Hermione made her way downstairs, her mind still reeling from Harry's revelation. The scent of cooking food drifted from what she assumed was the kitchen, and her stomach growled despite her emotional turmoil. She hadn't eaten properly in days.
She found the dining room easily enough—a grand space with a long mahogany table that could seat twelve. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, and tall windows let in the morning light. It was far too elegant for just the three of them, but then again, everything about this place seemed excessive.
Celeste was already there, arranging plates and cutlery on the table. Hermione's eyebrows rose as she took in the woman's attire which was predictably provocative.
The black dress was so short it barely covered her thighs, the fabric clinging to her curves like a second skin. The bodice was cut so low that it left little to the imagination, displaying an expanse of pale skin and the full swell of her breasts. A white apron was tied around her waist with a large bow, emphasizing her hourglass figure rather than concealing it. White stockings climbed up her long legs, held in place by garters that were just visible beneath the hem of her skirt. Her crimson hair was pulled back in a neat bun, though a few strands had been left loose to frame her face.
Hermione had to admit that she was breathtaking, especially with those love bites on her skin that Harry had left, and try as she might, she could not fault Harry for seeking pleasure and comfort from someone like her.
"Good morning, Miss Granger," Celeste said with that same sultry smile, not seeming the least bit self-conscious about her revealing outfit. Her purple eyes sparkled with amusement as she took in Hermione's expression. "I trust you found your way down without difficulty?"
"Yes, thank you," Hermione replied, settling into one of the chairs. She tried not to stare at Celeste's outfit, though it was hard to ignore. Her every gesture was somehow sensual even when she was just setting down silverware. It was as if she couldn't help but make even the most mundane tasks look like a seduction.
"I took the liberty of preparing a proper breakfast," Celeste continued, smoothing down her apron. "I'm sure Master must be very hungry after our lovemaking this morning."
Hermione's eyes widened at the flippant way she just said it. She kept her emotions in check, merely nodding. What else could she even do?
Harry appeared a few minutes later, properly dressed in clean clothes that Celeste must have provided. The shirt was a deep blue that brought out his eyes, and the trousers fit him perfectly. His hair was still damp from what was obviously a recent shower, and he looked more refreshed than Hermione had seen him in weeks. The dark circles under his eyes were still there, but they seemed less pronounced. He'd clearly slept better in one night here than he had in months of camping.
His eyes immediately went to Celeste, and Hermione didn't miss the way his gaze lingered on her. She saw his pupils dilate slightly, his breathing becoming just a bit more shallow. The reaction was entirely unconscious, she was sure, but it was there nonetheless.
"Hello," he said, his voice slightly rougher than usual.
"Welcome, Master," Celeste purred, moving to pull out his chair for him. She stood close enough that her hip brushed against his shoulder as she guided him to sit.
The title made Hermione's jaw clench, but she forced herself to remain silent. She'd already decided not to comment on whatever dynamic was developing between Harry and Celeste. It wasn't her place, and frankly, she wasn't sure she wanted to examine too closely why it bothered her so much.
"I've prepared breakfast for you," Celeste continued, her hand resting briefly on Harry's shoulder before she moved away. "I do hope it's to your liking."
Harry sat down, looking slightly uncomfortable with the formal treatment. He'd never been one for ceremony or being waited on.
"Celeste, you don't have to... I mean, you don't need to wear clothes like that if you don't want to. You can wear whatever makes you comfortable."
Celeste's smile widened. She placed one hand on her hip, the pose emphasizing her curves, and Hermione's eyes widened.
"Oh, but Master, I don't mind wearing it at all. In fact, I rather enjoy it."
Her voice dropped to a purr on the last words, and she leaned forward just enough to give Harry an even better view of her cleavage. Her tits jiggled as she dipped, pressing against the tight fabric. "Especially when I can tell how much my Master likes it."
Harry's cheeks flushed red, the color spreading down his neck and disappearing beneath his collar. However, Hermione noticed he didn't look away. His eyes were fixed on Celeste with an intensity that made something twist uncomfortably in Hermione's stomach.
"I... well... if you're comfortable..." Harry stammered, his voice trailing off.
"Oh, I'm very comfortable, Master," Celeste said, her smile becoming even more sultry. "I want to please you in all things. This outfit pleases you, doesn't it?"
