The Sorcerer’s Legacy

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain, TheDonFluffles, SkyCaptain502, and Mike, God of Lore

The Sorcerer's Legacy

Chapter 04: A Cult Has To Start Somewhere

I won't deny, the thought of demanding sexual favours in exchange for my help crosses my mind as Morrigan stands there, a part of me wants to see that sexy little scowl grow as she strips, to see her staring up at me in anger as her lips wrap around my cock.

But I push that down because if there's one thing I know about Morrigan, it's that she knows how to hold a grudge.

She'd do it, she's too desperate to prove she can handle the magic down there, but she'd hate me for it and she'd hold a grudge for years. She cares about me even if she tries to hide it, but that would sink her opinion of me immediately.

What kind of idiot would try and demand sex from someone as dangerous as Morrigan? I'd have to watch my back for the rest of my life if I hurt her pride like that. She's the type to enjoy her revenge very coldly.

Either she'd attack me immediately, or she'd scheme for months, years even, until the perfect time to fuck me over.

"I want two things from you, and I'll loan you three books of your choice," I say, narrowing her eyes before nodding.

"Name your price," Morrigan demands, fidgeting slightly as her eyes flicker to the bed, she's considered that I'd demand sex as well.

"I want three vials of Acromantula venom, I'm sure you won't have any issues getting your hands on some, will you?" I ask knowingly, and despite her cold demeanour she freezes and pales.

"W-hat makes you-"

"Don't ask stupid questions, yes I know, no I haven't told anyone, honestly I'm impressed," I interrupt, making her settle down, regaining some colour as she stares at me with a much more intense, questioning look.

She doesn't know how I know, she's been very careful, but how could she predict my demonic eyes?

"Fine, what else?" Morrigan finally says, half-glaring at me as I roll my eyes.

"Are you worried I'm going to use this to take advantage of you?" I ask, my lips twitching as she narrows her eyes.

"You're a teenage boy, and I've seen your eyes lingering on my body," Morrigan scoffs. "And I'm not worried, it would be worth putting up with your pawing hands or a few minutes of desperate rutting to get access to my birthright."

So she says, but I don't buy it. She's nervous, she's just good at hiding it, but Morrigan would never show weakness, she's a lot like Mother in that regard.

"I'll admit I've had some wandering eyes, going through puberty surrounded by such beautiful women was always going to be difficult and you're hardly modest," I say simply. "But I'm not foolish enough to demand such favours from you, who do you think I am, Damian?"

She scoffs at that, slightly amused despite herself. She doesn't acknowledge my point, but some of the tension in her body bleeds away as she stares at me.

"Then what do you want?" Morrigan asks, making me smirk.

"Your help with a ritual, you're not the only one playing with… advanced magic," I say, catching her by surprise as her eyes widen.

Morrigan is hungry for advanced magic, I don't need to demand sex from her because if I show her a taste of what I can do, she won't be able to stop herself from coming back for more.

Morrigan is too powerful and intelligent for me to not want to recruit her to my cause, but she needs to be handled with caution and subtlety, both things she lacks.

"A ritual? What are you up to? What would my help entail?" Morrigan asks, demands really.

"It's a ritual to enhance my physical abilities, which I need to do before the ball to make it look like a growth spurt," I say, making her narrow her eyes in thought. "It requires an animal to be sacrificed, several in fact as I want to enhance myself multiple times. Some of the animals I can handle, but some I require your assistance with. In addition, I'd like you to witness the ritual, I have everything worked out and it should go exactly as I have planned but it's better safe than sorry."

"Sacrifice? You are messing with dangerous magic, and mother said you were the cautious one," Morrigan says mockingly, but I catch the hint of concern in her tone. "And if this ritual kills you?"

"I'll leave a letter for the worst-case scenario so you don't get blamed, and you'll become the Lady Raum-Black, a win-win for you," I say, making her freeze.

"Then why would you trust me to watch your back when I have so much to gain from your death?" Morrigan asks acidically, making me smile.

"Because as prickly as you are, you're still my big sister, and I know you care about this family more than you'll ever admit," I say, making her pause. "I trust you because I love you, and because as much as you won't admit it, I know you hold some affection for me in that cold, blackened heart of yours," I say teasingly, making her scoff again.

She noticeably doesn't refute my point.

