Hermione Granger let out a relaxed sigh as she slipped deeper into the warm water. She was going to miss this at Hogwarts, true there were baths but most of them were for Prefects only or were constantly occupied by her classmates. Not that she would mind sharing, so long as they were the ones she was currently enjoying the room with.
"Now this is the life," Tonks noted from nearby, interrupting the bookworm's musing. "A nice dinner, steamy bath afterwards with good friends and a bit of alcohol, and an evening of pampering ourselves."
"Mmmm it certainly is nice." Fleur chimed in, groaning a bit as the water seemed to relax away some tension she had been feeling in her leg since the morning.
Nearby Ginny, Luna, and Gabbie were all happily splashing about in the oversized tub.
A few moments later Tonks gave an impatient sigh before looking at the door, "I swear this is the last time I ask Hed to get us something to drink, girl takes forever…"
"Better than Luna, you would end up with so many things mixed together you wouldn't know what you were tasting." The French Veela noted in a teasing manner, earning a giggle from the blonde from nearby.
Soon enough the door did open, and the white-haired girl arrived, carrying with her several bottes of miscellaneous drinks. "Sorry it took so long, apparently Lucius is paranoid enough to actually write the labels in code so no one can figure out what they were."
"You uh… sure they aren't poisonous?"
"Very" another voice chimed in from behind them, as Pansy, Daphne, Tracey, and Astoria walked in, each clad in their own bathing suites. "We made a subtle inquiry around Lord Black and he promptly told Lord Malfoy that if something happened to one of us, he would immediately blame, and sic Harry on, him." The Greengrass heiress explained, earning a grin from the eldest Witch present.
"Oooo very cunning of you. Ten points to Slytherin, and ten more if you got something really good out of it."
Upon distributing the bottles, more than a few of them being just juice for the younger girls, the remaining Witches entered the waters and took up spots around the massive pool. It was at this moment that Tracey Davis made an inquiry she had been trying to figure out for some time. "Hey, question for all of you, why are you all so okay with sharing Harry?"
The various teens, and Tonks, fell silent as attention shifted to the Slytherin girl, "I mean, I don't have a chance with him, not like you all do. I will never be that close to his heart but… I see the way he looks at all of you and… why would any of you want to be less than number one?"
"Because we are 'number one'." Hedwig replied a moment later, earning confusion from the girl. "Just like you said, he looks at us differently than anyone else. When we are with him, we see how much we do mean to him. It isn't about being the best, it's about filling a place in his heart that no one else can. It's big enough for everyone, trust me on that."
"Plus, all of you." Luna muttered, "I… never had much of a family after my mother passed. My father was always so… distant and Ginny was always just a friend. But after I joined Harry, I was given a family. All of you are my sisters now, Sirius and Remus are my fun uncles, Lucius is the stuck up one, Narcissa and Bellatrix are my aunts… It is the biggest, closest family I can imagine. Why would anyone ever want to give that up?"
...
Yaxley let out an annoyed sigh as he continued shuffling through notes and papers in one of the many safehouses that the former Death Eater, Avery, once used. Seriously, why couldn't anyone just organize their projects like a normal person so that when they died it would be easier to replicate?
The man paused, skimming over a piece of parchment, eyes widening in triumph before scowling and realizing it was merely part of the solution he was looking for. "Whatever my Lord wants with another of these 'Viewing Orbs' it had better be worth the time and effort of creating one…"
...
Jean Delacour halted as he heard a voice call out for him. Turning, he noticed a man briskly walking to catch up, before giving a slight bow in thanks. "Mr. Delacour, a moment of your time please?"
The Frenchman growled slightly, before giving a curt nod and walking towards his office, "My time is very precious, and I have little to spare, what can I do for you Mr…"
"Gibbon sir, I am hoping to speak with you about a business proposition."
By now the two had entered the room, and the door closed behind them for privacy. Jean gestured for the man to take a seat as he took one himself behind a large, ornate, desk. "I am listening."
"The proposal from my Lord is as such, you will give your daughters seventy percent of your wealth, you may keep any properties or businesses so long as they are compensated for monetarily, and then you will never return to England, approach, or make contact with them ever again."
The man had frozen in place, before his face morphed into an ugly sneer, "Now you see here . I will not be bullied by you or whoever Lord you may serve!"
A soft chuckle sounded from the newcomer opposite him, "Really? Because rumor has it that he already took your daughters from you in that contract…"
"Potter…" Delacour growled, "you serve that freak !"
Gibbon's frowned in annoyance, he had been told not to harm the man, unless in self-defense, but he was walking a thin line at this point. "I serve someone far greater than you can ever hope to be."
"And what " the French Wizard continued, "would I receive out of this so called 'deal'?"
The former Death Eater nodded, before shifting a tad in his chair, "You will be left alone, and no further action taken towards you."
"That's it!? "
....
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