FIC: Serere Cothurnate
Title: Serere Cothurnate
Author: ???
Pairing: Bellatrix/Pansy, Harry/Pansy
Rating: NC-17
Prompt: 17. If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days. ~ Sylvia Plath
Warnings: Angst (but that’s the point of this fest, right?), Infidelity, D/s, violence, bondage, nipple clamps, one-sided love, possessive love, possessive feelings, unforgivable curses, humiliation, F/F, M/F. THIS IS NOT A HAPPY FIC. A distinct lack of aftercare (aka don’t do this at home), face slapping, fisting, wand play (not a euphemism), dark curses, unforgivables, caging.
Summary: Pansy always wanted the impossible because magic was supposed to make it possible.
Author's Notes: For aliciadances. I hope this is everything you imagined and then some. *fingers crossed* Thank you to featherxquill for running this fest to help us avoid the ridiculous schmoop that is so prevalent this insufferably commercial and lovey-dovey season. You’re the best~ ♥ Also, apologies to JKR for making up a dark spell: serere cothurnate (to bind together in a tragic manner). A credit to T for some fancy coding mid-fic. Finally, a hearty thanks to Y for giving this a once-over. Any remaining mistakes are my own. [Word Count: ~5250]
Mutually Exclusive:
Being related such that each excludes or precludes the other (mutually exclusive events); also: incompatible (their outlooks were not mutually exclusive); discordant
Pansy had everything she could want in Bellatrix. She tried to remind herself of that as she slipped into a robe. Everything was perfect when she was with her. Except for during the silence. In the silence and in the stillness, she remembered that she wasn’t exactly faithful. She was sure Bellatrix would kill her if she found out. The woman didn’t seem keen on sharing her toys.
But, she couldn’t help her desires. Maybe it was wrong, but Pansy particularly enjoyed when things went her way. It was a charming approximation at the moment, but Pansy had plans.
Plans that would have to wait until she got back. Hopefully there would be no silence today because in the silence, she thought of him. Of Harry. Of how he treated her despite everything.
Sighing, she pasted on a smile, reached for powder and headed through the floo.
♔ ♔ ♔
“You’re late,” a female voice snapped. “Well, what are you dallying for? Strip, naughty girl. You’ll have to be punished before we get to anything more.” The voice was gleeful and Pansy chanced a glance at Bellatrix, drinking in her power. Oh, why did her lovers hate each other? They could have been the perfect balance of dark and light, of malice and generosity. Pansy wanted to feel it all.
“Don’t make me give the order again, sweet.” The statement, endearment and all, was dripping with acid and threat. Pansy bit her lip, bringing herself back to the present, ignoring how her heart ached in desperate need of a relationship nirvana she could never achieve. Then, stripping out of her robe, she knelt at the older woman’s feet, leaning down to kiss them in supplication.
“I’m sorry, Mistress.” Pansy didn’t give an excuse. Bellatrix wouldn’t want one, she knew, and it was better to be contrite from the outset. She loved the other woman for all her strength, for her commanding nature, but there was no denying the sadistic streak a kilometre wide. She had learned to love that too. In part.
“You will be, pet. You’ll remember that you came to me for this. To ensure that you are a perfect pureblood lady by our standards. Heretofore, you have incited pride in me. Will you do so again?” Pride was a passable euphemism for affection in Bella’s vocabulary, as Pansy had learned, and she so wanted to please the witch that had swept her up in her thrall, overcoming all her senses. And if something was missing, she would ignore it for now.
“Well, pet? Were you hit with a hex? You are atrociously slow today.” Bellatrix snorted, seemingly giving up on patience. Pansy knew she could only have it for so long anyways. “Let me help you with that. I’ll teach you to never make me wait.” Bellatrix smirked, and cast a cutting hex, slicing through skin just above the swell of Pansy’s breasts.
Hissing in surprised pain, Pansy rushed to give her agreement. “Of course, Mistress. I’m sorry, Mistress. I only want to make you proud of me. Only you.” A little arse-kissing-and lying, but she wouldn’t think about that-never hurt with Bella and it wasn’t a terrible hardship despite her own strong personality, carved sharp over the many years of war; after all, Pansy thought the older woman had a gorgeous backside and she always indulged in her desires when possible.
“That’s better. But I don’t think you’ve learned enough yet. Crucio!” Bella’s tone turned harsh.
Pansy gasped in pain. She always hated this part and sank into her mind in an attempt to escape the pain that wracked through her body. She just had to remember not to bite her lips or tongue. Luckily, screaming-something Bella enjoyed immensely-ensured she wouldn’t bite through her own lip in an attempt to express the intensity of the sensations Bella dealt.
“Oh, my poor girl,” a crooning tone brought Pansy back. Pansy had been losing her sanity; she was sure of it. Of course, she always had that sensation during and after a cruciatus curse.
“You’ve never suffered that well. It is quite lucky you were not among his inner circle, darling,” Bella cackled, smothering Pansy between her breasts when all the younger girl wanted to do was pull in deep, gasping, needy breaths.
Pansy’s throat was too sore to manage even a muffled response; instead, she nodded as respectfully as possible and waited, on alert for what would come next.
“We should work on your tolerance. Meet me in the grey room. Don’t let me arrive before you,” Bellatrix cautioned while spelling Pansy’s ankles bound. Pansy knew Bella enjoyed the bounce of the her breasts when hopping and hobbled. It was delightful, as was the little jiggle in the globes of Pansy’s as yet unmarked arse. Pansy didn’t know if she would rectify that or not, but there was no time to focus on Bella’s intentions. The older female was already walking gleefully to the grey room-a nice euphemism for dungeon-and Pansy struggled to beat her there, a charming series of frantic pants escaping her mouth. But, apparently there wasn’t enough fear in the sound, so Bellatrix cast stinging hexes at Pansy’s feet, causing the younger girl to jump even higher and screech in pain. It amused Bella greatly. And now there was the appropriate level of wrenching desperation in the pants. Of fear. Bella was delighted; Pansy could see it.
Time to ratchet that fear higher still, Pansy worried.
As soon as they arrived in said grey room, Pansy looked around. This wasn’t the first time she’d been here and it wouldn’t be the last; the room was one of Bella’s favourites. She thought the only thing Bella could like better than this room with its chains hanging from the walls and ceiling, and its benches, whips, paddles and other toys, would be her own personal Room of Requirement so she could set the stage anew each time and Pansy would be left continuously unprepared.