"I want your word that you will never attempt to marry me off when you become Lord Raum-Black, as Mother seems determined to do with you," Morrigan demands after a moment.

"You have it, I will not make any betrothal contracts for you, or the others," I say immediately, given my own plans for Morrigan that's an easy promise to make.

"Not even Damian?" Morrigan asks, her lips twitching.

"Of course not, I'd not inflict him on my worst enemies," I reply, making her laugh.

"What animals do you want?" Morrigan asks, making me smile.

With my knowledge of rituals came an understanding of what each animal represents because what animal is sacrificed will wildly change the end result of the ritual.

A bull or a bear, for strength and power. A bull will be easier to get, I think, but they also represent fertility. A hawk or an eagle, for better perception. A cat, or one of the 'big' cats, for dexterity and reflexes. A stronger cat like a tiger or jaguar would make a better sacrifice, and I can't risk using a Kneazle because I'm not ready to use magical animals yet.

I'm avoiding anything that will affect my mental state, there are animals to increase one's intelligence or wisdom but I'm hesitant to dabble with mind-altering rituals until I know what I'm doing.

There's a risk in doing too many rituals at once, but three lesser rituals will be safe enough to do at once.

Morrigan listens as I explain the animals I want, frowning.

"You get a hawk or eagle, I'll get a bear and tiger," Morrigan says simply, with a confidence that I cannot refute."I imagine Keira will lie for you, but what about mother and Damian? They won't miss any sudden growth spurts."

"Mother won't be a problem, and I can handle Damian," I say, making her narrow her eyes again.

She wants to ask more questions, but she stops herself.

"We don't know when Mother is going to spring this idiotic ball on us, will you be ready for tomorrow night?" Morrigan asks, making me nod.

I've got a few ideas about where I can get an eagle, they're less popular than owls but there are plenty of exotic pet stores out there for people with my kind of money.

Trying to get someone to sell me a tiger would be a little harder, but Morrigan seems to think she can handle it.

"Very well, I'll have them by then, where are we doing this?" Morrigan asks, and I briefly consider the ritual room in the mirror but change my mind.

I'm not ready to show her that secret yet.

"In the forest outside the manor, we'll meet by the fountain in the courtyard. I'll prepare a clearing for the ritual itself, these types of rituals are best done in nature, away from magic that could interfere," I explain. We'll have to leave the wards, because while the ritual room is warded to prevent outside magic from interfering, I can't guarantee the ambient magic from the wards won't mess with my ritual.

It's almost funny, if the wards weren't so powerful I would have nothing to worry about, but the Raum wards are ancient and dangerous. In hindsight, they're likely demonic in origin themselves. They've covered this land for centuries, every inch of this land is imbued with magic.

It's the same as places like Hogwarts, though on a lesser level. Rituals would be near impossible in Hogwarts after so many centuries, with countless magic users inhabiting those lands over the years.

"So be it, you had better know what you are doing," Morrigan warns, turning and leaving as I smile.

Would it kill her to admit she's worried about me?

I considered Keira as the first person I dragged into this, of course I did, but while I'll definitely want to recruit her later, when it comes to magic, Morrigan is just the better choice.

Of course, I could also just use Yen, with that choker around her neck, but that doesn't increase my influence, this way I'm making a start in recruiting Morrigan which is important because soon we'll be heading back to Hogwarts, where I won't be able to rely on Yen's help.

Plus, I want to make something of myself, I won't deny I love the fact that mother is at my beck and call, but she put the collar on herself and handed me the leash, I don't feel like I've earned it.

If I get Morrigan to join me, that'll be something I did, yes it is a matter of pointless pride but hey, pride is a sin, right?

— Next Day —

I have to admit, my results are less impressive than hers as I hold my cage with a single golden eagle inside it.

In two larger cages, a large brown bear and a tiger seem rather displeased with their current situations, while Morrigan seems proud of herself as she levitates the cages and follows me into the forest.

It's almost midnight- these types of rituals are supposed to work better at night- not entirely sure why, but it is what it is.

Arriving at the clearing, where I've spent most of the day, Morrigan pauses as she spots the perfectly-shaped circle of stone, obviously transfigured, with a ritual circle carved into it.

"Someone has been busy," Morrigan says simply, eyes narrowed as she looks around, seeing the black candles arranged around the circle.

