A Flame Awakened Chapter 11

Content Warnings: BJs, Threesome, Teasing.

“You took your time.” Daphne didn’t bother to look up from the book she was reading. She was lounging in the armchair by the fireplace, wrapped in a soft blanket and enjoying the warmth of the fire on a cold night. “Hermione got tired of waiting and went to bed. Padma is taking a shower.”

“Daph?”

“Hmm?” Daphne lazily flicked a page. She pressed a hand over her mouth to suppress a yawn, then continued reading.

“Something happened.”

The slight tremor in Harry’s voice finally made her look up at him. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the redhead hiding behind his tall frame. Only Susan’s pale green eyes and hair were visible as she peeked around Harry’s shoulder. 

“Merlin’s sake, Potter. Seriously?”

“Look, it just happened. I don’t know how but we had to hide in a closet and-”

“It’s my fault,” Susan squeaked, heartbroken at the angry look on Daphne’s face. Not even the collar and her connection to Harry were enough to overcome her despair at the thought of not being accepted by Daphne and Padma. “Please don’t be mad at Harry,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around Harry’s bicep protectively.

“I lost fifty galleons and you don’t want me to be upset?” Daphne raised an eyebrow. “What about the wound to my pride, Bones? Padma is never going to shut up about this.”

“I. W-What?!” Harry stammered, utterly confused.

“We had a bet going. I told her there was no way you two sleep together before the end of the month. She’s too shy to make a move and you’re too oblivious to notice that she wants to pillow with you.”

“Pillow… with me.”

“It’s a Pureblood euphemism. Both of us could see Susie wanted you, we just disagreed on the timing,” Padma said as she emerged from the bathroom. 

“What about me?”

“Potter, the only way you could make the fact that you wanted her more obvious was by humping her in the Great Hall.”

Harry growled and turned his wrist. A shimmering leash shot out from the first ring and fixed itself to Daphne’s collar. Daphne gasped as the connection closed but her pleasure was quickly replaced by concern for Harry. He had collapsed to the ground with a groan.

“Harry?!” She was out of the couch and kneeling by his side in a flash, her arms protectively wrapped around him. “What’s happening?! Is this because I talked back? I wasn’t rejecting your authority, I promise. Padma, fix the magic, please!” she exclaimed, her voice bordering on the verge of panic as she looked up at her lover with beseeching eyes. 

“There’s nothing to fix,” Padma said cheerfully. “It’s his first time having two active connections at once.” She pointed to the pulsating link between Harry and Susan. “He’s not used to it. Think about it as powering yourself with a thousand runestones. If you’re not careful, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed.”

“Darling,” Daphne whispered, pressing her lips into Harry’s messy black hair. “Kill my connection.”

“I’m fine,” Harry groaned. He stood with Daphne and Susan’s help and turned to the concerned Slytherin. His lips curled into a crooked smile. “But I’m glad to see you love me,” he teased.

“I just want to make sure the racehorse I’ve bet everything on actually finishes the race,” Daphne shot back grumpily. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at all of them in turn, daring them to say something. “Why are we talking about me? Does no one want to address the fact that Harry took Susan on a walk with his seed splattered all over her face? You didn’t even have the cloak with you!”

“Nobody saw us,” Harry replied with a shrug. He accepted Susan’s help in getting to the armchair and sank into the soft cushion with a sigh. His body trembled as it tried to accommodate the new surge of energy flowing through his veins. “Besides, Susan didn’t want me to clean it.”

“It… felt wrong,” Susan admitted shyly. “Plus, I could tell he liked looking at me in this state,” she added bashfully.

“Pervert,” Daphne teased. She bent and kissed Harry’s cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck. “What is it with you and getting blown in public spaces by your bondmates?”

“The first time was your idea!”

“You can’t prove anything,” Daphne smirked. She took Susan’s hand and guided her to the couch, pulling the curvy redhead onto her lap once she sat down. 

“What I’m more curious about is how Harry did the ritual without me,” Padma murmured. She reached out and ran her finger along Susan’s leash. “This is the color of comfort. Just as Daphne is Harry’s power, you will be his rock. His home, his relief from the troubles of the world.”

“We didn’t do it consciously,” Susan murmured. She licked her lips nervously, the taste of Harry’s cum washing away her nerves. “I know you were meant to be next-” she paused and glanced at the second golden ring on Harry’s wristband “-but this happened on its own. Neither of us was trying to bond.”

