The Meadow

Chapter 7: The Meadow

"Ack!"

"Omigod!"

"Yahoo!"

Whack. Slash. Stab.

The three witches high-fived each other over the dead and broken spider.

Mighty Merlin, grant me strength, prayed Lucius.

"The spiders don't know when it's Monday," Lucius had announced the previous week. "We can go to war on schedule and still catch them by surprise." Now, he wasn't certain what the spiders knew, but it seemed to be a typical Monday for the witches. He was thinking that any other day of the week would have been fine.

He was also thinking that everything turns out different. The first different thing had been the centaurs. Lucius had followed his hero, van Falkenhayn, and had presented the global picture to his allies. The land they planned to reclaim was roughly twelve miles east-to-west and six miles north-to-south. It was bounded by a river on the North, woods under the control of the centaurs on the East, a ridge on the South, and a creek on the West. The spiders were apex predators, and the ecology could support five of them per square mile. Hence, they had to eliminate at least three hundred ferocious opponents.

"They outnumber us," the lead centaur had said.

"They more than outnumber you," Lucius had replied. "Every one of them is a capable warrior. How many capable warriors do you have?"

The centaur had replied that they could gather eighty-one mature fighters. Under the cool gaze of Lucius, the chief centaur conceded that they might be able to field more effectives if they made an effort. The effort consisted of twenty-two young bucks that would fight under the direction of three Aunties.

"They leave supervision to the Aunts," Narcissa had observed.

"Very smart," Bellatrix had said.

"Sensible people," Hermione had added.

Still trying to apply the lessons of history, Lucius had convinced the centaurs that the young bucks could form an artillery brigade under the firm control of the older females. He and Severus had devised an explosive warhead to be fired by longbow that had a range of one hundred yards. The centaurs had liked the idea that the artillery brigade would not be in the front lines. Lucius and Severus privately had thought that things would get more desperate than that.

The spiders had adapted different hunting tactics for the different terrains. The northeast corner was a flat meadow bounded by the river on the north, the centaur forest on the east, and a stream running southeast to northwest that emptied into the river. It was nearly a triangle with five miles along the river and six miles along the forest. With no natural cover for a large predator, the spiders had turned to concealed trapdoors. The centaurs didn't want to fall into a trap and they didn't want to leave any spiders behind them as they swept through the triangle. They had agreed that Lucius and Severus could conduct reconnaissance by broom and use cameras that located all the spider holes.

The flyover had found seventy-nine spider holes in the triangular meadow. The witches and wizards had claimed the long and irregular row of eleven holes bordering the river. It was the first day; they were fresh; and it was the best time to cover the distance. They had gone in with brooms slung on their backs and wands hidden in their sleeves. They had carried bows and arrows, spears, and sacks of smoke and fire grenades. The centaurs had followed suit and had organized ten storm-trooper units with six members each, which left twenty-one mature centaurs plus the twenty-two bucks and three Aunties as rear guards and reserve.

Then there were the witches.

As the first spider had come out of its hole, it had lurched toward Draco.

"No, you don't," Bellatrix had yelled, stepping forward and making a downward sweep with her spear that took off two of the spider's legs.

The crippled beast had spun towards Lucius.

"Get off him," Hermione had screamed, copying Bellatrix's downward sweep and taking off the back half of the creature.

Narcissa had stepped coolly forward and put the blade of her spear between the animal's eyes.

The women had decided that they could handle spiders, that attacking a disoriented spider was better than waiting for it to attack them and then trying to impale it with a spear, and that they weren't going to let a spider get close to their wizard. Now, after the males had tossed smoke and fire grenades into the hole, the females of the species were waiting in ambush. The men had decided to not argue, keep out of the way of the deadly blades, and live with the embarrassment. The witches shouldered their spears and marched to the next spider hole. The wizards followed, lugging the sacks of grenades.

The witch-wizard team cleared the eleven holes in five hours; they were covered with smoke, cuts, and bruises; and they were ready to drop from exhaustion. The centaurs had eleven injured, four of them badly enough they would not fight again.

Narcissa assumed a heroic stance with her spear. "They should have included some Aunties on the teams," she announced.

The triangular meadow, judged the easiest part of the campaign, had been cleared.

The enchanters left the centaurs to patrol and returned to the manor where they took a potion for their aches and pains and began the afternoon, chastely enough, with the women in their hot tub and the men in theirs.

A pain-free, scrubbed, and toweled-to-a-pink Hermione went in search of Lucius. A house-elf informed her he was in the study. She found him reading a magazine, and she sat in an adjoining chair.

"I don't have anything exciting planned," said Hermione.

"This morning was exciting enough," said Lucius. "Would you like to have lunch with me and join me in the workshop? We need more explosive warheads for the centaur bows."

"That would be marvelous," said Hermione.

Bellatrix went to Draco's bedroom where he had managed to dress before collapsing in a chair.

"Worn out already?" she chided. "No time or energy for the lusty part of being a warrior?"

She watched him stand and assumed he was offended and leaving, but she felt him grab her hair.

"Ow," she said.

She heard him say, "Why don't I give it a try?" as he pushed her to her knees with her face close to his groin. She heard a hoarse, "Unbutton my trousers, Auntie."