Hermione rolled her eyes but bit back any comment. This was going to be a long breakfast. She could already tell that Celeste was going to spend the entire meal flirting shamelessly with Harry.
Celeste moved around the table with that same sexiness, serving them eggs, bacon, fresh bread, and fruit. Everything looked delicious and smelled even better. The eggs were perfectly cooked, the bacon crispy, and the bread was still warm and smelled heavenly.
"Thank you," Harry said as Celeste set his plate in front of him, and Hermione caught the way his lips quirked slightly when Celeste's hand brushed his shoulder again.
"It's my pleasure to serve you, Master," Celeste replied, her fingers lingering on his shoulder. "Your satisfaction is my only concern."
The double meaning in her words was impossible to miss, and Hermione saw Harry swallow hard. She focused on her own breakfast, trying to ignore the raw, sexual tension in the room. The food was excellent, better than anything she'd eaten in months. Celeste was clearly a skilled cook, among her other talents.
They ate in relative silence for a few minutes, the only sounds the clink of silverware and the soft rustle of Celeste's skirts as she moved around the table, refilling their cups and making sure they had everything they needed. She hovered near Harry's chair, finding excuses to touch him which he didn't mind in the slightest.
Hermione was a different matter altogether. Her curiosity was eating at her. The questions that had been building since the previous evening demanded answers, and finally, she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Celeste," she began, setting down her fork and fixing the other woman with a direct stare. "I have to ask. What exactly are you? You said you're bound to this property, but you don't feel entirely... human."
Celeste paused her refilling of Harry's cup, her purple eyes flicking to Hermione with interest. "How perceptive of you, Miss Granger. You're quite right to question. I'm not human, though I can take human form when it suits me."
"Then what are you?" Harry asked, leaning forward slightly.
Celeste set down the coffee pot and moved to stand behind Harry's chair, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. She leaned forward, resting the back of his head on her large breasts.
"I am what your kind would call a succubus, Master. A creature of desire and pleasure, bound to feed on the sexual energy of others."
Hermione nearly choked on her orange juice, coughing and sputtering as the liquid went down the wrong way. "A succubus? You're a demon?"
"Not precisely a demon, though I understand the confusion," Celeste said, her hands beginning to massage Harry's shoulders in slow, circular motions. "The terminology your kind uses is... imprecise. I am a being of the in-between places, neither fully of your world nor the otherworld. My kind exists to fulfill desires, to bring pleasure and satisfaction to those who call upon us."
Harry's eyes widened but he didn't pull away from her touch. If anything, he seemed to relax under her ministrations, his shoulders losing some of their tension as he leaned back against her soft mounds.
"How did you end up here? Bound to this property?" Hermione asked with wide eyes.
Celeste's expression darkened slightly, though her hands never stopped their gentle massage. "That is a less pleasant tale, I'm afraid. It was nearly two centuries ago when Arcturus Black—not the recent one, but his ancestor of the same name—sought to gain power through the old magics. He was a vile man, obsessed with control and dominance over others."
Her hands drifted lower, massaging Harry's upper chest. He relaxed further into her cleavage as he ate, inhaling her delicious scent.
"He performed a summoning ritual," Celeste continued, seemingly oblivious to the effect she was having. "Calling me from my realm with promises of mutual benefit. He spoke of ancient knowledge, of power that could be shared between our kinds. Foolishly, I came, intrigued by his magical strength and the potential for... partnership."
Her voice took on a bitter edge. "But the moment I manifested in this world, he enacted a binding curse. Clever, really. He used my own nature against me—the fact that I am drawn to powerful magical signatures—to trap me here. The binding prevents me from leaving the grounds."
"That's horrible," Hermione said with genuine sympathy in her voice. She knew what it was like to be trapped, to have your choices taken away. "I'm sorry that happened to you."
Celeste laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, my dear girl, don't waste your pity on me. The Blacks soon learned that they couldn't stand against me, binding or no binding."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, though something cold was settling in her stomach. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.
Celeste's smile turned predatory, her purple eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, and Hermione felt a chill run down her spine.
"Why, they simply weren't capable of lasting in my presence," Celeste said, her voice taking on a cruel edge as she draped herself over Harry from behind, one hand stroking his chest and the other drifting down to his thigh.