She didn’t have long to prepare because no sooner had she looked around to be sure that nothing had changed than she was hung from a wall in chains with a well timed incarcerous. If anyone else realised she was having an illicit affair with Bella and knew of this moment, they would surely think her crazed. The secrets we keep in the name of love and desire.
Pansy had not blinked once since being placed upon the wall-artfully positioned in the chains she was sure-when Bellatrix was standing nearby, a gleeful look on her face, a look that only ever preceded torture. It looked like she’d need a long soak tonight and a glass of wine, but until then, she’d strive to make her lover proud.
“Each time you scream, I will add a clamp and decorate my pretty girl’s body,” Bella stated. It wasn’t an order, or even a suggestion. It was a fact and a promise, Pansy could tell. A sadistic one at that. The older woman smiled brightly, letting the teeth of a clamp close around an unaware nipple-Pansy swore she could hear its pain. The younger witch hissed and then pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, clenching her teeth as she prepared for what was to come. She knew it was inevitable that she would scream, but she intended to try her best anyways. She always was too ambitious.
Bella stepped away, backwards, and Pansy was struck by the contrast. Her mistress was still fully clothed while she was hanging from a wall, naked. She wished she could see Bella’s body and was calling up a picture in her mind when her train of thought was broken by an incantation. She could hear the fiendish glee in Bellatrix’s tone, but she didn’t have time to dissect the reasons. She was too busy trying not to scream. Her pain receptors were overloaded, and still the curse kept coming. Her body jerked involuntarily in the chains, and she was weirdly thankful for them. They were the only thing between her and the hard floor. Her concentration failed her.
She screamed.
She screamed loudly, eyes flying open because she knew that Bella now had an excuse to just continue. And the spell did continue. In an attempt to close her mouth, she bit into her bottom lip and it bled in rivulets down her chin.
She screamed again and again, and finally, Bella released the spell. The older witch approached, tsking under her breath. Pansy felt moisture on her cheeks and knew she was crying.
One of Bella’s hands reached for Pansy’s face, a thumb brushing over her split lip and smearing the blood further. Pansy opened eyes she hadn’t realised she’d closed when she heard herself whimper; the sight of Bella’s fierce concentration greeted her-it appeared to be emotionless and Pansy knew she was in trouble.
“Can’t you last a full minute without screaming or crying? Pathetic girl. You are not pleasing me well today,” Bella said, lips twitching in a sneer. A quick move from Bella ended with a finger inside Pansy and a clamp on her other nipple. “Stupid girl. I think you like failing me. You’re certainly wet from it.” Bella punctuated the statement with a sticky slap across Pansy’s face. Pansy cried out, flushing in shame while trying to wriggle away from the finger that pinpointed her perversion; the chains did not permit her movement.
“Let’s try this again. You will please me, won’t you, my girl?” Bella asked, voice surprisingly dulcet. Pansy nodded emphatically, desperately. She wanted nothing more.
“Good.” The word was a purr, and Pansy shuddered. Her experience with Bella’s purrs never ended well, but she couldn’t stop the urge to come back for more. She was sucked in. Bella was the Dementor that consumed her soul.
“Crucio!” Was Bella’s voice even more gleeful now? Pansy couldn’t tell anymore. Her mind was a haze; pain overtook her once more and her limbs spasmed in the chains as her body tried to adjust to the currents of pain. Her body failed. She clenched her jaw tight and watched the tempus that had been cast, waiting for the minute to roll over. Sweat drenched her brow, but she was too focused to worry about what it might do to her pores. Please... Please let this be over!
For once, it was as though her thoughts bid Bellatrix’s actions. The curse ceased and nothing was said as she wept, shaking still. Her body could not calm itself immediately. It was like trying to stop a freight train on a knut. Her pulse needed time to slow.
Bella walked over and pet her face, whispering something Pansy assumed from the tone, but she couldn’t focus on the words. Nothing registered. She was spent. Her mind called out for comfort. Pansy keened as Bella walked away and she was ignored, hanging from a wall, alone with her thoughts.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy was stretched out on silk sheets. She was glad she had convinced Harry to splurge on them; how he had slept on three hundred thread count cotton before, she didn’t know. It was ghastly. This was much better, and she granted Harry a purr as she turned over, looking at him with a smile.
He’d grown up well. It seemed he’d just needed a few more meals to fill out his form-a form she was quite enamoured with. Curse anyone who thought her mad or weakened for her lust.
Harry wasn’t much taller than he’d been in school, but his shoulders were broader, and he was fit. His body narrowed at the waist in a way that made her wet just to look at him. And, he was sweet. Generous. Pansy wanted all of him.
Looking at him now, she was struck by how strong both her lovers were. The thought made a thread of guilt wind its way through her conscious before she silenced it. She would address her lovers’ mutual enmity in due time and all would be perfect.
Harry smiled back at her and leaned over, brushing their lips together while tugging on her short tresses. Pansy knew he loved the way she’d fashioned herself since school, and that he loved mussing her up more than she should find endearing. But his enjoyment was enthralling and flattering. How could she deny him? Especially when she couldn’t deny Bella either. She should feel shame for thinking of her now-even her thoughts were betrayals-but Harry was shirtless and that was far more interesting to focus on.
Reaching out, Pansy brushed a hand down his chest, carding through the sparse hair on the flat planes of his torso that emphasized how different he and Bellatrix were. She, female, physically soft and emotionally cruel, and he, male, physically hard and emotionally gentle. And they hated each other.
Pansy had enough desire to bridge the gap between them both. Or so she hoped.
Harry caught her hand and kissed it. “Turn over, love. You know I enjoy touching you.”
Pansy shivered. If she was right, she was going to enjoy this.
The sound of a cap being opened confirmed her suspicions, to her delight. Harry loved some muggle brand of sweet smelling oil. Pansy indulged him because it was expensive and the smell of pansies was very special. That he’d gone out of his way to get something so meaningful to them both meant a lot to her. And smelling like her namesake for hours while her muscles were pliant goo wasn’t half bad either.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy was startled out of her trance by the sound of flesh hitting flesh. She realised a moment later when her cheek burned that it had been Bella’s hand connecting with her face.