She felt a shiver go through her as her hands, seemingly of their own volition, fumbled with the buttons, and a voice from faraway said, "You haven't done this in years, have you?" She shook her head no.

She unbuttoned his trousers and leaned closer, inhaling his scent. Its genetic compatibility went through her aristocratic nose; it traveled down her patrician spine; it pooled and formed a pure bred ache. She reached into his trousers. The feel of him dropped into the pool below her navel, and waves of lust washed through milady, rippled through her breasts, and spilled out of her open lips.

The aching need of her moan reached the boy and almost caused him to change from gripping her hair to stroking her hair, but he recalled the nature of his aunt and kept his grip.

Bellatrix, still in a daze that he was letting her do this, demanding she do this, caressed him with her lips and then her tongue as he grew larger and firmer until she could no longer resist someone who was treating her with a combination of affection and imperiousness that she had never experienced before. Yielding to what she longed to do, she engulfed him and reveled in tending him as befitted a lady eager to please. She lost herself in what had been denied her and was now permitted her by a worthy wizard. She would show him that she, Bellatrix, was the equal of any.

She heard him gasp, "I'm going to come, Auntie," and she changed to stroking him with her hand. She watched with wild eyes as he cried out, his muscles contracted, and his sperm shot out of him.

Apprehension caught up with Bellatrix. Similar activities with the Dark Lord or her husband had always led to a round of torture or cruel taunts, but Draco took her hands, pulled her to her feet, and put an arm around her waist in a gentle embrace. His other hand massaged her temples as his fingers combed her hair. "That was sweet," he said as his face moved close to hers and he began nuzzling her.

I'm falling into a trap. You can't trust wizards. she told herself, but she couldn't resist returning the embrace. The gentle affection continued, and after a minute, she was floating.

He floated her against the wall. She liked it. Her lips sought his. He was a bit out of breath when he shyly asked, "Would you like to make love to me?"

She grabbed him and began to devour him.

Oh no, she thought, I don't know what to do. I'm being too clumsy.

She loosened her grip and tried nibbling him. He stroked her hair and told her she was beautiful. She was thinking he was being gracious about her clumsiness. He whispered she was a classy and loving lady. One hand gently kneaded her back and held her against him while the other travelled to her waist and then lower to caress her hip. His whispers were calming and arousing; his hands were soothing and provocative.

She unbuttoned her blouse. Oh, I hope he likes this. Oh, yes. Oh my, those hands. She unfastened her top garment. Kiss me, sweetheart. Yes, like that. I like it when you do it. She thought this could go on forever, but her inner core was taking control, and her hands lifted her skirt and pushed her knickers down. Her hands guided him to her receptive self.

She was looking her lover in the eye when he parted her folds and she moaned for him. She was looking her lover in the eye when he pushed into her. Her mouth opened with the shock of his entry; she made small animal noises.

Omigod, what am I doing? she thought, but Draco was holding her tenderly as he made small circular motions. His affection and his passion seeped into her, and she sighed with pleasure.

Can I really have this? she wondered as Draco filled the long-neglected void in her life.

Oh, I don't care, she thought as her hips began moving with his.

I want this, flashed through her mind, and she drove her body against his.

Without warning, a white light exploded in her brain. She was not aware that she cried out and clenched Draco as her knees buckled and she sagged against him.

As Bellatrix regained awareness of the world around her, she waited for the unkind words that described the type of woman she was, but Draco was holding her and telling her she was sweet and lovely and sexy. Moving in a dream, she let him lead her to his bed.

"Show me how lovely you are," he said.

She removed her blouse, her bra.

"Oh, yes," he said.

Enjoying herself, she dropped her skirt and lay back on the quilt. Draco undressed and knelt between her legs. He lowered himself until his nose touched hers. His lips fumbled with hers. His lips and tongue tended her breasts as she sighed. He returned to her lips. His tongue parted them. His cock parted her fleshy folds, and he sank into her. They were moving together. They were both making small, soft noises. Her face softened. The lines in her face vanished. The cruelty and insanity that had been a part of her adult life began to retreat. She was a little girl for him. The little girl felt good. The little girl felt wonderful. The little girl felt bliss flow through her.

A romance orgasm, she thought.

Bellatrix held Draco. She heard him gasp, and she knew her spasms had sent him over the edge. She was glad he was coming inside her. For the first time in her life, she was enjoying the whole messy affair of sex.

After lunch, Bellatrix and Draco joined Hermione and Lucius in the workshop where Bellatrix and Draco turned out arrows.

"This steel is almost as hard as you are," she whispered to him.

About the time Bellatrix had found Draco, Severus located Narcissa on the back patio. She looked a mix of serious and melancholy. She said, "Let's go someplace else. Can we go to your place?"

"Certainly," said Severus.

When they arrived he said, "I can offer you tea, wine, anything. What would you like for lunch? The kitchen staff will be happy to fix whatever you want."

"Tea," she said, sitting at the table.

When he joined her, she said, "Severus, I'm getting involved, emotionally involved with you. I want to know how much I'm going to be hurt."

