Harry spent the next few days, making sure Hermione was adjusting to her new reality. He insisted on reviewing all her essays, and promised to grade them harshly, looking for unimportant extraneous information. Harry was determined to protect her from Snape's attention. He had just found her essay for Professor Sprout, to be too long.
Looking at Hermione, he showed her the error, then threw her across his lap and smacked her bottom 10 times hard, and sat her back up. When she glared at him rubbing her bottom and looking betrayed, he asked quietly,
"Would you prefer 10 bare in front of Snape?"
Hermione turned white, shook her head no, and started over, tearing up the essay.
Tonks was sitting nearby, "Practicing your Lordly duties to keep your Lady in check? I haven't seen the betrothal yet, Heir Black."
Hermione blushed, while Harry replied, "Just helping out a friend, Tonks. Just helping a friend."
Tonks with a naughty lilt to her voice states, "What is the world coming to, when a girl lets a friend 'help' her bottom so intimately. These kids, today."
Harry just groaned, "You win Tonks, please stop."
Tonks laughed and went back to her studying.
That weekend was the Quidditch game against Slytherin. When the players entered the field and were introduced, Lee Jordan did it again,
"Aaaand, at Seeker for the Badgers…The BARN SWALLOW himself! Haaaaarrrrry POTTER!"
Harry figured, fine. They want a barn swallow; they get a barn swallow. He blasted into the air doing corkscrews, loop, dives and settled into position. The crowd went wild, while the Slytherin seeker looked decidedly sick. Hooch just glared at him, and started the game.
It was obvious that the beaters were told to stop Harry at any cost. As soon as they got control of the bludgers, they both came right for him. Harry was twisting and turning around, avoiding the Bludgers by only a few feet, flying through formations, and kicking the quaffle away a couple of times to disrupt the Slytherin offensive. With all the attention on Harry, the Badgers were up 60 to 20, and Slytherin decided it was time to get aggressive. Cedric was trying to score again when he was kicked off his broom by Flint. Pucey, had successfully distracted him. Cedric fell to the ground, and wasn't significantly injured, but was too shaken up to play. Hufflepuff without their star Chaser, was in trouble and the score was soon tied 70 to 70. Then it was 110 to 80, and 150 to 100. Harry had to do something, and soon.
Trying something he had heard about, Harry flew over near the Slytherin seeker, Higgs. Harry then looked surprised and dived for the ground full speed. Terrance pressed to follow, so Harry slowed down enough to keep him on his tail. Just before hitting the ground, he went horizontal while Higgs ploughed straight into the ground!
Lee was screaming, "And the Swallow pulls off a perfect Wronski Feint! A damn firstie does a feint!"
"JORDAN!" Yells Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry professor" Jordan says while ducking his head. She was pissed.
While the game was halted by Hooch for the penalty shot, Harry saw the Snitch over on the sidelines. He drifted away, while subtly watching the substitute seeker. Harry noticed he hadn't got his bearings yet, and didn't appear to have seen the Snitch. As soon as play was resumed, Harry picked a standard search pattern which placed him over the Snitch. He then dived exactly the same way he got Higgs. The new seeker just sneered motioning to his team, that he will not fall for the bluff. Too late, he saw Harry was now on the Snitch. Just as he launched himself in pursuit, Harry caught the snitch and held it aloft.
Jordan was jumping up and down while he yelled, "Harry has the snitch! The Swallow caught the snitch, in all 3 games! Hufflepuff WINS! The Badgers and the Swallow undefeated this year!"
All the players dog piled Harry in celebration. A minute later, Harry broke away and flew up in the air looking for Hermione. Once he found her, Harry dropped like a stone, landing right in front of her and immediately dismounted. He then, dropped to one knee with his Broom held behind him in his left hand while holding the snitch up for Hermione in his right.
"My lady" Harry said with soulful eyes looking into hers, "Your champion begs the favor of your attention, and asks you to accept this small token of my affection."
Hermione grinned, while the girls around them sighed, she then curtseyed "My lord, as a true and proper Lady, I cannot accept any tokens of your affection, until you have gained my Lord's consent. Once he hath given you permission to court, I will consider it. I warn you, he is a wroth and cold man. Hard to impress."
They both paused, and looked over at Neville, who groaned. "FINE! Heir Black, you have permission to court my protectee, the Lady Hermione Granger. You will maintain the proprieties! No patty fingers, if you please!"
Everybody just roared in laughter, as Harry handed Hermione his snitch, and she then threw herself into his arms, hugging and kissing him 3 times on his cheek. Harry grinned ear-to-ear, and looked at Neville, who just shook his head grinning back.
The following week a strange thing occurred. The entire student body realized that all the students were being introduced to a famous dangerous artifact, in DADA no less. Harry wasn't really paying attention, as he was very busy, and his class wouldn't be seeing it for 2 days.
Harry was extremely busy, doing his own homework, as well as double checking Hermione's. Everyone has seen him tutoring Hermione and being harsh with her mistakes. Some Badgers said he had even spanked her! The SETT wasn't amused.