“Interesting.” Padma unwrapped the towel wrapped around her body and used it to pat herself dry. She didn’t speak as she walked to the closet to pull out her jammies, her brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe the ritual is more powerful than I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Daphne asked, wrapping her arm around Susan’s waist and pulling her closer. Their leashes entwined and both girls gasped as their cores connected not just with Harry, but with each other as well.

“I started the ritual. But I didn’t oversee the actual bonding between you and Harry. The magic of the ritual was responsible for the bonding. Maybe… maybe if Harry finds the perfect mate and accepts her, the bonding occurs spontaneously. We don’t have to repeat the ritual every time,” Padma murmured, chewing her lower lip in thought.

“Accept her? What does that mean?” Harry asked, alarmed. “I give someone a compliment and boom! They’re bonded to me?” 

“No. It has to be more meaningful than that.”

“You have a pretty meaningful relationship with him, Pads,” Daphne pointed out. “Why hasn’t the magic bonded you to him yet?”

“Because I’m actively holding out,” Padma said, quickly buttoning up her soft, unicorn-patterned nightshirt. “It obviously has to be mutual. The ritual wasn’t to create a Dark Coven. We are his partners, not slaves powering his magic.”

“Why are you holding out?” Susan asked with a furrowed brow. Her connection with Harry was the most wonderful feeling in the world. She was filled with warmth and happiness, cocooned in a layer of magic that made her feel safe. 

“Because I won my bet. And that means Harry has to give me what I want,” Padma said cheerfully. She flopped on the couch next to the two girls and reached up to kiss Susan’s cheek, cheekily licking off some of Harry’s cum. She groaned as she rolled the delicious seed over her tongue. “And for that to happen he had to bond with me last.”

“We can bond whenever you want. You’ll be the last person I bond with.”

“Doubtful.” Padma pointedly looked at the four other rings on Harry’s wristband and giggled. “I think I’ll wait a while, sir.”

“I’m not having a coven of seven witches!”

“Just two weeks ago you were insisting you wouldn’t bond with anyone other than me and Padma, dearest,” Daphne smirked. She pointed to Susan’s leash, then ran the finger along the redhead’s jaw to gather some of Harry’s cum. “And yet, here we are,” she mumbled, moaning quietly around the finger she had popped into her mouth. She ran her tongue along the digit, greedily lapping up the seed coating her skin. 

“You can’t fight Fate. If it wants you to have a full coven, that’s what you’ll end up with.”

“I can’t think of a single other person I want to bond with, puppy,” Harry murmured. He doubted anyone else wanted to bond with him either. Half the witches in the castle thought he was insane. And that was the nicer half.

“Don’t worry,” Padma said with quiet confidence. “You’ll find them, just as you found Susan.”

“Speaking of Miss Bones, I think she’s wearing far too many clothes for someone who was just inducted into the coven,” Daphne interjected. Her deft fingers quickly unbuttoned Susan’s blouse and let it hang limply from her shoulders. Her lacy bra peeked through and Harry wasn’t the only one whose gaze was fixed on the creamy mounds the thin fabric was struggling to hold in place.

“Wow. I’m jealous.”

“Yours are pretty great too, Padma. Mine on the other hand-” Daphne bounced her pert breasts with her hands. Her bust was only slightly smaller than Padma’s chest but neither of them could compare to Susan. 

“They’re perfect,” Harry said hoarsely. “All of them.”

“I think we figured out Harry’s type,” Daphne said with a theatrical whisper.

“Big boobs?” Padma giggled.

“Just need to find four other girls with big busts and that’s his coven,” Daphne teased. 

“Ladies,” Harry growled, sending a shiver running down the spines of all three girls. The leashes connecting Harry’s wrist to Daphne and Susan glowed softly. 

Daphne bit her lip to stifle her moan while Susan, who had no such reservations, mewled quietly. 

“Kiss each other,” Harry ordered.

Daphne obeyed immediately. She cupped Susan’s cheek with one hand and gently turned her head. 

“Relax,” Daphne whispered. She could see the redhead had never kissed a girl before but their entangled connections let her know just how excited she was at the prospect of putting on a show for Harry. She leaned in and kissed Susan’s soft lips, playfully nibbling on the lower lip.

Susan moaned and parted her lips, giving Daphne’s tongue access to the warmth of her mouth. Her own tongue rose to meet Daphne and she timidly shared the seed that she had been saving.

Daphne pulled away for air. A trickle of saliva still connected their swollen lips and she reluctantly broke it to turn towards Harry. She winked playfully and stuck her tongue out to show him the cum Susan had shared with her, giggling at the jolt of excitement she felt through their connection.

