Chapter 6

"Friend Master Harry, Dobby has great news!" Dobby was hopping about in his excitement.

"What did you find out, Dobby?" Harry looked hopeful.

"Friend Master Harry's friends has figureds out the circle magic. Theys will needs the circle magic to free Friend Master Harry's body and return his Nefesh to his body."

Lily smiled. Harry is right about these elves. And this one has enough energy to make Jane Fonda jealous. She addressed Dobby directly, "Nefesh sounds like Hebrew, Dobby."

"Old language, Mistress. Not sure who spokes first."

"What is circle magic, Dobby?" Harry asked.

James couldn't believe what he was hearing, so he answered. "Circle magic is when a set of bonded couples and an unmatched witch or wizard collaborate magically, in a circle or semi-circle depending on the number, to solve the most difficult magical issues. If it wasn't more than a myth, it could've been used to stop Voldemort."

"Not myth, Friend Master Harry's Father. Is real. Was done partially to stop Voldemort, but theys used standing stones. Then Missy Hermione and Missy Luna and others fells into semi-circle without knowings to rescue oldest Wheezy. They haves idea now. Will be able to bring back Friend Master Harry."

Sirius had walked up to the group to hear what was being said, but Dobby's statement caused him to break in angrily, "What do house-elves know of circle magic? You are all worthless little beings, only good for cleaning." His fear at being left behind by his friends came out as inappropriate anger... only Lily remembered this unfortunate aspect of his personality, and she wasn't about to help him.

Harry raised his wand, angry at his godfather for disparaging his friend. Sirius stared at Harry in disbelief. "You would choose an elf over me?"

"Bloody right! You just let Dumbledore run my life and kissed his arse. Dobby gave his life for me!" Harry was so angry his cheeks were stained red and his voice was strained.

Sirius turned to Dobby with his wand raised and began to cast. Seeing that he was about to be attacked, Dobby raised his hand and banished Sirius. "Dobby is not being worthless! Dobby is being hero! Friend Master Harry says so!"

James, Remus and Lily were all agog at the casual display of powerful magic displayed by the elf.

"Dobby, where did he go?" Harry was very curious.

"In-between wasteland. Kreacher's Bad Master cans find way back if he can figures out what he dids wrong."

"You didn't kill him, did you, Dobby?" Lily was a bit worried. She'd never seen a house-elf behave like this before.

"Dobby doesn't kill. He only wishes to make Kreacher's Bad Master thinks. Dobby thinks that may bes very painful for Kreacher's Bad Master."

Dobby disappeared to the sound of laughter from Lily, Remus and Harry. James had a rather disbelieving grin on his face.

---

Hermione was practically floating when she and Viktor returned to their room. "I think it is wonderful that Narcissa will be teaching a class on ancient magics. I would have loved to have had something like that when I was in school."

Viktor picked his diminutive wife up and spun her around. He loved that she was small enough for him to pick up easily. "You are vonderful. Ve follow your lead and see vhere it takes us! The other couples vant us to teach them how ve do our combined casting, and the spell I use to push your magic. "

Hermione smiled at him. "Well, then, we better have some fun tonight, because I don't know when we are going to have any time to ourselves for a whi... What?"

Viktor was looking at Hermione with the oddest look on his face. The best she could come up with was: torn, hopeful, and maybe a bit-predatory.

He raised an eyebrow, and pulled a length of silk rope out of his pocket. "Vell, loff, are you villing to experiment?"

It took about three seconds for Hermione to process what her usually quiet and restrained husband was saying. It took another three seconds for her knickers to become sodden with her response to his suggestion.

Hermione walked up to Viktor, who was holding the rope in his hand and raised her hand. He closed his eyes in anticipation of being slapped, when instead he felt his wife take his hand. He opened his eyes to see her pulling her skirt up then pushing his hand down the front of her knickers.

He felt her excitement at his suggestion, and his heart soared. She not only trusted him and his idea, but she enjoyed the thought.

He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, carrying her to their bedroom. He tossed her lightly onto the bed, then took her wrists and bound them lightly to the headboard. "Loff, you know you can release yourself vhenever you vish, right?"

She smiled and nodded, then tugged lightly against the restraints. They held fast.

Viktor turned and waved his wand at the fireplace. "No interruptions this time." He turned back to his wife, who was lying there looking at him, her arms tied above her head, and he had to swallow.

