The look of relief that briefly flashed across McGonagall's face almost made Harry smile in sympathy.
"We…uh…appreciate the offer Professor, but it won't be necessary, I'll make sure Harry will be staying with me, and there is a good chance Susan and Daphne might be joining us. Oh boy, telling my mum and dad I'll be bringing three guests home for the summer…they're gonna want to have a chat with me when we get home I bet."
"I suspect they will, even if you send them a letter, which I think you should do if you haven't already." McGonagall replied, then, to herself, added, 'Speaking of which, I need to figure out how to write the one I need to send.' Then she looked at them both.
"Alright, we managed to make some progress tonight, but you need to do better Mister Potter, I encourage you to try and get some practice before Wednesday if you can, but if you can't, then don't worry, I'm sure Miss Granger, Greengrass or Bones will be willing to help you in these lessons. Have either of you picked out what you're going to wear to the Ball yet?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks, before shaking their heads. McGonagall smiled, "Well, you're in luck, there are two more Hogsmeade Weekends, this weekend then on the 17th and 18th, I will be making an official announcement tomorrow at breakfast informing everyone that if they still haven't done so yet, then they still have two weeks to arrange appropriate attire for the event."
The two thanked her then left, making their way back to their quarters.
-=-=-
Tuesday followed pretty much the same as Monday had, McGonagall's announcement had caused a excited stir, along with Dumbledore's reminder about the upcoming Yule Ball, and that all the Champions would be required to take part in the first dance, and were required to have a date for the night. Students Fourth year and above were allowed to attend, Third years were also allowed to attend, but they would require a date. The students planning to attend the Ball were also informed that the upcoming weekend would be an extra Hogsmeade weekend, allowing those attending the Ball to arrange acquisition of appropriate attire, before collecting it the following week.
Harry smirked, that would be perfect. Though he didn't fancy the idea of being in what was referred to as a Monkey Suit, it would give him the opportunity to look for Christmas presents for Hermione and the others. And also talk to the Editor in Chief at the Daily Prophet about his most 'lucrative' employee.
Using the map to trap her was no use, there was no way of knowing when she was on the grounds, and there was no way he hell he was going to let her know he had something like that in his possession. The last thing he needed was details of the Map getting revealed to the entire country. He hadn't looked at the map since he'd saved the girls from Draco, and with said Slytherin and his main supporters out of the castle, he didn't really feel the need to look at it anymore.
Later that day, in Potions, Snape was as grueling and as antagonistic as they expected him to be; his usually limited tolerance for Gryffindors seemed to be on a hair-trigger now.
By the end of the lesson, Gryffindor were down 120 points, which Susan had quickly pointed out was unfair, but Harry had just shrugged. Though the fact Snape had spent almost as much time glaring at Daphne as he usually did at Harry was definitely a change.
"I honestly never realized how blatantly biased and bad he is as a teacher until I was on the receiving end of that mess," she commented as they left. Harry shrugged.
"You get used to it."
Later that night
Luna blinked as she slowly opened her eyes, noting several things were off as she came awake with a start, her body shivering as she winced, her back muscles seizing with the cold of the hallway floor she lay on. Blinking in confusion, she sat up and looked around, she was in front of the Ravenclaw Dorm entrance, which was sealed. She then looked down at herself, realizing that she was both naked and wand-less.
Usually it was just her shoes, or socks, or bottle cap necklace that disappeared for a few days, but this was the first time she'd been stripped naked and left without her wand.
She thought back to that day in the library when she mentioned to Hermione, Susan and Daphne that she'd named several of her house-mates for bullying her, though she hadn't said anything specific. It usually just consisted of them calling her 'Loony' because they did not believe in the animals she saw.
She'd tried talking to one of the older students or Prefects after the first few incidents of her possessions vanishing, positive Nargles were responsible and they had quickly been found and recovered but it hadn't seemed to solve anything, if anything, it had made it worse. Evidently Cho hadn't appreciated her talking to Cedric the other day; she'd approached him and asked him to speak with his girlfriend and ask her to stop with the bullying and name-calling. Nargles and Wrackspurts did exist, the fact that her possessions kept vanishing, and now she was naked and wand-less was a clear indicator of a severe Nargle infestation.
Apparently, Cho had taken such a thing as a personal insult of some sort. Not that she really minded being naked, she spent a lot of time naked at home after all. The only reason she slept in a night-gown in her dorm was she had a room-mate, even if the girl generally ignored her. She shakily stood, wrapping her arms round herself in a vain attempt to stave off the cold.
She turned to face the statue of the raven above the door.
"Edgar, could you open the door please?" she asked.
"Nevermore" the raven croaked, it's voice scratchy and brittle, like a raven's or crow's usually was. That was odd. It usually asked a riddle.
The riddles usually got more complex the older the students got. The Raven would never ask a First Year something only a Seventh Year would be able to figure out.
Although the Raven seemed to be charmed to forgo that particular security measure in an emergency, it never said random words like this, not to her knowledge.
Raising a brow, Luna tilted her head and tried again. "Edgar, could you please open the door? It's late, I'm cold, I need to find my clothes and wand."
"Nevermore"
Frowning, Luna turned away from the door and started walking, wincing as she walked on the cold stone floor. Her skin prickled with goosebumps as she started to rub her arms, trying to generate a bit of warmth. Then she paused, an idea coming to mind. If the door had been charmed to keep her out, then maybe…
"Hello? Can I get some help please?" she asked the empty corridor.
