enhanced when you’re feeling a strong emotion. When you kiss, you’re supposed to share your feelings with the other person… I use my magically vibrating tongue as a wand to quite literally pass my feelings onto the person I’m kissing. When I think positive thoughts, it’s like a minor Cheering Charm, but I can also soothe my snogging partner by thinking calming thoughts… and that’s more like a diluted Calming Draught.”

“What’d you give her?” Millicent asked with a glance passed you at Daphne.

“Both,” she responded with a content, confident grin.

You looked back at Nott, “I’ve only just started using this ability, so it’s still experimental. Daphne has offered herself as a willing test subject.”

“Guess we’ll have to take her word for it,” Blaise mused from Pansy’s other side. “And he’s got those bruise potions to clear up any blemishes either of you leave on the other.”

“You’re one to talk,” Parkinson snarked, regarding how Zabini proudly sported the dark marks Yaxley gave him in the broom closet yesterday. Over a day later, and they were gone.

“Wait…” Goyle spoke up and eyed you and Daphne as you sipped your tea, “Are you two… an item now?”

If Goyle - of all people - put it together, then the three-quarters of the school behind you were likely jumping to a similar conclusion.

“Officially, we’re still waiting until Valentine’s Day,” Daphne answered, “Nine days and counting!”

The official reason for waiting until Valentine’s day was to save yourself from some extra relationship drama going into your all-important Quidditch debut. But you found yourself swept up in it anyway.

“That still puts you on track to be the first couple in our year,” Pansy informed you. It sounded like you had her seal of approval. Although, her glance across the table told you she was hoping someone would get a move on. You already did your part and dropped plenty of hints, but it seemed Draco simply wasn’t eager to leap into a relationship with Pansy Parkinson. Or perhaps they were still in that awkward adolescent phase where boys and girls danced around each other and weren’t keen to express their feelings out of fear of being rejected or ridiculed?

It turned out stalking, an interrogation, a kissing compulsion, ParselSnogging, and a batch of natural and magical confidence on top was the secret recipe for bypassing all the usual adolescent awkwardness.

Lysandra stole half your breakfast sandwich yesterday, Gemma brought sandwiches to your lunchtime flying session, but you ran off to brew your mole potion without eating yours, and then you rushed through dinner to ensure you made it to Quidditch practice on time, so you were feeling particularly peckish that morning. You made sure to take a full egg, sausage, and cheese breakfast sandwich this time and passed Daphne a serving tray so she could take what she wanted.

Surprisingly, Crabbe was the one to supply the next conversation topic when he spotted the box Tracey set on the bench between them. “Wazzat?”

“That’s Marvolo’s incentive box,” Tracey explained, “It was Daphne’s idea. Each of us girls contributed one thing that Marvolo wants. Anytime Ravenclaw scores in today’s match, we’ll reach in and take one out at random. If he plays poorly and Ravenclaw scores more than four times… then all he’ll get is an empty box.”

Before anyone could ask what the girls contributed, you steered the topic away from yourself. “What would be in your incentive box?” you asked the broader boy across from you, “Drumsticks? Biscuits? Sweets?”

“Scooby Snacks?” Tracey suggested with an amused grin.

That was all it took. Not just Crabbe and Goyle, but your entire section of the table were soon debating what they’d put in their incentive box.

“You’ll want to keep those Chocolate Frogs in their boxes,” you warned Goyle, “That’ll prevent them from escaping or leaving chocolate smudges inside your incentive box… AND you’d get the cards that come with them too.” You were struck by a sudden idea. “Maybe I could get you an incentive box full of Chocolate Frogs ahead of the next big Potions exam? Remove one for every wrong answer. The problem with that is we don’t get our marked exams and assignments back from Professor Snape until a week later.”

“I’d want mine to be filled with diamond jewelry,” Pansy proposed.

“I spent way more than I should have on that Nimbus Two Thousand,” you remarked, “I think a box full of diamonds would be out of my price range.” You grinned across the table, “But Draco could probably afford it.”

His ears went pink, “I would have to justify spending that kind of money to mother and father.”

“Then you can all get me one piece and pool them all together,” Parkinson suggested as if she was the one being generous in requesting that everyone give her expensive diamond jewelry.

“I already have the diamond I want,” Daphne declared, evoking a small smile from you, “Instead, I’d fill my incentive box with I-O-U notes promising a ParselSnog from a certain Parselmouth.”

