Unveiling Secrets: A New Path for Harry Potter

A week had gone by since Harry faced the dragon, and December had arrived, bringing cold wintry weather. If the girls from France had thought it was cold when they arrived more than a month before in their silk outfits and shawls, they were probably wishing they had never come to Hogwarts now.

Professor McGonagall had asked Harry to stay behind so she could have a word with him in private after Transfiguration, and the fact that she had specifically stared at Pansy when saying "in private" made her take the hint to wait outside. Harry didn't seem to mind, so she stepped out into the hall.

However, someone else was waiting behind as well- Parvati.

"Pansy, can we talk for a minute? Just the two of us?"

"Sure."

She followed her classmate and pseudo-friend into an empty room just down the hall. Parvati looked to be somewhat anxious, so Pansy closed the door behind them and waited to see what she wanted. Parvati paced around the room for a second as she built up her nerve.

"I want in."

"You want in what?"

"Harry's harem," Parvati replied. Pansy raised an eyebrow at her bringing up this old rumor again.

"He's got you from Slytherin and Lovegood from Ravenclaw. I can do whatever it takes to be the girl he picks from Gryffindor. We both know he doesn't like Granger that way, Ginny Weasley is too shy, and also too young I suppose, and Lavender takes things too far for Harry's tastes when she tries to flirt. I am the best choice."

"What if he went for someone older, like one of his quidditch teammates?" Pansy asked, curious to see how far she could go with this logic.

"Doubtful. Johnson and Spinnet have always treated him like a little brother. Bell did too, for the most part, although the gossip is that she did try to make a move on Harry during the celebration after last year's quidditch final, but Harry supposedly rebuffed her."

"Really? I never heard that." Pansy wondered if she needed to have a talk with Harry about hiding things from her. He would not enjoy her displeasure about this.

"Well, I just learned it recently myself. But the point is that Harry wasn't interested in her. So, I want him to give me a chance. He won't regret it. Please. Will you talk to him for me?"

"As I recall, the last time this silly rumor was brought up last spring, I told you and Lavender that Harry wasn't forming a harem."

"Are you sure? I won't judge him if he is- obviously, since I'm asking to join."

"I'm very sure. Luna is just a friend, she's never even kissed Harry."

"But you have." Pavarti stated it with such a determined tone that Pansy knew something had changed.

"Please don't deny it. I'm not stupid, and I've watched Harry. A lot. Which means I've also watched you a lot. The two of you have been pretty subtle, trying not to show any displays of affection in public, but that's what eventually gave it away. You are obviously close to him; I mean, you do live with him after all. But Harry is much, much more physically affectionate with both Hermione and Luna. The way you two hold back, it's like you were intentionally hiding it."

Pansy looked away and bit her tongue to hold back a torrent of swearing. She should have known they would get caught at some point.

"What do you want?"

"I told you. I want Harry."

"Harry's not up for grabs."

"How can you be so sure? I mean, I've seen enough to realize that you don't follow all the old traditions of someone serving another's house, but you do still belong to him. It's not the other way around.

"We've become friends over the last year. Or at least, friendly. I thought it would be better to speak to you first instead of just asking Harry. But I will go straight to him if you aren't willing to help. He's still a teenage boy, and I'm willing to do a lot to get his attention. I might even be able to talk Padma into helping; and I doubt any teenage guy could turn down twins."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you so set on Harry?"

Parvati took a moment to gather her thoughts, which allowed Pansy to try to calm herself as well.

"There are a lot of reasons. He's Harry, you should know what he's like. He's brave and cute and strong. He could take care of me. Plus, it helps a lot that my parents couldn't really do anything to object since I do have an open betrothal offer in my name with him."

"Alright, but why do you think you need someone like Harry to take care of you? It's not like either of your parents were Death Eaters."

"No, they weren't. You do have me beat there," Parvati admitted with a slight frown. "But the magical culture of India is even more traditional than here in England. Arranged marriages are the norm, and my family still holds enough ties back there that it has always been clear that Padma and I should expect to have no say over our future husbands.

"Harry is a chance to get away from all that. And I desperately want that chance."

"What about your sister? You suggested she might want in too." Pansy kept her cool and let the conversation play out. She would need Harry's help to deal with this, but it was a nightmare. She tried to make sure she didn't start grinding her teeth.

"She might, but I'm just not sure if Padma would be as, as... I guess as bold as I am. She's always been more reserved. More accepting. She's not happy about it, of course, but when we came to school here, she decided to focus on learning everything she could about magic while she still had the freedom to choose.

"I know some people think I'm just a silly gossip like Lavender, but these years could be my only chance to be happy. I know that I'm probably going to be set up with some complete stranger after we graduate. So I'm going to enjoy every moment I can being a normal teenage girl."

"And you would rather choose Harry for yourself than hope that your parents pick someone compatible with you." Pansy nodded. "I can understand that."

"So, will you help me or not? I'd rather have your cooperation. We don't have to compete for his affections. I'm used to sharing; it's second nature when you've got a twin.

"Besides, if the rumors are true, Harry's got plenty of money to support a couple of girls. Maybe more, considering his lawyer has been suing everyone that's ever made money off his name."

Pansy walked across the room to an old chair and collapsed into it. Why couldn't things ever be easy? She was angry at herself for letting things slip. She was frustrated that Parvati wanted a piece of Harry too- it was bad enough when some cow like Bones made eyes at him, but now someone that Pansy liked was interested too.

The fact that she had known about Parvati's crush for a long time did lessen her anger a bit, and the fact that she claimed to be willing to share him instead of just trying to steal Harry away was better than the alternative. But that didn't mean that Pansy was going to let Parvati or anyone else get in the middle of things with Harry. She had to be careful though. Especially when dealing with such a social girl; the gossip could get nasty if she didn't handle this just right.

"Can I ask why you're bringing this up now? It sounds like you don't have anything to worry about for a few more years."

