Harry Potter and the White Conference

Chapter 10: Amabo Te

Meanwhile, back at the castle Snape and Gandalf were striding slowly through the halls together. Snape had been explaining the precise nature of potion-brewing to an attentive Gandalf, when he noticed Gandalf’s gaze lingering on something outside a castle window. He stopped explaining the 113 uses of the Allium Sativum plant and followed the line of his gaze outside. He frowned when he noticed that the great wizard was watching Harry Potter.

“I daresay, Severus, what is wrong with young Harry?” Gandalf asked. “He looks quite upset.”

Snape gave an exasperated sigh, ‘everyone is so bloody interested in that damned Potter!’ he said to himself.

“I don’t really know, Gandalf. He appears to be throwing rocks into the lake, although for what purpose I cannot guess. He is a notorious troublemaker, and is probably plotting something nefarious.” Snape crossed his arms.

“No, I disagree. I think there is something troubling the boy. Perhaps Dumbledore should have a chat with him?”

“Professor Dumbledore does not have time to waste on adolescent problems.” Snape sniffed.

“Yourself then, perhaps?”

Snape looked at the great wizard, his jaw open. “What, me? Harry would probably be more comfortable speaking to the Dark Lord!”

Gandalf chuckled, “I very much doubt that.” He turned away from the window, “and now my dear Severus, you really must tell me more about this strange bulb you mentioned.”

***

Harry grumbled to himself as he watched the flat stone skipping across the glassy lake. The air was chilly and the sun was already setting in the December sky, though it was only mid-afternoon. The cold suited his loneliness. He looked around hoping to see Ron or Hermione coming towards him. No one. Of course not, they were busy on another one of their ‘dates’. Even Luna or Neville would’ve been good to talk to now. Just someone.

He sighed, feeling utterly alone, and allowed himself to dwell on the problem that was causing him the most anxiety: Dumbledore was ignoring him even more lately?

He sent a twig flying into the water with a swift kick from his foot. He began to grumble again but stopped when he heard footsteps coming down the hill behind him. He turned around and felt his heart leap as he saw Dumbledore approach.

“Hello, Harry,” said a warm voice.

“Oh, Mr. Gandalf, sir. I’m sorry, I thought you were Professor Dumbledore.”

“Was that who you were hoping to see, Harry?” he said gently. Harry looked away in silent affirmation.

“Why don’t you walk with me, my boy. It is too chilly to stop moving for too long.” Gandalf gestured for Harry to follow him and then two went off towards the Quidditch Pitch.

As they walked Harry told Gandalf about his loneliness, and how Dumbledore was avoiding him in order to stop Voldemort from seeing him through Harry’s eyes. Gandalf was a very attentive listener, and Harry felt much better. He felt so much at ease in Gandalf’s presence. He smiled up at the tall wizard as they walked, listening to Gandalf’s story of his dear friend Frodo and how he came to be the bearer of the ring of power. As they rounded the Quidditch pitch, Harry tried to explain how the game was played to one confused wizard. Gandalf lowered himself to a bench with a sigh.

“I don’t believe I will ever understand this game, Harry.” He lowered his staff to the grass and gestured for Harry to sit beside him.

“You’d have to see it to really understand, I think.” Harry shuffled closer to Gandalf, who did not seem to notice, but instead was trying to picture what a quaffle was.

“Do you love Frodo?” Harry asked.

“Well of course I love the boy, we’ve been through so much together. He is a fine lad.” Gandalf answered, still not noticing Harry moving closer and closer along the bench overlooking the pitch.

“Do you think you could ever love anyone else?” he asked.

“What do you mean? I also love Bilbo, and Aragorn, and-” Gandalf stopped suddenly when he noticed Harry’s big brown eyes staring up at him through his horn-rimmed glasses. He peered back down at him, thinking about what he should say to the boy.

“I know that I’m still pretty young, and haven’t known you as long as Frodo has, but if you give me a chance I am sure you could learn to love me.” Harry said quietly. When Gandalf didn’t answer immediately he put his arms around the White Wizard’s waist and laid his head on his chest.

“Oh, my dear boy,” Gandalf began and put his arms around Harry.

***

While Gandalf and Harry were together by the Quidditch Pitch, Sophia had arrived early back into Dumbledore’s office with the new guest, Livia. Dumbledore welcomed her warmly and introduced her to Professor McGonagall and Hagrid. Because of the early arrival he was not able to introduce her to Professor Snape or Gandalf and left that task up to Sophia.