“That could be arranged… princess,” you replied.

“Same.” Millicent’s echoing answer surprised you much more than Daphne’s. “Those I-O-U notes would be more valuable to a witch who doesn’t get to snog him whenever she wants.”

You looked over to gauge Daphne’s reaction, she had been okay with you snogging Tracey, Millicent, and Pansy two days ago, but that was in a group setting. She was staring around you and silently eying the larger girl, then her eyes flicked across the table to Tracey. You left her to make up her own mind on how to deal with your best friend wanting to snog you, and turned to the girl in question.

“Oh, Millie, would you mind if I did a quick follow-up check on that mole I removed with my new potion? Professor Snape said my recipe looked okay when he looked it over, but I want to be sure that there are no unexpected side-effects from combining three different potions together. That’s what the testing phase is all about.”

“Erm… can it wait ‘til I’m done eating?” she requested.

“Of course,” you agreed. That would give you time to finish your breakfast sandwich too.

Perhaps that was Millicent’s plan? Because you saw her smile out of the corner of your eye as you turned your attention back to eating your breakfast.

Once you finished your sandwich and a second cup of green tea, you wiped your hands, then turned sideways to face Millicent, and straddled the bench. You fully unveiled the ‘GAUNT’ going across her back as you brushed her long hair over her far shoulder, then studied the spot on her neck where there’d been a mole this time yesterday.

There was no sign of it. There was no longer a new sheen. One night removed from administering your potion, and the repaired patch of skin now blended in with the flesh around it.

“Do you want to borrow my glasses?” Tracey offered.

You blinked, “Yeah… that could help me spot any magical residue on the new patch of skin.”

“You loaned Daphne your Omnioculars,” she mused as you turned to face her, “I could lend you my glasses.” She took off her dark square-ish enchanted glasses and extended them toward you… but then hesitated. The blonde girl’s unveiled brown eyes twinkled, “What’s the magic word?”

You could only think of one word that was appropriate for borrowing Velma’s glasses to look for clues. “Jinkies.”

“Groovy!” she chirped, and handed them over.

Tracey didn’t need her magic spectacles to see, so there was barely any difference in your vision with the enchanted lenses in front of your eyes. Your first move was to look up at the Great Hall’s enchanted ceiling. It was mostly clear sky with a few clouds floating across a backdrop of pale blue, good weather for flying, but more important was the white glow that surrounded the expansive magical ceiling like an aura outline.

And then you noticed the floating candles below the enchanted ceiling, “Oh! The candles have two enchantments on them! One’s white, probably the Levitating Charm that keeps them floating in place… and the other’s yellow, I reckon that’s what keeps the candles lit and prevents them from dripping wax all over everyone.”

Now that you knew what it looked like when something was enchanted, you turned your attention back to Millicent and studied the familiar spot on her neck.

“Nope,” you announced, “You’re fully cured. No mole, no glow, no magical residue at all.”

“Thanks,” Millicent said with a small smile and a faint flush on her cheeks.

You realised this would be the perfect cover to confront Evanora on her mole status. You looked back over at Tracey, “Do you mind if I hang onto these for another few minutes? I have a second test subject I want to check in with to confirm Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover is two-for-two against moles.”

She nodded, quickly catching on to your excuse to question Rowle, “Don’t damage them.”

“I’ll do my best,” you assured her, then turned and whispered in Daphne’s ear, “If I don’t come back… or if I’ve mysteriously forgotten what you know I know… tell Gemma. Then my hopeful optimism will be gone, and I’ll leave her to handle the mole problem.” Daphne nodded and you covered for your secret instructions by planting a quick kiss on Greengrass’ cheek.

You left the first years and proceeded down the aisle toward the three fifth year girls. Along the way, one of the Hufflepuffs stuck out his leg and tried to trip you while you were looking up at the enchanted ceiling again. It would’ve been less obvious if he hadn’t turned to face you as you approached. You stomped on his foot, earning an uncomfortable grunt, and continued on like nothing happened.

“Good morning, ladies,” you greeted the fifth years as you leaned in between Yaxley and Rowle like you had last night at dinner. “It’s been roughly twelve hours. I’d like to carry out a quick Potions exam while I still have access to these enchanting spectacles.”

“Forget that,” Gemma retorted, sapphire eyes shining brightly. “You look like you’ve spent the morning snogging in a broom closet.”