"That's true," Parvati agreed. "Part of it is that I was worried that Luna had already claimed a spot with Harry before I had a chance. I didn't want anyone else to beat me to it. But also, I finally figured it out when we were watching the first task."

"Figured what out?" Harry asked as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"She knows," Pansy answered. Harry looked a bit puzzled. "About us."

"Oh." He walked over to her and helped her to her feet, pulling a reluctant Pansy into a hug. "Well, we knew it was going to come out sooner or later."

"That's not all. Parvati wants you to take care of her as well."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm afraid of my parents setting me up in an arranged marriage," Parvati replied. "I'd much rather be with you than anyone they might choose."

Harry looked over at her and saw both the fear and hope in her eyes. He really wished this wasn't happening now of all times.

"Parvati, please don't take this wrong, because I do like you, but I have a girlfriend. I'm not looking for another one." He saw her look down, and he did feel bad about rejecting her, but Harry wasn't going to let anyone come between him and Pansy. He had learned from that mistake already.

"But maybe there's something else I could do..."

"What?" She looked up and Harry felt a little pang at the sadness in her eyes.

"Are your parents going to arrange something any time soon?"

"No." Parvati chewed her lip for a second. "At least, I doubt it. They told us before we started at Hogwarts that plans for marriage would be dealt with after we graduated. I think my mother wanted us to not have to worry about it while we're in school. Plus, since we do have an outstanding betrothal offer with you, it would be bad form to try to set something up with another family until that was resolved."

"Well, that's great then," Harry said excitedly. "You're in the clear as long as I don't give an official answer for now. And later, if you're already an adult, you wouldn't have to agree to any arranged marriage they might set up. You could just do whatever you wanted, live your own life."

"Harry, it's not that easy," Parvati sighed.

"Why not?"

"Well, even if everything went like that, I would graduate and have no support at all if I refused my parents like that. I wouldn't have any money, any place to live. I would still need help. I would still need someone like you."

"I could-"

"Harry, wait, let's think this over," Pansy interrupted. She gave him a pointed look, and Harry realized that she would want to discuss this in private before he started making offers of ways to help Parvati. He could only nod in agreement; Pansy was a lot more thoughtful, but she had not yet broken him of his occasionally rash nature.

"Alright, let me do some research and see what I can figure out," Harry said as he looked over at Parvati. "I assume you can keep this secret to yourself for now?"

"I probably can," Parvati teased. "If you make it worth my while."

Pansy snorted at Harry's exasperated sigh.

"And what, exactly, would make it worth your while?" she asked as Harry looked frustrated at having yet another girl messing with his head.

'He really should be used to it by now,' Pansy thought, laughing to herself internally.

"For starters, I think you should walk me back to the common room, like a gentleman." There was more than a hint of mirth in her eyes. "You do have two arms, so I'm sure you're up to escorting two ladies at once. Right, Harry?"

She had to give it to Parvati, the girl knew how to play the game, and she was smart enough not to try to push Pansy on anything yet.

"I guess I can."

"Then let's go."

"As you wish."

Parvati didn't even try to hold back her giggles as she took Harry's left arm and drew herself in closer than Harry might have expected. But he was used to Luna ignoring his personal space, so he didn't bother complaining.

Besides, Parvati was a very pretty girl, and if he were crazy enough to ever try to suggest a threesome, there were a lot worse girls he could choose. Not that he would, as Pansy would probably strangle him. Plus, the guilt would hurt even more, as he would not be able to live with himself in wounding her like that.

Still, a guy could dream, right? There's no harm in fantasizing a little bit.

Except that his body started to respond before he could even think of anything particularly fun. Dammit.

"So, what did McGonagall want?" Parvati asked as they began walking down the hall that would take them to the stairs. "Was it something to do with the Yule Ball?"

"Uh, yeah." Harry's brain rebooted itself. He would have to thank Parvati for that- no, not like that. Down boy!

His hormones were not cooperating.

"And?"

"Huh? Oh right," Harry tried again, his brain becoming a bit less foggy this time. "As one of the champions, I have to open the ball with a dance."

"A dance with a partner?" Parvati was still happily chatting, but he felt Pansy tense up a bit at that.

"Yes."

"I suppose you've already got your date picked out too," Parvati sighed. Thankfully there was no one nearby, as she looked across him at Pansy while doing so. "I hope you know what a lucky girl you are."

"I do," was the only reply.

"It's even worse when you consider the other options."

"Believe me, I know," Pansy agreed.

"How so?" Harry asked. He knew the girls were going to start gossiping, but if Parvati got off onto the topic of comparing the rest of the guys, then hopefully she wouldn't say anything else that could be too troublesome.

Or even worse, get him thinking about certain things again.

"Where should I start? How about Slytherin? No offense Pansy, but the guys there suck. Draco was the most attractive, which still wasn't enough to make most girls overlook what an arrogant jerk he was. Zabini is cute enough, I suppose, but I've heard enough rumors about his mother to keep me far away from him. I doubt a black widow would do very well in raising a child."

"That makes sense. With the way so many people seem to largely stick to their houses, I guess I should feel bad for any Slytherin witches that get stuck with one of them," Harry replied.

"I would if I were a nicer person," Pansy snorted.

"I think I would still pity any girl unlucky enough to have Crabbe stomping on her feet. Now that would hurt," Parvati laughed. "But, let's move onto the guys from Gryffindor. First, we have Ron Weasley."

"The less said about him, the better," Pansy answered.

"Agreed. No offense to your past self, Harry, but your former friend is a gross slob. I'm not sure why Lavender doesn't seem to mind when he stares at her chest."

"There's no accounting for taste. Silly girl," Pansy chuckled.

"Anyway, then we have Seamus. Now, he is fairly cute, but he's also the most likely guy in our year to try to stick his hand up your dress."

"Maybe even while you're still on the dance floor," Pansy added.

"Exactly."