“You will probably enjoy meeting Severus Snape,” Sophia began, “he is Hogwart’s potions master, and quite a capable one at that. He is the wizard who designed the travelling potion so that it could take me back in time.” Livia nodded and Sophia knocked on the door to Snape’s office in the dungeon. They heard Snape shout sharply that he was busy, and Sophia knocked again. The door was thrown open and Snape took a deep breath preparing to chew out whoever was presumptuous enough to disturb him when he was working, but stopped mid-breath when he saw Sophia. He was about to say something when he noticed Livia.

“You are back already?” he asked.

“As you see. I’d like to introduce you to the first empress of Imperial Rome, Livia Drusilla.” Livia smiled slightly and nodded her head. “This is Professor Severus Snape.”

“I look forward to learning about your potion techniques.” Livia said.

“Then perhaps we should give you some textbooks. There is an awful lot to learn.”

“Professor Snape, can I speak with you for a minute.” Sophia hissed quickly as she grabbed the front of his robes and pulled him around a corner. “What the hell are you doing? Do you know who you just snapped at?” She pushed him up against the cold stone wall and glared at him, just daring him to answer. He was too shocked to really put up a fight and soon she had him pinned. He did not appreciate being put in such a confined position.

“As delighted as I am that you returned safely, Miss Aristides, I have much more important things to tend to, such as preparing the next travel potion! Now if you don’t mind, release me so I can get back to work! Your friend is waiting for you.” Snape was able to see that Livia had poked her head around the corner and was watching them.

Sophia let him go with an exasperated huff, and went back to Livia, who was standing innocently where she had been left.

“Would like to refresh yourself before meeting the rest of the staff? I can let you bathe while I prepare a light meal for you?” Sophia asked as they turned towards the guest quarters.

“Oh that’d be fantastic, Sophia.” Livia blew her a kiss and went inside the room. She smiled and followed her in.

“Here is your sitting room, your bedroom, and the bath tub is in this room over here. I will summon a house elf to show you how to work the taps if you like,” she went into the bathroom and with a flick of her wand called a young female house elf named Eri to prepare the bath. She turned to leave the bathroom but stopped short when she saw Livia striding towards her already nude.

“Eager for the bath?” Sophia asked, smiling.

“Extremely... The past week has been very trying. Augustus has been ill and there have been more problems with the Illyrians and I have had to negotiate in my husband’s stead.” The cautiously lowered herself into the scented water and closed her eyes. Sophia took that as her cue to go get some refreshments. She quickly made her way to the kitchens, grumbling about Snape’s rudeness. She wondered what could’ve given him such a bad mood. Then she remembered Sirius and wondered if it had something to do with his arrival. They were, after all, probably the same age and based on their polar personalities would have inevitably clashed terribly as classmates. She knocked on the back door to the Hogwarts kitchens and was greeted by three happy house elves, eager to give her a banquet.

“Please, please, I don’t have time to stay and chat this time. I really must get going. We have a special guest. Eri is with her right now, but she is very hungry so I was wondering if you could give me some cheese, olives, a baquette, and some wine from Puglia to take to her.” The house elves all nodded and jumped up to prepare a picnic basket to take to the guest.
“Please, Miss. You could’ve asked us to bring the lady something to eat. You should not have troubled yourself to come all the way down here,” an elderly elf named Nelly said in a scatchy but still high-pitched voice.

“That’s okay, Nelly. But thanks anyways. I needed a walk. I’m just going to dash outside for a moment while you are heating up the bread and get some roses.” She took off without another word towards the Rose garden. As she stepped outside she breathed the cool, damp December air deeply. ‘Wow,’ she thought, ‘I just saw Livia completely naked! No wonder Augustus had to have her...’ She snipped some yellow roses which were still in bloom, despite the cool air, and quickly made her way back to the kitchens. She arrived just in time to pick up the basket and made sure that it contained precisely what she asked for. As usual, the elves had followed her instructions to the letter, and had completely outdone themselves. The basket contained a feast of cold meats, three different kinds of olives, five different kinds of cheese all from different regions of Europe, and two large flagons of Puglian wine, Livia’s favourite. Sophia smiled and brought the feast back to the room. She knocked on the door and entered as it opened.

“Thank you, Eri.” She said.

“Mistress is waiting for you in the bathroom, she asked if you might bring her a glass of wine before the meal.”