Nothing.
'Odd. That usually works.'
Night time was usually when the castle's House Elf population was most active, doing cleaning and such, usually all you had to do was call out for assistance and one of them would answer. They had before.
But now, they seemed to be ignoring her.
Deciding to give the door one last try, Luna turned back to face it, and in a rare moment, rare for her at least, her dreamy expression vanished, and her eyes flashed with hardened determination that no-one else in the castle hardly ever saw.
"Edgar Allan Poe, open this door! Right now! This is an emergency!"
"Nevermore"
Huffing with irritation and resignation, Luna turned away from the door finally, and started making her way through the dark halls. She had no idea what time it was, all the lamps were out, all of the Prefects and Teachers were likely already in bed, she wasn't sure when the Elves slept, or even if they did, but the fact that they seemed to be ignoring her seemed to indicate they too were asleep, though as far as she was aware, a House Elf would wake up the moment someone summoned them. The only time that wouldn't work would be if they were comatose.
And somehow, she doubted that.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, her teeth started to chatter. The cold was really starting to bite, at night, the only rooms in the castle that were heated were the sleeping areas, though she wasn't sure why, it wasn't like the Headmaster had to pay any heating bills.
Eventually she found her way to one of the corridors that had windows, allowing her to look outside onto the Quidditch pitch, or where it usually was. She pressed her hands to the ice-cold glass and winced, her breath steaming the window as she looked outside at the fresh snow that was falling, and the icicles that were already starting to form.
It was beautiful. It really was.
But it wasn't improving her current situation.
She turned away from the window, shivering as she hugged herself. She continued on, wondering how Edgar could have been affected by Wrackspurts, and if the Elves had been affected also.
After trying a few more times to call for help, and getting no response, she found herself wandering towards Gryffindor Tower. A memory suddenly came to the surface, something Harry had told her about shortly after the incident with Draco and his friends, before Daphne and Susan woke up. She smiled as she finally made it to the seventh floor, and quickly found the tapestry with the dancing Trolls.
With shuddering breathes, she paced back and fourth three times, then when the door appeared, she almost threw herself against it, pushing it open. She nearly laughed when she saw her room in Ravenclaw tower beyond, and she stepped inside. Moving quickly to her trunk, she opened it and pulled out some fresh clothes, sighing with relief as the soft fabric covered her. Now, there was just the issue of finding her wand and necklace, and her missing clothes. She looked over to her room-mate, who was sleeping soundly in her bed. Though she and her room-mate weren't really on speaking terms much, she was fairly sure the other girl wasn't party to her possessions disappearing.
For a brief, startling moment, she wondered if this was actually real, if the Room hadn't somehow misinterpreted her request and instead of taking her back to her actual room, had instead created a replica. She looked back to the door she'd come through, finding it closed, in place of the dorm room's main door. In the darkness, she couldn't really tell if there was any difference. Closing her eyes, she focused and asked the Room to create something naughty.
Nothing happened.
Smiling and sighing, she sat down on her bed, she'd ask her room-mate to help her look for her wand and necklace in the morning. Pulling the curtains closed, she curled up under the covers, still shivering, but less so now she was in a relatively warm room, and under thick blankets. Though part of her did acknowledge something would have to change. Maybe she'd talk to Professor Flitwick after her next Charms lesson.
She just hoped that the Nargles would wait a while before they took any of her things again.
-=-=-=-
Wednesday, December 7
Azkaban, LOWSEC Junior Wing.
Draco scowled as he sat on the cold threadbare mattress, glaring at the equally cold floor as he sat alone in his cell.
His arm still twinged with phantom pain, even though he knew it shouldn't, since Pomfrey had re-attached it. He flexed his fingers, wishing he still had his wand.
He'd been sat here since Sunday morning, and he was starting to wonder what was taking his father so long to get him out. Surely, it wouldn't be that hard to get him out.
He hadn't seen the Prophet yet, but he suspected he knew what he'd see. Him and his friends being mocked, Potter being praised, and his three whores being propped up. He tried not to think about what those two blood traitors, Bones and Greengrass, were now likely doing. No doubt drooling and slobbering over Potter's small cock.
Daphne was meant to service him, not Potter! Well, at least there was a silver lining, at least now, she really was a cock-sucking slut, just like the other two.
He looked up across to the cell opposite his, at Pansy, who was sitting on her bed, looking miserable, her dark brown hair, which looked black in the low light, was disheveled, eyes dark, clearly she hadn't been sleeping well, then again, neither had he. These cots were not really designed to be comfortable. He couldn't see where the others were, but he could tell they were in the adjacent cells.
A momentary pang of longing shot through him as he looked at her. Sure, Daphne was his favorite slut, but Parkinson had been by his side from almost the start. Thanks to his family's connections, he'd known her since even before Hogwarts. His father had even drawn up a marriage contract with Pansy's father.
Now though…
Now, the odds of his father bailing him out were low. Yes his father had a lot of connections, and a lot of sway with the Governors and the Minister, though he doubted how much weight could really be put behind the Minister. If his father had ended up in here, he might have been able to get out through the Minister, but him?
He wasn't sure, considering he'd brought a Blood Feud down on his family.
