Home Sweet Home ch.42 (Patreon)

"How was your day?" Bellatrix asked.

Harry smiled and got into the front seat. "It was fine. I think Father Patrick is out of tasks for me."

It was just the two of them in the car; Daphne had likely gone home, and Astoria hadn’t been picked up from school yet. His mother looked happy to see him, but there was something in her gaze that made him brace for what he knew was coming.

"Listen," she said. "I wanted to talk to you about... last night."

He tensed up in several ways, cautious but charged. "Alright."

"What happened between us wasn’t right," his mother said in a gentle voice. "I don’t blame you. I basically invited you to do what you did."

"I’m sorry, Mom," he said.

"It’s okay, Harry!" She reached out and touched his knee, only increasing the tension in the small car. "It wasn’t your fault in the slightest. I blame Narcissa and the tone she set more than you. I also invited her into our space, and it wasn’t unbearable for me."

"I think I understand." He really didn’t, and it seemed she had veered from her initial point. All he could focus on was her fingers on his knee.

"Good," she said, letting out a breath. "So, we’re on the same page?"

"I’d say we’re reading the same book." Harry took her hand off his knee and kissed its back.

"Close enough," his mother said with a laugh. "I just wanted to make sure you weren’t traumatized or... heading down a wrong path."

"I’m far from traumatized. I don’t think I’ll ever forget last night."

"Neither will I, but... I think we both should try." She sighed, still holding his hand. "You were frustrated. Narcissa made you uneasy. The bed situation put us right next to each other."

"Yeah, that’s true," he said. "I’m glad to be going home, but honestly, sharing a bed with you was... fun."

"A one-time fun." She smiled strangely, rubbing one of his knuckles with her thumb. The car felt tight and stuffy, and she still hadn’t started driving.

"So, are you really going to the party Narcissa is throwing tonight?" he asked.

Bellatrix laughed and let go of his hand, finally starting the car. "She’d never forgive me if I skipped it."

"She made it sound like it’s a party that... He paused, searching for the right words. "Fully takes advantage of her playroom, so to speak."

"Some people will be in that mood, but not everyone," she said. She blushed deeply and shrugged with guilt. "Don’t worry. I already informed your father, so it’s no secret. And I don’t plan on doing anything but sipping wine and standing in the corner."

Harry felt somewhat relieved. It was odd, being less worried that some creep would take advantage of his mother and more annoyed that he wasn’t invited. Narcissa had hinted that she wouldn’t mind him crashing the party, but if his mother caught him not participating in the fun, she’d send him straight home.

He considered the possibility and decided it might not be so bad, given they’d be going together. He still imagined the party and got more excited thinking about meeting Narcissa in a mask as his mother picked up Astoria from school.

They drove straight home. Harry went to his room, and Astoria came to visit him a few minutes later. He was lying on his bed, staring at his phone, and she climbed in beside him, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"You won’t miss me tonight, will you?" she asked him.

"Where are you going tonight?" He ran his hands over her body, his thumbs tracing the curve of her breasts.

"Sleepover at a friend’s house."

"Since when do you have friends?"

"Hey!" Astoria grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

Harry blocked and flipped her under him, eliciting a squeal. They wrestled for about a minute, stopping only when they heard their mother’s footsteps coming up the stairs. Astoria straightened her shirt and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I do have friends," she said. "At least one. Lois goes to another school, so she was never involved in the bullying."

"I was just teasing." Harry pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "I hope you have a great time."

"Daphne is also visiting Delilah while her younger sister is in town, according to Mom, and she won’t be back until late," Astoria said. "Looks like you’ll have the house to yourself. Hope you don’t get too bored."

"I’m sure I’ll find something to do."

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon playing video games. His mother came downstairs early in the evening with Astoria. Astoria was wearing a cute pink dress, her hair styled in a messy bun. His mother, on the other hand, was in a costume.

Bellatrix was dressed as a sexy cat, complete with cat ears, a tail, a corset, and a short skirt that could easily be mistaken for lingerie. She also wore a mask that covered the upper half of her face, but Harry would recognize his mother’s curves and figure anywhere.

"Oh, wow," he said.

Astoria laughed. Bellatrix cleared her throat, visibly embarrassed and looking like she was reconsidering her outfit.

"Narcissa was with me when I bought it," she said quietly. "It's a bit much, isn’t it?"

"Mom, don’t you dare change!" Astoria said, smiling. "I’m taking a picture."