"You two should have heard some of the things he's said in the boys' dorms. He was a pervert even as a first year. I still remember the second night here that he was already trying to figure out which girl had the best arse."

"Who won?" Parvati asked with a grin.

"I guess I should congratulate you?" Harry replied, just unsure enough to see if she would take it as a complement or a joke.

"Hah! Lavender would throw a fit. She was proud of her bum even then."

Harry just nodded- she took it as both judging by the smile. He really would never understand girls.

But he also had to admit Seamus was right in that case- Parvati was way hotter than than Hermione or Lavender. 'Stop that,' Harry thought to himself.

"Next we come to Merlin's gift to women, Dean Thomas." Pansy snorted at Parvati's assessment. "Or at least, so he thinks. Again, not bad looking, but he just tries way too hard sometimes. But there's a reason he and Finnigan are so close."

"Which is?" Harry asked, guessing that the answer would be mean-spirited.

"He also would probably try to cop a feel or two on the dance floor."

"A smart witch would just threaten to remove a few fingers before they accepted him as a date," Pansy suggested.

"We aren't all as intimidating as you," Parvati complained. "Still, I could always threaten a knee to the bits of whoever my date may be before we even started dancing."

"That's my girl," Pansy chuckled. "A little preemptive suggestion of violence is usually enough to make a guy behave."

"Maybe we should tell that to all the girls," Parvati giggled.

"I don't think the guys are going to enjoy this dance nearly as much as some of them might think," Harry snickered.

"They should learn to let the lady lead the pace of things," Parvati replied. "If a guy can't be a gentleman, then he doesn't deserve a chance to have some fun. Which also explains why you're going to be at the top of a lot of lists, Harry."

"So, I should be ruder?"

"Don't you dare!" Parvati looked at him in mock horror. "You are escorting two ladies at this very moment, and I will not have you ruin our reputation by acting more like the other ruffians.

"Now, where were we?"

"Longbottom?" Pansy prompted.

"Maybe," Parvati replied. "We did put all that work into him last spring. Why didn't he ever ask out Hermione?"

"You remember how crazy her schedule was last year?" Harry asked. Parvati murmured an agreement. "Well, she was so obsessed with her school work, massive amount that it was, that it put him off her. Hermione is prone to overworking herself even in the best of circumstances, and last year was not that."

"I see. Can't say that I blame him. He's probably the next best choice in Gryffindor."

"What about the other two houses?"

"Justin is the best looking guy in Hufflepuff, but he's so stuffy. Some rich muggles can give people like the Malfoys a run for their money at being pompous." Parvati looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ernie's not too bad. But I have a feeling that Hannah Abbot will be making sure he knows that she expects his attention to stay on her. They've been close forever, and Hufflepuff girls can get scary if you go after one of their guys.

"Which leaves Ravenclaw." Parvati could only try to contain her groan, which set Pansy off laughing.

"What's so bad about Ravenclaw?" Harry was surprised that both girls thought so poorly of that house.

"They're no damn fun," Parvati growled out as Pansy continued laughing. "They tend to be a bunch of nerds. Believe me, my sister is one, and as much as I love Padma, she would be the first one to tell you that she is the boring twin. The guys are even worse. If I wanted to listen to someone go over the minute details of whatever Charm we had most recently learned, I would just ask Hermione to the ball."

Now that made Harry laugh.

"Please let me watch if you do ask her."

"It's not funny, Harry," Parvati said. "Some of them are cute too, but I want to have fun at this party, and that's not likely to happen if the guy just wants to talk about school. Boys that can actually hold their own in a conversation are a rarity, especially at our age."

"You could aim for someone older then-"

"That opens up a different set of problems. The cute older guys tend to attract the most attention from the older girls, so for the most part it would only be the dregs of the upper years that would still be available. And even then, there are a lot of upper year girls to compete with, and most girls are going to be very unhappy if they don't have a date to something like this."

"So, Longbottom then?" Pansy offered.

"Maybe. Neville's mostly gotten over the stammering thing when he's nervous. That might be even worse for something like this though."

"Well, I know for a fact that Dean thinks you're really hot," Harry suggested. "Or I could suggest something to Neville, if you would prefer."

"Let me think for a minute."

Harry let the girls set the pace as they finished the trip to Gryffindor tower. Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry gave the password as Parvati was still pondering her choice of boys. He strode into the common room with both girls still on his arms.

"Hi Neville," Parvati said with a small giggle.

'Well, I guess that's that,' Harry thought as he saw a blush come across Neville's face. Poor guy didn't stand a chance.

"Thank you for walking me here, Harry." Parvati turned to him before releasing him. She leaned in to whisper into his ear. "I expect you to save me a dance. I am keeping this a secret from Lavender after all."

She stepped back and gave Harry a coquettish smile as he nodded at her, before turning to the girl on his other arm.

"See you later Pansy."

Pansy seemed to relax as Parvati walked away. Harry let her lead him into the privacy of their quarters. Once the door closed behind them, she turned to ask him a question.

"So, why did-"

"Later," Harry interrupted as he took her hand and headed for the bedroom.

"Harry-"

"Nope, sorry, I need your legs wrapped around me right fucking now," Harry growled out before she could try to argue.

And when he used that tone of voice, any of Pansy's intentions to protest went right out the window.

Just a bit later...

A thoroughly pleased Harry lay on his back catching his breath. Pansy stirred next to him, sitting up against the headboard.

"What got into you? And how do I make sure it happens again?"

Harry stretched onto his side so he could see her face and there it was- that teasing smile of hers. It made him want to skip lunch entirely, no matter the rumble of his stomach.

"Woman, I love you."

"Woman?"

"Yes. You drive me wild; you know it and you love it. We're different."

"Different?"

"From most of our classmates. Our lives are just too far off from most of them. Can you imagine what it would be like to date someone else? I can. The silly games some girl like Parvati would try to play with me. The manipulations and lies. That shite would drive me nuts."

"I tease you all the time, Harry."