"I wanted to handle the prep work before you got here, this shouldn't take long at all," I saw, pulling out my wand and Stupefying the eagle.

Morrigan follows my example (the bear takes three attempts to stun it as it struggles against the bars of the cage.)

A part of me wants to ask where she got these two and how she did it so quickly, but I think perhaps I'm better off not knowing.

…a muggle zoo is missing some animals, isn't it?

Hopefully, the slight amount of magic from the stunning spells won't be enough to make a difference, and they don't need to be conscious for this.

It'd both be cruel, and frankly, I see minor issues with me trying to kill a brown bear with a tiny ritual dagger if it's still .

I'm well aware that I'm taking a lot of risks lately, but caution alone won't help me reach my potential and I refuse to be weak any longer.

The physical enchantments won't fix my true issue, but it's a start, and Theodore showed the power of simply being in good shape.

I am not in good shape. I don't exercise, enjoy food and rarely go outdoors. I'm not fat, magic makes getting truly out of shape more difficult than it is for muggles, but I'm not exactly the pinnacle of physical prowess either.

Plus, increasing my agility and reflexes will only help once my magic is fixed. I'm preparing for the future while getting some ritual practice in.

"What now?" Morrigan asks, watching as I start to strip. "And what are you doing?"

"If I've prepared everything right, I'm about to have a considerable growth spurt, which is why I needed to do this before anyone outside our family sees me, and my clothes are enchanted, so I can't wear them during the ritual," I explain, stripping entirely naked. "If I say Kneazle, blow out the candles, otherwise you are simply here to observe. Do not interfere, no matter what."

Morrigan pauses, I can see her own hesitation even as her eyes briefly flicker over my body, she's concerned for me.

I'm hardly physically impressive and her gaze makes me mildly uncomfortable, but hopefully, that's about to change as I open the cage and place the eagle down in the middle of the circle, lighting the candles one by one.

Theodore had some ritual materials left over in his secret rooms, and the rest I bought with essence.

Thankfully, everything I needed for this particular ritual was fairly cheap, this is a very basic ritual after all.

Compared to what a master of rituals could achieve, like bringing back the dead or cursing an entire bloodline, a little physical enhancement is truly novice level.

Drawing a dagger made of a strange black stone, I light the last candle and start to whisper in a tongue I don't know.

I know the words, but the language is unknown to me, one of the tongues of the demons perhaps, and kneeling over the hawk I pause as I hold the dagger over its unmoving body.

The hesitation lasts but a moment as I steel myself and stab down, the blade piercing the bird's body and heart in a single stab, my knowledge guiding my hand.

The circle flares up, drawing energy from the bird as it dies, before it courses forwards and enters my body instead, and my eyes burn.

Or that's the closest I can describe the sensation, gasping as a strangled scream leaves my throat before I force it down, gritting my teeth as I bare them, accidentally biting my lip in the process.

I felt worse back when I got my Secret Seeker power, although this quickly spreads through my body to my ears and nose as well, the burning making me growl briefly before it ends.

Looking up, I see Morrigan has her wand drawn, worry clear on her face for once as she tries to work out what she's supposed to do, but what strikes me even more than her first honest expression is how sharp she looks, it's like I've needed glasses all my life and now I can finally see for the first time.

Everything is sharper, the sounds of the forest around us, her face and body, the smell of the blood soaking my knife, the coppery taste of my own blood.

I wouldn't say I have truly supernaturally good senses, but I'm at the least at the peak of humanity, if not a few steps higher with my new animalistic senses.

"Are you-" Morrigan starts as she watches the candles go out.

"I'm fine, I didn't know for certain that it'd hurt but I expected something like this," I say, gasping quietly at the sound of my own voice.

The concern in her tone, which she tries so hard to hide, is so blatant to my ears.

— Morrigan —

She was the reckless one?

Was mother completely oblivious or was she simply blinded by favouritism when it came to her beloved Grayson?

"Grayson, are you sure about this?" Morrigan asked, making him pause as he reset the ritual circle, clearing the blood and the desiccated corpse of his first sacrifice.

She didn't give a shit about some animals, but if this went wrong she wouldn't have the slightest clue how to fix things…

Gray gave her a look, the steel in his gaze making her almost step back, so used to Gray being the quiet, diplomatic one.