“Next time, answer your Mistress,” Bella said. Pansy thought her voice sounded vicious but wasn’t sure if it was moreso than normal. As always though, that cruelty made her wet. In some ways, it was the juxtaposition of both Harry and Bella that appealed to her most. So different and so desirable.
“Yes, Mistress.” There was a whimper in Pansy’s voice that shamed her, but how could she help it? She’d been two seconds from reliving one of the most erotic massages of her life and her Mistress had interrupted her. As was her right.
A pleased coo filtered into Pansy’s ears and she knew then that it was okay to lower her head to Bellatrix’s breast, stealing comfort where it wasn’t expressly denied. Most would call her relationship with Bella twisted but most hadn’t lived through hell and back in the same manner she had. Most didn’t still crave everything they could grasp out of life. She was greedy. She needed. She knew that if Bella knew, she’d be called a whore.
Or worse.
Bella ran fingers through Pansy’s damp hair, seeming to ignore the sweat that had accumulated in her strands and on her scalp during their scene. “You were a good girl, in the end. I think I shall keep you after all.” There was a darkness to Bellatrix’s giggle; Pansy hadn’t even known that dismissal was at risk.
♔ ♔ ♔
At home, Pansy headed immediately for the shower. It wouldn’t do to let Harry see her like this, even if it was through the floo. She had to keep it a secret until she could rely on magic to ease a path where none exists. A path of dual amnesty and love. She wanted it desperately.
How could she live without Harry’s soft attention? Or without Bella’s strict guidance? She needed both, more than she needed the very air in her lungs.
She pulled her robe off, sending it to the hamper on a reflex. A quick spell filled the claw foot tub with warm lavender scented bath water. It was all about the luxuries; she sank down in the basin until the tips of her sleek bob brushed the water’s surface. Muscles relaxed; pains eased. Pansy thought about the spell she’d found referenced earlier that day.
A binding spell. I should have thought of that before. Pansy was surprised that she hadn’t, and though she wanted to linger through her ablutions, she sat up and grabbed the soap from a dish on a low table beside the antique tub. It was specially made for her and laced with enough pain antidote to soothe an injured racehorse. She felt like one of the same at times.
Sighing, she looked down at the water she was resting it and shook her head. Now was a time for focus, not misery. She would get her way. She believed in magic.
Clean, Pansy stood and summoned a towel, freshly warm and soft as down. After wrapping herself in its folds, she drug a hand through her hair and faced herself in the mirror. “This will work. You’ll see.”
“A little mascara, and you’d do in a pinch, darling!”
Pansy rolled her eyes at the mirror and silenced it with a wave of her wand. Of all the things the wizarding world had created, this was not one she was fond of. Not when it was distracting her from her ambitions.
She scrubbed a hand over her face and let out a frustrated huff of breath. Time to let Harry know she’d be standing him up. She felt bad about missing a night of his careful attention, but it was for a long term goal. Slytherins played to the end game and she was a Slytherin to the core.
♔ ♔ ♔
A glass of wine and a floo call later, she had a free evening to herself, and elves preparing quiche. Settling in a dressing gown in her library, she opened the tome that had been referenced earlier in another, and she began to read. She blessed the way her parents’ library was connected to her own so she could borrow their books at will.
Serere Cothurnate
Magical bindings for the most tragic of circumstances.
Pansy thought her situation was most tragic indeed.
This binding requires both potion and incantation. Parties involved need not be present for success. Maker must ensure consumption by one of the involved parties before murmuring the incantation.
Potion
1. Crocodile heart. Diced finely.
2. Stinging Nettles, three.
3. Salamander Blood, one phial.
4. Crushed Faerie Wings, two.
5. 1 hair of each involved individual.
Instructions:
1. Add the first three ingredients to a cold cauldron.
2. Heat cauldron to boiling.
3. Stir until nettles and heart are liquid: five clockwise turns, five counter clockwise turns, repeat.
4. Add faerie wings.
5. Stir once counter clockwise and once clockwise.
6. Add hairs of participants.
7. Wait two minutes, then immediately take potion off of heat and pour into a phial for use later.
Incantation
Point your wand upwards to the sky and roll your wrist in three small circles while saying: Serere Cothurnate Aeternus Eternus.
The passage didn’t describe the immediate effects but Pansy was sure that it was just was she needing. A binding spell would solve her problem completely. She would simply remember to mention her plans to no one; she hated being perceived as mad.
♔ ♔ ♔
It took her a week to gather the materials. A week of pretending everything was fine. A week of aching inside for one when she was with the other. It wasn’t fair how much she loved and needed them both, but she was sure if Harry knew, he’d scan her for dark spells. And if Bella knew.... Perish the thought.
Once she had everything though--and a moment alone--it was quite simple. She could drink the potion since she was to be part of the binding.
She brewed carefully--the fact that Snape would be proud of her made her even happier--and when it was finished, the colouring matched that indicated by the ancient tome. It was a muted red colour and looked stale, but that simply told her she’d produced the brew correctly.
She tossed it back. “Serere Cothurnate Aeternus Eternus.” Her wand was aloft, her wrist rotating at the joint to make the necessary wand motions.
Then the world was black.
♔ ♔ ♔
The day Pansy married Harry, the Daily Prophet wrote another scandalous story about her. Except that it wasn’t so scandalous to be accused of cheating; they simply had the wrong partner. Harry had faith in her though and Pansy had hope that it would all work out. Both Harry and Bella had seemed more loving towards her since the spell. And more possessive simultaneously.
She wore a white lace gown from Versace, and blue garters borrowed from Luna because the loony bint insisted she be allowed to help. Insisted that since Pansy didn’t have many female friends of her own that were speaking to her after her announced nuptials, Luna would be her matron of honour. They would ignore the fact that Luna was still unwed herself and not fit for such a role.
Pansy made do. It was worth it for the success of the end game. And she was most certainly counting on success.
Harry was besotted with her that day, more so than usual, and Pansy felt enamoured as well. It felt meant.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy could hear Bellatrix chuckle. The room was dark behind her blindfold and she shuddered. Something was coming and she likely wouldn’t enjoy it if she were on her own. But to please her Mistress... At least she had a pillow beneath her raised hips for support. She could feel the touch of Bellatrix’s finger as they smoothed over her arse before moving lower to part her folds.
“Have you been loyal to me, pet? You look well used.” Pansy heard the possessiveness in Bella’s tone. “My whore wouldn’t disobey. She wouldn’t stray.” There was a sing-song quality to the speech that made Pansy shudder.
