Harry snorted, as did McGonagall.
"Well, I suppose I could show you what that dragon showed me." He replied.
McGonagall raised a curious brow, Hermione snorted.
"Oh? Not planning to stick your head under a dragoness's tail, are you?" Hermione asked, remembering what he'd told her during class.
Harry snorted "Only time I'll put my head under a dragon's tail is if you're the dragon."
"Why on earth would you do that?" McGonagall asked.
"Apparently, Harry noticed something about the Horntail that isn't known outside of dragon handler circles, since Hagrid never mentioned it. Apparently, female dragons, at least the Horntail, and possibly other exotic species have certain…mammalian traits that other reptiles, even the now extinct mammal-like reptiles, don't have."
"Mammalian traits?" McGonagall asked.
"She looked more like a horse under the base of her tail, than a lizard." Harry clarified.
"Oh." McGonagall blinked, her cheeks pinking slightly.
"Yeah, didn't look very long, once I realized what I was staring at. I'm certain she did it on purpose."
"How? She had her back to you for all of 10 seconds."
"Actually, it was probably closer to a minute." Harry said.
"I see." Minerva said.
Hermione looked at the calming potion vials, thinking, she then sat up, her eyes wide, her face paling. "Oh god! My parents!"
Harry sat up, a chill running down his spine. "They don't get a copy of the Prophet do they?" he asked with dread. She shook her head.
"No, they don't sell subscriptions to muggles. I just remembered, I haven't sent them a letter yet telling them what's been going on. I'm not even sure how I can tell them about this! But I'm going to have to!"
Then she looked at him, her eyes widened more, as a look of fear entered them, and in the back of his mind, he felt that warm presence turn cold. It was still there, but now, all he could sense from it was a feeling of uncertainty and fear.
"Harry…what are we going to do when the School Year ends? When we go home! What are you going to do?! You CAN'T go back to that house! You'll be dead within a couple of days!" she said, as she hugged him tight, and he felt something wet and warm on his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her and breathed in her scent of old parchment and leather, and a slight hint of the shampoo she liked to use.
'Fuck, she's right.' He thought, and he doubted there would be any way he'd be able to make it to her house, and he was certain Dumbledore would some how find a way to stop him from leaving.
Minerva silently swore as well, as she realized Hermione was right. If Harry went back to that house, at least without some sort of contingency plan in place, he would not survive the first week, and she doubted Miss Granger would be any better off, even if she could somehow convince her parents of her situation. She narrowed her eyes. She needed to talk to Albus, and if that didn't work…
"Do not worry you two, I will think of something, even if you have to go back to that house Mister Potter, Harry, I will ensure you have help."
"He can't go back there Professor! Not with that horse, the pig and Jabba the Hutt living there." Hermione protested. Harry snorted, remembering the last time Hermione had called his uncle an Elephant Seal, he really should try using that.
"You mentioned him before, who is he?" Minerva asked, an eyebrow raised. Hermione snorted, smirking.
"A giant talking slug with a liking for women in metal bikinis."
"WHAT?!" McGonagall and Harry yelped, horrified. McGonagall silently decided she didn't want to know who or what that creature was, or where it was, or how Hermione could know of such a monster.
"Something from a piece of Muggle fiction." Hermione said, almost laughing at the look of disgust and horror on her House Head's face.
"Oh…I…I see." McGonagall said, very much relieved. "Well, I think I'll leave you two in peace. I'll see you at lunch." And with that, she turned and headed out.
Hermione smiled and hugged Harry again, wincing a little as she noticed the slight pain in her chest. Her breasts had gotten a little sore, they had been since she woke up that morning, though she decided to put it out of her mind, as she focused on that warm presence she felt in the back of her mind that she somehow knew was Harry's empathic link with her, growing stronger day by day, she wondered if he'd noticed it yet.
"We should probably try to focus on—mmmhhfff!" her words were cut off as Harry pulled her in for a kiss, determined to distract her.
-=-=-
"I'm sorry Molly my dear, but someone is coming, I'm afraid I must cut this short."
Dumbledore's voice reached Minerva's ears just as she entered his office, and she saw him get to his feet in front of the fireplace, before he turned to her and smiled.
"Ah, Professor McGonagall, please, come in! Lemon drop?"
"No, thank you Albus." Minerva said as she came to a stop at his desk.
"I was just talking to Mrs Weasley, she called, asking about that unfortunate business with the Prophet this morning."
Minerva scowled, barely keeping in the growl at the mention of that rag that wasn't even fit for hamster bedding.
"That's why I'm here. Albus, I thought you banned her from the school grounds? How was she able to do this? I highly doubt the validity of her 'Witnesses', and I can only think of two students who would willingly sell that wretch any information, but you won't let me do anything about either one! Aurora told me what happened on Wednesday. Mark my words Albus, if you don't do something about Draco, others will. And if he crosses the line one more time, I WILL call in Amelia!"
Dumbledore opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a hand to cut him off.
"No! Don't say 'If he's arrested, it will start him down a dark path.' I think he's already running down that path! Considering what he's already done. I warned you before, that if he ever casts that curse again, and my gut tells me he still might, I will also call in the DMLE."
Dumbledore gave her a hard look, he didn't like the idea of Draco being kicked out, if only for the reason it would give Malfoy Senior more reason to want to come after him. And give Riddle another supporter.