Sure, his family had more political weight behind it, more connections to the more dark aligned block in the Wizengamot, but he doubted that would help him in the short run. The curses he'd used on Potter and his sluts carried a Line Assassination charge, he'd been told while being Processed at the DMLE, which he knew carried a 10 year minimum sentence a piece. And the Unforgivable on top of that…
They had tried to interrogate him several times, even offered leniency in exchange for information, but he'd not caved. He wasn't an idiot; he knew Bones would never allow leniency, not for using the Killing Curse, or the other one he'd hit Potter and the Mudblood with. No, he knew he wasn't getting out of here any time soon, not unless certain people within the Ministry who favored his family took charge.
Now all he could do was wait. He knew the Dementors weren't very close, as this wasn't the Maximum Security Wing, but he could still faintly feel their presence. Occasionally an Auror patrolled up and down the halls, but he never talked to them.
Yes, now, all he could do was wait. He would get out, he'd just have to be patient.
-=-=-=-
Friday, December 9th, 1994
Hermione strolled into the main entrance hall, then took a right, headed for the stairs, headed for Gryffindor Tower, dinner had just let out and Harry had gone on ahead. Double Potions with the Slytherins had been as bad as they'd expected it to be, just like Tuesday had been. At this rate, it was going to get unbearable. Idly she wondered how Hagrid's interview with that…woman had gone.
A growl of frustration started in her throat. While Snape hadn't taken any more points, a private word with Professor McGonagall on Wednesday had seen to the majority of the deducted points getting returned, and clearly the woman had had a go at him, so he'd toned down his harassment of Harry in the double session, but the looks hadn't stopped.
God, she needed to cum, if only to improve her mood. A slight smile of anticipation spread across her face as she picked up her pace, barely noticing the sound of footsteps coming up behind her until she heard the voice that promptly made that smile vanish.
"Hey! Hermione!" Ron's voice called out.
-=-=-=-
Harry had just sat down in front of the fireplace of their private common room when the door suddenly flew open and a raging storm wearing Hermione's face stomped in. Harry stood and moved towards her, but she brushed him off and stalked past him, then started pacing.
"I can't believe him! That…Insufferable…Miserable…Son of a Half-Troll Rat-eating Munge Bucket!"
Harry blind and raised an eyebrow, wondering who she was furious at. Though he was struggling to hide his laughter at the insult. That was…definitely a new one.
"What happened?" he asked.
"RON!" she huffed angrily as she paced, scowling. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. Their friend, well, he guessed he could say 'former' friend now, had been a little weird around them ever since the rest of their house had found out what Malfoy's curse had done to them, and now that Susan and Daphne had been also cursed, and had joined Gryffindor, Ron's attitude towards them, and his jealousy of Harry, and seemingly gotten worse.
"What did he say?"
"We were in the entrance hall, and he basically propositioned me." She huffed, then elaborated. "He was trying to ask me to the Yule Ball, and in return, he offered to 'help' me with my condition, but the way he did it made it sound like it was a damn business transaction! Like we were trading! His rationale was that now Daphne and Susan are involved as well, I somehow don't need to get what I need from you or them." she stopped pacing and sat down on the couch next to him, and he wrapped her in his arms, hugging her.
"It's okay Hermione, tact was never something Ron was good at, or thinking before he spoke." Harry said as he started to stroke her back and shoulders as she leaned into him.
After about 10 or so minutes, a light knock at the door drew their attention, and Hermione sagged, but Harry gave her a gentle squeeze, "It's okay, I'll go see who it is."
When he opened the door, he was somewhat surprised to see Fleur Delacour standing there, looking somewhat nervous, and a little unsure of herself. "Fleur? Is something wrong?" he asked, his irritation at Ron fading.
"I was about to ask you zat, 'arry. May I come een?"
"Uh, sure, sure, come on in, have a seat." Harry said, stepping back.
"Merci." She said, stepping through then taking a seat on one of the other couches.
"Is something wrong Fleur?" Hermione asked. Fleur looked at her oddly, tilting her head, before she sighed.
"I saw your confrontation wiv zat buffoon, and I was curious."
"About what?" Hermione asked, feeling a little defensive, then suddenly nervous about how many others might have seen or heard that little meeting.
"Ze article een ze paper from last week." the Veela said, she was struggling a bit with the English words. Hermione sighed and put her face in her hands, before looking up at Fleur.
"A couple of weeks ago…about a week before the First Task, Draco Malfoy, one of the boys who was arrested last Saturday, decided to use a curse on me, but Harry used himself as a shield and took the hit instead, but since he was holding me at the time, the curse still hit me." She paused and conjured a glass, then used a small jet of water to fill it, then took a sip.
"Go on." Fleur said, her eyes wide and rapt with attention, though Harry could also see anger burning faintly within them.
"Well, we didn't know at first what the curse was really doing, we just got really tired as each day passed, and really hungry, no matter how much sleep we got, or how much food we ate."
Fleur tilted her head, an uneasy feeling entering her gut as she processed what the brunette said, then she asked, "Forgive me for asking zis, but I feel I must know. Zese symptoms, did zey also include a constant state of sexual arousal?"
The two younger teens shared a look, before they both blushed and nodded.
Hermione studied Fleur's face, taking note when the older girl's eyes widened ever so slightly, then narrowed, as that faintly burning anger they could see in them turned into raging fury. Harry was surprised to see Fleur's facial features suddenly sharpen, and looking down, he could have sworn he saw sparks dancing along her fingers as she clenched her fists.