"Yes, but our relationship is already established. When you tease me, it's for fun, not to try to screw with my head. I like that kind of teasing.

"Now, on another topic, I believe you wanted to ask me something earlier."

"Yes, before you so rudely interrupted me-"

"Three orgasms," Harry muttered, not quite under his breath.

"Alright, so maybe it wasn't that rude of an interruption," Pansy admitted with a pleased smile. "Anyway, I was going to ask why McGonagall wanted to speak with you in private after class. She had already mentioned the Yule Ball."

"I think it was for your sake, actually."

"How so?"

"Well, she doesn't know the true state of our relationship. I don't think the professor would want to make things awkward if I were going to ask some other girl to the ball. She didn't want to hurt your feelings, or at least that's what I assume she was doing."

"Oh."

Pansy grew quiet for a moment. Harry let the silence play out as he was feeling so much better than earlier.

"So, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to ask someone else."

"Are you crazy? Why would I do that?"

"So we could keep things a secret longer," Pansy said with a bitter tone. "You could ask Luna, you know."

"No fucking way. Look, I don't think Parvati will be able to keep a secret this big for too long anyway. The Yule Ball seems like a perfect time to finally let me reveal how much my beautiful, amazing girlfriend means to me. There is no other girl I would choose."

"I suppose."

"I thought you would be more excited for this," Harry said. She could be exasperatingly confusing at times. "You were really enthusiastic about getting our fancy dress outfits ready last summer. This is obviously what that was for, you know."

"I had actually forgotten about that."

"Really?"

"Talking with Parvati today kind of threw me for a loop."

"Oh." Harry wondered how big of a problem she was going to be. He hoped not too much of one; he didn't want to have to be cruel to Parvati. "How mad are you at her?"

"Not as much as you might think."

"That is surprising."

"Well, I've known about her feelings for you for a long time for one thing," Pansy shrugged. "Plus, she never indicated having any plans to try to win you away from me or anything like that."

"Not that that would work," Harry insisted.

"I know. It was actually smart of her to go with the 'I can be a second girl' angle. Parvati is my friend- sort of, at least. I can't really blame her for being afraid of getting set up in an arranged marriage, now can I?"

"You could, you know," Harry chuckled. "I very rarely judge you for being mean."

"Only when I pick on your friends," Pansy laughed. "That's one of the things I really love about you, Harry. The way you accept that I am not the most pleasant person to be around."

"You're pleasant to me. That's what really matters. Why should I care if you say mean things about other people behind their backs? I imagine a lot of people say horrible things about me- as long as it's not to my face, it doesn't particularly bother me."

"There is one other problem, though," Pansy stated.

"What's that?"

"This does throw a rather large wrench in our holiday plans."

"Not necessarily." Harry thought for a moment. "We may have to be here for the Yule Ball itself, but there's no reason we couldn't spend most of the rest of the break away from Hogwarts. I certainly wouldn't mind getting some peace and quiet elsewhere. We could go back to the flat for a few days, then pop back here for the festivities."

"I think I would like that."

"Good. I guess we should talk to Luna, though. If she's going home, we could see her off."

"Or you could frighten anyone that asks her out."

"What can I say? I take care of my girls."

"Are you going to be that overprotective if someone asks Granger to the ball?"

Harry had to ponder that for a moment.

"To some extent, yes. Hermione can't learn everything out of a book, and I do want to make sure that she doesn't end up going with the wrong sort of guy. She doesn't have the best track record for taste in men."

"Weasley, ugh."

"Lockhart too."

"That's just sad."

"I know."

"We should get up, Harry. I think lunch has already started."

"Right." Harry quickly got to his feet and crossed over to the other side of the bed as Pansy sat up. He grabbed his wand and a spare quill from the night table then knelt before her. Harry cast a spell he had come across in one of the many books he had been searching through lately and saw the delight in Pansy's eyes as the quill turned into a rose.

"Will you do me the great honor of escorting me to the Yule Ball, my love?"

"When did you learn how to do that?"

"A few weeks ago." Harry smiled as she was staring at the flower now in her hand. She could be so girly sometimes, and it always made him feel content when Pansy let her romantic nature come to the surface. "Some sentimental lover created several spells to turn various things into flowers more than a century ago. I had been saving it as a surprise."

"You do know how to treat a girl, Harry." Pansy sighed happily. "Things like this are why I can't really blame someone like Parvati for wanting you too."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome."

"So?"

"So what?"

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Of course I'll go to the Yule Ball with you. You could just order me to do so, you know."

"I wonder if anyone will think that's what I've done," Harry chuckled.

"I wouldn't put it past some of the bastards here," Pansy snorted. "Come on, Harry. You made me work up an appetite. We can ask Luna about her holiday plans too."

As it turned out, Luna was going home for the holidays. She had no particular interest in a school dance and cherished the time she had with her father. Harry and Pansy could understand that; as orphans, they would never begrudge Luna's closeness with her one remaining parent.

They made plans to ride the train home with her though, as both of them had grown incredibly fond of Luna and wanted to get a chance to hang out with her as much as they could before she was busy with whatever strange adventure she might go off on with Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna was hoping for a few days to try to chase down snow fairies.

That reference brought a smile to Pansy's face that she told Harry she would explain later.

They had yet another Defense lesson with professor Moody that afternoon. He had the class working on the shield charm, something he argued should have been taught to them years ago according to the former auror. With how many times people hexed each other in the hallways, even as first years sometimes, Harry had to agree with him.

Of course, the fact that a lot of first years might not have the ability to get the spell down was no excuse that either Moody or Harry would accept.

For Harry's part, he had just successfully used it against a dragon after all. Besides, he could think of several times when it would have come in handy his first couple of years at Hogwarts, before he had learned it.

As usual, Harry stayed behind after class. Moody was expecting it now, and the one time they began to leave with the rest of the students he had called them back and chastised them for it.