"As for the other reason I'm here. Mister Potter and Miss Granger's living arrangements for the summer."
"Unfortunately, the protections placed on his summer residence will fail if he does not return and spend at least a week there, after which, I'm sure I can arrange something. I know you spoke with Arabella, so I'm assuming she knows the situation, and I believe it may be possible to arrange a visitation with Miss Granger and Harry, with her as a chaperon, so they may erm…'see to matters' shall we say? Failing that, Molly did suggest letting them stay at the Burrow, even after I explained what would have to happen to keep them alive. She was understandably…unhappy about that idea, but she understands it would be necessary." Dumbledore said.
"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. "I told you that night that they were unsuitable, and worse, you KNEW about Harry's living conditions there, due to how his first few acceptance letters were addressed, and you did NOTHING! And only now are you considering a change?!"
Dumbledore sighed, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a cloth. "As I said, he must return there to maintain the wards, at least for a short time in the event an arrangement with Arabella doesn't work out, then he can go to the Burrow. Molly has given me her assurance that she won't try to stop them…doing what they must."
She glared at him, pursing her lips. "She likely knows she doesn't have a choice if she wants them to live. And on the subject of Arabella, I don't think it will work. The Dursleys usually sent him round to her house as a punishment. How do you think they'll react if they found out he'd have to go there every day on medical grounds? They would likely refuse, and probably grow suspicious. She told me that she had to make his stays with her unpleasant in the belief they would stop him seeing her if they thought he enjoyed it. HOW do you think they'll react if they find out he has to see her in order to stay alive?!" Minerva snarled.
"They might even suspect that she's a witch, then what?! No, I do not think that will work."
She paused, taking another breath, before she continued, "I also activated the Mail Redirection Ward to prevent any malicious mail being sent to either of them, at least until the mindless masses find something else to focus on. I spoke to them after escorting them back to their quarters. To say they are both distressed over what was in that article would be an understatement. As such, I've allowed them to take the day off from classes today. I've already cleared it with Filius and Severus. Filius was more than understanding, and said he would deliver any coursework they miss to them personally, if none of their classmates were willing, but I'm sure he'll get volunteers. As for Severus…I wanted to strangle him."
"Come now Minerva, I'm sure that wasn't necessary." He said with a raised eyebrow.
"Which? Having Filius deliver their work or wanting to strangle Severus for threatening to fail them for missing class?"
"Allowing Mister Potter and Miss Granger to miss vital lessons."
McGonagall stared at him, uncomprehending. 'Is he serious?' "What?"
"Surely having them miss Charms and History will not help them? I'm sure none of the fourth year Ravenclaws would give them any difficulty. As for the Slytherins and Potions, I believe you're doing Severus a disservice if you imply that—"
"Oh come off it Albus! You and I both know that Severus would take every opportunity to harangue them, and he'd let Draco get away with worse, and the moment anyone from Gryffindor defends them, or they stand up for themselves, he'd dock points or issue detentions. If he doesn't out-right antagonize them himself! And as for Charms and the Ravens, I know Filius would never tolerate any harassment in his class, but that doesn't change the fact that those students now know about this, and that would make both of them uncomfortable."
"And what about next week? Or the week after that? Or next term after the holidays? Do you really think that embarrassment will be gone in two days?" Dumbledore asked. Minerva grit her teeth with frustration. She hated to admit it, but the old man was right.
Then she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Well, I may have come up with a possible solution that may help them during the summer months, just in case your secondary arrangements don't work out." She said, and with that, she turned and walked out, checking her watch, a birthday gift from Lily following her graduation, she saw it was nearly lunch, she still had to get a message to everyone she wanted to talk to later in the evening after the regular Staff Meeting, she didn't want Albus, Snape or Hagrid present for that.
Dumbledore watched her go, wondering just what she had in mind.
-=-
At lunch, Harry and Hermione entered the Great Hall, and made their way to their seats, trying, very hard, to ignore the snickering and pointing from the other students, particularly the First and Second years. After the horrible experience at breakfast, they'd decided to try having a meal in the Great Hall again, knowing they wouldn't be able to put it off forever.
Neville and Hannah had dropped off their Charms homework, and filled them in on what they had missed, after the lesson and just before lunch. Luna had even intercepted them and given them both tight hugs, saying Ravenclaw's door was open to them.
The two had thanked her, and Neville and Hannah. Hermione noticed, with a slight smirk, that Neville was limping a little as they all made their way down to the Great Hall, and when she'd inquired, he'd blushed fiercely, Hannah had grinned with pride, and made a show of licking her lips. It hadn't helped when Luna had rather bluntly asked;
"You must really enjoy sucking Neville's penis Hannah, Neville has been limping like this every day for nearly two weeks now. Do you still have that magical tattoo of his family crest? Where is it now?"
Harry had almost tripped over his own feet as he'd looked between Neville and Hannah, both of them red-faced, and smiling with embarrassment.
The two lovers shared a look, turning to an expectant Luna.
"I don't think that's any of your business Luna." Hannah said, trying her best to keep a straight face while at the same time, trying desperately not to laugh or die from embarrassment.
"What magical tattoo?" Hermione asked, scrutinizing Hannah carefully, the blonde Puff's face scarlet.