Harry was grading another of Hermione's essays and saw the 5th year boy prefect approaching. He set down the essay telling her, "it's fine." and waits.
The prefect stopped at their table and with a half-bow, stated, "Heir Potter, you are requested by the SETT, immediately."
Hermione gasped, and grabbed his arm, looking at him concerned. Harry smiled at her, "I'll be back soon. Don't add anymore to that essay. It's perfect as is." She nodded.
Harry motioned for the Prefect to precede him.
Harry entered and stood at attention in front of the stool, ignoring it.
Harry then gave a half-bow, before changing to parade rest, arms behind his back and legs shoulder-width apart. He then yelled, "Heir Black presenting himself, as requested!"
Tonks looked slightly disgruntled, "Heir Black, do you know why you are here?"
Without moving a muscle Harry answered loudly, "NO….."
Realizing Harry was not going to play nice; she sighed. "Heir Black, it has come to our attention that you are mitigating Protectee Granger's punishment, and thereby interfering in her task."
Harry again curtly said, "Explain."
Tonks frowned, "She is supposed to write her essays, and if she doesn't follow the instructions within the allowed parameters, will be disciplined. It has come to our attention, that you are grading and disciplining her, prior to her handing in the assignments to the professors, thus mitigating her punishment."
Harry curtly answered, "That is essentially correct."
Tonks confused by the comment, "So, you are admitting it?"
Harry turned his face to look at her coldly, "I am admitting to tutoring a fellow student, and swapping essays with a study buddy to check for errors. Something, the more studious students have done in this institution, since its inception."
Tonks argued, "Study buddies don't spank fellow students."
Harry rebutted, "Tutors in special circumstances can."
Tonks clarified, "And you believe these special circumstances are in effect?"
Harry curtly answered, "Yes…..."
Getting irritated, Tonks asked "And they are?"
Harry, not helping in the slightest, asked "What is?"
Tonks yelled, "The special circumstances which allow you to spank Hermione!"
Harry returned to looking straight forward. He then calmly replied, "Oh, that. It's simple. Hermione, has given me her permission, to spank her as a memory trigger and habit altering technique. The goal being to more effectively change her behavior. At any time, she can refuse or halt the discipline. She never has. It appears to be working, as I have only administered chastisement twice, in the two weeks I have been tutoring her."
Harry with a frown again looked at Tonks, "Since the goal is changing her understanding of how to write an academic parchment, and not humiliating and destroying her by making her take a paddle bare in front of Professor Snape, I fail to see the problem. Her writing has drastically improved."
Tonks asked, "Do you really think she will deal with the punishment that badly?"
Harry replied coldly, "Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. I see no advantage in risking it, unless necessary, until she can overcome her fear and body shame. I fully intend to keep double-checking her work to remove the possibility, certainly for the rest of this year."
Tonks argued, "She needs to stand on her own two feet."
Harry now sneered at her and said scathingly, "And you call yourself a Badger?"
Tonks yelled at Harry pissed to have her ethics questioned, "HEIR BLACK! Comments like that will get you tied to that stool!"
Harry showed absolutely no fear, "If you wish to beat me, do it. You may strip me in the great hall and whip me bloody and unconscious. All you will accomplish is making me very angry."
Harry continued forcefully, "I support my friends. Hermione is my best friend, and I will definitely support her! She is doing just fine, and is learning to write properly. Instead of constantly thinking about being beaten bare, she is actually concentrating on her school work. I haven't removed the risk; I've only mitigated it to the point where she has some breathing room. Remember, this is going to be active for the next 6 years. I doubt I will be qualified to tutor her writing for the next 3 years, much less the next 6. Leave OFF!"
Madam Sprout, having come in during that last tirade, interrupted before Tonks could reply.
"Heir Black, thank you for your explanation. While I don't normally approve of students disciplining each other, if you only discipline in the common room, with witnesses, I will not interfere. You may go." Harry snapped to attention, spun about, and marched out.
Once Harry had left. One of the other prefects exhaled sharply, "Merlin! He's going to be a terrifying Earl."
Sprout turned to Tonks, "He is probably very irritated with you. His family is unlikely to survive much longer, and there are whispers of him living with your parents. You have my permission to tell him this 'test' was on my orders, and we had no real intension of interfering. We only wanted to make sure he wasn't abusing or taking advantage of Hermione."
Sprout smiled, "Merlin, it was brilliant to get a reliable student to check her work to keep the mistakes minimized. Obvious, after the fact, but requires complete trust."
Tonks smirked, "Well, if you can't trust a boy who kills a troll to save you, gets beaten bare, and just says he would do it again. Who can you trust? I just hope they're both on the potion."
Sprout smirked back, "Oh, they are, but you know it doesn't work reliably at their age. She's actually warded per her protector Countess Longbottom." And everybody snickered. That was only done in situations were the 1st maturations could not be trusted, but no one was taking chances with these two. They were almost married now.
Later that night Tonks approached the couple, she quietly and politely asked, "Harry, Hermione, may I have a word?"