“Answer your Mistress!” A hand connected with Pansy’s flank and fire burst beneath the skin. Pansy mumbled behind the gag, failing just as she was sure Bella wished her to. Another slap reigned down. And another. Pansy made distressed noises in her throat.
“Quiet, whore.” A cutting hex was spoken and Pansy felt liquid before she felt pain, pondering the strange way the body worked. She knew the picture of her bloody arse cheek pleased her Mistress when it was repeated on the other. Tears welled up in her eyes and for once, it seemed okay to cry. Bellatrix wouldn’t know.
“A loose whore is a dead whore, my pretty. Remember that.” Pansy thought it sounded like Bella was speaking to a baby. At least she knew the spell was working, but she couldn’t have imagined this intensity. And, so far, there was no indication of love or love lost between her two lovers.
The press of a wand in her quim surprised her. She moaned and whimpered behind the gag. It was not enough. She liked her cocks like Harry’s, girthy enough to fill her in all the right places. This just teased. Pansy squirmed, begging with her body for more.
“Whore.” Bella spat the word at her with enough force that Pansy felt drops of saliva on her back. “Crucio!”
Pansy froze and bit the gag. She hadn’t been prepared. The pain was too great. She felt like she was going to pass out if it continued any longer. Pain of that magnitude defied the ability to register and deal with it. “Please!”
Her word sounded jumbled to even her own ears; the knowledge made her cry harder, body shaking with her sobs and with the currents of magic spreading out from her core.
It stopped.
That was when Pansy heard Bella’s moans. The sound made her relax. There. She was desired.
“Such a sweet little whore.” There was a fondness in Bella’s tone that Pansy was unused to and her heart opened further, aching and wanting. It was greedy for more. If she just pleased her a little more. If she just...
Pansy moaned. There were two fingers in her cunt now, questing. She spread her knees further and Bella made an uncharacteristic noise of encouragement. Pansy purred behind her gag, wishing she could see the expression on her Mistress’s face. Everything was going according to plan. Everything was perfect. Soon, she could bring them together...
Another finger was added and Pansy could feel the stretch. A fourth finger shortly thereafter made Pansy wince at the level of fullness, whimpering in her throat.
“Be a good whore. I know my pretty whore can take it.” The threat of what would happen if she didn’t was very clear to Pansy when she heard Bellatrix’s words. Pansy nodded quickly; she didn’t want to risk another round of crucio so soon.
She could tell Bellatrix was working on stretching her for something more and could feel her Mistress’s wet quim as it ground against her leg. Whatever was planned--it was hard to imagine as the painful stretch became a pleasure--Bella was excited. That made Pansy excited in turn. She moaned behind the gag, knowing her Mistress was partial to sounds.
Still, she didn’t expect a fifth finger. She had just adjusted to the feel of four fingers thrusting in and out of her body. Five was hard to imagine, but it was reality. She was taking everything she could from the situation, just as she did from life. That knowledge was arousing.
And with her Mistress’s hand deep inside her body, two things happened. Her mistress climaxed. And another voice echoed in the room. A male one.
♔ ♔ ♔
”What the fuck, Pansy?” Pansy groaned. She could hear Harry’s voice and his anger, but at present, she couldn’t see him. That was remediated promptly. She felt Harry’s magic wash over her as she was levitated away from Bellatrix; in the process, her gag and blindfold fell to the floor.
She didn’t know who to cling to, but she could tell something wasn’t right. Harry wasn’t supposed to be pointing his wand at Bellatrix so menacingly. Pansy wrested herself from his grip and stood on wobbly legs. She could feel herself leaking down her legs and knew her husband was unimpressed. That much was evident from the curl in his lip. He was disgusted by her.
“Secumspetra!” Bella cast while Pansy and Harry were staring at each other. Pansy could feel her tears stop as horror set in. She didn’t even know when she’d begun to cry but that wasn’t important. Harry needed help. He was going to die.
Bellatrix cackled and drug her across the room by her hair. Pansy couldn’t keep up. Her knees buckled and the cold stone floor of the grey room abraded her skin. Pansy was sure Bella had left it unfinished for this very purpose.
“Loose trollop! Whore!” The words were spat in Pansy’s face and she could see a cruelty there that had never existed before. Why wasn’t the spell working? But Harry was more important. She knew he was close to the end. She had to save him, no matter what the cost. She loved them both and couldn’t stand to have either taken from her. Especially not like this.
Fighting Bella’s hold, she jabbed an elbow in the soft flesh of the older woman’s stomach. In Bella’s effort to keep her hold on Pansy, she dropped her wand and Pansy wrenched free, grasping it and sacrificing a chunk of hair in the process.
Working quickly, she levitated Harry down the hall and to the floo. There was time left. Still time. Still...
Pansy threw green powder into the fireplace, called the destination and sent Harry’s bleeding body through. If there was one thing she could count on, it was that the world loved Harry James Potter immensely. They wouldn’t let him die.
Then she dropped to her knees and wept, letting go of the wand as footfalls approached. It was over for her now.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy didn’t know what to think these days. The spell should have worked but it made everything worse. It was a miracle that she had been able to save Harry at all. And she would use her body to save him still.
She looked out from her cage and waited. Her Mistress would return again, unless Harry spoke of what he’d seen. Though there was no crime in having sex. And her husband didn’t know the truth that would send Bella away, save for the attempted murder via dark spell. She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t do anything, chained away. This was the beginning of a long and painful end.
She hoped they never met, the three of them, altogether in the same location ever again. She feared the consequences of such a meeting.
♔ ♔ ♔
Harry looked up from his bed. He couldn’t remember how he’d arrived at St. Mungo’s. Obviously Pansy had sent him as Bellatrix would have seen fit to let him die from her spell. But he couldn’t think about that now. He had a divorce to execute.
Beside the bed, another Slytherin sat. He was surrounded by them these days. Harry sighed and looked at Draco Malfoy. “We can do this out of court, yes?”
Malfoy looked like he wanted to disagree, looked like the battle in the courts and the way he would best his opponents was much more important, but he didn’t. Harry was relieved to see his attorney nod. “Yes, you’ve been through enough, I dare say. I don’t know what happened. Pansy was never this bad.”
Harry just nodded mutely. He didn’t know what to think either.
♔ ♔ ♔
✢ Fin ✢
Author: ???