Your eyes flicked down to your somewhat ruffled Irish robes. So much for smarts yourself up before your meeting with Lucius Malfoy. “You’re a prefect. I admit to nothing.”

“You’re being awfully cheeky for a boy within biting range,” Sandra warned you.

“I could still be more cheeky,” you hooked your arm around her far shoulder and pressed your cheek against hers. Yaxley tensed at being publicly nuzzled.

“Nora, I doubt Marvolo knows the necessary grooming charms,” Farley stated, “Educate the poor boy and get him sorted so he stops embarrassing himself. I’d ask Sandra… but he’ll likely be missing some pieces if I left it up to her.” Perfect. That was a quick and handy excuse to get you and Evanora alone. And none of them seemed to sense anything was amiss.

“I hardly think Shaggy Sandra knows all that many either,” you remarked as you clapped her on the shoulder and retreated away.

“Watch it!” Lysandra growled, “Nora, would you be a dear and give Gaunt a good nibble for me?”

“I will be doing no nibbling,” Evanora calmly stated as she rose from her seat. “Come, Gaunt, let’s get you out of here before Sandra makes you more ruffled.”

You followed Rowle back down the aisle. The familiar Hufflepuff tripper decided it wasn’t worth trying again after his previous failure, especially now that you were accompanied by a fifth year.

Mateo and Fawley were coming down the Grand Staircase when you and Rowle exited the Great Hall. The fifth year Slytherin showed no outward signs that she was informing for the sixth year Ravenclaws, but depending on how long she’d been doing it, she was likely used to putting on an air and acting nonchalant around them.

“Less than two hours ‘til our date on the pitch,” you informed your opponents, “Better hurry and eat something if you want to digest it properly. We wouldn’t want either of you to get a stomach cramp five minutes into the match.”

“You know nothing about cramps, kid,” Mateo fired back.

You shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

Nora didn’t say anything as she led you down the hallway toward the broom closet you’d just been in with Daphne and Tracey… but grabbed your arm and doubled back once Fawley and Mateo entered the Great hall.

“Fawley knows the Hogwarts broom closets better than anyone,” Evanora explained, “We’ll be better off using the one in the dungeons. Even they’re not brazen enough to loiter alone near the Slytherin common room mere hours before an important Quidditch match.”

“As a finder of rare and legendary broom closets… I will defer to your expertise,” you agreed, then followed her down the stairs and soon found yourself in the same closet from last night. “Back at the scene of the crime.”

“Seemed like a fitting place to do a follow-up.” Tell that to your trousers. She still didn’t appear to suspect anything after your brief interaction with the two Ravenclaws and smiled back at you, “Are you really worried? Or do you just want another look at my bum?”

“Alas, my motives are almost entirely self-serving,” you bantered, “I plan to call my little remedy Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover… and with my name and reputation attached to it, I want to ensure the moles its used on are fully removed with no unexpected side effects from combining three different potions together.” You paused for a beat, then grinned, “Butt… your beautiful bum is a spectacular side benefit.”

“Well, aren’t you a sweetheart,” Rowle replied, “No wonder Greengrass can’t keep her hands off you.”

For a brief moment, you had clung to the faint false hope that you, Daphne, and Tracey were in the wrong in suspecting Evanora as the mole, what with her non-reaction to Fawley and how cheery she was toward you - the vanquisher her of her troublesome mole.

But then Fawley’s words from less than an hour ago echoed through your mind.

“I heard that deep down he’s secretly a sweetheart.”

‘Sweetheart’ was a fairly common word… but it was the exact one Fawley used earlier. Was Evanora the little birdie Fawley heard that from? You struggled to maintain your smile as a rock formed in the pit of your stomach. That was enough grounds to move forward on your suspicions. Now you really had to go through with this and get to the bottom of things.

Speaking of bottoms, Evanora dropped her long skirt and revealed hers. You stared at a pair of curvy legs with pronounced thighs and hips… then she pulled up the back of her blouse to reveal two full, round cheeks, and the dark fabric of her thong lodged between them.

You drew your wand and dropped to one knee as you gave it a flick, “Lumos!” You shined the light on Evanora’s bum and made two observations. One: her thong was purple and two: there was no blemish on her cheek.

No mole.

No glowing patch of skin where it used to be.

No curse mark that could motivate a nervous girl to turn traitor and spy on her house.