"None of them were worthy enough, you see. They would come to me, thinking to use me for their pleasure, believing they could control me through the binding. But I am what I am, and my very nature demands... intensity."
Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she continued speaking while stroking his body gently.
"They were weak, pathetic creatures who couldn't match my needs. Oh, they tried. Arcturus himself lasted one minute before his heart gave out. His son managed only half. One by one, they came to me seeking pleasure and power, and one by one, they discovered that I was more than they could handle."
Understanding dawned on both Harry and Hermione simultaneously. Harry seemed to take it more easily, exchanging a glance with Celeste, while Hermione quickly grabbed her juice glass and took a long drink, trying to distract herself from the implications of what Celeste was saying.
"You killed them," Harry said quietly. "During... during sex."
"I fulfilled my nature," Celeste corrected, though she didn't sound particularly remorseful about it. "They came to me seeking ultimate pleasure, and I gave it to them. It's not my fault they were too weak to survive the experience."
"That's why this property was eventually forgotten," she continued. "Why no Black has set foot here in generations. Word spread, you see. Whispers about the beautiful woman who lived here, who drove men to madness and death with pleasure. The family learned to stay away, to pretend this place didn't exist. They were too proud to admit their ancestor's mistake, too afraid to try to break the binding, and too cowardly to face me themselves."
She turned to Harry, her expression softening into tenderness and utter devotion. "But you, my magnificent Master, you are different. Your magic called to me the moment you set foot on these grounds. The very air sang with your power, and I knew immediately that you were not like them."
Despite everything, Harry felt his pride soar at those words, even though his cheeks were burning in embarrassment. This felt like a personal talk, not one they should be having in front of his best friend. "Celeste..."
"You are greater than any Black ancestor I have ever encountered," she continued, shifting to stand behind him again. Her hands found his shoulders once more, and she began to massage them gently. "Your power, your strength, your magic that sang to me—it's like nothing I've felt in centuries. And your vigor..." her gaze dropped meaningfully, "You have the virility to match your magic, the stamina to withstand my nature."
The awkwardness in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Hermione was determinedly focusing on her breakfast, cutting her eggs into smaller and smaller pieces to avoid looking at either of them, while Harry looked like he wanted to disappear into his chair.
"I felt a hint of it when my innate magic first recognized you as the heir," Celeste went on, seemingly oblivious to their discomfort. "That intrigued me. But the moment the property's wards accepted you, acknowledged your blood claim, I knew. The binding that holds me here recognized you as the new master, and I couldn't be happier about it."
She leaned down, her lips close to his ear. "Even then, before I even saw you, I could tell you would be powerful enough to satisfy me, magical enough to match my intensity. Strong enough to survive what I am."
Harry's breathing had become shallow, and Hermione could see a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. "I... that's... I mean..."
"Master Harry," Celeste purred, her breath warm against his skin. "You have no idea how long I've waited for someone like you. Someone worthy of what I can offer. Magically potent, virile beyond measure. Capable of satisfying me… and more."
"Right," Hermione said loudly, setting down her fork with more force than necessary. "Well, this is all very... illuminating."
Celeste straightened, her smile widening at Hermione's obvious discomfort. "Oh, Miss Granger, I do hope I'm not making you uncomfortable. I tend to be rather... direct about these matters."
"So I've noticed," Hermione muttered, taking another sip of her juice.
"But enough about the past," Celeste said, her tone becoming more businesslike. "I find myself curious about the present. I have been bound to this property for so long that I have no knowledge of what transpires in your wizarding world. I could tell yesterday that the both of you have been through quite an ordeal. What brings you here, Master? What dangers do you face that would drive you to seek refuge in such a remote place?"
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances. The question was reasonable, and if Celeste was going to help them—and it seemed she was determined to, whether they wanted her help or not—she needed to understand what they were up against.
It was Harry who began the explanation, telling Celeste about Voldemort's history and his importance to the story, his presumed death and return. He spoke of his years at Hogwarts when he'd encountered him or his shade, and what happened during the Triwizard Tournament in the graveyard. Finally, he told her about the war that was tearing their world apart. He spoke of the night Dumbledore died, of their flight from the wedding, and of the months they'd spent camping and searching.