"She has a magical tattoo of the Longbottom family crest. It's one of those animated ones that you can move around your body with your wand. I saw it on the side of her neck yesterday." Luna said, blinking owlishly, before she continued on. "You still have some of Neville's sperm on your chin." The other four shared a look, Hannah wiping her mouth and chin with her fingers, still blushing. All seemed to be thinking the same thing: What the HELL was that?
Thankfully, they had been able to sit through lunch, and had done their best to ignore the stares from the rest of the hall, well, at least the stares directed at them.
Fleur still seemed to be the target of most of the adolescent males in the school, most of them gawking at her and drooling, Ron still being one of the worst of those offenders. The beautiful blonde still sat at the Ravenclaw table with the rest of her peers, surrounded by female students, as no male could be near her without being reduced to the mentality of an ape, though she did occasionally shoot them concerned looks. Evidently her outburst at breakfast had now led to most of her admirers keeping a safe distance.
Now, sat at the Gryffindor table, the two of them were finding it very uncomfortable, with most of the students at the other tables staring at them. Thankfully, the Gryffindors tried to offer some comfort, particularly the Quidditch team. Plus, Hermione couldn't stop herself from frowning or wincing, the pain in her chest that she'd felt earlier in the day after breakfast had gotten worse. Now there was definite pain and pressure.
She suspected that she knew what was causing it, but the rational part of her mind wanted to deny it, that she should have to wait for at least one more week…but no.
She'd started producing. Earlier than expected.
The students were still filing in, and the whispers and murmurs were getting louder and harder to ignore.
Fortunately, lunch was over fairly quickly, and the two of them made a quick exit, returning to their quarters to try and work on the schoolwork, if only as a distraction.
Hermione had wanted to go to Potions, but Harry had quickly pointed out and reminded her who their Potions teacher was, and which house he led. She had sat, somewhat dejected, as she realized the same thing McGonagall had; if they went into that Potions classroom, there would have been a high probability of at least someone getting hexed.
Then dinner had come round in the evening. The evening's edition of the Prophet was just more wild theories and speculation concerning the 'revelations' of that morning's edition. No-one at Gryffindor had read it. Finally, having had enough, Hermione stood, turned and walked towards the main doors, a brief feeling of confusion and worry flitted through her mind, and a second later, Harry was walking beside her, taking her hand in his. The whispering and snickering getting louder as they reached the doors.
"You're just going to let them walk out?" they heard Snape complain.
"They're free to leave if they wish." McGonagall's reply was the last thing they heard before the doors closed.
Once they were back in their quarters, Hermione started to pace as Harry sat, his stomach growling.
"This is horrible! We'll never be able to take meals in the Hall at this rate!" Hermione said, fretting.
"They'll forget about us when something else happens." Harry said, trying to re-assure her. Then he looked at her more closely. "Are you alright?"
She mumbled something, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. "Huh?"
"My breasts hurt. They have been all day."
"Oh…uh…do you want me to go back and get Pomfrey?" he asked, she looked at him, trepidation on her face, before she shook her head, and started pulling off her robe.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, raising a hand to try and stop her.
"I'm lactating Harry, producing milk, ya know? That stage of the Bonding process?" she said, as she loosened her tie and started to unbutton her shirt. She turned and gave him a pointed look, before she started to walk towards him.
"Uh…oh…erm…okay…so…" Harry said, nervously. She rolled her eyes.
"So you have to drink it." She said, bluntly. "I can't reach them myself."
"Don't you want to have lunch first? We could ask the Elves to bring us something." He said, feeling his half-hard shaft, which honestly, he'd gotten so used to that he'd managed to ignore it most of the time, fully harden at her words.
She paused and thought, then nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Dinner first, then you help me." She said, taking a seat next to him.
"Er, okay, soo…do we just call out to a specific Elf or—" Harry's question was cut off as a familiar House Elf, dressed in a filthy pillowcase appeared next to him, grinning.
"Dobby is being here to help the Great Harry Potter Sir and his Hermy."
Harry and Hermione shared a confused look, then looked down at the eager elf.
"Dobby? When did you start here?" Harry asked.
"Yesterday Harry Potter Sir, Professor Kitty be asking Dobby and Winky to work in Hogwarts Kitchen with other elves this mornings."
"Then how did you know to pop in here just now?" Hermione asked.
"Professor Kitty told us to be alert to anythings yous be needing." Dobby said, grinning.
"So…McGonagall told you our situation?"
Dobby blushed and nodded. "Yes. No needs to be worrying though, Dobby and Winky being sure to be giving yous privacy when yous needing to…urm…be taking care of things."
Harry and Hermione smiled as they shared another look, both of them flushing with embarrassment still.
"Okay, so…uh…Hermione and I were wondering if we could get some of what they're serving for din—"
Harry's words were cut off as Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing a few moments later along with Winky, both of them levitating trays that held plates and a pot of tea and some cups, and what appeared to be sponge cake for desert.
The two students thanked the two elves, who replied saying that if they needed anything else, they just had to call.
Once they were both done eating, Winky appeared and cleared away their plates. Hermione was unsure about this arrangement, she still didn't feel comfortable with the idea of the elves being treated as little more than slaves, but for the moment, she knew her efforts to do something about it weren't going anywhere quickly.
