The Price Of Knowledge

The Price of Knowledge




Chapter Six


When I snuck through the Slytherin portrait hole behind a fifth-year Prefect, I really didn’t know what to expect. Fire and brimstone didn’t seem likely, but I never expected the Serpent’s Den to resemble my own common room. Despite being in the dungeons, it was very warm with thick tapestries and furnishings made of rich woods. I recognized a few third years playing exploding snap by the hearth, and a sixth year student tutoring several first years at a long table opposite the fireplace. I noticed the common room split into two corridors, most likely to the boys’ and girls’ dormitories.

Clutching Harry’s invisibility cloak tighter, I backed into a shadowy corner. I had to crouch down slightly less my feet show, and it was getting uncomfortable quickly. I tried to push my uneasiness away, but I was so nervous I was drenched in sweat. I was determined despite my fear, because I had a mission to finish.

And my timing couldn’t have been better.

I had only been waiting a short time when Pansy emerged from the other side of the portrait, followed closely by Millicent Bullstrode and Tracey Davis. The three had just finished detention with Sprout for constant gossiping in class, not that they learned that lesson as they dug up flobberworms, because they were chatting animatedly as they entered. “Did you see what that Weasley girl was wearing? Obviously her family is too poor to afford good taste,” Tracey laughed.

I was tempted to blow my cover as I heard them belittle Ginny’s clothing, but I bit my tongue. Literally. Ginny was popular, pretty and opinionated, and I knew a lot of girls hated that about her. I couldn’t care less about her being prettier or more popular than me – what mattered most to me was that she was honest and kind and could hold up a conversation about subjects outside hair, makeup, robes and boys. Unfortunately I couldn’t say that about other girls my own age.

I didn’t think it would hurt to throw a tripping spell silently in her direction.

Tracey cried out when she lunged forward, only to miss the floor thanks to Draco. I didn’t see him come in – he must have come from the boys’ dorm. He lifted her back onto his feet with a rather smug expression. “You better watch your step, Trace. You could end up bruising that pretty face of yours.”

Tracey giggled and blushed. “Oh, thanks for rescuing me, Draco.”

Pansy snorted. It was such a funny sound I was temped to laugh but my teeth were still firmly imbedded in my tongue. “Still have your hands full, Draco?” she inquired in a snotty, uptight voice.

Draco shrugged, his expression neutral. “Nice to see you too, Pans.”

“Let’s go, girls,” Pansy was still staring daggers at him.

Maybe Lavender had heard right – maybe Draco had cheated on her. Their argument made sense if that was the case. Pansy stormed down the corridor to the left, the other two waved and blew kisses at Draco before following Pansy. Draco watched them go down the corridor – I didn’t dare follow them right away with him standing so close by. Any draft or smell could alert him to my presence, and with one flick of his wrist he could grab Harry’s cloak and reveal me completely.

He seemed to stand there so long before he shrugged again, and disappeared down the right corridor.

I was never so thankful to see him go. The last thing I wanted was for this adventure to be over before it had begun.

I have been hanging around with Harry and Ron too long.

I followed the same path the three girls went down the corridor. I silently counted each step from the portrait hole to their dorm room – just in case I had to make a hasty retreat. I thanked the Gods the door was open wide enough that I could squeeze through. I probably should have taken into account that I might have not been able to observe up close and borrowed Ron’s Sneak O Scope, but that would have meant another person I had to lie to. The fewer lies I had to tell the better I could keep them all straight. I felt my heart plummet as I realized I was planning my ‘dishonesty’ strategy. I was really becoming very sneaky.

Their dorm room looked identical to mine, save the house colors. Pansy was sitting on her bed, leaning back into the many pillows with Millicent beside her. I couldn’t see Tracey, but then I heard the sound of running water. I almost gasped – they had their own bathroom adjoined. How unfair! It must have been a perk to living down in the dungeons, but I was still jealous – Gryffindor girls shared three shower stalls, no bathtub, and only had the common water closets that all the girls had to share. Three girls to a bathroom would have been heaven.