“Really?!” Padma exclaimed. “Leave some for me!”

Before Daphne could pull her in again Padma gently tugged Susan’s hair and sandwiched the curvy redhead between them. Susan mewled as their lips met and instinctively spread her legs, allowing both girls to lock one foot around each leg and pin her in place. Her skirt rode up her thighs, giving them all a glimpse of her lacy purple underwear. 

This time however, the redhead had nothing left to give and Padma pulled away from the kiss with a pout.

“There’s not enough for all three of us,” she mumbled, turning to Harry and silently begging him for more with big brown eyes.

“I’ll fix that.” Harry popped open the button of his jeans and hastily pushed them and his boxers down his legs. He stepped out of them once they were pooled around his ankles and walked towards the excited girls.

Padma squealed and tried to rise up to meet him, only to slump back into the couch at his low growl.

“Keep going,” Harry ordered, his cock twitching at the thought of watching all three of them. He wrapped his shaft around his half-erect length, coaxing it to full size with a few lazy pumps.

“Are you comfortable, Susan?” Daphne asked kindly, using her free hand to stop Padma from taking off the redhead’s bra. “If you’re not, we can leave. Padma is enough to keep Harry busy all night, I promise.”

“Please,” Susan moaned, her eyes fixed on Harry’s cock. She followed its gentle swaying as Harry pumped its length and instinctively leaned forward, eager to wrap her lips around his manhood again. “Don’t stop.”

“Don’t hesitate to stop us if you change your mind or stop feeling overwhelmed,” Harry murmured. He flicked his thumb over his tip to catch the precum leaking out of it and held it out for Padma.

While Padma giggled and leaned in to suck on his thumb, Daphne deftly pulled off Susan’s bra and tossed it to the floor. 

Susan moaned as her heavy breasts bounced free. The pale mounds swayed gently as both girls took turns kissing her. Daphne’s fingers dug into the softness of her right breast and she began kneading it gently. Padma bent and gently nibbled on her rapidly stiffening left nipple. Susan whimpered. Her wide eyes resumed following the hypnotic swaying of Harry’s cock and she licked her swollen, throbbing lips.

“Can I please have a taste, sir?” Susan asked, innocently batting her eyelashes.

Harry, who had been furiously pumping his length, paused and moved closer. His tip pressed against Susan’s lips and she parted them without hesitation, swallowing inch after inch of his manhood. She hesitated when his tip hit the back of her throat but Daphne buried her free hand in her hair and gently pushed her down on his length, teaching her how to swallow all of it.

Susan gagged and drooled around the thick girth but soldiered on. Daphne set the pace, using her hand to guide the redhead up and down on Harry’s cock.

“Not fair!” Padma groused, gasping for breath as she pulled away from Susan’s flushed nipple.

Harry reached out and buried his hand in her silky black hair. With a smirk he tugged on it, guiding her lips to his heavy balls. A quiet groan escaped his lips as Padma took an entire orb in her mouth and began to massage it with her tongue.

With three beautiful girls taking care of his needs and coaxing him to his climax, Harry didn’t last very long. He pulled out of Susan seconds before he erupted and wrapped his hand around his shaft, taking care to ensure he sprayed all three girls with his seed.

Daphne, who was the most prepared, caught most of what was directed in her direction on her tongue. She swallowed her prize and looked at Susan and Padma with a triumphant grin. Susan got some on her lips but most of her share ended up splattered on her chest. Padma was the unluckiest, and her share ended up mostly on her face or nightshirt, or in her hair.

“Hmph,” Padma grumbled as she gathered up cum from her cheek with her thumb. She popped it in her mouth and pouted at the other two girls.

“You look very beautiful in cum-stained pajamas, love,” Harry murmured. 

“What about me?” Susan asked shyly.

Harry’s heart skipped a beat as he turned his attention to the red-haired goddess. Her curvy figure was trapped between Padma and Daphne, her legs spread wide and her back arched. She was looking up at him with big innocent eyes and rosy cheeks, her soft, pink lips just begging for attention. His eyes lowered and his softening cock throbbed in his grip as he took in her perfect, tear-drop-shaped breasts. The pale skin, coated as it was with a mixture of his seed and sweat, glistened in the candlelight.

“I think he approves, Miss Bones,” Daphne said in a theatrical whisper after watching Harry stare at her breasts for nearly a minute. 

“So do we,” Padma chimed in.