He reached into the same bag he had retrieved the silken rope from, and pulled out a soft cat-o-nine tails whip. He ran it up and down Hermione's body, then flicked it experimentally at her nipples. The sharp pain combined with the soft leather wrapping around her breasts had Hermione arching her back, wiggling from side to side and moaning. Viktor's smile in response to that was feral, making Hermione wiggle even more.

He ran his hands up and down her body, following his hands with his mouth and tongue, then when he reached her hips, he flipped her over. "On your knees!" he commanded.

Hermione tucked her knees under herself. She was certainly not a submissive person in general, but playing like this with Viktor was one of the most erotic experiences of her life. He waved his wand again and lowered her wrists so that her bum was in the air, and her most intimate self was on display.

"Haff you been bad, vife?" If she said no, he would set the whip aside and just continue with his love-making, but if she said yes... Viktor hoped she said yes.

"Oh, yes, Viktor. I've been very bad."

He dragged the whip along her bottom, making her writhe.

"Tell me, vife."

"I snuck into the castle, hoping to surprise you."

"Ah, yes. Vell, if it hadn't been for my adjustment to your vards, you vould haff managed. I belief you need at least ten svats for that."

"All right." Hermione's voice was a bit shaky, but from desire. She had realized her husband would never hurt her, and although she knew this would not be an everyday occurrence, it was certainly fun for now.

Viktor smiled and then caressed her rump. He ran his fingers along her slit, stopping to pluck at her clitoris. He continued to do that with his left hand, then said, "One!"

Hermione jumped a bit at the sharp sting of the whip, which coupled with this hands playing her like a fine instrument was almost too much for her nerve endings to bear. When Viktor came to the tenth light swat, Hermione broke apart in his hands.

He laughed delightedly. "You vere amazing, my loff. Now tell me, how do you vish to finish off?"

Hermione's slightly dazed voice responded from the mattress. "Just mount me now and ride me hard, Viktor." Viktor was dazed by the passionate response, but Hermione was impatient to get what she wanted. "Viktor, now!"

At her second command of "now!" Viktor did just as his wife said. Tied up as she was, Hermione still bucked up to meet him, straining the grip he had on her hips. She started to tremble again, another powerful orgasm breaking over her, which sent him over the edge.

Before he collapsed on the bed, he spelled away her restraints, and then cast a cleansing charm. "Vould you like a healing charm, Nin?"

"No. I don't feel much more than a stinging sensation."

Viktor looked. "Your bottom is bright pink, but no velts. So, I vill accede to your vishes."

With that, he turned out the lights, and cuddling his wife to his chest, they fell asleep, replete.

---

The next morning, Viktor and Hermione had a bit of a tussle over her not wanting him to heal her bottom.

"Viktor, why did you want to do that in the first place if I don't get to keep any evidence? You know as well as I do that it will be all gone in a couple of days; none of our bruises ever last very long, and you didn't actually bruise me."

"I vanted to play, Nin. Ve are alvays equals, but sometimes, in bed, I like to be in charge. You did not seem to mind."

"I liked it, Vitya. I knew you weren't going to hurt me, and I could just give myself over and just feel. I didn't know my bottom was left out of our love-making until last night."

"You haff nerve endings there, same as anywhere else."

"Did Durmstrang have a class on sex or something?"

"Something."

Hermione resolved to find out more about this, but she just smiled at her husband and led the way down to the Great Hall.

---

Luna saw the way Hermione sat and leaned over. "His hand or a paddle?"

Hermione looked at her friend, who had a look of genuine curiosity on her face. "Neither. A butter-soft cat-o-nine tails."

Luna looked pensive. "Hmmm, I will have to tell Draco to ask him where he got it. We haven't used one of those before."

Hermione couldn't help herself and asked, "Luna, do you think the others play like this as well?"

"Oh, yes. But differently. Daphne and Neville like the outdoors; he's apparently gotten good at holding a Disillusionment Charm while making love. Ginny and Rabastan like to play-act being different characters, dressing as them and all. Susan says Percy loves to include food in their playtime. Cho and Charlie..."

"Like being in the air. Charlie told Viktor. That is when I told Viktor he had to think of something else because I wasn't about to have sex on a broom."

Both girls looked at each other and started giggling.

---

Viktor had been held up by Charlie at the door and arrived at the table just to see his wife's bemused face. "Vhat is it, loff?"

"Luna. She watched me sit down and asked if you used your hand or a paddle, then when I told her about the whip, she said she was going to ask Draco about it. Then she told me about the different ways the others like to play. Something strange is going on, because I never liked that sort of gossip before. But it felt so natural to talk about it."