Pairing: Bellatrix/Pansy, Harry/Pansy
Rating: NC-17
Prompt: 17. If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days. ~ Sylvia Plath
Warnings: Angst (but that’s the point of this fest, right?), Infidelity, D/s, violence, bondage, nipple clamps, one-sided love, possessive love, possessive feelings, unforgivable curses, humiliation, F/F, M/F. THIS IS NOT A HAPPY FIC. A distinct lack of aftercare (aka don’t do this at home), face slapping, fisting, wand play (not a euphemism), dark curses, unforgivables, caging.
Summary: Pansy always wanted the impossible because magic was supposed to make it possible.
Author's Notes: For aliciadances. I hope this is everything you imagined and then some. *fingers crossed* Thank you to featherxquill for running this fest to help us avoid the ridiculous schmoop that is so prevalent this insufferably commercial and lovey-dovey season. You’re the best~ ♥ Also, apologies to JKR for making up a dark spell: serere cothurnate (to bind together in a tragic manner). A credit to T for some fancy coding mid-fic. Finally, a hearty thanks to Y for giving this a once-over. Any remaining mistakes are my own. [Word Count: ~5250]
Mutually Exclusive:
Being related such that each excludes or precludes the other (mutually exclusive events); also: incompatible (their outlooks were not mutually exclusive); discordant
Pansy had everything she could want in Bellatrix. She tried to remind herself of that as she slipped into a robe. Everything was perfect when she was with her. Except for during the silence. In the silence and in the stillness, she remembered that she wasn’t exactly faithful. She was sure Bellatrix would kill her if she found out. The woman didn’t seem keen on sharing her toys.
But, she couldn’t help her desires. Maybe it was wrong, but Pansy particularly enjoyed when things went her way. It was a charming approximation at the moment, but Pansy had plans.
Plans that would have to wait until she got back. Hopefully there would be no silence today because in the silence, she thought of him. Of Harry. Of how he treated her despite everything.
Sighing, she pasted on a smile, reached for powder and headed through the floo.
♔ ♔ ♔
“You’re late,” a female voice snapped. “Well, what are you dallying for? Strip, naughty girl. You’ll have to be punished before we get to anything more.” The voice was gleeful and Pansy chanced a glance at Bellatrix, drinking in her power. Oh, why did her lovers hate each other? They could have been the perfect balance of dark and light, of malice and generosity. Pansy wanted to feel it all.
“Don’t make me give the order again, sweet.” The statement, endearment and all, was dripping with acid and threat. Pansy bit her lip, bringing herself back to the present, ignoring how her heart ached in desperate need of a relationship nirvana she could never achieve. Then, stripping out of her robe, she knelt at the older woman’s feet, leaning down to kiss them in supplication.
“I’m sorry, Mistress.” Pansy didn’t give an excuse. Bellatrix wouldn’t want one, she knew, and it was better to be contrite from the outset. She loved the other woman for all her strength, for her commanding nature, but there was no denying the sadistic streak a kilometre wide. She had learned to love that too. In part.
“You will be, pet. You’ll remember that you came to me for this. To ensure that you are a perfect pureblood lady by our standards. Heretofore, you have incited pride in me. Will you do so again?” Pride was a passable euphemism for affection in Bella’s vocabulary, as Pansy had learned, and she so wanted to please the witch that had swept her up in her thrall, overcoming all her senses. And if something was missing, she would ignore it for now.
“Well, pet? Were you hit with a hex? You are atrociously slow today.” Bellatrix snorted, seemingly giving up on patience. Pansy knew she could only have it for so long anyways. “Let me help you with that. I’ll teach you to never make me wait.” Bellatrix smirked, and cast a cutting hex, slicing through skin just above the swell of Pansy’s breasts.
Hissing in surprised pain, Pansy rushed to give her agreement. “Of course, Mistress. I’m sorry, Mistress. I only want to make you proud of me. Only you.” A little arse-kissing-and lying, but she wouldn’t think about that-never hurt with Bella and it wasn’t a terrible hardship despite her own strong personality, carved sharp over the many years of war; after all, Pansy thought the older woman had a gorgeous backside and she always indulged in her desires when possible.
“That’s better. But I don’t think you’ve learned enough yet. Crucio!” Bella’s tone turned harsh.
Pansy gasped in pain. She always hated this part and sank into her mind in an attempt to escape the pain that wracked through her body. She just had to remember not to bite her lips or tongue. Luckily, screaming-something Bella enjoyed immensely-ensured she wouldn’t bite through her own lip in an attempt to express the intensity of the sensations Bella dealt.
“Oh, my poor girl,” a crooning tone brought Pansy back. Pansy had been losing her sanity; she was sure of it. Of course, she always had that sensation during and after a cruciatus curse.
“You’ve never suffered that well. It is quite lucky you were not among his inner circle, darling,” Bella cackled, smothering Pansy between her breasts when all the younger girl wanted to do was pull in deep, gasping, needy breaths.
Pansy’s throat was too sore to manage even a muffled response; instead, she nodded as respectfully as possible and waited, on alert for what would come next.
“We should work on your tolerance. Meet me in the grey room. Don’t let me arrive before you,” Bellatrix cautioned while spelling Pansy’s ankles bound. Pansy knew Bella enjoyed the bounce of the her breasts when hopping and hobbled. It was delightful, as was the little jiggle in the globes of Pansy’s as yet unmarked arse. Pansy didn’t know if she would rectify that or not, but there was no time to focus on Bella’s intentions. The older female was already walking gleefully to the grey room-a nice euphemism for dungeon-and Pansy struggled to beat her there, a charming series of frantic pants escaping her mouth. But, apparently there wasn’t enough fear in the sound, so Bellatrix cast stinging hexes at Pansy’s feet, causing the younger girl to jump even higher and screech in pain. It amused Bella greatly. And now there was the appropriate level of wrenching desperation in the pants. Of fear. Bella was delighted; Pansy could see it.
Time to ratchet that fear higher still, Pansy worried.
As soon as they arrived in said grey room, Pansy looked around. This wasn’t the first time she’d been here and it wouldn’t be the last; the room was one of Bella’s favourites. She thought the only thing Bella could like better than this room with its chains hanging from the walls and ceiling, and its benches, whips, paddles and other toys, would be her own personal Room of Requirement so she could set the stage anew each time and Pansy would be left continuously unprepared.