Hermione filled in details when Harry's voice grew too rough, explaining about the Horcruxes they'd been hunting—the diary that had been Tom Riddle's first attempt at splitting his soul, found in the Chamber of Secrets and destroyed by basilisk venom. The ring that had belonged to his grandfather, found by Dumbledore in the ruins of the Gaunt shack and destroyed at the cost of his hand. And the locket that they had finally recovered from Umbridge.
"We need to find a way to destroy the locket," Harry continued, his voice growing stronger. "Salazar Slytherin's locket. It nearly drove us mad, the three of us taking turns wearing it, trying to figure out how to destroy it. Ron..." his voice tightened slightly as Hermione grimaced. "Ron left us, and that was when I discovered about this place in Sirius' letter."
Celeste listened with growing intensity, her purple eyes darkening as the full scope of the situation became clear to her.
"The dark soul fragment within your scar," she said when they'd finished. "The abomination I felt when we joined. A fragment of this vile dark wizard is clinging to you like a parasite."
"Yes," Harry said quietly.
Celeste's expression transformed into something fierce and protective. Her eyes blazed with an inner fire, and for a moment, Hermione caught a glimpse of something inhuman in her features—something ancient and powerful and definitely not human.
"Then we will remove it," she declared, her voice firm with determination. "This abomination will not remain in my Master. I vow this to you, Master. I will help you destroy this fragment of darkness that dares to taint your magnificent soul."
"How?" Hermione asked, leaning forward. "How can it be done? Everything we've read about Horcruxes suggests that destroying one usually destroys its container as well. The diary was in Tom Riddle's memory, but when we destroyed it, the memory died too. The ring was just an object, but you're not just an object, Harry. You're alive."
Celeste smiled, that sultry, knowing expression returning to her face. "Oh, Miss Granger. Isn't it obvious? Through ritual magic, of course. Sacred acts that will strengthen Master Harry's own soul while weakening the foreign one. Through the joining of bodies and the sharing of magical essence. Through pleasure so intense it will burn away the darkness like sunlight burns away shadow."
"What are you saying?" Harry asked as he saw Hermione's eyes widen slightly.
"Isn't it obvious, Master?" Celeste asked, her hands slowly sliding down his chest until she reached his groin. Her lips were hovering over his as she whispered, "Through carnal rituals."
Hermione groaned aloud, dropping her head into her hands. "I told you so, Harry! I bloody well told you it would be something like this!"
Harry's face was a mix of embarrassment and amusement, his lips twitching as he glanced at Hermione. "Yeah, yeah, you did. Are you sure about this, Celeste?"
"Oh, I am," Celeste purred, stroking his thigh under the table. "Sex magic is some of the most powerful magic there is, Master Harry. The joining of two souls, the sharing of life force, the creation of new energy through the oldest of human acts. It can cleanse, it can heal, it can strengthen what is pure while destroying what is corrupt."
She kept caressing him gently, her lips kissing along the side of his neck. Hermione pointedly averted her eyes, exasperated.
"The dark soul fragment is weak, parasitic, Master. It feeds on negative emotions—anger, fear, hatred. But what we will do is the opposite of all that. Joy, pleasure, love, life itself. The foreign soul cannot withstand such purity of experience."
"And you're certain this will work?" Hermione asked, though she had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer.
"I am certain," Celeste said confidently. "My kind has performed such rituals before, though admittedly not for quite this purpose. But the principles are the same. We will perform the sacred acts, again and again, until Master Harry's soul is strong enough to expel the intruder."
Harry swallowed hard, though he could feel excitement coursing through his veins. "How... how many times?"
Celeste's smile became downright wicked. "Oh, Master Harry. As many times as it takes. We must be very thorough, very dedicated to the process. I estimate it will require at least seven women, all involved in intensive... sessions."
"Seven women!?" Hermione asked, aghast.
Celeste nodded. "Seven is the most powerful magical number, and it is my hope that it would be enough."
"B-But what about you doing it with Harry?"
"Oh, I will, Miss Granger," Celeste laughed. "But I alone won't be able to do it. Master Harry would require more women who wholeheartedly love him. It is with the power of love that we will conquer this parasite, strengthening Master Harry's soul one at a time until he can discard it like the leech that it is."
Hermione sat shock still, utterly speechless as Celeste nibbled on his earlobe.
"Such delicious, necessary work," Celeste purred, her eyes fixed on Harry with undisguised hunger and devotion. "I do so look forward to beginning, and welcoming more guests into our home."
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