“That’s a thorough investigation you’re giving me,” Evanora noted, your eyes flicked up and you saw her looking back over her shoulder at you. “Are you sure you didn’t want another look at my bum before you’re off the market?”

“My natural inclination is to lie and flatter you so you keep it out for longer,” you admitted as you stood up and tucked Tracey’s glasses into your collar. “But since you were the inspiration for my mole remedy… I suppose I can share the real motivations behind my inspection. Lucius Malfoy heard about my potion from Professor Snape and will be attending today’s Quidditch match. I believe he wants to get in early and secure distribution rights for Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover. With the extra scrutiny on my creation, it has to work as advertised.”

You let the other boot drop, “Don’t bother telling Fawley. She already knows.”

“What?” Her rear cheeks clenched before she whipped around to face you, her gaze intense.

“Artemis Fawley… you’re her ‘little birdie’ in the Slytherin common room, aren’t you?”

“Loads of people pass on information to Artemis,” Evanora stated, she was tense enough that she didn’t bend down to pick up her skirt. “She’s the Gossip Queen of Hogwarts.”

“And here I thought she was only the President of the Broom Closet Club,” you replied, “But it’s what she knows that unnerves me. She made a comment that implied she knew I collected knickers. There are only eight witches in Hogwarts who know about that. And I suspect I’m looking at the one who told her.”

Evanora’s lips became a thin line. She didn’t deny it.

“You can imagine my disappointment in learning that… after seeing how distraught you were about that mole… and helping you out of the goodness of my heart… you turned around and stabbed me in the back!”

She flinched, “That was before! After you cured me, I told her I was done informing on you! That you’re a sweetheart and she should leave you alone!”

And there was your confession. You found the Slytherin mole.

“But that doesn’t excuse the other information you’ve shared,” you stated, “Horrible things happen to spies who get caught. I’m sure your imagination is much more vivid than mine at what sort of punishments our housemates will mette out when they learn you’re a traitor. Slytherins aren’t known for being empathetic and merciful. Does Gemma know you’re sharing her secrets with one of her enemies?”

A flash of panic crossed Evanora’s eyes and she went for her wand. Your Keeper reflexes kicked in, you lunged and grabbed her wrist, pinning it down. In a duel, you wouldn’t stand a chance against a fifth year, which is why you kept her from drawing her wand. Instead of a fifth year versus a first year; it was a panicked, ****, bookish, eighteen-year-old girl with not even a full two inches height advantage against a calm, prepared, and athletic, fourteen-year-old boy. Your wand was still out and emitting light since you hadn’t used the counter charm yet, but you kept it down at your side in your free hand.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” you warned her, “I’ve already shared my suspicions with some of my yearmates. If something happens to me after I went off alone with you… they have been instructed to release the information that got me incapacitated.”

Her panic intensified and she briefly struggled for her wand, but you were stronger than her. “You can’t! Do you have any idea what Gemma would do to me!? You’re not blind anymore! You’ve seen what she’s like! Artemis Fawley is one of the only people in the school who can keep her in check!”

Disappointing. You were holding out hope that she’d been blackmailed into betraying her house. But it seemed she turned traitor out of fear.

“I’m not your enemy,” you reminded her, “And I’m no snitch. I don’t spill people’s secrets… if anything, I’m the secret KEEPER. And despite my growing disappointment in you… I’m still faintly fond of you, so I’m going to help you out of this very precarious position you’ve gotten yourself into. Part two of Gaunt’s Magical Mole Remover… is for you to STOP. BEING. A MOLE.”

Rowle flinched again at being outright called a mole. She was shaken, but your gaze was hard and unwavering. Getting caught was very likely a spy’s greatest fear and you were capitalising on that.

“It stops. Now. Whatever your arrangement is with Fawley… it’s over. If you need an excuse to break it off… tell her the truth: you got caught and you can’t share anything else without the risk of being exposed.”

You lowered your voice to sound as grave and intimidating as you could to the exposed mole, “This is the only chance I’m giving you. If I catch wind that you’re still spying… I will inform the offended parties… and then I’ll step back and let whatever happens to you run its course, because you’ll have brought it upon yourself.” You leaned closer and stared her directly in the eyes, “Do you understand me?”

“Y-yes,” the mole squeaked.

You released her wrist and stepped back. She didn’t immediately draw her wand… that was a good sign. You continued to hold your glowing wand down at your side, then held out your empty hand with the palm up.