She didn’t have long to prepare because no sooner had she looked around to be sure that nothing had changed than she was hung from a wall in chains with a well timed incarcerous. If anyone else realised she was having an illicit affair with Bella and knew of this moment, they would surely think her crazed. The secrets we keep in the name of love and desire.
Pansy had not blinked once since being placed upon the wall-artfully positioned in the chains she was sure-when Bellatrix was standing nearby, a gleeful look on her face, a look that only ever preceded torture. It looked like she’d need a long soak tonight and a glass of wine, but until then, she’d strive to make her lover proud.
“Each time you scream, I will add a clamp and decorate my pretty girl’s body,” Bella stated. It wasn’t an order, or even a suggestion. It was a fact and a promise, Pansy could tell. A sadistic one at that. The older woman smiled brightly, letting the teeth of a clamp close around an unaware nipple-Pansy swore she could hear its pain. The younger witch hissed and then pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, clenching her teeth as she prepared for what was to come. She knew it was inevitable that she would scream, but she intended to try her best anyways. She always was too ambitious.
Bella stepped away, backwards, and Pansy was struck by the contrast. Her mistress was still fully clothed while she was hanging from a wall, naked. She wished she could see Bella’s body and was calling up a picture in her mind when her train of thought was broken by an incantation. She could hear the fiendish glee in Bellatrix’s tone, but she didn’t have time to dissect the reasons. She was too busy trying not to scream. Her pain receptors were overloaded, and still the curse kept coming. Her body jerked involuntarily in the chains, and she was weirdly thankful for them. They were the only thing between her and the hard floor. Her concentration failed her.
She screamed.
She screamed loudly, eyes flying open because she knew that Bella now had an excuse to just continue. And the spell did continue. In an attempt to close her mouth, she bit into her bottom lip and it bled in rivulets down her chin.
She screamed again and again, and finally, Bella released the spell. The older witch approached, tsking under her breath. Pansy felt moisture on her cheeks and knew she was crying.
One of Bella’s hands reached for Pansy’s face, a thumb brushing over her split lip and smearing the blood further. Pansy opened eyes she hadn’t realised she’d closed when she heard herself whimper; the sight of Bella’s fierce concentration greeted her-it appeared to be emotionless and Pansy knew she was in trouble.
“Can’t you last a full minute without screaming or crying? Pathetic girl. You are not pleasing me well today,” Bella said, lips twitching in a sneer. A quick move from Bella ended with a finger inside Pansy and a clamp on her other nipple. “Stupid girl. I think you like failing me. You’re certainly wet from it.” Bella punctuated the statement with a sticky slap across Pansy’s face. Pansy cried out, flushing in shame while trying to wriggle away from the finger that pinpointed her perversion; the chains did not permit her movement.
“Let’s try this again. You will please me, won’t you, my girl?” Bella asked, voice surprisingly dulcet. Pansy nodded emphatically, desperately. She wanted nothing more.
“Good.” The word was a purr, and Pansy shuddered. Her experience with Bella’s purrs never ended well, but she couldn’t stop the urge to come back for more. She was sucked in. Bella was the Dementor that consumed her soul.
“Crucio!” Was Bella’s voice even more gleeful now? Pansy couldn’t tell anymore. Her mind was a haze; pain overtook her once more and her limbs spasmed in the chains as her body tried to adjust to the currents of pain. Her body failed. She clenched her jaw tight and watched the tempus that had been cast, waiting for the minute to roll over. Sweat drenched her brow, but she was too focused to worry about what it might do to her pores. Please... Please let this be over!
For once, it was as though her thoughts bid Bellatrix’s actions. The curse ceased and nothing was said as she wept, shaking still. Her body could not calm itself immediately. It was like trying to stop a freight train on a knut. Her pulse needed time to slow.
Bella walked over and pet her face, whispering something Pansy assumed from the tone, but she couldn’t focus on the words. Nothing registered. She was spent. Her mind called out for comfort. Pansy keened as Bella walked away and she was ignored, hanging from a wall, alone with her thoughts.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy was stretched out on silk sheets. She was glad she had convinced Harry to splurge on them; how he had slept on three hundred thread count cotton before, she didn’t know. It was ghastly. This was much better, and she granted Harry a purr as she turned over, looking at him with a smile.
He’d grown up well. It seemed he’d just needed a few more meals to fill out his form-a form she was quite enamoured with. Curse anyone who thought her mad or weakened for her lust.
Harry wasn’t much taller than he’d been in school, but his shoulders were broader, and he was fit. His body narrowed at the waist in a way that made her wet just to look at him. And, he was sweet. Generous. Pansy wanted all of him.
Looking at him now, she was struck by how strong both her lovers were. The thought made a thread of guilt wind its way through her conscious before she silenced it. She would address her lovers’ mutual enmity in due time and all would be perfect.
Harry smiled back at her and leaned over, brushing their lips together while tugging on her short tresses. Pansy knew he loved the way she’d fashioned herself since school, and that he loved mussing her up more than she should find endearing. But his enjoyment was enthralling and flattering. How could she deny him? Especially when she couldn’t deny Bella either. She should feel shame for thinking of her now-even her thoughts were betrayals-but Harry was shirtless and that was far more interesting to focus on.
Reaching out, Pansy brushed a hand down his chest, carding through the sparse hair on the flat planes of his torso that emphasized how different he and Bellatrix were. She, female, physically soft and emotionally cruel, and he, male, physically hard and emotionally gentle. And they hated each other.
Pansy had enough desire to bridge the gap between them both. Or so she hoped.
Harry caught her hand and kissed it. “Turn over, love. You know I enjoy touching you.”
Pansy shivered. If she was right, she was going to enjoy this.
The sound of a cap being opened confirmed her suspicions, to her delight. Harry loved some muggle brand of sweet smelling oil. Pansy indulged him because it was expensive and the smell of pansies was very special. That he’d gone out of his way to get something so meaningful to them both meant a lot to her. And smelling like her namesake for hours while her muscles were pliant goo wasn’t half bad either.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy was startled out of her trance by the sound of flesh hitting flesh. She realised a moment later when her cheek burned that it had been Bella’s hand connecting with her face.
“Next time, answer your Mistress,” Bella said. Pansy thought her voice sounded vicious but wasn’t sure if it was moreso than normal. As always though, that cruelty made her wet. In some ways, it was the juxtaposition of both Harry and Bella that appealed to her most. So different and so desirable.