Before this summer, anytime they spoke he would always tread carefully, backing down if she pushed, but not now.

"I am, I am done with being weak," Gray said coldly, making her pause.

"Do you think this will fix your magic?" Morrigan asked, making him laugh darkly.

"If only it were so easy," Gray said simply. "This is… the preparations for when I do fix my magic, I know how to, but I'm simply not ready to go through with it yet," Gray admitted as her eyes widened.

In truth, she'd assumed Gray was simply weak, but he seemed convinced he could fix his problem, and who was she to argue when she had no idea what rituals could do.

Where had he found this? Not in the restricted section, it was too soon, he'd only gotten the key this week.

He levitated the bear into the ritual circle, with some clear effort from its sheer weight, pausing to rearrange the candles as he started to light them again.

She didn't try to stop him despite her own doubts, and as he started to chant again she had to wonder when this change had happened. Gray was always the quiet one, the studious child, had she misjudged him all these years?

No, as he went to stab down he hesitated again, looking down at the animal he was about to kill before he steeled himself and plunged the dagger into his sacrifice.

That dagger wouldn't reach the bear's heart, being rather too short, but there was clearly powerful magic at work here as the ritual circle lit up in a baleful red light, draining the life from the bear as she watched helplessly.

She'd been worried when Gray screamed the first time, this time worry didn't quite cover it as the energy surged into her little brother, and Gray let out a tortured scream.

She'd heard that type of scream before, when she learnt the Cruciatus curse and… demonstrated to an upper-year that attempting to force himself on her was a poor decision, and while she'd found that deluded doomed fool's screams satisfying as she demonstrated that you don't fuck with a Raum, she found them far less appealing when it was Gray's voice.

Gray was absolutely right, of course- the smug little shit usually was- and Gray was smug about his intelligence despite his weakness. She did not want her little brother to die, not even for the position of Lady Raum-Black.

Merlin, she didn't even want Damian to die, just get a lifelong crippling injury that would keep him out of her hair.

His body twisted and she could hear bones cracking as his body warped and grew, but she knew that interrupting without Gray telling her to was probably even more dangerous than doing nothing, so she was forced to watch as her brother collapsed, dagger sliding across the platform as he writhed in pain.

And then it was over, the screams stopped, the candles blew out and the circle stopped glowing, once again leaving a desiccated corpse and Gray, who slowly rose to his feet.

Gray had always been on the smaller side, he had to look up to meet her gaze, at least before now as he rose to his feet and looked towards her.

Growth spurt, right. Who the fuck was going to believe that?!

Standing at around six feet tall, the fourteen-year-old boy looked like he could pass for a young-looking twenty-year-old man, and what a man he was.

Magic made getting out of shape hard, only the truly gluttonous and slothful would grow fat, but very few wizards actually got into shape either.

So the well-defined muscles on his new body were definitely out of place. Gray looked down at himself in curiosity and then clear pleasure despite the tired breathing, flexing his arms to show off his almost bulging biceps.

He'd grown in other places as well, his manhood growing with him to a size that made her private toy seem almost small in comparison.

"One more," Gray said, his voice rather coarse from his screaming.

She didn't argue, despite her misgivings, her own mind racing.

These rituals very clearly worked, and with the Triwizard tournament upcoming she could use some enhancements herself.

She could take the pain and he said the tiger would give him inhuman speed and reflexes, both of which would be powerful tools for duelling, and whatever other trials would be included in the tournament.

She knew Damian intended to enter, but her lesser twin was deluded if he thought he'd get picked.

The ritual went through again, and thankfully the screaming didn't last as long this time, his body barely changing at all as he rose to his feet with a tired sigh.

"It's done then?" Morrigan asked, showing none of her concern or doubts as Gray nodded.

"It is, you have my thanks," Gray agreed, pausing to look down at the blood-coated dagger in his hands before he tapped it with his wand and vanished the blood.

"Did it work?" Morrigan asked, making him pause.

"Curse me," Gray said, and without pause she tossed a simple spell his way, a slightly darker version of a stinging spell that hurt a hell of a lot more.

If Gray got hit, maybe it'd teach him to not be so fucking reckless.

The spell was aimed at his shoulder, but Gray sidestepped at what seemed like the last second, turning his head to watch the spell pass him by and hit a tree in the distance.

Was he so confident that he felt he could turn his back on her?