"I don't want to hurt you at all," he said.

"I'm going to get hurt. The question is how much," she said. "Of course, there's the remote possibility that you could make me very happy, too."

He considered the last statement. "Then I should say that I'm emotionally involved with you."

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Very seriously," he said.

She sipped her tea. "I can't be an unfaithful wife. I'm not built that way. I'm devoted to one wizard."

Well, except for the occasional hen party, she thought

She paused. "But I can leave my husband. Then I'll be free."

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"That was your cue to invite me here, you thick clod," she said.

Oops.

"Forgive me," he said. "I'm not used to this."

Well, neither am I," she replied, "but I'm still making plans that include both of us." She sighed. "Men. They never think about relationships."

Severus was thinking that living with a woman meant living with her anger.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "I know what you're worried about. It's not your reputation. You think I'll gobble down all your melons."

"I'd love it if you came to stay with me," he said. "I'll take the hit in the fruit department."

"What about tomorrow afternoon?" she asked. "I can tell Lucius and pack the essentials tonight."

"Um, okay," he said.

Her eyes narrowed again. "I don't have to move in with you if you'd rather not. I'm independently wealthy. I can find my own place."

"No, I want you here," he said. "We'll have lunch, and we'll inform the Headmaster."

Oh, Sev," she said, hopping into his lap.

He held her, feeling lucky and terrified.

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Can the kitchen staff fix French onion soup?" she asked. Pause for reflection. "With French bread and melted Swiss cheese?"

She snuggled. "Do you think they could sauté some asparagus first?" she asked. Pause for reflection. "With butter and mushrooms?"

She kissed his forehead. "Would you like to finish with plain vanilla ice cream, sweetie?" she inquired. Pause for reflection. "Perhaps with some nuts and a little chocolate sauce."

He asked if there was going to be any trouble leaving Lucius. She replied that Lucius would probably welcome her leaving and he hadn't asked her to before because he hadn't been serious about any of his liaisons. Prompted by his professorial instincts to protect students, Severus asked about Hermione.

Narcissa looked into the distance. "He seems serious about her. I haven't seen him act this way before."

"You're not upset about them?" he asked.

"I'd be completely happy for them if she weren't so young, but it might work out for them anyway," she said.

"I take it that you're not worried about your son and your sister either," he said.

"That's the least of my worries. In fact, it's not a worry. They seem to be doing each other some good, and I'm surprised anyone can do my sister some good," she said.

"The way they're going, they may have some good offspring," he said.

"We need more family members," she said. "And don't look shocked. Have you seen the Malfoy and Black family trees?"

"I saw a Black family tree, and it seemed normal," he replied.

"That thing? That's a laugh. Didn't you notice the short life spans used to try to make it work?" she asked

"I always wondered about that," he said.

She shook her head. "By the gods: all the concubines, all the cousins."

"I thought your motto was 'Always Pure,'" he said.

"Didn't you ever read Machiavelli?" she asked. "You can get away with anything if you act pious." She gave him a serious look. "Were you really worried about that, dear?"

"Well, yes."

She took his hand. "By Black standards, we're a wholesome couple."

After lunch, they informed the Headmaster and returned to his, now their rooms to arrange them for her moving in. They had re-shelved his books to clear several tables when he noticed her looking at him.

"Yes?" he asked her.

"I never thought it would be this rational," she said. "Of course, I never thought I would find anyone."

"Maybe the shock and surprise will hit us later," he said.

"I'm thinking we'll have to go over our finances, and I'm thinking I'm willing to tell you everything. I never told Lucius what I inherited or what I did with it. But I want you to know."

"I like having a rich witch," he said. "Yours is yours to keep. I'll never have to worry if you're staying with me because you can't afford to leave."

"Speaking of leaving," she said, "have you considered leaving this damp, gloomy dungeon and taking your house to a tower. I know the northwest one is free."

"Leave a cozy dungeon for a windy tower where we'll freeze our asses off?" he asked.

"But this tower has marvelous views, the type you would like – the frigid, uninviting lake on one side and the bleak, intimidating moor on the other," she said.

"I'm overwhelmed by your sympathetic sense of humor," he said.

"I can put matching-mood material around the windows," she said, "heavy and somber drapes that pull you into the pit of angst and then change to lacey and inspiring curtains that remind you that you have me."

"Wives," he moaned. "They're never happy with what they've got – always, the home improvement."

"See, you're getting used to me already," she triumphed.

When the rooms were ready, he said, "I should be at the Manor when you tell Lucius. We should face everything now because we have to face the spiders in the morning."

"Are you going to stay at the Manor tonight?" she asked.

"No. Nothing compromising. A clean break and a fresh start," he said.

Later that evening, Draco was persuading Bellatrix to spend the night with him.

"What if I toss and turn?" she asked.

"It's more fun when you do," he replied.

"Wizards," she said, but she admitted to herself that she liked the idea.

When she climbed into bed, he coaxed her into snuggling with her head on his shoulder. She was going to tell him this was awkward, but it felt soothing, and before she could say anything, she slipped into dreamless sleep.

Draco, the romantic, was reconsidering. Perhaps it was okay to approach some women through their sex.