“Yes, Mistress.” There was a whimper in Pansy’s voice that shamed her, but how could she help it? She’d been two seconds from reliving one of the most erotic massages of her life and her Mistress had interrupted her. As was her right.
A pleased coo filtered into Pansy’s ears and she knew then that it was okay to lower her head to Bellatrix’s breast, stealing comfort where it wasn’t expressly denied. Most would call her relationship with Bella twisted but most hadn’t lived through hell and back in the same manner she had. Most didn’t still crave everything they could grasp out of life. She was greedy. She needed. She knew that if Bella knew, she’d be called a whore.
Or worse.
Bella ran fingers through Pansy’s damp hair, seeming to ignore the sweat that had accumulated in her strands and on her scalp during their scene. “You were a good girl, in the end. I think I shall keep you after all.” There was a darkness to Bellatrix’s giggle; Pansy hadn’t even known that dismissal was at risk.
♔ ♔ ♔
At home, Pansy headed immediately for the shower. It wouldn’t do to let Harry see her like this, even if it was through the floo. She had to keep it a secret until she could rely on magic to ease a path where none exists. A path of dual amnesty and love. She wanted it desperately.
How could she live without Harry’s soft attention? Or without Bella’s strict guidance? She needed both, more than she needed the very air in her lungs.
She pulled her robe off, sending it to the hamper on a reflex. A quick spell filled the claw foot tub with warm lavender scented bath water. It was all about the luxuries; she sank down in the basin until the tips of her sleek bob brushed the water’s surface. Muscles relaxed; pains eased. Pansy thought about the spell she’d found referenced earlier that day.
A binding spell. I should have thought of that before. Pansy was surprised that she hadn’t, and though she wanted to linger through her ablutions, she sat up and grabbed the soap from a dish on a low table beside the antique tub. It was specially made for her and laced with enough pain antidote to soothe an injured racehorse. She felt like one of the same at times.
Sighing, she looked down at the water she was resting it and shook her head. Now was a time for focus, not misery. She would get her way. She believed in magic.
Clean, Pansy stood and summoned a towel, freshly warm and soft as down. After wrapping herself in its folds, she drug a hand through her hair and faced herself in the mirror. “This will work. You’ll see.”
“A little mascara, and you’d do in a pinch, darling!”
Pansy rolled her eyes at the mirror and silenced it with a wave of her wand. Of all the things the wizarding world had created, this was not one she was fond of. Not when it was distracting her from her ambitions.
She scrubbed a hand over her face and let out a frustrated huff of breath. Time to let Harry know she’d be standing him up. She felt bad about missing a night of his careful attention, but it was for a long term goal. Slytherins played to the end game and she was a Slytherin to the core.
♔ ♔ ♔
A glass of wine and a floo call later, she had a free evening to herself, and elves preparing quiche. Settling in a dressing gown in her library, she opened the tome that had been referenced earlier in another, and she began to read. She blessed the way her parents’ library was connected to her own so she could borrow their books at will.
Serere Cothurnate
Magical bindings for the most tragic of circumstances.
Pansy thought her situation was most tragic indeed.
This binding requires both potion and incantation. Parties involved need not be present for success. Maker must ensure consumption by one of the involved parties before murmuring the incantation.
Potion
1. Crocodile heart. Diced finely.
2. Stinging Nettles, three.
3. Salamander Blood, one phial.
4. Crushed Faerie Wings, two.
5. 1 hair of each involved individual.
Instructions:
1. Add the first three ingredients to a cold cauldron.
2. Heat cauldron to boiling.
3. Stir until nettles and heart are liquid: five clockwise turns, five counter clockwise turns, repeat.
4. Add faerie wings.
5. Stir once counter clockwise and once clockwise.
6. Add hairs of participants.
7. Wait two minutes, then immediately take potion off of heat and pour into a phial for use later.
Incantation
Point your wand upwards to the sky and roll your wrist in three small circles while saying: Serere Cothurnate Aeternus Eternus.
The passage didn’t describe the immediate effects but Pansy was sure that it was just was she needing. A binding spell would solve her problem completely. She would simply remember to mention her plans to no one; she hated being perceived as mad.
♔ ♔ ♔
It took her a week to gather the materials. A week of pretending everything was fine. A week of aching inside for one when she was with the other. It wasn’t fair how much she loved and needed them both, but she was sure if Harry knew, he’d scan her for dark spells. And if Bella knew.... Perish the thought.
Once she had everything though--and a moment alone--it was quite simple. She could drink the potion since she was to be part of the binding.
She brewed carefully--the fact that Snape would be proud of her made her even happier--and when it was finished, the colouring matched that indicated by the ancient tome. It was a muted red colour and looked stale, but that simply told her she’d produced the brew correctly.
She tossed it back. “Serere Cothurnate Aeternus Eternus.” Her wand was aloft, her wrist rotating at the joint to make the necessary wand motions.
Then the world was black.
♔ ♔ ♔
The day Pansy married Harry, the Daily Prophet wrote another scandalous story about her. Except that it wasn’t so scandalous to be accused of cheating; they simply had the wrong partner. Harry had faith in her though and Pansy had hope that it would all work out. Both Harry and Bella had seemed more loving towards her since the spell. And more possessive simultaneously.
She wore a white lace gown from Versace, and blue garters borrowed from Luna because the loony bint insisted she be allowed to help. Insisted that since Pansy didn’t have many female friends of her own that were speaking to her after her announced nuptials, Luna would be her matron of honour. They would ignore the fact that Luna was still unwed herself and not fit for such a role.
Pansy made do. It was worth it for the success of the end game. And she was most certainly counting on success.
Harry was besotted with her that day, more so than usual, and Pansy felt enamoured as well. It felt meant.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy could hear Bellatrix chuckle. The room was dark behind her blindfold and she shuddered. Something was coming and she likely wouldn’t enjoy it if she were on her own. But to please her Mistress... At least she had a pillow beneath her raised hips for support. She could feel the touch of Bellatrix’s finger as they smoothed over her arse before moving lower to part her folds.
“Have you been loyal to me, pet? You look well used.” Pansy heard the possessiveness in Bella’s tone. “My whore wouldn’t disobey. She wouldn’t stray.” There was a sing-song quality to the speech that made Pansy shudder.
