"Exhibition is a Right": Chapter 13 Early Release (Patreon)

"Politics and Patronus Practice"

All individuals depicted in this chapter are over the age of 18 and are consenting adults. All acts depicted are consensual, and with the permission of the consenting adult.

Harry scowled as he and his fellow Gryffindors exited the dungeons. Snape had been, unfortunately, no different to what Harry remembered him being. Suffering through a double session of Potions with the man being as unhelpful with his instructions while simultaneously berating any mistakes was enough to grate on anyone's nerves.

It wasn't helped by Harry having to make a conscious effort not to make eye contact during the lesson. He doubted Snape would actually try legilimency on him. But if he did, he would notice his mind's defences, meager though they were. And if he saw those, or heaven forbid any of his memories, questions would be asked…no, it was better to just avoid it as much as possible.

“Greasy git…took twenty points off me for “inelegant cutting”...I'll show him elegant cutting” Ron grumbled beside him, also having felt the bite of the professor's mood. Harry just nodded in solidarity.

When the group walked into the great hall, Harry looked to the ceiling to see the storm from last night had well and truly passed. Now, a bright sun filtered down, showing the last of the year's warmth before Autumn hit in full.

“We've got History of Magic next…think I'll take my lunch out, grab some sandwiches. Enjoy the fresh air after the morning spent in the dungeons” Harry said, looking at Ron and Hermione.

Ron shrugged, sitting down at the table. “I'm having some cottage pie…not exactly easy to eat out and about” he said, pulling a plate his way. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but smiled at Harry. “I'm going to do the same. It's a bit windy for my liking. Enjoy Harry, and see you at History.”

Harry shrugged, piling several different sandwiches and a sausage roll into a napkin. Waving to his friends, he strode out and headed onto the grounds.

After a brisk walk, he found himself sitting beneath a willow by the lake, sheltered from the majority of the breeze.

As he chewed on his second sandwich and looked out over the lake, his eyes fell onto his book bag. It currently held his textbooks for today's lessons…as well as a couple of extra exceptions.

Rummaging around, he drew out the first such exception…the book on the Patronus spell that he had been gifted while in Flourish and Blotts.

“I suppose I should do some studying when I can…I'm not going to learn how to defend myself properly otherwise. And besides, I'm curious what exactly happened when I fought that Fiend Fyre.”

Opening the book up to a random page, Harry blinked before turning the page…then the next. They were all blank!

“The last time I dealt with a blank book, it didn't end well. One thing for sure, I'm not going to write in this one.”

Going to close the book in distrust, he stopped when he noticed that the books first few pages were not, in fact, blank. 

Opening it to its first page, he saw another moving picture of a Patronus, this time a hawk of some kind, flying through the air. Beneath this, was a paragraph, acting as a foreword to the book.

“If you are reading this, you are, at the very least, capable of casting a corporeal Patronus. A feat that, for many, is considered difficult magic to even achieve. Most would consider reaching corporeality mastering this complex charm…yet this is barely touching the surface.”

“Those that are able to master, truly master, the Patronus, will find its uses extend far beyond simply deflecting Dementors and their ilk. Practice, strengthen…and with time, you will be able to unlock its true potential.”

Harry turned the page, to see a single phrase written…”Practice. Strengthen.” The rest of the page and all beyond being blank.

Snapping the book shut with a huff, Harry frowned and considered what he had read. “Practice the Patronus, huh? Well, it's unlikely there will be any nearby Dementors. This year at least. So…what? Just cast it and hold it?”

Shrugging, Harry went through the usual motions. Thinking of a happy memory, and intoning “Expecto Patronum”. Prongs came out, as solid and strong as he usually is. It helped that he had a few extra happy memories recently.

 After charging out and seeing no apparent danger, the buck turned towards him. When he cocked his head in apparent confusion, Harry simply shrugged.

In response, and realising that he wasn't going to be simply dismissed, the deer approached Harry, nuzzling him with his nose. Harry chuckled, reaching up and patting it affectionately. He marveled at the feeling beneath his hand, it was completely solid. He could even feel the fur part.

Snorting, the deer circled around behind Harry, before settling down with his head down, resting. Harry hesitated briefly, before leaning back against the body of the buck.

As the two sat there, Harry glanced back towards his bag. There, sticking out a little was another book he had been encouraged to buy by the clerk. “How to pleasure your Witch”.