Another spell, cast silently, flew towards his exposed back (and chiselled buttocks) but Gray once more dodged as he threw himself to the side, rolling out of the way before he rose again facing her, eyes widened.

"Well, I think we can agree that my reflexes have certainly improved," Gray said simply, before taking a breath.

Looking around, he picked a direction and started to run.

His speed confirmed one thing for her, in what world did Gray think 'puberty growth spurt' was going to cover this bullshit as he sprinted at speeds man wasn't supposed to move at.

That was his problem frankly, and she wasn't obligated to cover for him, even if she'd go along with the nonsense that he'd grown over the summer instead of overnight.

But it clearly had worked, Gray evidently knew exactly what he was doing and didn't mind suffering to enhance himself, which she could reluctantly respect.

A part of her wanted to demand that he help her do the same ritual, or something similar at least since she didn't need to grow so much or become muscled, but better senses? Better reflexes?

That she could certainly use.

She squashed that desire with practised ease, making plans as Gray came running back at ludicrous speeds, a smirk on his lips.

"I'd say this was a success," Gray said with a proud smile on his lips.

"I suppose so, now it's time you paid up," Morrigan said calmly, reminding him that she didn't help him for free.

"I'll get your books once I've gotten dressed, have no fear," Gray said, and she actually believed him. Gray was a man of his word, at least to family, that much at least she believed.

"And I'll have your venom," Morrigan agreed, she already had it because of course she'd been harvesting the incredibly valuable (and dangerous) venom from her Animagus form (with the help of one of the Raum house elves).

But how did Gray even know about her Animagus form? Did the elf give away her secret? No, it wouldn't do that.

Mother could have demanded the elf answer to her, but she'd sworn the creature to secrecy and that wouldn't explain how Gray knew, no, he'd found out another way.

Gray had certainly changed lately, and she had no idea why.

But that was a question for another time, because now they had some cleaning up to do.

— Grayson Raum-Black — Next Day —

"What the fuck," Damian says as I walk into the room, yawning slightly. My body is still slightly sore from the ritual but I needed to make an appearance at breakfast.

Everyone but Morrigan is here, but with the books I gave her, I doubt she'll be showing her face anytime soon.

"Gray?" Keira asks, blinking in shock as I take my seat.

Mother doesn't seem overly surprised, only giving me a raised eyebrow at the sight of my new appearance.

Thankfully, I have quite a few clothes that are enchanted to grow or shrink to perfectly fit the wearer, so I'm not stuck being naked or worse, stealing Damian's clothes. Who knows what I could catch from him.

"Yes?" I ask, giving Keira a mock confused look which she definitely doesn't appreciate.

"What did you-"

"Call it a magical growth spurt," I say simply, starting to eat because I'm very hungry.

"The fuck kind of magic have you been messing with?" Damian asks, jealousy apparent in his voice as he looks me over, I'm still an inch or two smaller than him, the lanky bastard, but while he's worked hard to keep in shape for Quidditch, I'm probably in better shape than him.

He spent years getting into that shape, I spent hours surpassing him.

"The type you might have found yourself if you actually studied," I say simply, making him pause before he snorts.

"Fair enough, so been brewing some magic steroids?" Damian asks, making me pause.

What the fuck are steroids? I get the idea of what he means, however.

"No, this wasn't the result of any potions or spells, and that's all you need to know. If anyone else asks, I had a growth spurt over the summer, not overnight. Nobody outside of the family has seen me this summer anyway," I say, making him pause.

"I take it this is what you and Morrigan were sneaking out to do last night? Should I expect my daughter to look like an Amazonian warrior?" Yennefer asks, making me shake my head.

"She helped, but I only enhanced myself, for now at least," I say, and Keira makes a very quiet sound that I wouldn't have heard without my increased senses, a glimmer of hurt in her eyes.

"And why should I lie for you?" Damian asks, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

"Because I'm going to take care of the debts you've been building up with the goblins because of your gambling issues, and you owe me for not letting you get dragged off and sold for parts when they find out you will never have access to the Raum-Black fortune and can't pay back your debts," I say simply, making him breathe in rapidly.

There aren't that many goblin moneylenders, tracking down who Damian owes money to isn't really an issue (also because he sucks at Occlumency).

He glances towards Yennefer, who gives him a knowing but disappointed look before he backs down.