Once they were settled again, Harry turned back to his girlfriend, taking her hand in his. "Okay, now dinner is out of the way…you needed my help with…" he gestured to her chest, she blushed again, nodding, before her hands moved to her collar and she finished removing her tie, then she started to unbutton her shirt. Once that was off, she raised up and turned to him, pushing him back into the sofa and swinging a leg over his, until she was sat in his lap, as her hands went up behind her back, unhooking her bra. In a few moments, she had it undone, and cast it off to the side, sighing as her breasts, which felt fuller and heavier than they had that morning, were finally freed.
Harry gulped as he stared at the beautiful mounds that were just about level with his face as Hermione settled herself down, a slight smirk on her face as she felt something pressing rather insistently against her crotch.
"So…uh…what do I…"
"Just take one in your hand, and gently hold it, then start licking the nipple, if you want, then…put it in your mouth. You've done it before." She said, her voice getting a little thicker with emotion and anticipation as he did just that, she bit her lip as he leaned in, his tongue flicking out to circling her left nipple.
"How often will I have to do this?" he asked, looking up at her over his glasses.
"Daily. They were already starting to hurt a little this morning, I doubt I could have waited until tomorrow, so it must have started late last night. Normally, when a new mother feeds her baby, it's every couple of hours or so…but I'm not sure how we'll be able to do this quickly before lessons, we'll have to make sure we eat our meals quickly if I need to be drained, or we can try to see how long I can go per day."
Harry leaned in, his lips almost touching her breasts, but he was hesitating. He'd suckled her nipples many times of course, but he'd never done it with the expectation of getting something out of them. Part of him was telling him this wasn't normal, that she should only be doing this with a baby, or not this soon at any rate.
"Under normal conditions, this wouldn't have happened for another eight or nine months or so, and by then it'd be October or so, just starting our fifth year." Hermione said as if reading his mind, then he remembered, they'd already started forming a mental and emotional connection, so she probably had. As she put a hand on the back of his head, and tried to pull him closer, he resisted a little still, still curious with questions.
"How come we've never seen couples bonding before?" Harry asked, as he started to gently massage her right breast.
"It's usually done in private, some allowances are usually made with the staff when the bonding reaches this stage, but since this is unprecedented, McGonagall didn't really have time to prepare I think. I haven't even told her yet. This, and the staff preparations, is also why students are discouraged from starting too early." She then looked down at him, rocking her hips to grind her groin against his, which made them both hiss in pleasure. "You're stalling."
"No I'm not." He lied.
Eyes narrowing, she sat down fully, before raising a hand to his chin and raising his head, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Harry James Potter." She growled through her teeth in the most authoritative tone she could manage, the one she usually reserved for him and Ron when they were being idiots, as she glared at him. "Stop being a stubborn, boar-headed Gryffindor and Suck. My. Tits. Now!"
"Yes dear." He said, before her hand came up round the back of his head and pulled him close. He wasn't sure exactly what to do, not really, but he figured there had to be more to it than just simply sucking right?
It took a little bit of trial and error, but soon, he was gently sucking on her areola. When his teeth grazed her nipple she hissed and arched her back, and he tried to pull away.
"No! No…that's…that's good…" she panted, wrapping her other arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer as both of his arms wrapped around her to hold her steady, and he resumed his efforts.
He wasn't quite sure what to expect, after all, he hadn't really done much research on this subject, he'd thought he'd had more time, though he doubted there were many, if any books in the library on how to properly breastfeed.
A sudden bout of nausea seized him the exact moment that his mind registered what he was doing, but he tried to ignore it. After all, even without the curse, he would have still had to do this eventually.
'Would I though?' an errant thought flitted through his mind, 'Would I have even considered bonding with Hermione without this curse? Would I have even asked her to the Ball, which I haven't even done yet? Try asking a girl for a date first before you suckle at her tits Potter!'
"Will you go to the Ball with me?" he asked, pulling his mouth away from her swollen wet nipple just far enough to talk.
"Mmm…huh? What?" Hermione moaned as she oped her eyes and looked down at him, her mind rapidly becoming clouded in pleasure and lust.
"Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" he asked, smiling up at her as he flicked his tongue out to lick at her stiff nipple.
'Is he fucking SERIOUS?!' she mentally screamed, as she grit her teeth in incredulity, and a small amount of genuine anger.
"What? You're asking me now?!"
"Well, I just realized I hadn't asked ye—"
"YES you prat!" she snarled, anger at his stalling, incredulity that he was asking now and lust and love for him burning in her brown eyes as she glared down at him. Her breasts were really starting to hurt now, and his stalling wasn't helping any. "Now shut up and suck my god damn fucking boobs!"
She then pulled hard on his hair, pushing his face almost painfully back down on her breast. Immediately, he clamped on and started sucking, harder than before, and when he felt the first few drops of warm liquid on his tongue, he didn't stop or pull away, he just closed his eyes and gently started massaging both of her mounds.
"Mmmm...Yeah…that's it…you're really good at this." she sighed, a lot calmer. Harry leaned back into the sofa, pulling her with him. In a few moments, his mouth was full of warm, sweet milk, and he swallowed, gulping it down, and he felt her press her lips to the top of his head in a gentle kiss.
"I…I love you…so much…"
Sucking in a breath, he continued. After a few minutes, the flow of milk from her breast slowed, then stopped, and he gave her nipple one last suck before he released it, taking a moment to regard her wet breast, he quickly moved to her right one when she started to mewl with impatience. As he started licking her right breast, she grabbed his right hand and shoved it down between them, then up, under her skirt until it was cupping her very wet knickers. Her desires and intent clear even through the lust clouding his mind.