“...well it would be rude not to at least take a look, right?” Harry reached for the book. Opening it to the front, he read the brief foreword. Essentially, the book contained several spells to help spice up a couples love life.

The first couple were simple, such as a spell to make your wand vibrate. Harry was pretty sure most of the Witches in his year knew how to do that already, and with his parseltongue skills, was less useful to him.

But as he flipped forward to a later entry, he blushed as he read the description. Seeing a detailed illustration of the spell in action was not helping him keep the blush down either.

“Perhaps I will wait to try this one out. It would require a lot of trust. If the witch in question would even want to try it.” He felt It was not something Ginny would fancy, but he might be wrong. Still, he took the time to read and memorise the incantation and wand movements. It was always interesting to learn new spells, regardless of their uses.

As more time passed, he began to feel the strain of maintaining the Patronus. “This must be what the book meant. Strengthen…hold the spell for longer. Guess it's like a muscle, huh?”

As he reached the fifteen minute mark, he was starting to breath a little heavier, with a trail of sweat starting to bead along his brow. He felt like he'd jogged around the lake, despite being completely stationary. He stopped reading, closing the book and putting both it and the Patronus one back into his bag.

As he started to pant at the twenty minutes mark, Prongs lifted his head, before nudging him softly. Turning slightly tired eyes towards the buck, it looked into his eyes briefly, before seeing it nod its head.

Understanding, Harry released his hold on the spell. Prongs faded into motes of silver light, huffing a bellow as he went. The moment the spell fully ended, Harry felt a wave of exhaustion similar to what he felt after using the spell at the World Cup.

“Whew…that was tiring. I'm not about to pass out, but I'm thankful I've got History as my last class today. I shouldn't need to cast any more magic in that.”

Casting a quick Tempus, he realised that he had to get a move on, if he didn't want to be late. He didn't fancy finding out what Professor Black would do if he was late for the first class of the year. 

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he began heading towards the castle once more. He was able to arrive with several minutes to spare, walking into the class to find the room already full of students.

Looking around the class, he saw that this period was shared with the Hufflepuffs. Though the class was loosely divided by house, there were a few individuals breaking the trend.

Ron had sat with Fay, but Hermione had taken to sharing a desk with a Hufflepuff girl he did not recognise. He looked around for a spare space before smiling.

“May I?” Harry asked, gesturing towards the space next to Susan. Susan gave a wide smile, before nodding. He sat down, retrieving his things to get ready for the start of the class.

“Not sitting with Hannah?” Harry asked, trying to keep his eyes on his things. The uniform shirt was obviously struggling to contain Susan's impressive bust, causing an impressive valley of cleavage to spill above the collar.

As Susan had explained regarding her plight while they were on the express, it was clear the outfit was rubbing her sensitive breasts in such a way to cause her noticeable arousal. Her nipples were clearly apparent through her shirt, and she had a slight blush despite it being fairly cool in the room.

“No, Hannah had other plans” Susan giggled with a wink, before gesturing with her head in the direction of the mostly Gryffindor half of the room. Glancing over, he saw Hannah had sat next to Neville who, based on his smile, was enjoying the company.

“Ah, good for them. Nevs a sound bloke” Harry said with a smile of his own. Susan nodded. “I agree. Of all the available guys our year, he's one of the few I would trust with my best friend.”

As the pair watched, Hannah leaned in a little and whispered something into Neville's ear. Based on the atomic blush he swiftly developed, it was quite the interesting comment. Susan giggled at the sight. “Poor boy. Hannah's a bit of a deviant. Still, it might do his confidence some good.” 

Before Harry could reply, the door to the classroom opened once more. The class chatter quietened, as Narcissa entered and walked towards the front of the class.

Wearing a black pencil skirt, sheer black stockings and a neat buttoned up shirt, Professor Black would cut quite the professional image…if her skirt wasn't so short. Barely reaching her thigh, there was a noticeable stretch of alabaster skin between her hem and the top of her stockings, her garter disappearing beneath it.

Her outfit was completed by having her long blonde hair wound tight into a bun, keeping it from trailing down her back, though a pair of long bangs still strained either side of her face. Finally, she wore a pair of impressive heels, open toed and at least a few inches in height. Her toenails were painted a bright red, the same colour her fingernails and lipstick were. As she walked down the aisle, her heels clicked on the flagstones in a steady rhythm.