The two girls grinned and attacked Susan’s breasts with their lips as one. 

---

“Which house do you think she’ll be in?” Susan asked. She cuddled into Harry’s side and wrapped her arms around his bicep.

In a break from tradition, they had all gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast to watch Katarina’s sorting. There were few students other than their tiny group. Nearly everyone had gone home and for once, Harry was thankful for an empty castle. He had enough on his plate without having to worry about Malfoy’s reaction to his mother’s actions.

He did not understand Narcissa’s game but for now, he was happy to play along. He was growing increasingly weary of Dumbledore and the Order stonewalling him.

“No idea,” Harry murmured, turning to look at the table. Predictably, the Headmaster looked away the moment his eyes rested on him. One person, unfortunately, was more than happy to give him attention. Umbridge’s bulging eyes were fixed on him. Her simpering smile did not extend to her eyes. They were full of hatred as she surveyed him and the girls around him. 

Harry stiffened and wrapped an arm protectively around Susan.

“Why do I get the feeling she’s up to something?” he murmured, glancing at Hermione.

“Stop overthinking. There’s nothing we can do about her right now so worry about the things that matter. Like your new charge,” Hermione muttered. “What are you going to do if she’s sorted into Slytherin? Unlike Daphne, she has no family protection. What’s stopping Malfoy from taking revenge for her mother’s betrayal against her?”

“She can stay with us, I guess.”

“I doubt she’s going to take kindly to that suggestion,” Hermione muttered.

Harry’s frown deepened as he watched the tall black-haired girl ascend the steps to the chair placed in front of the teacher’s table. She turned once she reached it and her cold blue eyes surveyed the sparsely populated room. Harry suppressed a shiver when her gaze landed on him. She refused to look away as she sat down and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head by Professor McGonagall. 

He wondered what possessed Narcissa to insist she be enrolled in Hogwarts. It was evident Katarina did not want to be here. In their conversation before the sorting, she hadn’t even tried to hide her anger and distaste. She hated everything about the castle and for some reason, she especially hated him.

“It will be very funny if she’s a Gryffindor,” Daphne said. She lazily popped a grape into her mouth and bit down on it.

“Please,” Harry groaned. “No. I don’t want to spend all my time avoiding her.”

“You can’t avoid her, Harry,” Hermione pointed out with a frown. “Not if we want Narcissa to keep giving us information. Daphne is right. It will be easiest to protect her if the Hat decides she belongs in Gryffindor.”

“Oh, I want her to be in Gryffindor because I think it’ll be funny to see Harry live with her,” Daphne teased. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked across the table at her mate. “But you have a point, Hermione. Harry can’t protect her unless he spends time with her and it’ll be easiest to do that if they’re in the same House.”

Harry growled softly.

“Relax.” Daphne extended a long leg under the table and pushed her bare foot between Harry’s thighs. She pressed her sole flat against his thigh and gently caressed his leg. Her toes moved up as they stroked his leg but stopped just shy of his crotch every time. She turned her gaze towards Susan and nodded at Harry’s crotch, her smile growing wider at the sight of the redhead’s pink cheeks. “Go on,” she murmured, lazily popping another grape between her lips and holding it there. She rolled the orb between her plump, blood-red lips while keeping her gaze fixed on Harry.

Susan shyly reached out and rested her palm on the rapidly growing bulge in Harry’s trousers. His quiet groan encouraged her and she gently stroked his length over the rough fabric, coaxing it to its full size. 

“The Hat is taking too long,” Hermione muttered, turning to look at Katarina. Her eyes fell on Harry along the way and her cheeks reddened when she realized what was going on. 

Susan blushed and withdrew her hand when she saw Hermione watching them but Daphne resolutely kept her foot trapped between Harry’s thighs.

“What’re you two doing?!” Hermione hissed, glaring at Harry. “Harry! In the Great Hall?”

“Trust me, this isn’t the worst thing we’ve done here,” Harry muttered under his breath. He kept his attention fixed on Katarina, far too used to Daphne’s teasing to be bothered by it. 

“Daphne!” Hermione pleaded. “What if someone catches you? Think of your reputation!”

“I don’t think you understand how reputation works in the Wizarding World, Hermione. If they catch me, they catch me,” Daphne shrugged. “Everyone will giggle about it at a few tea parties. That’s all that’ll happen. I’m promised to Harry. I’m bonded to him,” Daphne said with a hint of pride in her voice. 

“I don’t get it.”

“I’ll explain later,” Susan said kindly.