"Fils de pute!" her outburst took them both completely by surprise as she stood and immediately started pacing, muttering, ranting and snarling insults and various obscenities in French.
Harry didn't have a clue what she was saying, but judging by the amused smirk on Hermione's face, and the blush she was wearing, she did.
"Sorry, sorry…I…forgive me." Fleur said as she finally stopped pacing and turned to look at them, embarrassed.
"Uh…it's okay." Harry said.
"Fleur…do you know the curse Malfoy used?" Hermione asked.
"Oui." Fleur growled.
"I think he said 'aptesthai arpuias' whatever that translates to." Harry said.
Fleur sucked in a breath, stiffening slightly as a scowl darkened her features.
"Ze Touch of ze 'Arpy." she growled, scowling, "Anuzzer name was later given to eet: 'aspazesthai Aphrodisios' which means ze 'Caress' or 'Embrace of Aphrodite'. But was later also called 'didonai Aphrodisios' or 'Gift of Aphrodite'." She said, "It eez an old legend among ze Veela. It ties into our origin as a species. And ze origin of ze custom we know as Bonding."
"So you know what it does? What we…have to do? The book the curse was in said that we have to feed, or the nutrients we get from the food we eat will be withheld, making us starve." Harry said, feeling a little awkward. Fleur gave him a sympathetic look, then nodded.
"Oui…I know." She then looked at them both with sympathy. "He used it on bov of you?"
"He was actually aiming for me, but someone decided to play 'Human Shield'." She said, playfully punching Harry in the arm, causing Fleur to snort and roll her eyes.
"Idiot! Zat spell could 'ave been anysing!"
"Yeah, I know, but I just…reacted." Harry said, scratching the back of his head.
"So Fleur, what do you know? You say that this curse relates to the origin of the Veela race? And the Bonding ritual? The information we have seems to suggest that it was created as a marital aide to help the Bonding process, or as a method of foreplay that went wrong." Hermione said.
Fleur tilted her head curiously. "Show me."
A moment later, she was reading through the red leather-bound tome, her face focused as she did her best to read the English text. Hermione then handed her the copied pages she'd taken from the book the curse had been found in. After a few minutes, she looked up at them.
"Well, I can say for certain zat zese text got some facts right, but a lot wrong."
"Such as?" Harry asked.
"Zere is no cure, at least, a counter-spell was never created. Zose who created eet did not want to risk ze chance of eet being reversed. Alzough a cure of a sort was discovered, and ties to ze Bonding being completed, zere are some instances where eet will not work. All zis sterilization curse would 'ave done 'ad you used it, would have ensured a quick deaf, as all eet would have done eez shut down your sex drives, and made eet impossible for you to feed, but would not 'ave removed your need to feed."
"And Harry is the last Potter, hence the Line Assassination charge using this curse now carries." Hermione said, eyes widening. Fleur nodded.
"Zough ze texts are right about ze curse's effects on ze Bonding process, and ze detrimental effects of ze curse itself, ze information about eets origin eez incorrect. Eet eez true zat ze required frequency of feedings will diminish after you 'ave all Bonded, zough I cannot say by 'ow much. And een rare cases, 'ave been known to stop all togezzer."
"Huh…that corroborates what was said in the two books we found that talked about this curse. They say that it greatly accelerates the Bonding, but doesn't say why. I'm already producing milk, and it's only been a few weeks." Hermione said, then she paused, recalling what Fleur had said. "Wait…what you're telling us doesn't match with the book we read, it said that the curse started out as a spell designed as a simple method of foreplay, believed to have been created by a priestess of a Sorceress calling herself Aphrodite. But if what you're saying is true…then the ancient Greek gods were actual gods?"
Fleur nodded.
"Oui." She paused, taking a sip of water before continuing. "Veela are ze descendants of Aphrodite. Though to what extent, it is now impossible to say, as all records from zat time were lost long ago."
"Really? What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"Well…zere are two origin mits for Veela as a species, and zey are bof linked to Aphrodite. Ze problem is, it is impossible to say which is true at zis point. One tells zat we are ze children of Aphrodite and Adonis that are not mentioned in any muggle mits. Ze uzzer claims we are ze children of Hēdonē, ze Goddess of pleasure and granddaughter of Aphrodite. You are familiar wiv ze story of Aphrodite and Adonis, oui?"
"Yes. A human so handsome that it was said he even caught the eye of several goddesses." Hermione said.
"Oui. If zere ever was a male Veela, it would 'ave been Adonis. Ze entire Veela race are the progeny of 'im and Aphrodite, according to one of the mits, zey are just not mentioned in any muggle legends. But Aphrodite was not ze only one to desire 'im. Persephone, wife of 'Ades and queen of Erebus wanted 'im also, so when she found out Aphrodite 'ad beat 'er to eet, as you say, she cursed ze first Veela, turning zem into creatures called 'Arpies. Which eez why we 'ave zat form."
"That's horrible!" Hermione cried, "Especially considering Persephone raised him!"
"Oui. Ze gods are a jealous lot." Fleur nodded.
After a moment of collecting her thoughts and revising what she knew, she carried on.
"Some of zese newly transformed 'Arpies, became ze Sirens of Greek mit."
"Okay, let's pretend I don't know the legend of Adonis, 'cause I kinda don't." Harry said.