“Bloody hell. How is anyone meant to focus on the class with the teacher looking like that?” Harry pondered. Looking around, it was obvious that the class were giving her appreciative looks as she passed them. Still, once their eyes had roamed up and down her form, they were quick to return to looking at their stuff or the front of the class. “Guess I just need to be more focused,” Harry grumbled to himself.

When Narcissa reached the front of the class, rather than step around the desk and sit behind it, she instead stood in front of it, turning and leaning against it, resting her bum onto its surface. This made her skirt ride up even higher, threatening to reveal more than just her legs. 

Still, she didn't seem to pay it any mind, casting a sweeping look across the class. She paused ever so slightly as she reached Harry, but moved on quickly enough that most would have missed it. Harry felt his mouth go a little dry. Was she going to single him out like Snape loved to do so?

“Welcome, class, to your first History of Magic lesson this year. Last year, we covered some of the Wizarding world's more ancient history, including the times of Hogwarts founders and other notable individuals. This year, we will be focusing on more recent history…”

Professor Black swept her wand towards the blackboard, the chalk rising and beginning to scrawl notes of its own accord. The first word was large, and to the point. 

“Grindelwald”

This alone was enough to make the class completely silent. Some, mostly the purebloods in the room, held a grim look on their face. A few individuals were confused. Dean, for example. But he could tell the name meant something to the rest of the class.

Narcissa let the word sink in, before beginning to speak once more. “When most people today mention “Dark Lords”, most think of just one. He-who-must-not-be-named.” Her glance lingered on Harry once more, before looking away.

“But…he was far from the first. Herpo the Foul is infamous for a reason after all. Grindelwald is another such example of a Wizard that, for several reasons, was considered to be a “Dark Lord”. 

“Their exploits, and crimes, are often well known. But what drives a Witch or a Wizard to seek such power or conduct such heinous deeds, as to be considered as such? This, is far less known”

“The aim of this year's first quarter will be to look at the bigger picture of such individuals. Their history, their drive and, ultimately, their demise. As well as the hardest question of all: why?”

Narcissa waved her wand again, adding a chapter and page number to the board. “To begin with, please read chapter three of your texts. This will give you some valuable background to the time period of the rise of Grindelwald. We will then have a class discussion where we will try to start answering this very question. Begin.”

Harry opened his book to the chapter, “The influence of muggle wars upon the wizarding world”. Harry was surprised. He wouldn't expect Narcissa of all people to credit muggles with having any form of influence or effect upon the wizarding world. “Perhaps separating from Lucius opened her eyes somewhat.”

The chapter was a surprisingly interesting read. Though dry at times, it was far better than any of the texts Binns had ever assigned. It was very reminiscent of his history classes from primary.

As he was about halfway through, he was distracted by a crumpled note levitating between himself and Susan, before dropping onto his desk. Turning towards the direction it had come from, he saw Lavender and Parvati giggling and whispering to each other.

Turning back to the note with a chuckle, he reached for it, only to be beaten to it by Susan. She snatched it up, ignoring his “Hey!” as she unfurled the note. Seeing its contents, she gave a sly smile to him.

“Ah, making more friends, I see. A girl could get jealous, Harry” Susan said, giving him a mock pout. Harry coughed nervously. “Yes, well. It's been an interesting start to the year. And? Are you?” he asked. Susan tilted her head in apparent confusion. “Jealous?” he clarified.

Susan laughed, before stifling it in fear of making too much noise. “Of Lavender? Definitely, but only because her breasts are a more manageable size, compared to mine. Far less backache. Tell me, is everything you would do with her on the table for us too?” she asked, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

Harry blinked, not expecting quite such a candid request. Still, he barely hesitated before nodding. “Then I've got nothing to be jealous of, apart from the fact it appears she may get to you first” she replied, before passing him the note.

Looking at it himself, he had to keep a blush from rising up. It turned out the note was not on parchment but was, in fact, a photo. The image showed the tip half of Lavender, without a stitch of clothing upon her. She was holding her breasts in her hands, hiding her nipples from view but posing in various positions to highlight her assets to the fullest.