"Are you vorried about it, loff?" Viktor had noticed her ease with her friends, but he thought it was just maturity paired with the situation they had found themselves in.

"No. It seems to be part of what is going on with all of us, but it seems necessary and right."

Luna chimed in. "I would have to agree. And now I'm curious too. But truly, all that type of play in the bedroom or elsewhere means is we trust our partners."

"Do you children mean to share, or is your whispered conversation private?" Severus' deep voice rang across the table.

"Fine, Uncle Sev." Hermione straightened up, making Severus nervous. He truly hated when she got that swotty look on her face. Hermione smirked at her visibly nervous uncle. "We find ourselves discussing the more adventurous part of our sex lives and wondering if maybe that type of play has something to do with how easily we fell into the old magic. Luna has said it has to do with trust, and I agree. What do you think?" Hermione challenged.

Severus blushed. He and Katie had not gotten that far when she got pregnant, although they had discussed the possibility.

"That is exactly why." Narcissa chimed in, startling the rest of the table, who hadn't expected any response from the very upper crust witch. "Very few wizards are willing to broach the subjects with their wives, believing they would be insulted enough to ask them to leave their beds entirely. But there are treatises written by Nimue explaining that playful, creative sex between the bound couples is essential to the magic circles, adding a level of trust that allows the sharing of cores to happen, instead of each person's core acting to protect itself, which stifles the flow of magic." Narcissa glanced around at the table of rather confounded people and smiled. "I've always been interested in the magic of the circles, so I read everything I could find about them."

"That makes sense, doesn't it, dear?" Molly turned to Arthur. "If you trust your partner with yourself, then your magic trusts them as well."

Bill looked down at his plate when he realized that Charlie and Percy were nodding, as was Neville. Bloody hell! Even Ginny is smiling and nodding. He hadn't expected that these couples, forced into their marriages, had found something that eluded him and his wife.

"Are you all right, Bill?" Hermione asked, noting that he had become shuttered.

"Physically, Nin, yes. Mentally, I'm not so certain, especially after that conversation. I am wondering about my judgement, considering I fell for a pretty face that was unwilling to even consider any of my wants or needs... but I think that is part of my healing." Bill's face was serious. Then he grinned. "By the way, why does Viktor call you Nin, anyway?"

Hermione and Viktor shared a secret smile. "Vhen I first met her, I could not pronounce her name. I said Her-my-o-Ninny. Later, it was joke between us, that I called her Nin. Now, I belief it fits."

Bill smiled. "I think it fits as well. I hope you don't mind my using it."

"Not at all. I certainly prefer it to 'Mione'."

The rest of the table laughed.

Charlie turned to his wife who nodded at him. "Oi, look, Bill. Cho and I were talking, and we realized we probably have a full-circle right here. The two of us, the Krums, the Longbottoms, the Lestranges, the P. Weasleys, and both sets of Malfoys, with you as the single one. But I think that trust is going to have to extend to you as well."

Cho shook her head. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Bill, not sexually. But everyone else here trusts each other with their lives. We need to all include you in that group in our minds, not just those named Weasley." Cho saw the looks everyone gave her and decided if this was her family, then she could tease just as well as the rest. "You all remember I was a Ravenclaw? I'm not just a pretty face, you know!"

Charlie kissed her, happy that she was starting to feel comfortable teasing everyone.

After the laughter died down, Bill looked at the hopeful faces at the table. Katie and Molly looked at each other, then gathered their spouses and left the table to the fifteen.

Molly looked at Arthur, who nodded. "I do not believe I am stable enough for a circle of that magnitude, but you two seem quite happy together. If it is not too much to ask, why weren't you a part of it?"

Katie grinned and left Severus to his answer. He had to learn to trust his friends.

Severus looked at his wife and realized he was not getting any help from that quarter. He also realized that Molly was quite respectful with her question, not the bossy, intrusive witch he had become accustomed to, and it brought him pause. "We hadn't gotten that far when Katie turned up pregnant. My desires are a bit dark so I don't want to hurt her. But we had discussed it."

Arthur nodded. "Every couple's sex life is very personal, and some desires are darker than others. As long as it is consensual and pleases the two of you, that is what matters. If you would like, I can tell you of a few things to try, which you can expand upon after the baby comes."

"I will think about it," Severus responded, discomfited. I know everyone means well, but I am not accustomed to this...openness.