Pansy was not nearly as dedicated as Harry, but she did find some of the professor's advice fascinating- just on the level of one cynic to another, if nothing else. His paranoia was a bit more generalized than Harry's though; but then, Moody had been fighting against dark wizards before there even was a group calling themselves Death Eaters.

On this occasion, professor Moody gave them the results of what had happened with the dragon at the first task. The investigation had been over for several days, and of course Dumbledore hadn't bothered to tell Harry anything, as usual. Mad-Eye was having none of the headmaster's secrecy though- he was openly calling Harry his protege now. In part, it was because the two of them got along so well, but the professor had also admitted that he was disappointed by how soft so many of the students were. Even after the Death Eater attack of the summer, no one else seemed to realize or care that there was clearly danger looming on the horizon.

Harry had warned those closest to him of his concerns, so Hermione and Luna were both still intensely training with Harry whenever they could, although everyone had agreed to wind down somewhat as the fall term was coming to an end.

The next couple of weeks were unpleasant in a number of ways. For one thing, the amount of girls staring and giggling at Harry were off the charts. Ginny Weasley now had plenty of company as his admirers had grown considerably. Just being the school's champion probably would have been enough to draw a lot of interest, but seeing the boy who lived slay a dragon was now driving his legend even further.

Not that Harry had even meant to kill the creature necessarily, but that didn't seem to matter to anyone.

And it definitely didn't matter to Rubeus Hagrid, who was avoiding Harry like the plague. Which made the Care of Magical Creatures classes pretty damn awkward.

Ron was also staying away from Harry, which pleased Pansy to no end. She didn't gloat though, as she didn't want Harry to even think about the ginger moron anymore, just in case he got it in his head to try to let Weasley have another chance for some stupid reason. Anyway, glaring at the foolish boy when he was caught staring at Harry was really funny.

It looked like Weasley was having an especially rough time as he and Granger had a major blow out just before the holiday break. After hilariously being shot down when he had the brilliant idea to ask Fleur Delacour to the ball (in the middle of the Great Hall, no less), his next best plan was to agree to take Hermione as his date, since she was a girl and it would just be embarrassing if she showed up alone that night.

Tact was never his strong suit.

Pansy was never more happy to have been spending some spare time in the Gryffindor common room for once- missing Granger's rant would have been so disappointing as she tore Weasley a new arsehole for his rudeness. Unfortunately, she did then get dragged off by Harry, who decided that it was time to have a private chat with the bookworm.

Hermione was all too willing to go somewhere else quieter after her confrontation, but she was also not in the most pleasant of moods, so Pansy set up the privacy spells after she closed and locked the door of the empty classroom.

Harry was on his own for this.

"Hermione, first of all, let me just say that I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

"Forget it, Harry. Ron's never really apologized to me for any of the stupid things he's said or done. I'm not going to expect that to change. And you of all people should understand how I feel."

"Yeah, well, I didn't actually want to talk about him. I need to tell you a few things, especially now that it seems you're starting to date. Can I ask who the lucky gent is?"

"I, um, I'd rather not say." Granger of all people was blushing. Pansy held in a scoff, wondering if Weasley had hit the mark a little too closely.

"Alright, well since I haven't announced who my date is yet either, I can't really say anything either."

"It's Pansy, isn't it?"

Harry looked over at her, then turned to his apparently not-so-secret girlfriend who merely rolled her eyes.

"Did Parvati say something?" he asked.

"No. How did she find out?"

"It's a bit of a story."

"I'm surprised she hasn't told the entire school."

"Well, let's just say that we made a deal and leave it at that. How did you figure it out?"

"Harry, you only really spend a lot of time around three girls. You and I are just friends. I thought you might ask Luna at first, but I was there when you were talking to her about her holiday plans. That just leaves Pansy, and if anyone was going to be all secretive with you, it would be her."

"Right well, regardless, it's time for us to have a talk about witches and wizards."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes at him.

"Harry, my parents are dentists- health care professionals. Don't you think they would have given me the birds and the bees talk a long time ago?"

"I'm not saying anything about your parents, Hermione. But there are differences between us and muggles, and it's not all about the little sticks we wave around. There are other forms of magic, you know. Rituals, things like that. Anyway, have you ever wondered why we don't hear more about people having sex here at Hogwarts? Especially the upper years. This is a co-ed boarding school, after all, with a pretty small amount of faculty."

"I did think it somewhat strange, but magical society is rather old-fashioned," Hermione replied.

"That may be, but teenagers are teenagers, and hormones are hormones."

"So? Is there something else keeping those hormones in check? I could see the idea of a charm to keep our libidos lowered, although from some of the gossip I hear, I don't think that's it. Maybe-"

"Let me stop you before you get off on a tangent, Hermione." She huffed at him briefly, but Harry merely smiled in response. "There is something, but it has to do with magical society much more than any sort of actual charm to inhibit behavior. It's something much simpler than that."

"Peer pressure?" Hermione asked. "I would think I would have heard something like that, although I do remember a seventh year girl last year being called all sorts of nasty things by some older girls. It was an isolated event though, so I just thought they were being mean."

"Harry, get on with it," Pansy interrupted with a groan. "Just tell Granger to keep her legs shut. I've got two Charms essays to write."

"Two?" Hermione gave him a hard look. "Are you making Pansy do your homework for you?"

"Oh just relax, Hermione. I don't make Pansy do anything." A snort from behind him made Harry turn his head. "And no more out of you either, if you want me to get through this.

"Anyway, the short version of the story is that there are rituals having to do with sex, and a somewhat common one, at least in the pureblood world, is a virginity sacrifice ritual that empowers both the female and the male she sleeps with."

"What about gay people?"

"I... I don't know. Pansy?"

"Are you gay, Granger?"

"No."

"Then don't worry about it. Get to the point, Harry."

"Right. The point is that people from the non-magical world don't know about this unless they are told by someone. The magical world never had the sexual revolution, so if muggleborn girls don't have friends who let them in on the secret, then they are at a societal disadvantage that they aren't even aware of. And this means a couple of other things in the long run.

