The Price of Knowledge

The Price of Knowledge



Disclaimer: As usual, applies



Chapter Five

For someone so new to sex, I was getting very tired of only having it with myself.

Not that I didn’t appreciate my ability to please myself erotically, I took that knowledge in stride. I already knew I was the only female at Hogwarts with any knowledge in that area. Then again, I’m sure the female professors were aware of such things. I tried to cut that thought off right at the source – I didn’t really want to think of Professor McGonagall fingering herself. That would be like imagining Gran…Well, enough of that thinking!

I had just invested in several issues of Mating Today and CosmoWitch, so I could understand this “enticement” of the opposite sex. They were full of pointless drivel and towards the end of the article I felt inclined to smack myself upside the head, but I did learn several interesting facts regarding “enticing” a mate.

One of these “tips” involved using all five senses to capture a man’s attention. I had trouble relating it back to me though, as I wasn’t as high maintenance as most girls. Like smell, for example, implied I should wear perfume in interesting places called “pulse points.” Now perfume usually gives me a headache, or smells so strongly everyone cringes, so I never bothered. It always needed to be reapplied, and that seemed pointless and wasteful to me, so I wasn’t about to go buy some and splash it behind my knees, between my breasts, into my elbow creases…so forth. Sight was an example I could use, for it was pretty self-explanatory. I had little choice over what to wear (the basic black robe everyone wore wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of appeal) but I could make more of an effort to control my hair. At least I had smartened up over the years and let it grow out; it seemed to weigh down the fullness. I had also invested in some muggle product called Infusium, and it worked wonders. What was that tag line again: the leave-in you’ll love? Note to self – ask Mum in next Owl home.

But the magazines only offered so much information in between glamour potions, so I resorted to my psychology texts. In order to understand the enemy, you must understand the enemy. I figured this also applied to landing a wizard. A “best defense is a great offense” mentality.

When faced with competition, you had to discover who your rivals were, and what made them as such. This brought me into the next phase of my research, the observation.

I began with Parvati and Lavender, as I shared a dorm with them. They were very easy to watch without being detected; they were surprisingly vapid and didn’t pay attention too much outside their own imaginary circle of control, namely themselves. My research into developing my sexuality had only showed me how transparent people really where when it came to the fine line between selfish and selfless – it was quite disillusioning.

The two would prattle constantly, usually about hair, makeup, boys and occasionally classes – and usually ignored me. I believe I may have implied their time was better spent doing homework one time too many, so they rarely included me in these conversations. They probably realized I had work today, but for this I was suddenly grateful – little did they know the work I had to do involved spying on them.

“Did you see Dean at the last Quidditch match? He was practically drooling over Ginny Weasley. It was so obvious,” Lavender commented as she plaited her hair.

“As if she would ever look twice at an ex,” Parvati chimed in. “Speaking of which, did you hear? Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson broke up.”

“Really?” Lavender’s interest was piqued, and so was mine, but I was pretending to be engrossed in my homework. “They have been off and on for a while, haven’t they?”

“There are all kinds of rumors flying around that he cheated on her with some girl he met over the summer and she just found out about it, like two weeks ago. Draco is apparently under crazy stress since his father was locked up too, he has to marry after graduation or he’ll lose his inheritance or something. Well, that’s what I heard anyway. Do you think I should cut my hair?”

Two weeks ago, could that have been the day I saw him in the library? That didn’t make sense. Why would he have gotten so frustrated and upset if she broke up with him over him fooling around behind her back? If he had cheated on her, obviously she couldn’t have mattered that much to him. Maybe sex was more commonplace in Slytherin house than in Gryffindor. Sex was still sacred here – you knew “cheated on” only involved kissing. The way they made it sound…it was almost as if he had committed a carnal sin.

Hmm, I wouldn’t mind committing a few carnal sins of my own…then going to confession…

I was really starting to get a dirty mind. Ha, starting.

Pansy Parkinson was a very interesting character herself. She wasn’t as beautiful as the Patil twins, and she wasn’t exactly funny or charming – in fact, I though she was rather whiny and pathetic – but there was something about her. She seemed to always be surrounded by boys, so I decided that if I watched her, I would understand what it was that made her so appealing in their eyes.