"Adonis was a mortal man said to have unrivaled beauty. And according to myth, was born of incest, after Aphrodite bewitched his mother to sleep with her father for nine nights, until he caught her and tried to attack her. Aphrodite cursed her because her mother claimed that her daughter's beauty was greater than Aphrodite's. And that is never a good thing to do." Hermione explained.
"That's…really messed up." Harry said. Hermione and Fleur nodded.
"Well, we are talking about an ancient pantheon of gods who practiced incest and bestiality as a matter of principle. Hell, prostitution and bestiality were as legal and socially acceptable in ancient Greece as smoking is in the Muggle world today."
"Zis eez true. 'Ow do you zink Centaurs were created? Zey did not evolve, zey were born from a union between 'umans and a now extinct species of magical 'orse." Fleur said. The two Gryffindors stared at her in shock.
"What?!" Harry yelped.
"Huh, that does kind of make sense, the centaur species did originate in ancient Greece, and their exact origins aren't known." Hermione said.
"And a centaur will never tell you ze origin of zeir race." Fleur said.
"Then how do you know?" Harry asked.
"An ancient treaty. Our two species exchanged our deepest secrets to one anuzzer."
"Then technically, you shouldn't be telling us this, if the information isn't yours to give, plus we were discussing your origins, not theirs." Hermione pointed out.
"Zis es true. Do not mention what I 'ave told you to zem." Fleur said imploringly, the two nodded.
She paused to take another drink of water, as the door behind them opened and Susan and Daphne walked in.
"Hey guys, hi Fleur." Susan said, smiling and giving the older blonde a wave. Daphne's smile was a little more hesitant, but she reminded herself that she wasn't in Slytherin anymore, so she didn't have to be so cold.
"Hi." She said, quietly. Fleur smiled at both girls as they sat down next to Hermione and Harry who took a few moments to bring the two girls up to speed on the discussion.
"Okay, back on topic." Hermione said.
"Adonis conceived by incest." Harry said. Fleur nodded.
"Oui, 'is mozer was transformed into a Myrrh tree. In zis form she gave birf to Adonis, who was taken by Aphrodite to Persephone to be raised, as no mortal was allowed to set foot on Olympus. Once 'e 'ad grown into a very attractive young man, bof Aphrodite and Persephone perused 'im. Aphrodite, Adonis and Persephone were ze ones to create ze Bonding ritual as we know it. Aphrodite started eet first zen once she learned of eet, Persephone used it."
"Merlin…that is messed up." Hermione said.
"I bet Hades wasn't happy." Harry remarked.
"As you know, ze Bonding requires zat ze female in question consume ze essence of 'er chosen partner for at least a year, zough zis can be reduced wiv a faster rate of consumption. Overtime, ze two develop a mental and emotional link, binding zeir magic, minds, bodies and souls, ze final act of consummating ze Bonding, as you know, involves a sex based ritual where ze couple must make a declaration of acceptance, declaring zeir acceptance of each uzzer, faults and all, followed by biting each uzzer. Zis is done after penetration but before climax, and it can lead to pregnancy if ze couple choose to let it, although zis eez not strictly required. Ze final act of Bonding also allows ze couple to share a sense of touch. Zey each feel what ze uzzer does to zemselves or zeir partner. 'Owevair, completing ze Bonding while under ze curse will guarantee a pregnancy, and contraceptives cannot be used. Alzough completing ze Bonding while under ze curse will usually break it."
"But, that can't be right, I mean, there are muggle forms of protection, I can't imagine the curse would bypass those." Harry added.
"Then we need to be prepared, either have potions on standby for when we're done, or be damn sure we're ready to be parents." Susan said.
"Pomfrey didn't say anything about this…" Harry said. He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about this, sure, he wanted to be a dad, its what he wanted more than anything, but at 15? That was way too young.
"That's why students are required to inform their Head of House when they start Bonding with someone, and again when the witch starts to lactate, so they have time to brew or procure a contraceptive potion that can be taken after the Bonding is finalized, terminating the developing embryo before it gets beyond the size of just a few cells." Hermione said.
Harry raised an eye brow. "Isn't that a bit, I dunno, unfair? What about same-sex couples? How do they Bond? How would the curse affect someone in a same-sex relationship?" Harry asked.
"Well, that's why Bonding is usually discouraged until students are in Sixth year, and by the time they're ready to finalize it, they'll have mostly completed their NEWTs and ready to leave Hogwarts. Though just because a Bonding can take up to a year to be ready to finalize, there's no written rule that says they should consummate it within that year. Couples can wait longer. I wouldn't be surprised if your parents started Bonding when they started dating, but didn't finalize it until they were ready to have you, several years after they'd graduated. As for same-sex couples, I'm sure the Bonding ritual is the same; initial genital contact, the speech then the biting." Hermione pondered. She looked at Daphne when she noticed the other girl hadn't spoken up, but instead, had a strange look on her face, like she was contemplating something. Hermione almost asked what was bothering her, but something told her now wasn't the right time.
"Oui, Aphrodite and Adonis, and even Persephone, started ze Bonding process, sparking off ze rivalry zat I mentioned before. Zeir rivalry got so intense zat zey asked Zeus to step in. He decreed zat Adonis 'ad to spend one sird of ze year wiv Aphrodite, one sird wiv Persephone, and ze final sird wiv a goddess of 'is choosing."
"He chose Aphrodite." Harry said. Fleur nodded.
"Oui. Zey completed ze Bonding ritual, consummating zeir marriage. And from zeir union, ze Veela race was born. According to zat mit."