"First, a lot of people still save themselves for marriage. Or at least until they are engaged, betrothed, or whatever. But secondly, there are people that go in the opposite direction and try to take advantage of this ignorance when they can. I just wanted to warn you in case you ran into someone like that."

"I see." Hermione had a small blush that she tried to hide. "Well, thank you for your concern, but I'm not planning on sleeping with anyone yet. It's just a dance after all."

"I wasn't suggesting anything, I just wanted to warn you whenever you did start dating. You're my best friend, Hermione. I don't want to see anyone hurt you."

"Thanks, Harry." She stepped closer and pulled him in for a hug. "I do appreciate it. But I have a couple of questions."

"Alright."

"How long have you known about this?"

"Um, roughly a year I guess."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Hermione asked. "Were you afraid it would be awkward?"

"Yes. It didn't seem to matter last year, so..."

"Okay, that makes sense." Hermione turned her head and looked anxious. "Second question, do I need to worry about the two of you? You are alone together a lot. I've wondered if there was more to your relationship at times, but now-"

"Our relationship is private, Granger," Pansy interjected.

"It won't be very private for long if you're going to the Yule Ball together."

"Don't worry about it," Harry replied. "Are you still not going to let me know who your date is?"

"Not yet."

"Alright, but just to warn you, I reserve the right to threaten any guy who could possibly hurt my best friend."

That earned him a laugh.

"So, should I threaten Pansy then?"

"Try it, Granger." It was almost a growl, but Harry chuckled anyway. "I wouldn't hurt Harry even if I could. But I would hurt anyone who pokes their nose into his business."

"I know," Hermione answered, just a hint paler. "I still remember the slap from last year."

"Good, then you shouldn't need a reminder."

"Alright, Pansy, don't be so grumpy," Harry chided. "We can go now; you can do your work and I can get back to my research."

"Research?" Hermione perked up at that.

"Uh, yeah, personal stuff for now. But I'll let you know if it's something you can help with."

Pansy was already heading for the door, so the other two followed behind her.

"Poor Ginny never stood a chance, did she?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry answered.

"I suppose it would have helped if she had actually been able to talk to you."

"Yes, but even then..." Harry wasn't sure what more he might say. There was nothing wrong with Ginny having a crush on him, especially after he saved her life down in the Slytherin's chamber, but Harry needed so much more from a girl than just some romantic feelings. And he doubted Ginny, or really anyone else, could have supported him the way Pansy had.

"Oh my, you've been together this entire time, haven't you?"

"Shh!" Harry was glad it was late as he quickly looked up and down the hall they were walking down, trailing after Pansy. He could guess that she probably had an angry scowl after Hermione blurted that out, so Harry worked on doing damage control.

"Sorry, Harry, it's just surprising, that's all. When did you two get together?" she asked in a much quieter voice.

"Pansy said our relationship is private, so please respect that."

"Alright. But please be careful. I don't want my best friend to become a father while he's still in school."

Harry just walked a little faster, really not wanting the conversation to go any further.

"It seems like we might have this whole section of the train to ourselves," Luna said as she sat down across from Harry and Pansy before giving them a sly little grin. "Why don't we get more comfortable?"

Harry looked at Pansy who raised an eyebrow and asked for clarification.

"It will be three hours until the trolley lady starts making her rounds. Harry, call for Dobby's help and throw up a Notice-Me-Not charm, just in case any of the younger students start exploring this part of the train."

"Alright." Harry pulled his wand out and wondered just where Luna was going with all this. Dobby showed up and helped transfigure the bench seating into a giant, smushy bean bag chair. Or, a bean bag couch really.

It was rainbow colored, to Luna's specifications of course. She had Harry and Pansy take off their shoes and sit down first, while she stripped off her shoes and socks then draped herself across both their laps.

"I'm going to miss you both, you know." Luna looked up at Pansy and took one of her hands. "I hope you'll take very good care of Harry while I'm gone."

"I always do."

"Good. He deserves it. And I know you'll take care of Pansy too, won't you Harry?"

"Always."

Luna sighed.

"It is rather strange to have such an up close view of a love affair. I'm glad neither of you has pushed me away." She closed her eyes and began to ramble.

"I can still remember some of my parents' relationship, but as I got older it seemed like they were both growing somewhat indifferent to each other. Not that they didn't still care about each other, but they both had their own interests, and it was like they stopped focusing on each other. My father had been away for three days when my mother died. I guess I was lucky that he came home that night. I don't remember for sure, but I think it was hours that I sat there just staring at her body. Wondering if I had done something wrong. I hadn't of course, but I was in shock.

"But as much as I try to remember the good times, especially when I was younger and they both still poured all their energy into our family, not just raising me, but when they were still so in love- it gets harder to hold onto those memories as I get older. That's why I'm so glad to have you two. Your love is still young, still growing. It's so beautiful to watch.

"Please don't ever take each other for granted. I couldn't bear to see that."

"Luna, I promise I don't ever think I could take Pansy for granted. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"In more ways than one," Pansy teased. Luna opened her eyes and smiled as she looked up at her from resting her head in the other girl's lap. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me too."

"I suppose I'll just have to stick around to make sure you both always remember that."

Harry shifted his back as Pansy cuddled into his side and the three of them all relaxed.

"It's pretty cold today," Pansy said.

"Yeah. Dobby?"

"What can Dobby do for master Harry?"

"Could you bring us a blanket?"

"Oh, get the one we use back at the flat. From the couch," Pansy clarified. Dobby was as fast as always, and soon they were covered up as Luna snuggled deeper into their laps.

"A special cuddle blanket?" Luna giggled happily. "I love you both. Thank you so much for being my friends."

She squirmed just a smidge more, and it brought about an obvious reaction from Harry's groin.

"Sorry, Harry."

"What's wrong?" Pansy asked.