“What?” she asked.

“…” You stared silently, expectantly. Her expression was nervous and wavering, but yours remained hard and focused. You slowly allowed more and more of your disappointment to trickle in with every silent second.

She caved. Without being outright asked, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of her knickers and tugged them down, did a quick shimmy as she stepped out of them, ducked down to pluck her thong off the floor, then stood up, and placed the skimpy purple fabric in your hand.

“Good girl,” you praised her. You didn’t look down at her exposed parts and instead stepped closer so you were once again face-to-face. She flinched as you kissed her on the cheek, still staring nervously and looking like a trapped rat. “Maybe I’m being naive… but you’ve helped me in the past. I want to believe that you’ve been caught in a sticky situation and that I’m doing the right thing by freeing you from your entanglement before you get hurt.” You held up her purple thong, “No sticking charm. No warming charm. No shadow shroud. When you’re up in the stands watching the match today, I want the feeling of the cold Scottish air on your bare bits to serve as a reminder of how close you are to being exposed and what a favor I’m doing by keeping your secret. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she whispered.

Sir? That was unexpected.

Suddenly, the closet door was yanked open.

The exposed mole panicked and let out an embarrassed squeal while you whirled around to face the intruder. The fifth year grabbed you from behind and used you to shield her bottomlessness.

“What’s going on here?” Gemma demanded.

“Nothing ‘Ping’-worthy, Prefect Farley,” you replied.

“Your wand’s still on,” Farley stated, “I can see her skirt on the floor.”

“Nox!” you turned out your light. “Just a routine mole inspection. There’s no mole here. Right, Nora?”

“Nuh… no mole!” she stammered. You expected a spy to have better composure, but her confrontation with you was the reason she was caught off balance.

“I suppose I can tell you the good news,” you mused, “Since you brazenly sharing your friend’s dirty secret is the reason for my discovery and turn of good fortune. Professor Snape woke me up early this morning to inform me that Lucius Malfoy had accepted the invitation I extended to attend today’s match. I believe he’s coming for business purposes and is looking to acquire my mole potion for his apothecary. Naturally, I wanted to ensure my potion would meet Mr. Malfoy’s high standards.”

Sapphire eyes narrowed suspiciously as she noted the nervous girl hiding behind you, “There’s something else you’re not telling me.”

You just stopped her friend from selling her secrets to her Ravenclaw rival. You did plenty for Gemma and didn’t owe her anything. You pulled away from Evanora and stowed your wand as you approached the prefect by the door, “There’s quite a lot I’m not telling you. Given how cavaliere you were about sharing your friends’ secrets, I don’t think I can trust you with confidential information anymore. No one likes a rat, Gemma.”

She frowned. This time two days ago, you would’ve been singing her praises… but a lot had changed since then.

“Excuse me,” you stated, “I have a business meeting to get ready for.”

She stayed silent as you slipped past her out of the closet. Hopefully, you bought Evanora enough time to pull her skirt back on. You felt a little guilty leaving her alone with Gemma, but the mole had been lying to her friend’s face for long enough that she must have some trick to survive Gemma’s scrutiny.

But suddenly, Lysandra surged out from behind the open closet door and slammed you against the wall on the far side of the corridor.

“SHAGGY SANDRA!?” she barked at you. “I’ll show you, Shaggy, you cheeky bastard!” She drew her wand, and it glowed with a white light as she swept it sideways across your forehead, “Crinus Muto!” You felt your hair move, and nervously reached to feel your head to see what she’d done to your hair. After her threat, you half-expected it to be standing up and sticking out in all directions… but instead your hair was lying flat on your head as if it had been neatly combed.

She fixed your hair?

Lysandra swept her wand down your chest and cast another spell. You gasped in surprise as your ruffled Irish Quidditch robes straightened themselves as if they’d been neatly pressed. But she wasn’t done. For her final trick, Yaxley jammed her wand in your mouth and cast the Breath-Freshening Charm and the familiar taste of sharp peppermint washed over your tongue.

“Who doesn’t know Grooming Charms now, you snobby pillock?” She challenged you,

“Erm… not you?” you suggested.

“Right you are!” she replied, “And as the one who fixed you, it’s my right to mess you up again! I think I’ll give you that nibble now!”