"Your fingers. Please!" she gasped as he started to suck, while at the same time, he slipped his hand under the wet fabric and cupped her hot, wet labia. His eyes widened slightly, even now, after all their times together, he was still surprised at just how wet she was. She felt like a furnace as he gently slid first one, then two fingers into her, and started to thrust, while she started to roll her hips, grinding her clitoris into his palm with a desperate moan.
Harry lost track of time as they sat there, all he was aware of was the warm nourishing fluid flowing into his mouth and down his throat as he drank, he was so absorbed in what he was doing, that he barely even registered Hermione's first climax, or her second.
He didn't even notice the rush he got while drinking her milk. The same rush he got from a regular feeding. He only finally became aware of it, once he'd swallowed the last of her milk and pulled back, and she sat up, gasping and panting, as she came down from a fifth climax, her face flushed, her pupils dilated, her eyes dark with lust and hunger.
"You okay?" he asked. She nodded, gulping air, before she fixed him with a look.
"Yes. You?"
He nodded. "I think it worked, I feel like I just had a normal feeding."
"Good. We know you can use these next month. Now, on your back Harry Potter. Trousers and boxers OFF. It's my turn."
Not for the first time, Harry was very glad he and Hermione had their own quarters as she literally tried to tear his trousers off the moment he laid down on the sofa.
-=-=-=-
Staff room, after dinner.
Minerva swirled the glass of Ogden's Fire Whiskey in her hand as she sat at the staff table, her friends and colleagues sat around her, well, most of them. Rubeus, Moody, Filch, Albus and Snape had already left, something she was silently thankful for. Snape had wanted to discuss the "Childish and unseemly behavior" exhibited by Harry and Hermione since their cursing, and how Skeeter hadn't entirely been wrong about Hermione being the cause of their predicament.
It had taken a significant portion of her own willpower not to draw her wand on Snape right there and then and blast him through the wall. Fortunately, everyone else had been on her side, and the cold glares Snape had received had quickly put an end to any discussion of that damn article. Though Minerva had demanded to know how Rita had gotten back onto school grounds, as she had been banned following her appearance during the First Task, unfortunately, Dumbledore hadn't had an answer.
Though he did confirm to the rest of the staff that Harry and Hermione had been cursed, but he refused to say what, which she was thankful for. After that, the meeting had progressed how it usually did, with Snape complaining yet again about Neville Long bottom destroying his cauldron in Potions, discussions about the school budget, and how the visiting schools were doing.
Once the meeting had been adjourned, and Snape, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Moody and Filch had left, Minerva had signaled for the rest of stay seated. She felt this meeting had to happen, with those she trusted, not that she didn't trust Hagrid, the man had a heart as big as his stomach, and as soft as his beard…but sometimes, that worked against him.
The reason she'd called this meeting, was the article published in the paper that morning, and the incident in the Hospital Wing yesterday, which she'd heard about from Poppy after she'd finished talking to Snape and Filius, before her meeting with Albus earlier in the day.
She had not been happy about that at all. She also needed to discuss the summer months and brainstorm ideas. Harry could not return to Privet Drive, he'd be dead within a week if he did, and Miss Granger likely wouldn't be much better off.
Serverus…well, he'd already made his feelings on the situation quite clear. Filch, well, he hated all the students, and would likely taunt either Mister Potter or Miss Granger, something Minerva did not want. Moody…well, she wasn't sure what he could contribute here, besides, he was an ex-Auror, he'd likely try to arrest her for what she was about to discuss here. And Rubeus, bless him, he was so friendly and sensitive, he'd likely become extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed at the subject of what they were about to discuss. Though if she was honest with herself, she wasn't comfortable with it either.
She looked around at her friends; Irma Pince, Poppy Pomfrey, who she knew, was already aware of the situation, Aurora Sinistra, who was still furious over the altercation with Draco Malfoy on Wednesday, Charity Burbage, Pomona Sprout, Filius Flitwick, Rolanda Hooch, Septima Vector and Bathsheda Babbling.
"Thank you all for staying. I'd hoped that we'd never have to have this meeting, but, sadly, it is necessary, there are important matters we need to discuss, and I'd rather not have this get back to Albus or Serverus."
"What's this about Minerva?" Pomona asked. "Is this about that ridiculous pile of dragon shite that so-called 'reporter' printed in the Prophet today?" McGonagall sighed and reached into a bag she'd brought in with her, pulling out a few sheets of parchment. She still hadn't found the book she'd confiscated, she suspected someone, possibly Snape, had taken it, but she couldn't outright accuse him without proof.
She handed the sheets to Pomona, Filius and Aurora, the others leaned over to get a look. Minerva held her breath, mentally preparing for the hissing, spitting, ranting and yelling that she was sure was to come. She was not disappointed.
"What the bloody hell is this?!" Aurora snapped, her dark-brown face twisting in an expression of outrage.
Minerva sighed. 'Here it comes.' she thought. "That, Aurora, is a copy of several pages from a book taken from the Slytherin Private Library by one of its students and presented to me. Those pages detail a curse used by Draco Malfoy on both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, a few weeks ago now, a week before the first task. Miss Granger and her friends also managed to secure a second book on Sex Magic, this one seeming more benign, so I have allowed them to keep hold of it."
"Huh, I was wondering where that book went." Irma muttered to herself.