Pansy and Millicent were being really quiet, whispering. I didn’t understand why they would whisper with Tracey taking a shower in the other room, but then Pansy giggled and raised her wand towards the door. I panicked then – throwing myself to the ground to avoid being hexed – but the hex didn’t come. The door shut and locked itself. I had no way out. My mind was racing with the number of steps separating me from the freedom of the portrait and I readied my wand in the event they wanted to duel…but how did they know I was here?

They cast a silencing charm around the bed next, and my panic turned to disbelief.

Pansy and Millicent were snogging.

I had never seen two girls kiss before, let alone girls who I had seen on various other occasions kissing boys. This didn’t make sense – Pansy was a lesbian?

Their kissing seemed to deepen when Millicent moved over Pansy, one of her hands in the girl’s hair, the other slowly massaging her clothed breast. Pansy’s mouth broke from Millicent’s and she seemed to moan – only because of their silencing spell, I heard nothing.

They had no idea I was watching. They were taking the stolen moment for all it was worth, snogging while their other roommate showered. My mind was racing with unanswered questions as to why and how this had started, for how long…but when I saw Pansy’s hand slip under Millicent’s skirt, they all flew out of my head.

I was a voyeur.

Pansy was fingering her roommate wildly as Millicent ground her hips into Pansy’s palm. I felt my body react to the display before me, against my better judgment. I couldn’t help but notice how similar the motions between the two girls were in comparison to my own. I had considered my recently acquired knowledge to be taboo and unknown to most girls – but here before me lay proof that other girls did know what it was like. Maybe Slytherin girls just knew, and passed the information along. I was suddenly feeling swindled, in more ways than one.

I was trapped. I didn’t want to watch, but it was so horribly arousing I couldn’t help it. It was just so…

Millicent was giving Pansy head.

Oh my Lord.

Her face was buried between the other girl’s legs, her hands stroking the insides of Pansy’s thighs. I watched as Pansy’s hand fell down between her own legs and she began to stimulate herself, along with Millicent’s tongue. It had to be the 2nd most arousing thing I had ever seen, and I wasn’t gay or in any way attracted to my own sex. Watching those two girls, whom I never would have thought had anything but a platonic relationship, fool around and perform oral sex was having such an effect on me that I needed to leave, and I needed to leave NOW.

Pansy’s head fell back as she came and I quietly lifted the ward she had placed upon the door and snuck out.

I rushed towards the portrait, counting the steps back. I had to focus on it, focus on anything other than the throbbing sensation between my legs.

I was almost free to find a lavatory to wank in when I pushed through the portrait. I ran down the hall almost gasping for air before I dared remove the invisibility cloak. I still was in shock over what I had seen. It didn’t seem real.

“Why hello, Granger,” came an all too familiar voice behind me.

Shite, I thought as I turned around.

There he was, arms folded, his smirk as arrogant as ever. “Why in such a rush?” Draco asked casually.

Double shite. How much did he know? Fear flashed through me. It was one thing to have fantasies of Draco catching me in this state and ravaging me within an inch of my life, but it was another to have him to really find me in such a state, especially since I was escaping his common room. I felt the panic rise up again, and an almost perfect lie form upon my lips.

“I don’t want to hear it, Mudblood,” he informed me blatantly. “I know what you’ve been up to and it’s not good. I never would have guessed how pervy you really are, but here we are.”

“What do you want?” I asked hesitantly.

He smiled. It wasn’t a happy, lighthearted, heartwarming smile either, it was cold and evil and made sparks shoot through my being. This wasn’t helping my arousal. Why couldn’t I just turn it off? I was about to be humiliated!

“Come into my office and you shall find out,” he said, motioning me to follow him into the empty classroom. I wanted to add ‘Said the spider to the fly,’ because it seemed so fitting, but I doubted he would understand the muggle reference.

I was scared and aroused and shocked all at the same time. I readied my wand in case he was planning to attack me. I didn’t think he would; seeing me squirm as he threatened to tell Professor Snape was more his style, but I wanted to be open to all possibilities.

He closed the door behind me and cast a quick silencing spell over the classroom. He leaned back against the instructor’s desk and finally regarded me with features tinged in amusement. “So how long have you been a voyeur, Granger?” he asked. “Or did you not get a good enough look at me in the library?”

So he knew.

Shite.



Tbc…