Yuleride

Chapter 21 ~ Oh, Those Nefarious Plans

”Oh, hell no, Bill!” Ron exclaimed as he looked at what his big brother had come up with to further perfect his technique. They were downstairs in a small room in the cellar. It was securely warded from Fleur’s snooping, who was out shopping anyway.

Bill smiled at Ron’s consternation.

”If you were still in Hogwarts, you would have loved this,” Bill said. His face was badly scarred because of Fenrir Greyback’s attack on him, but you didn’t notice them after a while.

”Well, I’m not in Hogwarts. This is just—just sick, Bill.”

”Ron, do you want to perfect your technique or not?” his brother asked him.

Ron looked at the thing.

”Of course I do, but you’ve already told me what to do, Bill. I don’t need this,” Ron whined.

”Telling is not doing. You’re only going to practice touching and kissing. You don’t have to shag it,” Bill told him. “It’s a basic model.”

Ron looked at the ridiculous blow up doll lying on its back in a little twin-sized bed. It didn’t even look like a woman. It looked like a balloon. It had to be the cheapest one made. The face was painted on, with round, cartoon-like eyes and a nose, ridiculous synthetic blonde hair and a round open mouth-hole. The breasts looked like round balls with dark pink tips on them. At the doll’s apex, a rug-like triangular patch of blonde fur was glued to look like pubic hair. The thighs were parted, and there was a slit between them. It was bloody awful.

”A basic model of what?” Ron hissed, his nostrils flared. “You can’t really expect me to treat that thing like it’s Hermione, Bill.”

”Do you want to make a good showing or not, Ron? Roses and ‘quality time’ are all right, but when the wands are down, you’re going to have to ‘show and prove.’ I’m tired of being the only married male Weasley offspring. Mum’s constantly pressuring me for grandchildren. I don’t want you to lose Hermione because if you marry her, it’ll take some of the weight off me.”

So, Bill had selfish motives. And here Ron thought he was helping out of the goodness of his heart, the bastard.

”Well, we’ve put it on the backburner for now, Bill. I don’t think we’ll be getting married anytime soon,” Ron informed him. “But Ginny’s married—doesn’t that help with mum a bit?”

Bill scowled and shook his head.

”Ginny and Harry have a ‘plan,” he grumbled. “They’re going to work on having children next year. Mum got an oath out of them, so she’s satisfied on that front. Fleur won’t commit to a time frame. So . . . mum stays on me. But as long as you have a good marriage prospect, I’ll be satisfied with that.”

Bill looked rather wistful.

”Too bad Percy ruined his chances with Penelope. I’m sure they would have jumped the broom by now. Good thing you didn’t make his mistake,” Bill added.

Percy and Penelope had been an item since Hogwarts. But Percy had an “encounter” one night after getting rather sloshed at the Three Broomsticks, and came clean to Penelope at their flat the very next day. She listened, considered . . . then pulled out her wand . . .

When Percy woke up, she was gone. He tried his best to get her to forgive him, but she wanted nothing more to do with him. He still insisted he did the right thing by telling her the truth.

”Our life together would have been based on a lie,” he told his disbelieving brothers.

Percy had such a picky, critical nature and high opinion of himself that he hadn’t managed to get another witch yet. He drove most of them crazy within ten minutes of starting a conversation, regaling them with tales and trivia about his favorite subject: him.

His brothers tried to help him out, they truly did, but Percy would give them a high-handed look and say: “I don’t need any advice from you Neanderthals.”

George told him he’d better take some advice or he wouldn’t be swinging his club anytime soon. But Percy remained adamant that he’d find a witch of his own on his own.

Good luck with that.

”Now, come on, Ron. Let’s see what you have. Get down there and pretend you’re in bed with Hermione . . . “

Ron sighed, then laid down in the bed next to the stupid doll.

”What I don’t do for that witch,” he groused as Bill looked on.

”Don’t forget the lube,” he advised.

**************************************

Odessa was in her room at the brothel, lying on the bed and reading a celebrity wizard magazine. She was dressed in a short red nightie and thong, and chewing gum. She was done with her duties for the day and was looking forward to a bit of “me” time after being groped, fondled and fucked by wizards of all ages. The good thing was, most of them were quick. She made sure they were by being as sexy as possible.

A knock sounded on the door.

”Go away,” Odessa called out. “I’m off duty.”

”Madam Natasha said I might have a word with you, Miss Divine. It doesn’t involve sex,” a silken voice purred through the door. It was a nice voice.

Odessa rolled her eyes. Some of the kinkiest things she’d ever done didn’t involve sex.

”What does it involve?” she called back, popping her gum.

”A bit of extra money,” the voice replied. “You’ll get to keep the whole of what you earn. I’ve already paid Madam Natasha for your time. Anything you do for me, you’ll be paid for.”

Odessa sat up now, scowling.

”What? She’s contracted me out?” Odessa fumed.

”In a manner of speaking, but not as a prostitute. I have something else in mind. Very easy work for good pay. May I come in and explain?”

Whoever that was, he had a very sexy voice. Odessa slid out of the bed and put on her housecoat and slippers.

”All right, but you’d better not try anything. As I said, I’m off duty,” she said again, picking her wand up off the nightstand and approaching the door. She opened it and looked into the gaunt, pale visage of the Potions master. Her eyes drifted over him. Lank hair, dark eyes, huge nose, cruel mouth, stark, severe robes.

He looked like a sadist. Snape walked into the room backing the witch up, his eyes slightly narrowed as they shifted about, taking in the décor. There were hanging beads, candles, incense, red silk sheets on the four-poster bed and a large mirror on the ceiling. His black eyes shifted back to Odessa, then down to the wand she was holding in her hand. His lips tightened as he looked up at her again.