"I told you, I don’t want any photographic evidence!" Bellatrix placed her hands on her hips, but if anything, it only made her pose even more adorable as Astoria snapped a few pictures.

"I think you look amazing, Mom."

Harry couldn’t stop staring. He felt as excited as he had the previous night and was more determined than ever to crash Narcissa’s party. The idea of his mother being around other men, dressed as she was, especially in Narcissa’s presence, made him feel jealous and irritated.

"I'll probably be back early," Bellatrix said. "Probably. Try not to have too much fun holding down the fort, mister."

"We'll see," he said.

He waved them off and waited just long enough to see the car turn the corner at the end of the block before running upstairs to perfect his own costume. One of the spoils from his time in college was a complete and relatively high-quality Batman costume, with a mask that covered his eyes and the upper part of his face, leaving the lower part exposed.

Harry worried it might stand out too much at Narcissa’s party, but after seeing his mother’s outfit, he was confident it would fit in well. He needed something that would cover most of his head to avoid her noticing him, and this was perfect. She had never seen the costume before and wouldn’t be able to recognize him at a glance.

He had just started putting it on when he realized the dilemma it posed. He couldn’t exactly drive around town on a motorcycle in a Batman costume. At least, he didn’t want to. He packed it into a backpack, making sure it still fit well and had all the pieces, then waited somewhat impatiently for the right time to leave for the party.

Harry suspected his mother would arrive at the party early, given how close she was with Narcissa. This meant he needed to arrive late to avoid her noticing him. It was like waiting to fall asleep on Christmas Eve; his anticipation was building to a point where it overshadowed the object of his desire. Or perhaps not?

His heart raced at the thought of being at an adult party, presumably a sexual or borderline debauched party, with his mother, without her knowing he was there. Excitement wasn’t the right word for what he felt, as it didn’t capture the entire emotion. He was excited, aroused, curious, and more than a little apprehensive.

She was a married woman, sure, but he had already witnessed at least one slip. She had let Narcissa convince her to wear the Magic Pulse to a family dinner. Yes, Narcissa was another woman, and there had been no direct sexual contact, and moreover, Harry had been the one with the remote, but still. From one perspective, such a play could be seen as a bit like cheating if someone squinted and insisted on the strictest definitions.

Would she cheat at Narcissa’s party? Harry told himself he was going to make sure his mom didn’t get too cozy with some handsome, masked stranger or drink too much. It was this view that excited him in such a complicated way. She was a mother, but she was also a woman, and while those two identities overlapped in some places, they were distinct and separate in others.

He thought about the previous night, grinding against her body with only the thinnest towel and pretense between them. Was that his mother or Bellatrix, the woman? He felt himself getting hard as he realized that if ever there was an excuse to leave his mother at home, a costumed sexual party hosted by one of her best friends was it.

The anticipation got the better of him, and he set off at nine in the evening, even though it was still early by party standards. The air outside was cold, perhaps just below freezing, and his breath rose in white plumes under his helmet. He put on the gloves from his Batman costume and rode to Narcissa’s house.

There were already plenty of cars parked along the long driveway. Harry found a spot for his bike and pursed his lips, wondering how he would put on his costume. He certainly couldn’t walk into the bathroom and change without risking being seen by his mother.

He found a spot in the bushes and, experiencing the cold more directly, stripped off his clothes and squeezed into the tight and stretchy Batman suit. The leggings were snug, and he suspected that in the right lighting, he would have a significant bulge. The top slipped into the bottom, with a belt covering it, which at least made it easier to put on and take off.

He put on the mask, ensuring his face was completely covered, checking it with his phone’s camera. Then, excited, he walked up the steps to Narcissa’s front door and slipped inside.

Harry didn’t make a grand entrance, but he hadn’t planned to. No one really stopped to look at him or ask if he was invited as he slowly navigated through Narcissa’s familiar foyer. Even with everyone in costumes, he immediately felt the age difference between himself and most of the guests, though his Batman mask did a good job of concealing it.

Most guests were in their thirties and older, if he had to guess, though the general common attribute many of them shared was their attractiveness.

A man dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, with a lot of gray in his hair and beard, offered a slightly older Barbie a sip from the wine bottle he carried. A muscular black man in a pharaoh costume hoisted a laughing woman in a nurse outfit over his shoulder as if carrying her to one of the guest rooms.