You pulled the same maneuver from back in the Owlery two days ago, and intercepted her mouth with yours, then hissed in Parseltongue as you slipped your tongue into her surprised mouth. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§ Yaxley was Farley’s attack dog, but - to her credit - she was a loyal dog. Loyalty was a dog’s most defining and endearing quality, which you made sure to express your appreciation for as you kissed the tall girl. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

She stumbled backwards as her legs went weak, you grabbed hold of her and swapped places so she was the one braced against the wall.

Despite that loyalty, Lysandra Yaxley wasn’t exactly someone you’d trust with secret information. She boasted about snogging you and Blaise Zabini yesterday. Not that you told her to keep it a secret or anything. There were witnesses outside the broom closet. All the first year Slytherin girls knew about the snog you owed Yaxley before it happened and Blaise proudly sporting those dark blemishes showed that your back-to-back induction into the Hogwarts Broom Closet Club was never meant to be a secret. But that’s who Lysandra Yaxley was. She was brash and in your face. Lessons of pureblood decorum were conveniently forgotten in favor of maintaining her scary reputation. And honestly, at the present moment, you preferred Lysandra’s brazenness over the insidious schemer and treacherous assassin, so you made sure to share that appreciation too. §KiiiiSSSSssssSSSS§

“Mmmmmmmm!” the fifth year girl moaned and bucked as you kept her pinned against the dungeon wall.

Lastly, Yaxley seemed to have a desire to prove herself to you. Two days ago, you got a gander of her shaggy, unshaven muff. The next morning, she made a point to show you in the broom closet that she’d given her unruly pubes a trim. Back in the Great Hall, you claimed the unruly fifth year didn’t know grooming charms, and so - at the very first available opportunity - she ambushed you and fixed your ruffled appearance to prove that she did know them. Much like a dog, Lysandra sought praise and approval… which you made sure to shower her with using another long hiss of Parseltongue. §KiiiiSSSSSSSSssssSSSSSSSS§

Her arms wrapped around your shoulders and one of her legs hooked around yours as she drew you in and drank up your appreciation like it was delicious pumpkin juice. “Mmmmuuhhhh!”

But now that she was worked up… it was time to calm her down - before she started humping your leg. You changed your tune and made the strokes of your tongue more gentle. §Calm. No biting.§ Her tight hold loosened, and her hooked leg went slack. §Calm. No biting.§

You pulled away and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor with her long legs out. She stared up at you with a calm, serene smile.

“Good girl,” you praised her and patted her on the head, causing her smile to grow, “Thanks for cleaning me up. Since you don’t like being called Shaggy… you can be Scooby instead.” Your and Tracey’s repeated Scooby Doo references were likely lingering in the back of your mind when you called Sandra ‘Shaggy’. “And you can consider that snog… a Scooby Snack - a treat for a good girl.” You smiled, “Who’s a good girl?”

“Me?”

“That’s right. Good girls get treats.” You glanced over at the other two fight years looking on from the closet. “Bad girls don’t.” Back to Sandra, “Are you going to keep being a good girl?”

“If you make it worth my while.”

“And are you going to keep trying to bite me?”

She hesitated on that one, “Erm… no?”

“That’s a good girl,” you scratched the side of her head above her ear as you praised her, then leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Keep being a good girl.”

You stepped back, eyed the other two fifth years, and waved, “Later, ladies!”

None of them called after you as you left the dungeons and climbed the stairs. You idly wondered if this meant you were finally over your fear of dogs… or at least being torn apart by them? You weren’t planning another visit with Fluffy to test this, but outside of that one massive three-headed canine, you seemed to be doing okay.

Four first years in green jumpers were waiting for you at the top of the stairs. They must’ve followed along after Farley and Yaxley left the Great Hall and, much like two days ago, observed from a safe distance while you were cornered by three fifth years. You hadn’t needed their aid, but it was nice to know your Slytherin yearmates were once again looking out for you.

Naturally, the four younger girls hadn’t moved to get involved. As far as you knew, none of them were wearing knickers and things could have ended badly if one of the fifth years was put in a position where she felt threatened. That made it all the more significant that you escaped from the attack dog, the schemer, and the spy unscathed.

You played it cool and casually plucked Tracey’s glasses out of your collar and handed them back to her, “Thanks for the loan.”

Pansy was clearly expecting some kind of drama and decided to start her own, “Daphne! Your boy just snogged another girl! Get him!”