“Of course, Eri, thanks for all your help. You may go now.” Eri bowed deeply and disapeared in a little ‘pop’.

Sophia poured a couple glasses of the wine and brought it to Livia, who was submerged in the colossal tub up to her chin, with just her head and her toes poking out.

“Ah, that’s a good girl, amabo te.” Livia smiled, accepting the glass. She took a deep sip and immediately started coughing.

“I am sorry, I didn’t get a chance to warn you. We don’t mix wine with water, so it may be a little stronger than you are used to.” Sophia passed her a glass of water and Livia took a drink.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine now. Just a little bit of a surprise. It is quite nice, is it from Puglia?”

Sophia smiled, “good palate. It is indeed a Negroamaro from Puglia. I’m glad to see the grapes in Italy have not changed that much in two thousand years.”

“When you drink wine from the same region every day of your life it is not that hard to recognize it anywhere. It is the best wine in Italy, it will make me live to see a beautiful and old age.”

“I’m sure it will,” Sophia said quietly. Livia looked at her with keen eyes, trying to discern what she could have meant. She suddenly shook her head and stood up, “I do not wish to know my future, what happens will happen.” Sophia nodded and handed her a robe.

“I wasn’t ready to get out, my dear, I was making room to see if you would like to join me.”

“Uhh...” Sophia was speechless. She knew that it was a social norm to bathe with friends and family. And in fact, probably a lot of business was conducted with both partners nude in a bathing pool and getting a massage. However, she felt really nervous about sitting nude with Livia. But still, she did not want to offend her.

“Don’t be nervous dear, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Now come join me and tell me about this Professor Snape.” Sophia nodded and started to take off her clothes.

“Well, Snape can be a very cruel and vindictive professor,” she told her about how much he delighted in tormenting Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. “But, he can also be kind.” She thought of the intensity of his gaze when he warned her about the dangers she might face unprotected on the journey.

“Such as ...?” Livia asked after she had been silent for a few moments.”

“Oh, yes, sorry. Nothing specific really, it is just a feeling. He is also probably the most brilliant and talented wizard besides Dumbledore. So his oddities are forgiven.”

“No, no, no. Do not think that you are going to get away with changing the topic. There is something more isn’t there that makes you think he can be kind. Come now, do tell.” Livia smiled mischievously and leaned back, her head resting on her right hand, while Sophia stepped cautiously into the tub, her nudity forgotten as she tried to find a way to tell Livia how she felt about Snape. She decided to start from the beginning and told her about their first meeting in the Leaky Cauldron when Snape did not know that she would be working at Hogwarts. And then his cold reaction when he saw her on the day of the sorting.

“Are you attracted to him?” Livia asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, he infuriates me. One minute he is friendly or at least civil, and the next as vicious as a pissed of snake. Not to mention he is bloody mean to three of my friends who are all Gryffindors.”

“You don’t have to be ashamed. Who could not be attracted to him if he is as powerful as you say he is, and, we mustn’t forget how dark and handsome he looks.”

Sophia sighed, “but no matter what I feel for him, he despises me. That much is pretty obvious.”

“You know what the best cure for love problems is?” Livia asked.

“To move on?”

“Well, that works as well.” She raised herself and put her hands on Sophia’s ankles. “I’ve found that when my husband is off screwing some woman I feel much better if I am doing the same.” She smoothly ran her hands from her ankles up to her calves. “It is really quite satisfying.”

Sophia was a bit more than surprised. Was Livia feeling up her legs? Her long fingers reached Sophia’s inner thighs. ‘Yep,’ she thought, ‘definitely trying to seduce me.’ Livia ran her hands around Sophia’s hips, gently tracing her fingers between her legs as she went by. It was certainly working.

“So you cheat on your husband while he cheats on you?”

Livia smiled. “Sort of,” she wrapped her hands around Sophia’s waist, pushing her mid-section to the bottom of the tub, and moved her own body so that it was floating in the water above her. “I do not technically cheat on him. I do not dare take a male lover, or else that man would hold too much power over me and that would be dangerous for the empire. So, I have only female lovers. It is much safer that way.” She put her arms around Sophia’s back, pulling her slightly towards her so that their naked bodies were lightly touching and kissed her lightly on the lips. Sophia gasped in surprise.

“What is wrong?” Livia pulled back, “does this not please you?”