"Bet that pissed Persephone off. And I can't imagine Hades was too happy either, hosting the guy fooling around with his wife." Harry said. Fleur nodded.
"It did. So much so zat she cursed Aphrodite's and Adonis' children, turning zem into 'Arpies, which 'ad ze side bonus of giving Veela ze ability to use fire, along wiv reptilian traits. Zese 'Arpies, zose who did not become Sirens, became extremely violent, and generally attacked any 'umans on sight, both magical and non-magical." Fleur said.
"Okay, that's something that isn't covered in any of the history books, I don't think. As far as muggle legend goes, Aphrodite and Adonis had only two children." Hermione said.
"So…the first Veela were turned into Harpies, but that clearly didn't last." Hermione said, wanting to get back on track.
"Oui. Over time we slowly regained our 'uman-like appearance, wiv each new generation of Veela born, but we were never able to fully shed ze effects of Persephone's curse, 'ence why we still 'ave zat form, can still use fire, and why our 'Arpy form only emerges when we're extremely angry, frightened or aroused. And in ze early days, as I said, ze 'Arpy-Veela were very aggressive, very violent, in every respect, and since zey were still children of a sex goddess, zey were also extremely aggressive and violent with sex, as in zose forms, we are driven more by instinct and our body's cravings, zan our conscious minds, alzough, we are still capable of some rational sought."
Her eyes turned down, a haunted look on her face.
"But what zey were was a perversion of what zey were supposed to be. Oui, veela can be passionate, sometimes aggressive, but we are never meant to be violent lovers. Zough for veela, Bonding wiv our chosen mate is a bit more involved zan it is for 'umans."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"It was soon discovered zat een order for a Bonding to fully form between a Veela and 'er mate, ze veela's chosen mate must accept all aspects of her, light and dark. Beautiful and monstrous. Zey must mate 'er in bof 'er 'Uman and 'Arpy forms, een every way possible: oral, vaginal and anal. And as I said, in zose forms, we are very aggressive, in all respects."
"Huh, the information on Bonding, and what we've been told, didn't mention anal as being part of it." Hermione said, blushing as she started to imagine what it could feel like to have Harry back there. Sure, he'd used his fingers and tongue, but his dick was thankfully a lot bigger than both. Though something told her that what Fleur had just said wasn't exactly what she had meant to say, or at least, she was omitting something.
"So anal is still part of the Bonding process for regular humans?" she added after a moments pause.
"Oui."
"So…if you lost complete control, right here, right now, and you were, well, horny, what would happen?" Harry asked, mildly curious, wondering if it was even a good idea to ask. Fleur gave him a flat, serious look.
"I would change into my 'arpy form, pounce on you and ravish you. Fucking or sucking you until you literally 'ad nofing left to give. Nofing. Or until you pass out. And if zat still was not enough, I would turn on 'Ermione, Daphne and Susan."
The four stared at her, then looked at each other, exchanging confused and in Hermione's case, horrified looks. After what she and Daphne had just been through with Draco, she was afraid to think what being on the receiving end of that from a lust-crazed Veela, who she knew were far stronger than humans, physically, would be like. She silently hoped they never found out just how aggressive Fleur could get.
Then she blushed fiercely at the realization that she'd just thought about a possible scenario where they would actually be having sex with her.
'Where the hell did THAT come from?' she thought.
"Okay, so…veela gained their harpy form thanks to Persephone, and a group of them became the Sirens, how does that relate to the curse Draco used?" Hermione asked.
"As I 'ave said, Aphrodite and Adonis created ze Bonding process and used it to sire ze first veela who were then cursed, according to one mit, zough bof origins seem to have a grain of truth in zem, if all aspects of veela are to be considered. Zese first veela believed that zey could break Persephone's curse by completing ze Bonding process, but the zought of waiting an entire year was unacceptable to zem."
"They found a way to speed it up, didn't they." Hermione asked. Fleur nodded.
"A group of zem got togever to create a spell zat would greatly accelerate ze process, cutting it down from a year to a matter of monfs at most, weeks at least. Zis spell was ze origin of ze cursed used on you four."
"Let me guess, it didn't work." Harry said, leaning back and folding his arms.
"Non, not at first."
"Why?" Daphne asked.
"Because for ze Bonding to work properly, bof participants must be willing. Zey must genuinely want to Bond. A Bond cannot be forced. And as you can probably imagine, ze men zese veela chose were not exactly willing participants."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"I am guessing you did not get a close-up look at ze veela at ze World Cup? When we change, our skin becomes more reptilian, wiv scales. Our 'ands become talon-like wiv very sharp claws. Our feet and legs become more like zose of birds of prey, wiv large claws on our toes. Our faces also become very reptilian, wiv a a long muzzle full of very sharp teef. A long tail, and of course, bat or dragon-like wings. Ze only truly ''uman' parts we keep are our…um," she vaguely gestured to her chest, then pointed down to her lap then made an odd gesture to her back, pointing down. Then she regarded Harry with a look, "Zat is why ze men zey tried to bond wiv were unwilling. Would you want somzing zat looks like it just walked out of Tartarus and into your bedroom sucking or riding your dick?" she asked pointedly.
Harry shook his head slowly, shuddering at the thought. Though a part of him was curious to see what Fleur would look like in that form, the prospect of suddenly waking up and finding one kneeling over him like that was decidedly unappealing.
