He would have done anything she asked of him right now, basking in the wake of such bliss.
She laughed. "Thought you might. We can give you a proper introduction to the group on Friday night. Almost everyone should be there, so you'll get a lot of attention."
"They're not going to shun me because of the tournament?"
"No. And if they do, Angelina will crack some skulls, and so will the twins. But it will be fine. You can say a few words about it if you want. They just need a chance to get to know you. You've always been so closed off."
"I believe you. I just can't quite believe this place is real."
"Believe it. It's not for everybody, but I think you'll like it."
"And it's just for Gryffindors?"
"Yep. Well, mostly. We're pretty sure the other houses have something similar, but we don't know who's officially a part of them. People can hint though. I know Roger Davies is part of Ravenclaw's group. There are visitors here sometimes, but it's rare, and they have to sign the same oath. Most of the inter-house stuff happens elsewhere, in old classrooms or the prefects' bath."
"I had no idea any of this was happening."
"You've been in a cocoon," she said. "I hope you're ready to come out of it."
She twisted his wrist to look at his watch. "We've still got some time. Do you want me to teach you how to use your tongue?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Harry walked around in a daze the next day. His angst over the tournament had been replaced by shock and awe: shock that an honest-to-God sex club existed within Gryffindor House, and awe that he had just lost his virginity to Katie Bell.
He felt a strange compulsion to talk with someone about what had happened, though he knew he couldn't. Even without the contracts, there was no one he could really talk to. His godfather might already know about the Pride, if it had existed in his day. He had already heard several stories about Sirius Black's wild school days. But Sirius was far away from the British Isles, accessible only by international owl, and Harry wasn't certain if he could even mention the club to a possible former member. Did the contract cover that?
He could barely concentrate during classes. When Flitwick asked him a question, he had needed to repeat it three times before Harry was even aware someone was speaking to him. He had cast surreptitious glances at Dean, Parvati, and Lavender during the day, and at his quidditch teammates at dinner. So far no one was looking at him differently.
The only indication that someone might know was when he accidentally made eye contact with Parvati. She had winked at him, but that might have just been playfulness. The girl was already a notorious flirt. He could only imagine what she would be like in the club.
It was now Thursday night, and Katie had said she would introduce him to The Lion's Pride on Friday. He could barely control his anticipation. His stomach clenched every time he thought about it. He could almost smell Katie on him, a faint musky odor that caught him off guard when he breathed it in. He got hard every time he caught a whiff of it.
The idea that the club could be a sanctuary for him was too tempting to resist. Of course, casual sex with a variety of people was a major draw too—but a secret club, consisting of students other than Ron and Hermione, who would get to know him intimately—that might change everything about his Hogwarts experience. There was just one problem.
He was currently walking toward the library to meet that problem: Hermione.
He hadn't considered the consequences of the contract until he realized he couldn't tell her about it. Even if he could, he wasn't certain if he should. He had never had a conversation with her about sex. Or even dating. He had never seen her giggle with other girls or give appreciative glances to any guys. For all he knew, she might believe sex to be disgusting.
What would she think of him for wanting to be a part of this? He had forgotten to ask Katie whether they planned to approach Hermione, but somehow he doubted it.
She was his most trusted and loyal friend. She had proven it over and over, risking her life for him every single year. His unwilling entry into the tournament proved beyond doubt that he could trust her to support him, come what may. Could he be a part of this club and not tell her? Would such a secret count as a betrayal?
The enormity of the problem weighed him down as he entered the library and made his way towards Hermione's table. He turned the corner and, as expected, saw her surrounded by a small mountain of books that was taller than her bushy hair.
She looked up when he approached. "There you are," she said. "I was about to send out a search party."
"Sorry. I've been a bit distracted today."
She looked at him sympathetically. "Ron will come around. You know how he gets."
Harry wasn't so certain about Ron this time. He had been grumpy and inconsolable since he failed to make the Gryffindor quidditch team, but McLaggen had simply outplayed him. Now with the tournament disaster, his jealousy had exploded into the open. He had caused three ugly scenes already, one of them in public, and Harry wasn't in the forgiving mood.
"We'll see. What's all this stuff?" he asked, gesturing at the piles of books surrounding her.
"I've been researching the tournament," she said worriedly. "Harry—it's very, very dangerous. People have died. All the contestants died the last time they held it. I know they said it was supposed to be safer now, but…"
"That thought doesn't fill me with confidence, Hermione."
She winced. "Sorry. I just want you to know what you're up against. Historically, the first task tests your daring, which usually means facing off against a dangerous magical creature. They're usually four-X, but sometimes they're five-X. Let's hope they're not insane, because—well, basilisks and chimaeras and dementors are five-X."
"I can handle dementors, but something tells me my luck's not that good. All these books are for the tournament?"
"Mostly. I'm compiling a list of essential spells for you to learn. Things that can be used in combat, or against creatures. Things that are taken for granted for seventh years, like summoning and banishing and shields and so on. This is going to be difficult, but I'll be right there with you. I'll learn them too."
He sighed and looked at all the books. She had clearly been doing this for hours, neglecting her own studies. She was proving once again that she would do anything in her power to help him. Only six months ago she had literally turned back time and jumped on the back of a hippogriff, all to solve a problem that wasn't, strictly speaking, hers.
He had to find a way to tell her. Keeping such a large secret would be as good as a lie, and he couldn't do that to her. Even if he could, she would wonder where he disappeared to when he visited the club. She would probably want to study or train every night.
Harry stared at her as she perused two books at once. One finger was used as a place holder as her heard swiveled back and forth, taking in information at a pace he could never manage. He couldn't imagine Hermione partaking in what he had witnessed last night. He couldn't even imagine talking to her about it.
His heart sank at the realization. No matter what he did, his friendship with her was going to change if he became part of The Lion's Pride. If he told her the truth, she might be appalled. Even if she didn't abandon him, she might drift away from him, unable to share a new part of his life. An invisible wall would spring up between them, and slowly it would erode the intimacy of their friendship. But if he didn't tell her, he couldn't live with himself.
He might have to back out, he realized, no matter what he had said to Katie. He could live without sex. He couldn't live without Hermione's friendship.
Angelina was an authority within the club, according to Katie. He would have to approach her tomorrow night and hope she had a solution.
"Thank you, Hermione," he said, startling her out of her reading.
She looked up and smiled. "Of course, Harry."
"No, I mean it. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I wouldn't survive this place without you. Just, thank you—for everything."
She glowed under his praise, surprised at his earnestness. "You're very welcome."
He smiled back. "So what are we learning first?"
______________
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