Daphne didn’t seem angry at you, and appeared to still be riding on her wave of confidence that told her who you were really loyal to. Left unsaid was who you didn’t snog downstairs.

You stepped up to her and carefully placed Evanora’s purple thong in her hand, “It’s been handled. Mystery solved.”

Any irritation Daphne might have held toward you for snogging Yaxley gave way to her burning curiosity over how your confrontation with Rowle had gone. “We were half right. Right culprit. Wrong motive. No curse. Only fear.”

The bridge of Daphne’s nose scrunched up cutely as she frowned in annoyance. Not at you, but at the unsatisfying conclusion to your mole mystery. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

You nodded in agreement, “Sadly, real life is rarely like a mystery novel. Real people aren’t going to have overly complex motivations like storybook villains. Sometimes it really does come down to the simple solution.”

“What does that even mean?” Pansy demanded. She and Millicent came into the end of the mole mystery blind and the Queen Bee was used to being at the center of the gossip.

“If he’s being cryptic, then it’s because it’s something between them.” Millicent stated, showing why she was trustworthy and Pansy wasn’t. She knew not to pry into other people’s business. “A mystery they were working on together. If those two are becoming a thing, then you can expect to overhear the tail end of a lot of them. If you don’t press them about it, maybe they’ll tell you the full story at a better time.”

Pansy huffed and seemed annoyed at being on the outside of the mystery and failing to stir up any drama.

“Oh, and back to Yaxley,” you risked remarking, “She was nice enough to fix my ruffled appearance ahead of my upcoming meeting. I decided I was better off calming her down with a ‘thank you’ snog rather than getting mauled for calling her ‘Shaggy’.” Tracey giggled. “She even freshened my breath. You like mint, right?”

“Yeah…” You gave her a taste of peppermint. “OH!” Daphne blinked in surprise and licked her lips, then turned and hooked her arm around yours. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”

You made your way back to the Great Hall and the other three girls fell into step around you.

“What is a Scooby Snack, anyway?” Pansy wondered.

“They’re biscuits for dogs,” Tracey answered.

“HA!” Pansy laughed, “That snog must’ve really done a number on her. You called Yaxley a bitch to her face and she barely even growled!”

Lysandra cackled as Marvolo left the dungeon. “You two are slipping! It feels like I’m Snuggles’ favorite fifth year now.”

“He treated you like a dog,” Gemma bit back, waspishly.

“Yeah? Well, this bitch just got a top snog out of it!” Sandra replied with a shameless shrug and licked her lips, “I still can’t believe a first year can make my toes curl and turn my legs to jelly, but here we are! I snogged another firstie to do a comparison, he was just as clumsy and over-eager as I expected. Like night and day! I dare say he’s getting better at it. That snog took me places!”

Gemma glared, but Lysandra stared back unrepentantly.

“OOooOO! Maybe if I keep being a good girl… in a couple of years, he might be willing to give a dog a bone! Then I’ll let him call me, Shaggy.”

“You shameless slag,” Gennaa snapped, “When did you get the gall?”

Lysandra leered at her, “I know where I stand. Snuggles snogged me and not you. And I know you’re jelling hard, Gigi.”

There was no reasoning with Yaxley in this state. She was still preening from snogging a boy four years younger than her. Gemma needed to wait until her salacious yearmate came down from her high before she could yank on her leash. In the meantime, if one was straying, then the other one needed to be reined in. Compensate for a loss of control in one place by regaining it elsewhere.

“Sandra, guard the door,” Gemma then turned and shoved Evanora back into the closet and pulled the door closed behind her.

Lysandra’s reply of, “I’ll be out here ‘til my legs work again anyway!” Her voice faded when Gemma cast her Muffling Charm, quickly followed by a Locking Charm, then she rounded on her second cousin.

“What? Happened?” Gemma demanded.

“He knows!” Nora blurted out, “he called me a mole!”

Gemma glared, “How’d he find out? I’m starting to have a problem with your loose lips.”

“I didn’t tell him!” Evanora exclaimed on the verge of panic, “Fawley must’ve said something. We passed them when we were leaving the Great Hall. She stayed quiet and he bantered with Mateo. He made a snarky comment about eating late and getting cramps and she clapped back with a period reference, claimed he knew nothing about cramps, and called him a kid. It didn’t seem like any more than when he was having a public go at Parkin yesterday during breakfast. Then again, in hindsight, and knowing that he knew… he could’ve been holding back to see how I interacted with them.”