"Uh, right. Yeah, that'd do it, thanks," Damian says as he looks away.

As I said to Morrigan, I can handle Damian.

"You realise that 'growth spurt' won't quite cover it?" Yennefer points out, and admittedly I grew more than I anticipated. I don't regret it.

"There will be some suspicions, yes, but it'll work for most people, and our family's reputation should discourage most of the suspicious people from looking too closely," I say, making her pause before she nods in acknowledgement.

"True enough, but not everyone," Yennefer points out, making me nod.

"Technically, I've broken no laws," I say simply, Morrigan definitely did but half-truths are an old friend.

"Hm. Once you've finished eating, I want to speak with you about the upcoming ball. I'll be in my office," Yennefer finally says, standing up and walking away.

"Heh, good luck with that. I've got places to be as well," Damian says awkwardly, and I can practically see him running through all the things he thought he'd kept secret.

He noticeably avoids eye contact with me, so he's not as dumb as he looks.

Leaving me and Keira alone, I already know what's coming before she even opens her mouth.

"You went to Morrigan for help?" Keira asks, sounding betrayed as I turn to her.

"Yes," I admit, making her narrow her eyes.

"Why?" Keira finally says, making me smile as I place my hand on her thigh.

"Because she needed my help and I had leverage over her to make sure she'd behave," I say, making her pause. "Unless you meant, 'why not me' in which case it's because I wanted Morrigan to see the results of the rituals. It's bait, to draw her in."

"What-"

"Do you really think I trust her more than you? I already know I can count on you, for anything, but for my plans it'll take more than just the two of us, and Morrigan is very powerful," I admit, making her brighten up.

"You think Morrigan is going to want to become buff?" Keira asks, making me snort.

"No, but my enhanced senses? My enhanced reflexes? Those she wants, she barely managed to stop herself from demanding I redo the ritual for her right there on the spot," I explain, kissing her on the lips. "So stop being so sulky, you know you're my favourite, but while I'm counting on you for your help with some social matters, I need Morrigan for an entirely different reason."

"Are you ever going to tell me what you're scheming?" Keira asks, visibly brightening up at my words.

"I will, just give me some time," I say, stroking her hair.

"Fine, you're lucky you're cute- huh, it's weird to look up at you, you're lucky you're hot," Keira corrects. "Cho is coming to visit tomorrow, so you can decide what to do about that whole mess. I still think you should tell Mother to fuck off with this whole betrothal stuff."

"Thanks, and I could but I don't want to. If I want to achieve my ambitions I'll need connections, and marriage is an easy way to arrange that," I admit, making her narrow her eyes before she snorts.

"You're such a Slytherin," Keira says with a laugh, making me grin.

"You're damn right, and proud of it," I say, her ruffled feathers smoothed as we chat, like old times.

Well, almost like old times as her hand slips under the table and into my robes, a mischievous smile on her face.

— Later —

"I'm not going to scold you like a small child, but in the future I'd like to be there when you perform any rituals, even masters can make mistakes and Morrigan would have been no real help if things had gone wrong," Yennefer says as I enter, making me nod. "Honestly I'm no expert on rituals myself, but it's better than you having no assistance."

Once again, she's changed into a flimsy black gown that's partially open, exposing her cleavage, forcing me not to stare because I can already tell this is a test.

"Fair enough, I take it you know I gave Morrigan some of the books from the restricted section?" I ask, making her nod.

"Of course, none of the books she asked for were dangerous enough for me to 'misplace' them before you went down to get them," Yennefer agrees. I didn't believe for an instant that she didn't know what was going on in her own house. "That's not why I've asked to speak with you, I have a… request of sorts."

"Ask away," I say, enjoying the feeling of power that comes from her need to ask instead of demand.

"During the Ball, I want you to find a way to publicly demonstrate your power over me, without exposing the collar around my neck of course," Yennefer asks, making me pause.

"You want people to know that I'm in charge?" I ask, making her nod.

"It will both increase your renown, or perhaps infamy depending on how you demonstrate your power over me and help with my own plans. I want the Lodge to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I cannot work against you," Yennefer explains.

"And how do you suggest I demonstrate my control over you?" I ask, making her smirk.