"I might have wriggled too much in his lap," Luna grinned. "Give me a couple of minutes to get warm, then you can take care of that for him."

Pansy laughed as Harry just groaned.

"Do you want to stay and watch?"

"Could I?"

Harry looked at the two of them in disbelief. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Why?" Luna asked in her typical dreamy voice.

"Yeah, why Harry? Don't you think it would be fun to have an audience?"

"Besides, I am starting to get curious about sex, and I hoped that Pansy would help me learn about it when the time was right."

"I did agree to answer your questions," Pansy said with a smile. "And Harry can be our helper."

"If you don't stop teasing me right now, Luna is going to get a very up close demonstration."

"Really? Just how up close?"

"Down girl," Pansy replied. "I'm not willing to share that much."

"Fair enough," Luna agreed. "I do have his penis pressed up against my bum right now anyway, so I guess I can live with that and a little show. But we might want to double check Harry's Notice-Me-Not charm first."

"Don't worry about that, Luna. Harry's good with that spell. And if it did somehow fail, well, that might make things even more exciting."

"That's it!" Harry sat up and lifted Luna off his lap before setting her back down on the bean bag. He pulled Pansy to her feet and slid his hands under her skirt, taking her panties off.

"Harry!"

"It's time to teach you a lesson about teasing me too much."

"She's been so naughty, Harry. She needs a good spanking," Luna suggested. Pansy immediately got flushed in response.

"I think you're right." Harry sat down on the bench and pulled Pansy onto his lap, flipping up her skirt and showing off her naked arse.

"Count for me, Luna."

"One!"

Pansy let out a yelp as Harry's hand came down for the first time, but she arched her back and Harry knew this was going to be a lot of fun.

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

By this point, he could feel his own crotch getting wet as Pansy was rubbing herself against him. Neither of them were paying attention to Luna, whose hands were busy underneath the blanket.

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Have you learned your lesson yet?"

"Please, Harry," she begged.

"Please what?"

"Please fuck me."

That was more than enough encouragement for Harry, who let her off his lap as he quickly undid his pants and climbed behind her. He pushed her forward and tasted her briefly. She was delicious as always, and plenty wet enough so Harry sat up and positioned himself.

Luna waved her wand and cast the contraception spell at them.

"Thanks, Luna," Harry said, and for just a moment he paused, unsure if he could continue with his friend watching them.

"You're welcome, Harry. But please don't leave Pansy waiting." She smiled as she sat down her wand and put her hand back under the blanket, her eyes slightly lidded as she watched Pansy's face, who looked back over her shoulder at him full of desire. She wiggled her bum at him.

"I haven't learned my lesson yet, Harry."

Harry didn't wait any longer- he thrust inside her, his hands grasping her hips as he built up steam. Pansy moaned, and Harry slammed into her harder. He continued the pace for a couple of minutes, trying not to be distracted by Luna's own heavy breathing, but he just kept looking down at his girl's luscious arse and their sexes coming together again and again, and the blonde was soon forgotten in wanton disregard. Pansy felt too good for him to worry about the voyeur enjoying their performance.

She soon was arching her back and clenching around him. Harry leaned forward, one hand reaching up to pull her hair, and she cried out as she came. He slowed briefly as he felt her shivering against him, and Harry took that opportunity to suck at the side of her throat, waiting for her to relax. When her tremors ceased, he sat back up and pressed Pansy back down against the seat.

Harry pushed inside her again, this time even harder and faster than before. She was so warm and wet around him that only moments later Harry was grunting as he crashed into his own orgasm. He thrust those last few times as he felt himself emptying into her and then he collapsed on top of her.

Pansy cooed in content, as he kissed the back of her neck.

"Oh Merlin, that was hot."

They both turned to look at the blonde who was fanning herself with both hands, one of them noticeably glistening. Pansy leaned back to get a look at Harry, who could only shrug. She began to giggle, which felt really good at that moment as he was still hard inside her.

Harry briefly considered casting that spell he had found that was supposed to refresh his stamina immediately. Pansy had brought some very interesting books from her family's collection, and he kept a couple of the more stimulating volumes out to read when he needed to relax. Research on learning how to fight and kill Death Eaters was all well and good, but sometimes a guy just required something to help plan all sorts of erotic fun he wanted to try out on his girlfriend.

His body wasn't quite up to the task at the moment, and Pansy started to shiver. They had worked up a sweat, and now their half naked bodies were really not enjoying the chilly weather trying to seep in from outside.

A couple of cleaning charms and they were getting dressed again as Luna watched in glee.

"I really love you both."

Pansy laughed as Harry was still a little uncertain of what had just happened.

"I love you too, Luna. Now, straighten yourself up under there so I can get back under the blanket. I'm cold and I expect you both to keep me warm for the rest of the ride."

"If that's the payment for getting such a wonderful lesson, I'll gladly pay it," Luna replied as she waved her wand with her left hand and then shifted briefly before lifting the blanket and gesturing for Pansy to join her.

Harry climbed in on his girlfriend's other side and they all cuddled up as Pansy and Luna began to tell him stories about snow fairies, the legendary creatures that Luna was determined to track down over her holiday vacation.

The tales were a lot more bawdy than he expected, which was probably why Pansy (and Luna too, he guessed) liked them so much. Harry had to admit that a winged, naked woman the size of his hand did have a certain appeal.

"Pansy, what are you doing here?"

She had gone to the loo and was about to head back to her compartment when Hestia Carrow surprised her, calling out from an open door just behind her. Her sister was also peering at her through the glass.

"We thought you and Harry would be at the ball."

"The ball isn't until Christmas, and Harry wasn't willing to waste our entire break stuck at the castle," she answered. "Besides, Harry wanted to see Luna off."

"Oh, that's nice of him. They're pretty close, huh?"

"We all are." Pansy grinned to herself, as they were even closer as of a few hours ago. Girl talk with Luna could be dangerous- fun, but dangerous. She should have known better than to admit some of her fantasies to her.