“He said Snape woke him up early,” Gemma mused, “He must’ve crossed paths with Mateo during her morning run. You know how Artemis watches over her and swoops down at any sign of trouble.”

“I don’t know what she said,” Nora admitted, “She was likely messing with his head. She must’ve said something about him collecting knickers that made him defensive… and he assumed I told her.”

“Which you did,” Gemma stated.

“I never said anything about a collection,” her informant insisted, “I only told her that he cured my cursed mark and it only cost me two thongs.”

“And when he called you out… what did he ask for?” she prompted.

“Only for me to stop. He offered himself as an excuse to break it off with Fawley. And he low key threatened to tell the rest of the house if I kept doing it. He doesn’t know you know.”

Gemma grinned, “What a sweetheart. He found my leak… plugged it… and didn’t ask for anything in return.”

“I think he thought he was protecting me from you.”

“He’s still too soft,” Gemma mused, “He had you over a barrel and barely took advantage. I told him last night that he could’ve coaxed you into stripping completely naked with minimal effort… and he still only took things half way.”

Evanora sucked in a breath and stared at her with wide eyes and pink cheeks.

“Oh, please,” Gemma scoffed, “you would’ve loved it, you leaky faucet. We both know it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been naked in a Hogwarts broom closet.”

“He… he…” Nora stammered as her blush got darker, “He never outright asked me to undress. I was trying to get a rise out of him when I took my skirt off. But he was shockingly professional when he examined my bum. And he didn’t ask for my thong either… he just held his hand out and stared at me. I got this sinking feeling that he was really disappointed with me. When I gave it to him… he didn’t even look. That really hammered in how far I’d fallen that he didn’t want to look at my bits.”

Gemma ignored Evanora’s guilt trip and latched on to the important information. “How did he look during his shockingly professional inspection of your arse? Did he blush?”

“No. He was… focused,” her mole answered, “He almost seemed disappointed when he didn’t find anything.”

Gemma grinned victoriously, “There it is. It’s all coming together.” She pulled a green potion out from her robes. “This mole potion is more effective than anything we tried. Especially if it made the mark vanish without a trace. I bet Greengrass suggested looking for a curse. I should do something nice for the cursed bint as thanks for getting him on track.”

Nora gasped in realisation, “You wouldn’t! He’ll hate you!”

“He wants to hate me now,” Gemma pointed out, “I’ve got plenty of time to win him back. The little miracle worker needs to be properly motivated if he’s going to break Gamp’s curse. Funny how he never asked any follow-up questions about why those potions we tried didn’t work before coming up with his own solution. What’s our record for keeping your mole away?”

“Three days.” She eyed the potion Gemma took from her. “Can I have that back?”

“No,” Gemma refused. If this handy potion was going to market, then she wanted claim over the first sample. “He wasn’t actively trying to break a curse when he made this remedy, so I suspect your mole will pop back up again eventually. Like it always does. Ask him for another vial when it reappears. That’ll draw his attention back to it.” She grinned and stared at the green mole paste made by a prodigy. “If I know that boy… when Gamp’s curse mark reappears on your bum… he’ll see breaking it as a personal challenge. Artemis was as useless as I expected her to be in that regard. And if you told her he broke your curse, then we don’t need her influence on the rumor mill to keep the mole rumors quiet anymore. We can cut our losses without losing anything significant.” She tucked the Marvolo’s innovative mole remedy away. “Instead, we’ll have our in-house Potions prodigy working to undo Gamp’s handiwork.” Gemma stepped closer and gently cupped her second cousin’s face, “Aren’t you glad I told him now?”

“Yes…” Nora whispered and leaned into her touch, “But… what should I do with him?”

Gemma grinned, “Anything he wants. If you’re a good girl… maybe you’ll get a few nice snogs out of it? He’s already gotten the hang of playing with Sandra. I’m curious to see what he does with a submissive slut like you.”

Nora closed her eyes and shivered, then opened them, “What if he involves Greengrass?”

“I have no doubt he will,” Gemma replied, “The little scamp will be driven to prove himself to his cursed girlfriend. Play along, let the little twit think she has control.” She tightened her hold, “But never forget who owns you.”

“Yes, Gemma.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes… Mistress.”

“There’s my good girl.”