Harry glanced at Hermione and answered, "Yes Tonks, what can we do for you?"
With a large smile, she replied happily, "I just wanted the two of you to know…Harry you passed the test. You will be allowed to tutor and discipline Hermione for as long as she wishes to continue the arrangement…with the stipulations mentioned."
She then smirked, "Everyone was impressed with Heir Black. He was terrifying in his Ire. They also wish to verify you are both on the potion, as now you will be spanking her pert bottom, regularly. Other activities tend to follow. Just remember, no vaginal penetration until Hermione is 14. Getting her pregnant prior to 2nd maturity would kill her, so keep your dick away from down there."
Harry and Hermione were mortified, and blushed furiously. Harry insisted, "We aren't doing that!" while Hermione looked stricken, and was shaking her head no.
Tonks looked at Hermione, "Are you at least, giving him oral? Remember Hermione, 'A blowjob a day, keeps other witches at bay.' Ta ta, love birds." Laughing as she left, while Hermione glanced at Harry, contemplating things to keep others away, and Harry almost fainting in embarrassment.
A couple of days later, they had DADA with the supposed 'dangerous' artifact. At the front of the room off to one side was a painting or something under a purple drape. Everything else in the room was unchanged, unfortunately, including the heavy smell of garlic.
(I'm not writing the stuttering; just think to yourself he is stuttering badly.)
Quirrell, "Everybody settle down. We have a special class today. The headmaster has loaned us a famous artifact, which you will all get to experience. It is only dangerous to repeat lookers, and we will discuss why after you see it."
He pulled off the drape in dramatic fashion. Underneath, is an antique ornate gold mirror with clawed feet, and an unusual inscription across the top. Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi
"The mirror of Erised! Alright, alright, everyone come down and get into a line. No pushing, everybody will get a chance."
As people started looking there was a gasp. Currently Susan Bones was looking in the mirror.
Susan exclaimed, "What is THIS! I see myself, but my parents are there, and my aunt."
Quirrell smiled, "Think about what you see, everyone will see something different. Lets see if any of you figure it out."
Student after student looked in the mirror with wonder. Many saw family long dead, others saw themselves as an adult receiving the accolades of victory. Many of the ladies saw themselves with a man and children. Harry shuddered, as two girls looked longingly at him, and sighed.
Hermione went up, read the inscription and frowned. She then gasped when she looked in the mirror. She looked behind herself, then in the mirror again. "Ah, its backwards, Desire, I show….not your…face but your….heart's desire! I show not your face but your heart's desire. It's a wish fulfillment device! This would be addictive and dangerous!"
Quirrell replied obviously impressed, "Brilliant as usual! 10 point's to Hufflepuff! The danger of this device, is it shows your dreams. Not necessarily things, which will come to pass. Wizards and Witches have wasted away in front of it, not wishing to return to the real world, after seeing their dream. Strangely, someone who was completely happy, and content with their lot in life, will just see themselves, as they have what they wish."
Hermione returned to Harry who was still sitting. "Are you going to go look?"
Harry didn't look up, "I would rather not, I'm not sure what I will see, and some of my desires are not nice."
Hermione looked at Harry, "I would like you to…"
Harry then looked at Hermione and asked, "Why, Hermione? What did you see?"
Hermione was blushing and looking down. Harry waited. She eventually said, "I saw myself as an adult, I was obviously pregnant. A man with green eyes and black hair had his left arm around me. He was holding a toddler with brown hair and green eyes. In front of us was a young boy about 6. He had black hair and brown eyes. I had a family with you."
Harry just looked in her eyes with desire. "I would love to have a family with you. It would be my every dream come true."
Hermione gently challenged, "Prove it. If not to me, to yourself."
Harry looked back down and quietly said, "I don't want to, but if you ask again, I shall."
Hermione grabbed his hand and quietly asked, "Please."
Looking in her eyes, he nodded. Harry rose and approached the mirror. As he stepped in front of it, a picture formed. He was a striking man of moderate height, Hermione was in the crook of his left arm, she was pregnant, carrying a girl about 3, and 2 other children were at his feet looking up at them. Around the outside he saw Neville, Draco, Tonks, Arcturus, Cissa, and His parents James and Lily, and gran. They all appeared happy and were celebrating something. Harry looked away.
Harry went back to Hermione, and sat down.
Hermione waited a minute, then asked, "What did you see? Can you tell me? Will you tell me?"
Harry sat there for a couple of minutes saying nothing. Then looking into Hermione's eyes, "It showed my family, alive around me. My mother and my father. Arcturus and Gran. Tonks, Neville, and Draco…..it also showed the most beautiful woman in the world, carrying our child, while heavy with another, and two more at our feet. It scares me. I can't have my parents back…so is everything else a lie too?"
Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Oh, Harry! What do you call me?"
He whispered, "Mine"
Hermione then pulled him to her and said with their heads touching, "And I will be yours, until the Sun burns out, and the Earth grows cold. I Swear IT!"
Harry watched the magic swirl around her, and gave her a broken smile.