“No, no, it is not that. Forgive me, you just caught me by surprise. I am certainly not adverse to loving another women, I just never thought it would be you!” Sophia raised a hand and traced the outline of Livia’s lips. Livia opened her mouth and sucked lightly on the fingers, and Sophia began to move her fingers gently down her throat, then her neck and resting between her breasts.

“You are so beautiful! You know, the history books-” Livia cut her off quickly. “Remember, I do not want to know what the history books say about me.” Sophia nodded and Livia drew her legs up on either side of Sophia’s body, and sitting on top of her she pressed her sex against hers. Sophia breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the oils that Eri had put in the bath water. What was it? She could not quite place it? But it was delightful. Perhaps it was the scent of female arousal. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Livia slowly rocking her hips above her while her lips sucking on one of her breasts. Sophia gasped at the promise of what was to come. She wrapped her arms around Livia, pulling her closer against her. Their lips came together fiercely and Livia wrapped her hands in Sophia’s hair, pulling gently and making a low groan escape from her lips.

Sophia grabbed Livia by the hips and guided her off of her to lie in the bath beside her. Her hand explored every inch of her mid-section, finally playing with the soft skin of the lips between her legs, and thrusting two fingers inside of her. Livia gasped and pulled harder on Sophia’s hair, which just led Sophia to move her fingers further inside the other woman, as her thumb gently played with her clit.

“You are not as inexperienced at this as I had guessed,” Livia said breathlessly. She drew her hands lazily from Sophia’s hair to her sex. She slowly teased the folds of skin around her core, beginning to enter her, and then immediately pulling back. Sophia pulled her hand away from Livia and placed it over the other woman’s hand between her spread legs. “And you are a tease,” Sophia said, equally breathless.

“I think we should go to the bedroom, do you not agree?” Sophia nodded in agreement and stood up, reaching for the robes. Livia gave her a quick kiss on the neck, and bit her ear softly before taking off towards the bedroom. Sophia clambered out of the tub, remembering to bring their glasses of wine. Livia was waiting for her on the bed, but rose when Sophia entered the room. She took the glasses of wine and took a long sip before placing them on the nearby table. She undid Sophia’s robe and let her fingers brush along her stomach while she slipped the sides of the fabric away from her body. Her palms gently made their way up her body, across her breasts, and rested on her shoulders before slipping the robe off her back. She then held out her hand and led Sophia to the bed.

Sophia sat down, swung her legs up onto the bed and moved over to make room for Livia, who climbed in beside her, her beautiful long hair dripping. She lay facing her, each had an arm around the others waist. Sophia closed her eyes as Livia bent to kiss her. Her tongue played over the other woman’s lips and Sophia’s teeth gently bit on Livia’s lower lip. Livia moved her hand from Sophia’s waist down to between her legs where she continued teasing her. Sophia moaned softly as Livia thrust her tongue into her mouth just as she pushed inside her sex. The agonizing wait was worth it. She put her free hand around Livia’s head, pulling her towards her in an even deeper kiss, while the other hand pulled her body towards hers.

Livia’s fingers were slowly thrusting in and out of Sophia’s wet core. Her thumb teased Sophia’s clit while she moved her fingers inside her body in circles, widening her cavity so that she could slip another finger inside of her. Sophia let out a low moan and pulled Livia closer. Livia began to thrust harder, pushing her hips against her in time with the thrusts given by her fingers. She felt Sophia begin to clench as she was brought closer to ecstacy and quickly tore herself away from Sophia’s mouth, and spreading her legs with her free hand, she replaced her thumb with her tongue. As she could feel Sophia’s body begin to pulsate in ecstacy, Livia removed her hand and thrust her tongue as far into her body as she could. As Sophia cried out, Livia licked up every bit of her orgasm.

Livia laid back down, as Sophia took a few deep breaths.

“Holy cow, fuck me!” Sophia exclaimed.

“I thought I just did,” Livia smiled, “but we can do it again if you wish?”

Sophia took a few more deep breaths and stretched, she moved Livia off of her and climbed on top of her, straddling her body with her legs. “Nope, it is my turn.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sorry, this one is a little long. And doesn't really involve many HP characters. However, next chapter will take us to the Yule Ball, so fear not, they will all return! And, we will get to find out what happened with Harry and Gandalf!

I'm sorta new at this thing, and even newer at writing smut. So please send me your comments. Am I doing okay? Is there any way I can improve?