Only it wasn’t their eyes that she appealed to. I should have paid more attention to gossip, because at Hogwarts, it was usually true.

Pansy Parkinson was popular because she gave head.

Giving head, also known as fellatio, was apparently her specialty. I overheard Blaise Zabini commenting that he had never been “sucked off” as expertly in his life. She also happened to come from a family that was very well off although lacked the respect it felt it was due, which was why she seemed to have her sights set on Draco Malfoy.

Funny how much information you could get off a fifth year Slytherin in exchange for letting him copy your old Transfiguration essay. I must have been sorted into the wrong house though – I didn’t tell him that Professor McGonagall could spot a copy a mile away and would know by the title alone it was forged off mine. I felt bad afterwards, but I believe we both got what we deserved.

So I made a date to follow Pansy one Saturday. I went to see Harry first.

“I was wondering if I could borrow the cloak,” I asked politely but firmly, hoping my tone told him I wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He only smiled. “So what’s going on tonight? Are we raiding the Ravenclaw dorms again? Sneaking off to Hogsmeade?”

“No…I need the cloak for research purposes.” Harry doesn’t seem to buy this, so I elaborate, with lies unfortunately, “It’s my latest project, and I need to borrow a book from Professor Snape’s classroom to help with research. You know he doesn’t lend out his books, especially not to silly Know-it-Alls like me.”

“I could come with you,” he offered.

I shook my head. “No, the fewer of us that go the better, just in case I do get caught.”

This must have seemed plausible because he considered it, then reached into his trunk and pulled it out for me. “Just have it back in the morning.”

I smiled, grabbed the cloak and thanked him before trying to rush out and get started – only Harry stopped me. “You’ve been really distant lately, ‘Mione. You’re never at breakfast anymore because you’re sleeping until the last minute, skip lunch, go to bed really early, you’ve been acting strangely, your new look… and now you have this new project you’re not telling anyone about. Why are you being so secretive all of the sudden? What’s going on? I mean, I am one of your best mates, aren’t I? Can’t you talk to me anymore?”

“Of course I can!” I insist, although that is really a lie. How can I tell him that I’ve recently discovered masturbation and have been getting myself off constantly, becoming almost insanely obsessed with finding out more about erotism and fantasizing about having very animalistic sex with Draco Malfoy, our sworn enemy and the originator of aforementioned obsession? “I’ve been working on a potion that enables the drinker to recall their dreams with vivid detail. That’s why I have been sleeping so much, research. That’s why I need that book from Snape. I’ve been acting different probably because I’m over-resting without the proper nutrition.”

“So you haven’t been ignoring us? Ron hasn’t said anything to upset you, has he?”

Like I’m thinking about Ronald Weasley. “No, no he hasn’t,” I sigh. “I’m sorry if it feels like I’ve been ignoring you Harry. I’m really sorry. I’ll try to look up once in a while. I promise.”

“Good! ‘Cause there is more to life than research and projects and homework…like living.”

“You are absolutely right,” I smirk. “And that it what I intend to do.” Stuffing the cloak into my robes, I waved goodbye to Harry and rushed back to my room. He was dead on the money; I was working so hard I wasn’t getting enough time to play. That was soon going to change.

Now all I had to do was venture deep into the serpent’s lair and escape unscathed with a newfound understanding of the inner workings of Pansy’s mind.

Something told me that I was overestimating my skills at espionage and sense of stealth, but I chose to ignore that and focus on getting myself prepared to sneak into the Slytherin common room. I was too excited on the prospect of studying her in her natural habitat and maybe even getting a few glimpses of my sex god.

I didn’t have time to think about Harry or Ron or the fact I just lied, not once, but twice to get what I wanted. Or at least that is what I led myself to believe, but that was lying to myself now.

Nevertheless, moral issues aside, I had a mission, and I took missions very seriously.

To the Slytherin common room I went.



Tbc…


An: Sorry, cliffy. Michelle: thank you for going over this for me! Also, I hope this chapter helps the pacing of this story, since some of you think I don\'t know what I am doing (even though I\'m the one writing this story)