First Miss Wormwood inoculates you and Morgan via snakebite.

"This is the last?" you ask.

Morgan sighs as she covers the doses and puts them away. "The last. It really is faster, working together," she says. "You're picking it up. Maybe you can help out Miss Wormwood this term."

Morgan's long dark hair is pulled back up in a knot while she's been working on the inoculations with you, but one tress sticks out, trying its best to fly away. Morgan's face and neck are slightly colored from the effort of work. Even after a few days, the puncture marks from Miss Wormwood's snakes are evident on her neck. Perhaps there are fresh ones today? You're not sure.

"Does she...who does she do that to?" you ask. "Why did she bite you?"

Morgan blushes. "Only her favorites," she says.

"She...they," you begin. "They only tasted me. The snakes."

Morgan leans forward. "Love bites," she whispers.

"Oh," you say.

You look in Morgan's dark eyes, imagining Miss Wormwood's wiry limbs wrapping round Morgan's thin frame, pressing her thin lips to Morgan's, her snakes questing in Morgan's hair and licking her ears.

"Morgan?" Miss Wormwood's voice comes from the doorway. "Golondrina? Good, I see you're done. Timely. Fay is ready to see you." Her dark eyes regard you coolly. The green snakes growing from her head seem calm but attentive, occasionally flickering out a tongue. "You may ungown."

Miss Wormwood watches you and Morgan remove your aprons and gowns. Her snakes watch closely, the tongue-flickering increasing.

"Very good, thank you," Miss Wormwood says. "We are in excellent shape for the first-term inoculations now. You two will be the first. Lean forward over the table, both of you."

Miss Wormwood selects several vials from a tray of doses and sets them ready to the side.

"Morgan, for you, just the booster," she says. She holds up a vial to one of the snakes at her temple. It licks up the fluid from the vial. She stoops behind Morgan's bare buttocks. The snake reaches out, caresses Morgan's skin with its tongue, then swiftly strikes.

"Oh!" Morgan says.

The snake injects the medicinal dose into the curve of Morgan's buttock. A second snake darts forward, striking between her cheeks and wiggling before it withdraws.

"Oh, oh!" Morgan calls out. You see a pulse beat in Morgan's temple. Her breath gets faster and deeper, then ragged. "Ah, ah, ah, AH!" Her face flushes pink down to the shoulders. Her body tightens. Her face grimaces and her head strains up, then drops down. Her hips pump at the air. "Uh, uh, uh, uhhhhh!" she groans with climax.

Morgan sighs and slumps forward, letting her weight rest forward on the table. A little hiss of wind speaks to her complete relaxation.

"Miss Wormwood?" you ask in alarm.

"Hush, Golondrina, nothing's wrong," she says. "Your turn now. Your first time, you'll get the first three." Her even voice soothes you. She gives three of her snakes to drink from the vials you and Morgan prepared. "Relax, child."

You feel Miss Wormwood's snakes caressing the skin of your buttocks.

"Now," she says.

Pinpricks. Pinpricks. Pinpricks. A little pain. Some warmth. No striking, thrusting, or wiggling.

"There, not bad at all," Miss Wormwood says. Her eyes look a little abstracted. "You taste...unusual," she says.

Did she know? Did she suspect your secret?

Miss Wormwood's eyes focus on you. "You may dress."

Your uniform seems a little high at the skirt, or perhaps short in the bodice; perhaps House Leontes wasn't expecting a girl as tall as you. The Tutor told you they could alter it or find one that fits. But it works well enough.

Morgan looks dazed, but composes herself as she dresses. She pulls the knot from her hair, and it loosens into her usual long black flyaway look.

Miss Wormwood ushers you into Fay's room. There's a jingle at the Infirmary door, and she leaves you to greet Fay together.