"Well, that actually explains a few things." Daphne said, giving Fleur a once-over.
"No kidding. I was at the World Cup, I saw those Veela mascots shift into their Harpy forms, no offense Fleur, but your people look damn scary like that." Susan said. Fleur smiled, giving her a nod.
"Non taken. I rarely shift, only if I'm very angry or frightened. I 'ave never shifted once while 'aving sex."
"Well, woe be it to whoever makes that mistake." Harry said, chuckling.
The others chuckled as well. Getting back on topic, Fleur continued,
"When approaching men did not work, zey resorted to capturing zem. When zey realized ze Bonding was not taking, zey modified ze spell to create incentives." Fleur said.
"The taste and smell altering aspects of it." Hermione breathed, fascinated. Fleur nodded.
"But wait, you just said that a Bonding can't be forced, or it won't take," Susan said, Fleur nodded, Susan continued, "So how could these cursed veela have Bonded if their partners weren't willing? I can't imagine the taste alteration would have been a good enough incentive."
"It was not. Zey also added ze uzzer side-effects, ze lefal ones."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"Oh god…it was deliberate…" she murmured in horror.
"What was?" Harry asked, sensing her sudden spike of distress, taking one of her hands and gently squeezing it, sending feelings of reassurance through their link, he was still getting used to this thing.
"The negative side effects. The 'you die if you don't feed' kind, they weren't a mistake, or an oversight, they were a deliberate attempt to ensure a Bonding." Hermione said, her voice trembling.
"Oui. And zey did zis by making heir own…essence…addictive. 'Ighly addictive, along wiv a magical suppressant zat stops ze body absorbing nutriments from consumed food until ze affected individuals swallow what ze 'ave to." Fleur said, her voice heavy.
"How did they do that? Changes on that level require permanent alterations to the body, and any change like that would mean changes on a genetic level.
"Not to mention," Daphne said, denial in her voice and her eyes, "That's still forcing the Bond, the person would still be unwilling, so the Bonding would fail."
Fleur looked at her levelly. "You would be surprised ze zings people are willing to do when zeir life depends on it. Ze reason for zis is zat Veela only ovulate when we 'ave sex. We do not 'ave a monthly cycle, as our uterine lining does not deteriorate, we are similar to equines in zat respect. Zis gives us some degree of control over our ovulation. As for zeir skill wiv altering zeir own DNA, zese first Veela could do more zan what we can do now, but even zey could not lift ze curse of a Goddess."
"Merlin…" Susan said, shuddering.
"But zat was only partially successful, it was not until ze 'arpy-veela also used ze curse on zemselves zat zey started to see some results. Ze children born from zese first Bondings did show less 'arpy traits, but zey soon realized zat it would take many generations before our normal appearance was restored. And while completing ze Bond did break ze curse for the Veela, eet did not do ze same for zeir mates. Zere was also anuzzer side-effect of creating zis curse; using magic to accelerate ze Bonding altered eets final result, but zat was not realized until much later."
The others paused, taking that in, wondering what she meant by 'altered' in regards to the Bonding.
"Okay, so, I get why the incantation loosely translates to "Touch of the Harpy", but where does "Gift of Aphrodite" or "Kiss of the Succubus" come from?" Hermione asked. Fleur sighed, taking another sip of water.
"I mentioned zat only some cursed Veela created zis spell and taught it to uzzers, zen zere was ze group who became Sirens, who used illusions to 'ide zeir true appearances, and lastly, ze remaining cursed Veela split off into two factions…one used magic to forcibly restore zeir appearance, using sex-magic, but doing so cursed them second fold, creating what would come to be ze first Succubi, dependent on sex to live. Over time word started to spread about ze curse, but ze newly born Succubus race was also spreading, and in time, people assumed zey 'ad created ze curse. 'ence ze name, 'Kiss of ze Succubus'."
"And the second faction?" Hermione asked, wide eyed.
"Zey turned to ze gods for 'elp. Specifically, Poseidon."
"The Merpeople." Hermione breathed in wonder.
"Oui." Fleur answered, her tone stiff.
"Judging by your tone, I'm guessing there's some bad history with them also. I can't imagine you people are too fond of Succubi and Sirens either." Harry said.
Fleur shook her head. "Out of all of ze groups, ze Sirens were ze smallest, only a few 'undred or so. Zey embraced zeir new form, and did not try to find a way to reverse it, instead, relying on illusions to 'ide zeir true apparency from zose zey met. Zey stayed on ze small group of Mediterranean islands they found, luring in sailors to feed on zem."
Judging by her tone, Susan could tell that the issue of the Merpeople was a touchy subject, so decided to leave it alone for now, but had a feeling it would come up again eventually.
"So what about the Gift of Aphrodite?" Susan asked.
"Zat was a name adopted for ze curse by zose who realized ze Veela created eet, and zat we are daughters of Aphrodite, and drew negative conclusions about us, and our origin from zat realization. When ze old pantheon fell out of favor, even among magical 'umans, any association wiv ze old pantheons was eventually considered foolish and misguided at best, dangerous or outright Dark at worst. Zat is why we are considered dark creatures in some areas of ze world, and why many women look down on us, and not just because zeir men aren't as strong-willed as believed."
"I do have another question." Harry said, momentarily interrupting her, "Why couldn't I feed from anyone other than Hermione? I tried this past week, even Daphne…tried to help, but it didn't work."