“Answer your Mistress!” A hand connected with Pansy’s flank and fire burst beneath the skin. Pansy mumbled behind the gag, failing just as she was sure Bella wished her to. Another slap reigned down. And another. Pansy made distressed noises in her throat.
“Quiet, whore.” A cutting hex was spoken and Pansy felt liquid before she felt pain, pondering the strange way the body worked. She knew the picture of her bloody arse cheek pleased her Mistress when it was repeated on the other. Tears welled up in her eyes and for once, it seemed okay to cry. Bellatrix wouldn’t know.
“A loose whore is a dead whore, my pretty. Remember that.” Pansy thought it sounded like Bella was speaking to a baby. At least she knew the spell was working, but she couldn’t have imagined this intensity. And, so far, there was no indication of love or love lost between her two lovers.
The press of a wand in her quim surprised her. She moaned and whimpered behind the gag. It was not enough. She liked her cocks like Harry’s, girthy enough to fill her in all the right places. This just teased. Pansy squirmed, begging with her body for more.
“Whore.” Bella spat the word at her with enough force that Pansy felt drops of saliva on her back. “Crucio!”
Pansy froze and bit the gag. She hadn’t been prepared. The pain was too great. She felt like she was going to pass out if it continued any longer. Pain of that magnitude defied the ability to register and deal with it. “Please!”
Her word sounded jumbled to even her own ears; the knowledge made her cry harder, body shaking with her sobs and with the currents of magic spreading out from her core.
It stopped.
That was when Pansy heard Bella’s moans. The sound made her relax. There. She was desired.
“Such a sweet little whore.” There was a fondness in Bella’s tone that Pansy was unused to and her heart opened further, aching and wanting. It was greedy for more. If she just pleased her a little more. If she just...
Pansy moaned. There were two fingers in her cunt now, questing. She spread her knees further and Bella made an uncharacteristic noise of encouragement. Pansy purred behind her gag, wishing she could see the expression on her Mistress’s face. Everything was going according to plan. Everything was perfect. Soon, she could bring them together...
Another finger was added and Pansy could feel the stretch. A fourth finger shortly thereafter made Pansy wince at the level of fullness, whimpering in her throat.
“Be a good whore. I know my pretty whore can take it.” The threat of what would happen if she didn’t was very clear to Pansy when she heard Bellatrix’s words. Pansy nodded quickly; she didn’t want to risk another round of crucio so soon.
She could tell Bellatrix was working on stretching her for something more and could feel her Mistress’s wet quim as it ground against her leg. Whatever was planned--it was hard to imagine as the painful stretch became a pleasure--Bella was excited. That made Pansy excited in turn. She moaned behind the gag, knowing her Mistress was partial to sounds.
Still, she didn’t expect a fifth finger. She had just adjusted to the feel of four fingers thrusting in and out of her body. Five was hard to imagine, but it was reality. She was taking everything she could from the situation, just as she did from life. That knowledge was arousing.
And with her Mistress’s hand deep inside her body, two things happened. Her mistress climaxed. And another voice echoed in the room. A male one.
♔ ♔ ♔
”What the fuck, Pansy?” Pansy groaned. She could hear Harry’s voice and his anger, but at present, she couldn’t see him. That was remediated promptly. She felt Harry’s magic wash over her as she was levitated away from Bellatrix; in the process, her gag and blindfold fell to the floor.
She didn’t know who to cling to, but she could tell something wasn’t right. Harry wasn’t supposed to be pointing his wand at Bellatrix so menacingly. Pansy wrested herself from his grip and stood on wobbly legs. She could feel herself leaking down her legs and knew her husband was unimpressed. That much was evident from the curl in his lip. He was disgusted by her.
“Secumspetra!” Bella cast while Pansy and Harry were staring at each other. Pansy could feel her tears stop as horror set in. She didn’t even know when she’d begun to cry but that wasn’t important. Harry needed help. He was going to die.
Bellatrix cackled and drug her across the room by her hair. Pansy couldn’t keep up. Her knees buckled and the cold stone floor of the grey room abraded her skin. Pansy was sure Bella had left it unfinished for this very purpose.
“Loose trollop! Whore!” The words were spat in Pansy’s face and she could see a cruelty there that had never existed before. Why wasn’t the spell working? But Harry was more important. She knew he was close to the end. She had to save him, no matter what the cost. She loved them both and couldn’t stand to have either taken from her. Especially not like this.
Fighting Bella’s hold, she jabbed an elbow in the soft flesh of the older woman’s stomach. In Bella’s effort to keep her hold on Pansy, she dropped her wand and Pansy wrenched free, grasping it and sacrificing a chunk of hair in the process.
Working quickly, she levitated Harry down the hall and to the floo. There was time left. Still time. Still...
Pansy threw green powder into the fireplace, called the destination and sent Harry’s bleeding body through. If there was one thing she could count on, it was that the world loved Harry James Potter immensely. They wouldn’t let him die.
Then she dropped to her knees and wept, letting go of the wand as footfalls approached. It was over for her now.
♔ ♔ ♔
Pansy didn’t know what to think these days. The spell should have worked but it made everything worse. It was a miracle that she had been able to save Harry at all. And she would use her body to save him still.
She looked out from her cage and waited. Her Mistress would return again, unless Harry spoke of what he’d seen. Though there was no crime in having sex. And her husband didn’t know the truth that would send Bella away, save for the attempted murder via dark spell. She couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t do anything, chained away. This was the beginning of a long and painful end.
She hoped they never met, the three of them, altogether in the same location ever again. She feared the consequences of such a meeting.
♔ ♔ ♔
Harry looked up from his bed. He couldn’t remember how he’d arrived at St. Mungo’s. Obviously Pansy had sent him as Bellatrix would have seen fit to let him die from her spell. But he couldn’t think about that now. He had a divorce to execute.
Beside the bed, another Slytherin sat. He was surrounded by them these days. Harry sighed and looked at Draco Malfoy. “We can do this out of court, yes?”
Malfoy looked like he wanted to disagree, looked like the battle in the courts and the way he would best his opponents was much more important, but he didn’t. Harry was relieved to see his attorney nod. “Yes, you’ve been through enough, I dare say. I don’t know what happened. Pansy was never this bad.”
Harry just nodded mutely. He didn’t know what to think either.
♔ ♔ ♔
✢ Fin ✢