"And we're just finding out about this now?!" Filius asked, eying her with surprise. Minerva sighed again, this was going to be one rough meeting, and that was assuming she got them to go along with her plan.
"I decided that it should be kept quiet, for their privacy. Poppy already knew about it, obviously, as did the Fourth through Seventh Year Gryffindors. They didn't want attention being drawn to them. Miss Granger also made the students she told swear to secrecy. Though I suppose, that is now a moot point. Thanks to that wretch, not only does the entire school now know, but so do our guests, and just about every other person in the country that reads that rag."
"So why tell us? While the effects of this curse do seem to be...extremely personal in nature, Mister Potter and Miss Granger seem to be coping rather well, despite Mister Potter dealing with the added stress of the Tournament. Has there been any news on that front?" Pomona asked. Minerva shook her head.
"No, no developments yet on who put his name in the Goblet, as for why I'm bringing this to your attention? Well, I...need your help. What I'm hoping to come up with here; and believe me when I say, I wish I wasn't trying to do this, but I fear I may have no choice, is come up with a Plan B."
"Plan B? What's Plan A?" Charity asked.
"Plan A involves finding alternative accommodations for Mister Potter and Miss Granger during the summer months outside of Hogwarts, the same accommodations, so they can continue to...support one another, as they are doing now here at the school. I've already placed them in the Gryffindor Head Boy's quarters off of the common room. I know none of you are aware of Mister Potter's life outside of Hogwarts, so I'll give you the abridged version. His Muggle relatives; his aunt, uncle and cousin, hate magic. They consider it, and anything and everything even remotely magical as 'unnatural'." she snorted, magic was the very essence of nature! She continued, knowing that her friends were not going to like what they were about to hear. "For the first nine, almost ten years of his life with them, from November 1st 81 to July 24th 91, the day he received his first Acceptance Letter, Harry Potter lived in a cupboard under the stairs of his relative's home."
Blank stares were the only response she got, for a few minutes anyway, before everyone started talking and, in some cases, yelling over each other, at once.
"WHAT?!" Filius yelled, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the staff present. Minerva nodded.
"I was only made aware of how bad it was a short time ago."
"Wait...first Acceptance Letter? How many did he get?" Bathsheda asked.
"One Hundred and Eight-One, according to Mr Potter, over the course of a week, prior to his 11th birthday and Rubeus presenting him with his final one at around Midnight on July 31st."
"ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-ONE?!" came the collective outcry from the assembled staff.
"Why so many?!" Rolanda asked disbelievingly.
"Apparently, the first forty-one were destroyed before he got a chance to read them."
"But...but...!" Aurora stammered, not believing what her friend was saying. Minerva nodded. "As I said, his relatives despise magic and all its forms, they never told him the truth of what happened to Lily and James, Hagrid did. I heard it from him when he got back that year after making the delivery, he was ranting about how Petunia and Vernon Dursley had insulted the memories of Lily and James by not telling Harry the truth, but, for some reason, I put it out of my mind over the years, and didn't peruse it."
"But...Albus addresses the Acceptance Letters! HOW could he have possibly MISSED that?!" Pomona seethed.
Minerva sighed in shame, she honestly had no answer for that, she remembered Miss Granger's anger at realizing that the Headmaster knew of the miss-treatment Harry had received and had done nothing about it over the years.
"Why didn't you do something?" Filius asked.
"I tried to warn Albus, the night he left Mister Potter at the Dursley home, I warned him that I'd been watching them all day and that I thought they were the worst sort, completely unfit to take care of him, but Albus insisted, claiming that Harry had no other family to go to. This was wrong of course, there was his Godfather, but...that's a whole other mess to deal with at another time. My original point is; if Harry Potter returns to his Muggle relatives, I'm reasonably sure, giving what is written on those pages, that he would more than likely be dead within a week."
"Why?" Septima asked.
"Well, if you read the requirements and side effects of that curse, if Mister Potter does not...uh...feed for an extended period of time, he'll get so weak that he'll fall into a coma then die, over the course of about three or four days at least. The only female in that house on a regular basis is his aunt, and I HIGHLY doubt she would be willing to help him, and I imagine they would not let him out of the house to find someone willing to help him and I also highly doubt that Arabella Figg would be willing, even though she's been living next door to them since 81."
"Wait...Arabella Figg? She's a squib working for the Order isn't she? I think I saw her a few times during the last war, during Order meetings." Filius spoke up.
"Yes, and she was tasked by Albus to keep an eye on him, and apparently, she didn't make his stays at her home pleasant, I confronted her about this recently after I found out about his treatment there, and she told me that she wanted to interfere, that she knew what they were doing, but Albus ordered her not to say anything to him, and she believed that his relatives would not let Harry visit her if they suspected he enjoyed the visits."
"Hold up. Dumbledore KNEW what was going on in that house?!" Pomfrey spat, a look of rage clouding her face.
Minerva nodded. "Probably not everything, I doubt Harry told her that they kept him in a cupboard, probably out of fear he wouldn't be believed, but if he did, and she told Albus, and he did nothing..." Minerva trailed off, not liking where her thoughts were leading her.
"Why would they even treat him like this? I get not liking magic, but that is a bit much." Rolanda said.