"A restriction of ze curse. To ensure zat zeir captured prey did not escape and find 'elp from uzzers."
Letting that sink in, the four students mulled over what the Veela had told them thus far.
"So, why is this spell considered an Unforgivable by only Veela and not the rest of magical society?" Harry asked.
"Pure-Blood politics." Fleur spat.
"Of course…" Hermione sighed.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Do you really think someone like Malfoy would lobby to have a spell made illegal if it could help create sex-slaves?" Daphne growled.
"Oui, but ze main reason most magical 'umans do not consider eet Unforgivable, eez because eet does not work on Muggles or Squibs. While muggles and squibs do have some magic, since zey have a soul, eet eez so faint ze curse has no effect. Zen, uzzers learned of ze curse and started using it on innocent women, to create 'arems. Usually ze targets were Veela." Fleur said, her tone darkening.
"Ouch…" Daphne said, shuddering as she tried to picture what that would have been like, then a chill went through her as she realized; she didn't have to imagine.
"First ze Persians, zen furzzer east, into India and ze surrounding territories. Zen to ze west, ze Romans. Eventually, all attempts to find a counter to ze curse were abandoned, and eet was outlawed, and officially classified az ze fourth Unforgivable, at least by Veela communities. Ze punishment for casting ze curse, for a Veela, if it was done wizzout consent, zen the Veela is exiled, and if ze caster was not a Veela, ze punishment can range from imprisonment to castration or execution, depending on ze victim. Eef ze victim eez a Veela, zen ze punishment eez usually one of ze latter."
"Shit…" Susan said, "That's…pretty harsh."
"When ze victim 'az been condemned to a life of what is basically sexual slavery, zen yes, it eez 'arsh for a reason."
"There's also the issue of Intent. For the Unforgivables, you have to actually want to hurt, control or murder someone to use them. There are spells that can kill, cause pain or maim just as easily as the Killing Curse or Cruciatus, but are not classed the same. Bone Breakers for instance. You could easily kill someone with that by aiming for the head, neck or spine. Same with the bone vanishing spell, like the one Lockhart used on you Harry. I honestly don't want to think what would happen if someone tried vanishing a person's skull." Hermione shuddered.
"So, to recap, there IS a cure, and it relates to the Bonding being completed, but it doesn't always work and there are side effects?" Harry said, Fleur nodded, unsure how much to say.
"Eet worked for a time, until we regained our 'Uman appearance, zen eet stopped working. So now, eef a Veela is cursed, she stays cursed, zat is why we consider eet an unofficial Unforgivable. Ze side-effect I mentioned earlier, ze one zat came from creating ze curse to accelerate ze Bonding, was not discovered until ze curse was used on 'umans."
"Soo…in order to break this curse, we just have to shag Harry's brains out, complete the Bond." Susan said.
Fleur nodded, somewhat reluctantly. Harry was getting the impression she wasn't telling them something, and what ever it was, it was big.
"But we're not all ready for that yet, plus, we can't use contraceptives or any sort, and I'm not ready to be a 15 year old mum." Hermione said, again noticing the odd look Daphne had on her face, she again looked conflicted, Hermione resolved to ask her about that later at some point.
Fleur nodded again. She knew what was coming, what would happen, and she wasn't sure she should, or even could tell them.
She had some arrangements to make…
-=-=-=-
In the main Gryffindor Common Room, Seamus and Dean sat on the seats, lamenting their choices in life and their coming academic failure.
They had seen Ron's attempt to not only ask Hermione to the Ball, but his utter joke of an attempt to ask Fleur. Which had failed quite spectacularly. As the two boys had predicted, Ron had made an utter fool of himself in front of the French Champion and several other students, acting as if drunk, and slurring his words, going as far to even drool while talking to her.
Now Ron was sat, dejected and grumpy, in one of the other chairs.
The fact that Fleur hadn't even spared any of them a look of greeting as she'd stepped through the portal into the Common Room, though neither of them could guess where she got the password from, she'd turned and headed towards Potter's private quarters about five minutes after they had sat down, and Ron had shuffled in five minutes after her.
Now the two boys sat, dejected, hoping Ron would forget their bet. No such luck.
"Hey guys, so…" Ron said, suddenly perking up and grinning.
"Yeah?" Seamus asked nervously.
"About that bet we made. You guys can start doing my homework on first day of next term." Ron grinned. Seamus and Dean exchanged looks then stared at him.
"Are you mental?! The bet was if you asked Fleur to the ball—" Dean said incredulously, only for Seamus to cut him off.
"And succeeded. Which you did NOT."
"THEN we'd do your homework for you, but since you failed so spectacularly, you now have to do ours." Dean finished. Ron scowled, his ears flushing red in that way they always did when he got mad. He huffed petulantly.
"What's this then?" Fred and George said as they came in threw the portal, catching the end of the conversation. Ron quickly explained what they were talking about, and the twins exchanged a look, before shaking their heads.
"You have to do it Ron, won't look good if you go back on your word." Fred said seriously.
"Are you nuts?! He'll ruin our OWLs!" Dean yelped.
"Hey! I'm not dumb!" Ron protested.
"You barely do any of your own homework." Seamus replied.
"Do too!" Ron returned.
"Fine, guess you'll have to prove it come January then." Seamus replied, trying to ignore the feeling of his stomach turning, like he was about to throw up.
"Fine then!" Ron snapped.