“What’d I miss?” Padma asked, slipping into the bench next to Daphne.

“The Hat can’t decide where to put Katarina and Daphne has decided we all need a little PDA this morning,” Hermione grumbled.

“Nothing new, then,” Padma smiled. She leaned in and kissed Daphne’s cheek. 

“You’ll see what I mean, girl,” the Sorting Hat’s deep voice echoed around the room. “GRYFFINDOR!” he yelled.

Harry groaned and dropped his head, letting it rest on the table. As if his life wasn’t complicated enough. Now he had to take responsibility for a woman who looked like she would happily murder him while he slept. 

The group watched Katarina stand, lift the Hat from her head, and carefully place it on the chair she had been occupying. Her face contorted into a scowl for a brief second but she smoothed her features almost immediately and by the time she had walked up to them, her expression was blank and impassive.

“Miss Karkaroff,” Daphne said, scooting closer to Padma to make space for the girl.

“Miss Greengrass.” Katarina gracefully sat down. “Thank you for having me, Lord Potter. It is a pleasure to be here.”

If looks had power, Harry thought as he raised his head and looked at Katarina, I would be a pile of ash on the floor right now. 

She intensely disliked him for some reason but he had no idea why. Was it because of her father? Did she hold him responsible for what had happened?

Hermione discreetly nudged Harry’s side with her elbow.

Harry glanced at her, only for her to nod in Katarina’s direction. He returned his attention to her and blushed when he realized she was still looking at him, clearly expecting a response.

“We are happy to have you with us, Miss Karkaroff,” Harry said in a formal tone. “I am sorry to hear what happened to your father. Madam Bones assured me her department is investigating the matter thoroughly and I hope those responsible are brought to justice.”

Katarina’s expression grew colder and Harry groaned in his mind. He had evidently said the wrong thing. 

“Thank you for your concern, Lord Potter,” Katarina said icily. “But I doubt an investigation is necessary. We all know who was responsible.”

“Just one slight problem, old girl,” Daphne said casually. She ignored Harry’s glare and turned to look at Katarina, every bit as regal and imposing as the other girl. She didn’t like the way Katarina Karkaroff spoke to her mate. He was being nothing but kind and welcoming and if she was going to be ungrateful and wretched, Daphne planned to give her the Ice Queen treatment. 

“Voldemort has a lot of followers,” Daphne continued, her lips curling into a cold smile. Despite her growing dislike for the girl, she couldn’t help but be impressed when Katarina did not flinch. “Do you know which one did in your old man?”

“What if I did?” Katarina challenged. 

The group watched the two women with fascination. It was like watching two experienced fighters spar. They were both circling each other, waiting for an opening.

“Then I’d suggest you tell Susan who it is so she can pass the information on to her aunt,” Daphne replied with a shrug.

“It was Voldemort himself,” Katarina said, her voice trembling as she said the name.

Daphne exchanged a glance with Harry and sighed. There was no honor in sparring with a wounded opponent. Despite her attempts to hide it, they could all see that she was hurting.

“We are sorry for your loss, Miss Karkaroff,” she murmured. 

“Don’t be,” Katarina said, her expression impassive again. “He deserved what he got.”

They could all sense there was a story behind Katarina’s surprising demeanor, but none of them wanted to push further so they let the matter lie.

Hermione cleared her throat to break the awkward silence that followed. 

“The Sorting Hat took a long time with you,” she said timidly.

“We were having a delightful conversation.” Katarina piled her plate with toast and eggs and dug into them, clearly uninterested in any further conversation. 

Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione. Keeping his end of the bargain was going to be much harder than he initially thought.

How was he going to protect someone who wanted nothing to do with him?

---

“Are you surprised by the sorting, Severus?” Dumbledore leaned back in his ornate chair and steepled his fingers together. He studied the dark-haired, dark-robed wizard seated across the desk with a frown. Life as a spy was difficult and it was showing. 

“Not really. The girl wouldn’t stop asking me questions about Potter when she came over with Igor last year. She probably asked to be in the same House as him.” Snape’s lips curled in distaste. “Surely you haven’t summoned me here to discuss Potter’s taste in women. There, like in many other things, he is just like his father.”

“When was the last night you slept, Severus?” Dumbledore asked with a sigh.

“I doubt you called me here to discuss my sleeping habits either.”

“I’m worried.”

“About me?”

“Yes.”

“I’m absolutely fine. The only problem I have is the disgust I feel every time I see Greengrass simpering over Potter like a fool.”