Oh well, at least she now knew for a fact that she definitely enjoyed a bit of exhibitionism.

"What are you smiling about?" Flora asked, stepping out into the hallway with them.

"Nothing." This could be very advantageous, if Pansy handled it just right. Luna would be a wild card, of course, but Harry should be in a good mood which would be very helpful. "Would you two like to join us? I suppose I never have properly introduced you to Harry, after all."

"That'd be nice," Hestia replied with a coy smile. Flora was more reserved but nodded as well.

"Come along then."

They arrived a moment later to find Luna laughing madly as she sat on what was once again a bench seat next to Harry.

"Don't ask," he said, and Pansy was smart enough not to bother. Harry got up though once he saw that they had company.

"Let me introduce you to Flora and Hestia Carrow."

"My pleasure," Harry said as he bowed and kissed the backs of their hands. Pansy took note of the very brief flush that passed over Flora's usual stoic features; her sister, on the other hand, wasn't even trying to hide how affected she was. "I would think such lovely ladies would have been invited to the Yule Ball several times over."

"A rather annoying side effect of being in Slytherin," Hestia sighed. "Half the school automatically counts that against us, it seems, so most of our prospects would have been in house."

"We'd rather just go home," Flora finished with a scowl.

"My condolences."

"So, which lucky girl will be on the Hogwarts' champion's arm next week?" Hestia asked as the twins sat down across from him.

Harry was considering his response when Luna poked him in the side.

"You should tell them."

"I should?"

"They won't be there to see the fireworks," she answered. "Consider it an early Christmas present."

"Alright." Harry stood up, pulled Pansy in close and gave her a toe-curling kiss.

"Oh, you bitch!" Hestia laughed. "No wonder none of Daphne's teasing got to you."

"What can I say? When you've got it, you've got it."

"Or in this case, when you've got him," Flora said as she pointed to Harry. "I would have liked to have seen your father's face for that little display."

"We can only hope that he got to watch while he rots," Pansy said with a smirk as she and Harry sat down, with his arm still around her.

"I do wish I had stayed now," Hestia giggled. "It would have been worth suffering through a dance with some buffoon like Goyle just to see the reactions to you two showing up together. Alas!"

"Speak for yourself, dear sister," Flora rolled her eyes. "You must not have ever been close enough to him- Goyle's breath could peel paint. No offense, Harry, but it wouldn't be worth that for anything."

"Sadly, I have been close enough to him before, so I agree," Harry laughed. "Do you have anything fun planned for your holiday break?"

"You've never met out parents, Harry," Hestia replied. "Consider yourself lucky."

"Ah, sorry. Sore subject, I guess."

"Not your fault," Hestia waved off his apology. "It shouldn't be too bad, but we were informed that our presence was required at home this year. I would have preferred to stay at the castle, even if we weren't going to the dance."

"I understand."

"Do you?" Flora asked harshly.

"I grew up with awful people, myself. And my girlfriend's father was a Death Eater. So, yeah, I do." Both girls flinched briefly at his mention of the Death Eaters, but Harry expected it.

"I suppose I should feel even luckier," Luna interrupted. "One good parent is better than none."

"I like your dad, Luna," Harry agreed.

"I'm a little surprised by that."

"Why?"

"You were the first boy that ever came over to my house. I would have thought that he would've given you a speech about protecting my virtue, boy-who-lived or not."

"Oh, we came to an understanding about that."

"What type of understanding?"

"Since he isn't available while we're at school, I promised to intimidate any of your suitors as much as necessary. Especially if they aren't very high quality."

"And you're going to decide that?" Luna's tone was still even, not seeming to be bothered at all by Harry's over protectiveness.

"No, I'm probably too biased to think anyone's good enough for you. Pansy's the judge."

"I see." Luna looked past him to the other girl and continued, "Pansy is overly harsh in her opinions of most people."

"That I am. Would you prefer that I leave Harry in charge?"

"No, that's alright. Besides, I don't think it will matter any time soon."

"I don't know, Luna," Hestia countered. "You're pretty enough that some boys are bound to try to talk you into a broom closet one of these days."

"Most people aren't very fond of me."

"Guys don't have to be fond of you to want to get you alone for a bit of fun," Flora argued with a bitter tone.

"True. But while you have your mask of violent intimidation, I merely don't care if anyone thinks I'm crazy."

"I don't know. I've heard that crazy girls are supposed to be more fun in bed," Pansy teased.

"I hope to prove that true some day," Luna smiled brightly. "It just probably won't happen with any of my classmates."

"Crap," Flora growled.

"What?"

"The train's slowing down," Hestia replied as she got up. "Please don't be offended, Harry, but we really can't afford to be seen with you by our parents."

"Right." Harry stood as well, and kissed both of the Carrows' hands again. "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Hestia giggled while Flora merely arched an eyebrow over at Pansy.

"How did you train him so well?"

"Don't look at me. Harry's a sap all by himself."

"Well, I think he's sweet," Hestia grinned. "I hope you all have a happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas, girls."

Flora nodded as she stepped outside, while Hestia was still smiling brightly as the door closed behind her.

"That went well," Pansy stated as Harry sat back down beside her.

"I think so too."

"I think you gave at least one of them masturbation fodder for later tonight."

Harry cackled at Luna's statement- she was even funnier with how deadpan she could say things like that.

"Just one?" Pansy asked.

"I think Flora would have been more turned on if he had held her down and bit her neck."

"You're saying she's more like me?"

"Hey, I didn't bite your neck."

"Not this time," was Pansy's retort to which Harry could only sag in acceptance. She and Luna were bound to gang up on him when they could, but today had proved that the results of that could be a lot of fun anyway.

"I'm not sure you're right though, Luna. Mean girls can have romantic sides too."

"True, but I think Hestia got all the romantic leanings out of the two of them. Harry, will you get my things?"

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