"Because, according to Mister Potter, they treat him like a House Elf, they make him do all the chores, all the cooking, cleaning, gardening and such, and have, since he was little. They constantly insult him, calling him Freak, most of the time. They have also instilled in him low self-esteem and self-worth, and I believe, on the subject of sex and relationships, they probably told him nothing, or they told him that it is only done between a man and a woman who are married. And anything outside of marriage is wrong, which leads to our current issue. Mister Potter was apparently very reluctant, when all this started."
Aurora snorted in disgust, "Five Galleons says Potter's uncle is getting some on the side and his wife doesn't know." several of the other Professors snorted and chuckled, temporarily lightening the mood.
"I doubt it, from what I've been told of him by both Mister Potter and Hagrid, the man makes Elephant Seals look anorexic. Miss Granger said he'd put Jabba the Hutt to shame." Minerva said with a snort.
"Who is Jabba the Hutt? And what's a Hutt?" Filius asked, confused.
"So, what is all this about then Minerva?" Pomona asked, ignoring Filius' question.
"I'm sure you've noticed, at least those of you who teach him, that Mister Potter has been getting fatigued again, over the past few days." Minerva asked, there were several nods.
"As I told you Minnie, he's been coming to me and asking for Pepper-up potions and stamina potions. I've told him it's dangerous to take too many of them, and that they wouldn't work anyway. And I was right. He collapsed yesterday during a Defense lesson. Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass…helped him recover." Poppy said, wincing as she tried not to remember the impassioned moans and screams she'd heard through the door to her domain, at one point, she'd even cast sound dampening charms so no passers-by would hear clearly.
McGonagall nodded, "Then it seems the book was correct: Stamina potions won't have any affect."
"Well, it seems that he's been ignoring his...treatments, shall we say, and only getting what he needs when he feels he has no choice." Pomfrey said.
"Why would he do that?" Aurora said.
"Again, that brings me back to his upbringing, and how strict it was. I have reason to believe that he believes he's taking advantage of Miss Granger, as well as the offers of...help any other female students may make or have made, although I don't think there have been many, I did not ask. Frankly, he is starting to think that he is acting like a parasite, feeding from these witches and they do not benefit, and consequently, he is trying to avoid doing so. At least, that's the impression I got from what Poppy told me earlier." Minerva said.
Septima snorted, "If he thinks they're not 'getting anything out of it' then he's clearly not paying attention, or doing something wrong. What about Miss Granger?"
"She is unhappy with his...fasting, shall we say. I wouldn't be surprised if she forced him to swear a vow that he never refuse an offer of help again, given what happened yesterday. But as for her own…diet, she seems to be keeping on top of it."
Septima paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "Do either of them know about Bonding? If I'm correct, Miss Granger is 15 years old, which means she is of the minimum age at which a witch and wizard can start Bonding, could the curse have originated as a spell designed to facilitate it?"
Minerva nodded.
"They do, and they have. We all know what to expect during the final stages of the Bonding, so considerations will have to be made then. The issue again is timing, that damn curse has accelerated things greatly. She could start producing in weeks, not months."
'And just our luck, might be days.' She thought.
She then considered what her friend had said, and doubted that the curse had started out as a mis-crafted spell designed to facilitate a Bonding, as according to the book, it had been developed as a means of foreplay between married adults, so by that logic, they should have already bonded. The fact that it just accelerated the Bonding was an unintended bonus.
"So if we can't get alternate accommodation for them, what is this Plan B of yours?" Pomona asked.
Minerva took a breath, here it was, her plan, though she knew they weren't going to like it.
"Well, Albus insists that Harry go back to his relatives, and believes that he can make arrangements with Arabella to support him and Miss Granger. I don't see how though. Miss Granger's home is nearly an hour's drive from where he'll be, and that's quite a commute for her parents to make every day. You're probably thinking 'she can just use the night bus', and that may be true, but Mister Potter's relatives may catch on that something is up, and may stop him from going round to Arabella's house, and that would be an even bigger headache that we just don't need."
She paused to take a sip of the whiskey, then continued.
"My plan is this. We send them both 'care packages', of potion vials, filled with water, with…what they need, mixed in." Minerva said, trying not to cringe at what she was proposing, she knew she was skirting a very dangerous line, and it wouldn't take long for them to figure out what she meant, and how it would work, and who it would have to come from. Needless to say she was glad Moody, or worse, Amelia Bones wasn't in the room, or she'd probably be arrested for what she was proposing.
"How would that work?" Aurora asked, "If I'm reading this right, they both need several…infusions, daily, there is no way a single which and wizard, assuming a witch can't provide for both of them, would be able to 'produce' the amounts needed. Where would we get the volunteers? How would it be done?"
"They certainly wouldn't be able to provide for each other, they'd both need to be on daily doses of lust potion and stamina potion to produce enough uh…donations surely? I know teenagers are young and have better stamina but still." She looked at Poppy "And as you all know, too much of that stuff is dangerous." Pomona said.
"Actually, in regards to Miss Granger's and Mr Potter's…readiness, shall we say, the curse takes care of that." Minerva said, then noticed that Septima was giving her an odd look.
"Minerva, you said 'We'll send them care packages.' Are you implying what I think you are?"
"Wait, what?" Charity asked.
"She's suggesting WE send the care packages." Septima replied, but Minerva cut her off.
"I will send them, via Owl post."