Dumbledore wisely decided to change the topic. He knew the Potions Master had taken someone from his House falling for Harry as a personal insult and the precious little time they had could not be wasted on petty grievances.

“What happened last night? Why did Voldemort summon you?”

Snape flinched.

“Something is wrong with him. Physically, at least. His magic is as strong as ever.”

“Physically?” Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. “From what you’ve told me, he’s barely a man anymore. He crafted himself the perfect body, or at least, one that is perfectly suited to his needs. What need does he have of physical strength?”

“I’m not talking about physical strength.” Snape picked up the goblet of wine in front of him and took a sip. “Lucius told me he collapsed an hour before I was summoned. It’s apparently the second time this has happened.”

“He did not call you the first time?” Dumbledore asked softly.

“No. I doubt he felt the need to. This time he wanted me to brew him a Strengthening Potion. A fairly standard one but he did make Wormtail milk Nagini and added the venom to the potion before he drank it.”

“How was he after drinking it?”

“Fully restored.”

“Interesting,” Dumbledore murmured. He stared at the instruments whizzing away on his desk, deep in thought. 

“Perhaps he made a mistake in the ritual he conducted in that Merlinforsaken graveyard?” Snape offered.

“No. The ritual, while distasteful, is fairly straightforward and simple to perform,” Dumbledore said with a shake of his head. “A wizard of Voldemort’s caliber wouldn’t have made a mistake. No, this is something else. Did you notice anything else?”

“He appeared…” Snape trailed off and racked his brain for the right word. “Uneasy.”

“Uneasy?” 

“Yes. Like something was eating at him from the inside.”

Dumbledore’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“You suspect something.” It wasn’t a question. Snape could glean as much from the expression on Dumbledore’s face.

“Just a theory, old friend,” Dumbledore said softly. “Barely even that. Vague ideas that I cannot put into words. Forget we ever talked about this. Tell him everything about tonight except this conversation. Do you understand?”

“Why? Out of all the news I will give you today, why is this the most important?!”

“I can’t tell you that, Severus.”

“Of course,” Snape said bitterly. “You want me to spy for you but you won’t share the significance of what I learn.”

“You knew this the day you came to me, Severus,” Dumbledore said kindly. “You knew what kind of life you’d be leading. We all have a role to play. The one you have chosen is a thankless one and for that I am sorry.”

Snape nodded curtly. He did not need the Headmaster’s pity. He schooled his features into a neutral expression and continued, “The plans for Azkaban are ready. He plans to break them out on Christmas.”

“I see.” Dumbledore stroked his luxuriant snowy-white beard. “The dementors? Will they abandon their posts and flock to him?”

“Yes. He has promised to let them feed on Muggles without any restrictions.”

“This is bad.”

“It is. I presume you and the rest of the Order will be there to stop him? Do you want me to sit out the raid? It will be easy to make an excuse that will convince the Dark Lord.”

“I shall do no such thing. The raid must be allowed to succeed.”

Snape stared at Dumbledore with wide, unbelieving eyes, utterly aghast at his words.

“Have you… have you lost your mind?! You’re going to allow the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback out into the world?!”

“Have you studied Muggle history, Severus?”

Snape blinked. The Headmaster had finally gone senile. Muggle history? Why was he talking about Muggle history?!

“No, I can’t say that I have,” Snape said sardonically.

“Well, they had a war. A colossal clash for survival, not unlike our current struggle. The Muggles of this island broke the code of their enemy. It was like having a spy in their midst, for they knew everything that would happen. There was just one small problem. What was the problem, Severus?”

“They couldn’t act on all the information they got,” Snape said after a few moments as realization dawned on him. “If they did, the enemy would know about the spy. They had to pick what information was important enough to merit action.”

“Exactly. For now, you are more important to me as Voldemort’s trusted advisor. He cannot be allowed to suspect your loyalty.”

Snape nodded stiffly. 

“I understand.”

“What about the prophecy?”

“His entire focus is on Azkaban and the mysterious illness plaguing him. I think he has given up on acquiring the prophecy.”

Notes:

Katarina is a Gryffindor as well! Was anyone surprised? She certainly is a mysterious figure. You will get to know her better in the next chapter! If you are curious, I do have a face claim for her in my Discord Server and you can use the link in my Pinned Post to join it! Dumbledore throwing shade at Snape for his obsessions, lol. Voldemort is feeling under the weather, I wonder why? As for Umbridge, she is up to no good, as usual. The next few chapters should be interesting as the plot heats up and a lot of things happen!