Harry chuckled, wondering if it would be the same room he had stayed in with his mom. It was strangely surreal to see Narcissa’s home, which had become so familiar to him over the past few days, transformed by decorations and filled with so many people. A man in a clown mask riding a tricycle wheeled past, nearly running over his foot. A laughing woman dressed as Cruella De Vil bumped into him with a surprised gasp.

"Sorry, darling," she said. "You look so young, Bat-boy. Are you standing in for Bruce Wayne?"

"I’ve got my eye on you, Cruella," he said, adopting Batman’s growl, though not too seriously.

She laughed and patted his chest before literally twirling away to join another group of women. Harry began to stroll around the party, somewhat reminded of the parties he had attended at Hogwarts and in college. There was an air of sophistication over the event, but beneath it was the familiar excitement that was far more mature and calculated.

He entered Narcissa’s playroom and saw several partygoers already pairing off. There was no visible nudity or foreplay, but the body language and intensity of several couples were enough to remind him of what kind of gathering he had walked into.

Someone collided with him from behind, not just bumping into him but jumping onto his back. Harry felt a flash of irritation until he realized that soft breasts were pressing against his shoulder blades. He turned slightly and saw the reflection of himself and his assailant in a full-length mirror. A short blonde woman dressed as Harley Quinn from the Batman movies, perhaps in her forties, clung to him with a mischievous smile.

"If we’re quick, I bet we can have some fun before my husband finds us, Batman," she whispered.

She slid off him, one of her hands trailing over his costume, not stopping as her fingers brushed against his leggings and crotch. Harry felt a rush of excitement and turned to draw her closer. He knew Narcissa's apartment well enough to just lead her upstairs to a guest room.

As he passed another group of women, Harley Quinn murmured and bounced away to join them, which disappointed Harry far more than it should have. He remembered that he was there to find his mother and felt a surge of anxiety about where she might be and what she might already be doing.

"Attention!" Narcissa's voice suddenly cut through the moment. "If I could have everyone’s attention, please."

She immediately caught his eye. Narcissa was dressed as a witch, in a long, flowing black gown, a pointed hat, and carrying a broom. Harry was almost certain that she was naked under the costume, and even from across the room, she exuded the same confidence and sexuality that was one of her defining traits.

"Now that almost everyone is here, it’s time to start the game," Narcissa said, shifting so that her dress tightened enough to show her nipples underneath. "If you’ll direct your attention this way, you’ll see three buckets. One for men seeking women, one for women seeking women, and one for men seeking men.

"In the bucket, you’ll find a random set of car keys attached to a basic necklace. Put it on and see if someone is looking for them. It’s up to you to decide what they must do to get them back, though consent is always key, and anyone who stops having fun can come to me to resolve any difficulties. Clear enough?"

A chorus of murmured, excited responses came from the participants. Harry finally spotted his mother across the room and felt a mix of emotions. She looked bored and slightly annoyed. A bald man dressed as Homer Simpson, complete with yellow bronzer on his skin, was whispering something in her ear that she seemed less than eager to listen to.

His first instinct was to go help her immediately, but he remembered the keys. More importantly, he could recognize her car keys. He joined the line for the men seeking the bucket with women, praying that someone wouldn’t pick them before him.

His prayer was answered. Finding his mother’s keys took some discreet digging, but he felt satisfied when he pulled them out and hung them around his neck. He tried not to draw too much attention as he made his way toward her, eager for her to spot them and try to retrieve them.

She was still on the receiving end of too much attention from the men. Homer Simpson was now joined by a tall, skinny guy in overalls and a straw hat. Harry caught her eye as he walked past, the key dangling from his neck clearly visible against the bat emblem on his costume.

"Oh, look at that!" his mother said, stepping away from the men. "It seems I see my key. And it's in the hands of a superhero."

Harry held up the key with one finger, pretending to be surprised. He wasn’t sure how much he could actually say. He suspected she would recognize his voice if he uttered more than a few syllables at once. His mom held a nearly finished glass of wine in one hand and downed the rest before approaching him.

"I wonder," she said, her voice a seductive purr. "What will I have to do to get it back?"

She placed a hand on his chest, caressing him while one finger toyed with her key. Harry fought the urge to smile, maintaining his character even as he felt himself getting hot and strangely aroused.

"I’ll get another glass of wine...," she said. "Or perhaps we can go upstairs and talk for a bit?"

"Absolutely," he said, risking a single word.

He felt a considerable amount of hostility directed his way as he watched his mother walk off to find more wine, her rear looking incredible in the tight cat costume.