He watched as the image showed Lavender looking off to the side, saying something to someone out of shot, before laughing. The loop then reset. At the bottom of the page, a short note was scribbled. “After dinner, the abandoned classroom on the fifth floor”.

Turning back to the pair behind them, he saw they were looking his way expectantly. When they caught his eyes, both girls exaggeratedly licked their lips while maintaining eye contact. They then broke into giggles once more.

Harry shook his head in exasperation, before feeling the photo in his grip get whipped away. Turning back, his eyes widened in horror as he saw the photo get grabbed out of the air by Professor Black!

“Passing notes in class, Mr. Potter? Am I going to have to assign detention on your first day?” she asked, her brow raised. Harry just clenched his jaw and looked back in acceptance. He could hear that Lavender and Parvati were no longer giggling.

Narcissa opened the photo, taking a look at its contents. Her other brow raised to join the other, before she peered over the photo at him. “My, you are popular, Mr. Potter. Perhaps it's best if you and Miss Brown see me after class.” Harry just nodded in resignation. He heard a soft “yes, Professor” from Lavender behind him.

Narcissa nodded, before folding the photo and leaving it up on her desk. The rest of the class went smoothly. Though Harry couldn't say he was focused on the class discussion, based on his concern over what Narcissa might say at the end of the session. Susan cast him occasional commiserating looks, though she did not seem particularly worried herself.

When the bell rang to signify the end of class, the rest were swift to pack up and start heading to dinner. Harry took his time, seeing no reason to rush seeing as he was going to have to stay anyway.

He saw Hermione give him a concerned look as she left, while Ron gave him a shrug and a “good luck mate”. Susan placed her hand in his shoulder before she left, leaning down and whispering into his ear. “Don't worry. Professor Black will be fair, I'm sure”. She then gently kissed his cheek before leaving without another word 

Harry looked around to see that now only himself, Lavender and Narcissa remained. Narcissa was now sitting behind her desk, awaiting them to come to the front. Lavender looked a little nervous as she walked forwards. Harry joined her side as she passed.

Behind the desk, Narcissa had reopened the photo, looking at it in interest. Much to Lavender's embarrassment. After several moments of silence as they stood there, Narcissa looked up at them.

“I can see why you are in Gryffindor, Miss Brown. Bold, to say the least. Still…if you want to express your interest in a boy, perhaps try to be a little more subtle in future.” Lavender nodded, a shy smile on her face.

“And perhaps, try to find somewhere better for your rendezvous, yes?” Lavender's eyes widened. “Wait. You're not telling me not to fu…er…meet Harry later?”

Narcissa just smiled, leaning back in her seat. “What you do in your free time is up to you. Though I'm sure if any prefects caught you, they may have other ideas.” Lavender almost bounced in place, her happy smile back in full. Narcissa rolled her eyes. “You are dismissed.”

As both Lavender and Harry turned to leave, Narcissa spoke once more. “Not you, Mr. Potter. I still need to have a word. I'm sure you can wait till after dinner to keep Miss Brown company.” 

Harry winced. Lavender gave him an apologetic look, before walking out from the room. Harry then turned back to Narcissa, increasingly conscious of the fact that he was now alone with a possible enemy.

Narcissa drew her wand, and Harry tensed, but she simply jabbed it towards the nearest desk, summoning a chair towards them. “Sit.”

Harry hesitated, considering refusing the offer. Still, she was a Professor, and she had yet to actually insult or target him. She was already proving to be a better teacher than Snape was. Thus, he reluctantly sat down.

Narcissa stood, before walking back round to the front of the desk. She hopped up into it, so she was now sitting on top of it.  Her skirt rode up dangerously high, her modestly hidden purely by her legs being crossed.

As his eyeline was looking directly at her waist, he had to force his eyes up to appear unbothered by her current attire.

“I'm surprised you did not come to see me sooner, Harry. I would have thought you would want to see me as soon as you arrived at Hogwarts yesterday” Narcissa spoke, looking down at him from her elevated position.

Harry frowned. “Er…why would I do that?” He questioned. “Professor” he hastily added.

Narcissa just blinked carefully. She then pointed her wand towards the door, and cast what Harry recognised as the Muffliato charm. Satisfied she wasn’t going to be overheard, she continued.

“Why else? To find out what progress I have made regarding Sirius's situation, of course.”

Harry's eyes widened in shock. 

“Wait…what?!”