”Sit down, Miss Divine,” he said in a low, commanding voice.

Odessa backed up and sat down on her bed wordlessly. Even though she had her wand, there was something about this wizard that scared her. He looked familiar for some reason, but she couldn’t place the face. She hadn’t attended Hogwarts.

”I’ve already paid good Galleons for you,” Snape said, walking over to her dresser and inspecting what rested on it. Nail polish, combs, brushes, make-up, and a little coin box. He idly picked up an earring and studied it before putting it back down. Costume jewelry.

If Odessa felt any anger at him picking over her things, she didn’t say anything as Snape turned back around and addressed her.

”Natasha assured me you would follow my instructions to the letter, or else, you will lose your position here,” he told the prostitute as he pulled a wooden chair from the wall, placed it in front of her and sat down, leaning forward. Odessa stared at him. He was an ugly wizard, but there was something fascinating in the way he spoke and moved.

“I have a very simple assignment for you, one that will take several weeks. But you will have plenty of time to practice your profession, but I will be your primary client. You will occasionally receive instructions by owl from me, instructing you to go to a certain place and be seen. That is basically all you will have to do for the duration of our association. There may be times you will have to speak, but I will give you instructions how to do it. Under no circumstances are you ever to insinuate you are a prostitute. That fact about you is to remain hidden. You are to be careful coming and going, and to protect yourself from being followed at all costs. You will receive payment on the day you complete the assignment.”

Odessa studied him.

”And there is no sex involved?” she asked him.

”No. No sex. We’ve tried that before and it didn’t work. You remember the redheaded wizard you blew in the joke shop on Christmas day?” Snape asked her.

Did she? He had such a hair trigger she had to choke his cock about ten times to make him last, and then practically run away from him afterwards.

Odessa simply nodded.

”He’s going to be your mark. What you are supposed to do is let him see you from time to time, but not engage him in any manner. If he goes for you, you make a getaway. That’s all I want for the time being. For him to see you in different places. It’s easy money,” Snape said softly. “Any extraneous costs you have to cover in the process will be returned to you. ”

”What’s the reason for it?” Odessa asked. “If I’m not supposed to shag him?”

”The reason, Miss Divine, is to drive him mad with curiosity,” the wizard replied. “The two of you shared an intimate moment . . . he doesn’t know who you are. Seeing you again may throw him off his game . . . “

”And why do you want that?” she asked him.

Snape’s face contorted.

”You ask too many questions, witch. Just do what I tell you to do and let me worry about my motivations,” Snape snarled at her, his eyes hardening.

Odessa swallowed. He certainly seemed to get angry quickly.

”Sorry,” she whispered.

Snape stood up, reached in his pocket and tossed two Galleons on the bed.

”For your time,” he sneered at her, then exited the room without another word, his robes billowing behind him.

Odessa picked up the coins and looked after the wizard. She stood up, walked over and closed the door behind him.

”I bet he takes a branding iron to a witch before he fucks her,” she said to herself as she deposited the coins in her little charmed bank on the dresser.

Well, he was right about one thing. It was easy money.

*************************************

Snape had also come up with another scheme, one he hoped he’d be able to get Minerva’s assistance with. Her tendency to be thrifty and tight-fisted with the school budget money would be very helpful. He approached her that very night.

”Headmistress, I must inform you that the student potions stores are out of Dragonsbane,” he purred at the witch, who looked horrified.

”Again, Severus? Dragonsbane is the most expensive ingredient the students use! How much of it do you need?” she asked him with a frown.

”About five bushels,” he told her, knowing she was going to have a coronary.

Of course, Minerva didn’t. But she looked very close to it as she mentally calculated the cost.

”Oh my gods, Severus. That’s going to take the surplus far below what it should be,” she complained.

“Of course, I could adjust the syllabus, but then the students wouldn’t be properly prepared, especially those taking their OWLS this year,” Snape said softly.

Minerva quailed. Hogwarts always provide a premiere education. It was a point of pride. There was no skimping where the students were concerned.

”No, we couldn’t possibly do that, Severus,” she said resignedly. “I’m just going to have to take the money out of the budget. It’s a shame really. There were some outings I wanted to arrange for a few of the younger students. It won’t be possible now.”

Snape sat there letting Minerva’s disappointment settle in for a moment, then said, “I might have a solution that won’t cost Hogwarts a Knut, Minerva.”

The witch looked up from her desk and adjusted her glasses.

”What is it, Severus?”

He told her.

”That sounds rather dangerous,” she said.

”I’ve harvested Dragonsbane before, Minerva. I would just need an assistant. Someone well-versed in Charms to back me up, provide a bit of extra protection if necessary,” Snape said quietly.

Minerva sat there a moment, thinking.

”Miss Granger is our Charms Mistress, and quite exemplary with charms and spells. She could accompany you, Severus,” the Headmistress said.

Snape looked disgusted.

”Miss Granger? You must be joking,” he said flatly, causing Minerva to bristle. “More than likely the witch would turn tail and flee the moment she spied a waft of smoke.”

Minerva frowned. This was Hermione he was talking about, the pride of Hogwarts.

”Lest you forget, Severus, Hermione has faced many dangers in her lifetime and was tantamount in the destruction of the Dark Lord. She certainly can face a few dragons. She will accompany you,” the witch said with finality as Severus rolled his eyes.

”As you say, Headmistress,” he sighed with resignation.

That had been too easy.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.