"Yes, but who would make them? Because it would take more than one witch to fill enough potion vials to make sure they get what they need. At least three of us! And just how would you, or we, go about filling those Vials? I can tell you right now, I'm not exactly a fountain, so how would I manage it?" Septima said, her voice rising, along with her temper.
"What?! Minerva! Tell me she's joking! Tell me you're not actually considering having US…provide the fillings for those vials?!" Pomona said, scandalized.
McGonagall sighed and raised her hands in a calming gesture. "BELIEVE me, I don't like it anymore than any of you do, if we can't get them into a stable, protected accommodation for the summer break where they can safely tend to each other, it might very well be the only way to keep at least one of them, if not both of them alive!"
"What about the Burrow? I'm sure Molly and Author would be willing to take them in." Flitwick said.
Minerva nodded "Albus was just finishing a conversation with Molly when I entered his office. She knows what's going on, thanks to that rag, and apparently did suggest that Harry and Hermione stay at the Burrow, even if she's not comfortable with either of them doing what they must, considering how over-bearing she can be. You know what she's like. Her two eldest sons fled the house as soon as they were old enough to get away from her. Besides, it would likely be very uncomfortable for the children as well, as their relationship with young Ron has been…strained lately. So no, I do not believe the Burrow would be a good idea for them."
"Have you at least told Miss Granger's parents?" Filius asked. Minerva shook her head.
"I've had that letter sitting on my desk since just after I found out about this curse, and what its effects on them are, but I keep rewriting it. How do you tell parents, muggle parents at that, that their 15-year-old daughter is now almost entirely dependent on drinking semen or vaginal fluid in order to stay alive? I asked Hermione if she'd written a letter yet, and she said no, she doesn't know how to tell them, but she knows she'll have to, eventually."
The others nodded, that was an issue, but one that would have to be tackled, and soon.
"Back to the issue at hand though, your...Plan B..." Pomona said, giving her friend a penetrating look. "If Mr Potter is not feeding as regularly as he should be out of a belief that he is somehow taking advantage of or using these witches, how do you expect him to take those vials? You know he'll realize what is in them the moment he drinks the first one. How are you going to convince him? Or Miss Granger for that matter! How do you expect them to react once they realize who the contents of the vials are from?"
"I will speak with Mister Potter privately soon, either after his next Transfiguration lesson, if I notice that he seems a bit exhausted, more than he should at least, or I'll call him to my office. As for how to get him to take them, I'll simply tell him that as his Head of House, it is my duty to make sure he stays healthy and his welfare is maintained. But as I said, I am hoping this Plan B will not be necessary, and that Plan A will work. But...if Plan A fails, and we need to use Plan B...can I count on your help?" she asked, looking around at her friends.
They all exchanged uncomfortable looks, this was not an easy decision to make, and she expected most of them to back out, if not all, and if they did, then, well, she'd do what she could for her lions, even if that meant drinking lust potions every day to get herself wound up enough.
"If none of you wish to help, then I understand, and I'll do my best to manage on my own."
"And how will you do that? I mean, I'm not saying I want to know sordid details about your sex life, but in order for you alone to produce as much as they would both need, daily for the entirety of the summer break, you'd have to be drinking lust potions daily. And that is not a good idea." Poppy said, and Minerva agreed.
"Which is why I'm counting on Plan A hopefully working, so we won't have to do this, but in the event that fails, I'm hoping I can count on at least some of you for support."
"How do you know ahead of time if he'll accept the offer or not?" Aurora asked, then she eyed Minerva closely. "You already have some ready, don't you." it wasn't a question.
Minerva reached back down into the bag and pulled out three small Potion Vials, each one held some clear liquid, filled almost to the top, each with a simple stopper in the neck.
"Charmed to be unbreakable while the stopper is in place, along with stasis charms that deactivate when the stopper is removed. And yes, they're full of water and...test samples..." she tried not to cringe as she said that.
After several more exchanges and quiet shushed talking, the others spoke up.
"I'm sorry Minerva, but I'm afraid I cannot help you with this, at least, not in the way you're suggesting." Filius said apologetically. "I don't feel comfortable with the idea."
A few others nodded their agreement. "I too am afraid I will have to back out Minnie. I teach them for Herbology, I'm not sure I'd be able to look Mr Potter in the eye if I knew he was...well..." Pomona couldn't finish, as an embarrassed, uncomfortable look crossed her face.
Minerva closed her eyes, she'd hoped that Pomona Sprout, one of her oldest and dearest friends, would back her on this, but she didn't hold it against her friend for backing out, or Filius for that matter.
"I'll help you, Minerva." Rolanda said quietly, "I don't teach them anything, and I only referee the Quidditch matches, so it shouldn't be as awkward for me."
"I'll also help, since I only teach them once a week, I won't have to interact with either of them much outside of their Astronomy lessons, unless I need to." Aurora said.
"I will also help you." Poppy said quietly, giving her friend a re-assuring, but slightly uncomfortable look. Honestly, Minerva couldn't blame them for being uncomfortable, she was uncomfortable with what she was suggesting, and she hoped she wouldn't have to use it.
"I will help you as well, Mister Potter is not in my class this year, though Miss Granger is, but hopefully there won't be any awkwardness." Vector added.
It was then that Irma spoke up, after being quiet for most of the meeting. "I think I would be of better help searching the library for any information on a cure."
McGonagall nodded, before putting the vials back in her bag and taking back the parchments. "Thank you, all of you, hopefully, we won't need to use this plan."