"That's for you to decide, what kind of lord you want to be, how you want to treat me, those decisions are yours," Yennefer says calmly. "How subtle you want to be is also up to you, as long as you do make it clear that you are the head of the family now. If that involves being rough with me, do so. I suspect many of the lords there would enjoy seeing me put in my place."

"You mean the former followers of Voldemort who slipped under the radar or weren't marked?" I ask, making her nod easily.

"Some will be there, Voldemort was intelligent enough not to mark the supporters he had in high places, so many escaped judgement. I would rather just kill them but they will be invited, some don't know I know they supported Voldemort, and leaving them out of such an event would send certain messages," Yennefer admits. "There will be quite the mixture of different politics at the Ball, to show that you haven't picked a side so to speak, again I won't make those kinds of decisions for you."

"So I should expect people to test the waters, to try and sway me over to their side," I say, making her nod.

"Of course, you're going to be a powerful man, and power attracts attention of all kinds," Yennefer says easily. "This is an opportunity, but make no mistake, the spotlight is on you and there will be no end to the people who hope to take advantage of you."

"Let them try," I say, frowning as she chuckles.

"They will, and I won't always be there to help, but I've trained you well, remember your lessons and you'll be fine," Yennefer says with a small smile.

"I will. You don't mind being publicly controlled? It'll help my reputation but it will hurt yours," I ask, making her smile slightly.

"I am a prideful woman, true, but no, I do not mind. It's necessary, for both of us," Yennefer says, making me nod.

I don't intend to publicly shame her, both because she's my mother and I love her, and because her reputation is a useful tool. This will require some subtlety.

"Very well, I'll take care of it," I say, making her smile.

"Of course you will," Yennefer agrees proudly. "That was all I wished to discuss unless there's anything you wish to talk about?"

"Not at the moment, but I'm sure I'll want to talk to you soon enough," I say, making her nod.

"Of course, I'm at your disposal," Yennefer says, leaning forwards as her gown parts more, showing off a hint of her pale pink nipple. "I truly mean it when I say I'm under your control, you don't need to hesitate. If you want some advanced tutoring, my resources or simply some… stress relief, feel free to call upon me."

That is extremely tempting, and she knows it from her light smirk. Does she want me to take her up on that offer or is she testing me again?

I can never tell with her, but after a moment I pause.

"Actually, there is something I could use your help with if you have the time," I say, making her eyebrow raise.

— Later —

Placing Yennefer's gown on the side, I turn back to where she's sitting, utterly naked with a small smirk on her face.

Approaching, my eyes roam over her exposed body, admiring her womanly curves and soft, pale skin.

"How do you want me?" Yennefer asks, making me pause as I approach her, looking over her carefully before I reach forwards and gently manoeuvre her into the position I want her in.

Then I step back, moving behind the easel as I pick up my brush, and start to paint.

"I wasn't aware you enjoyed art, I take it this is a new development?" Yennefer asks, not moving from her pose as I start to paint her.

"One of my pacts, yes," I admit, it's nice to be able to openly talk about this stuff with someone. "It came with the downside of me finding almost all the art around the house… dissatisfying."

"Ah, so that's why the elves found the paintings from your room tossed in a spare room?" Yennefer asks, before smirking. "Are you planning to replace them with this particular painting of me? I don't mind but it might raise some questions if anyone sees it."

"I don't intend this painting to see the light of day, it's for my own enjoyment. I'll paint some more for my room later," I say with a smirk.

"And here I thought you were planning to have it on display during the ball, how better to show that you have me under your thumb than with a painting of me wearing nothing but a choker, on your bed," Yennefer teases, making me chuckle.

"I think not, I'm sure many of the male guests would love to see you like this, but I don't want them getting any ideas," I say. "You are mine."

"Ah, the possessive type?" Yennefer asks with a flirtatious smile. "Somehow I'm not surprised, but it's your right."

The painting session continues like this, a mixture of idle chatting and flirting as I make my first portrait.

Of course, no one would believe it's my first painting, my skills are already above average and only growing better as I paint, restarting several times as the older work falls behind.

The end result is an incredibly lifelike depiction of Yennefer, which doesn't trigger my new snobby hatred of artwork.

Of course, now I've realised that it uses my skill with art as the baseline, so anything I think is worse quality than what I could make is going to infuriate me, and it's only going to get worse as I get better, but that's a problem for later.

"Impressive, I have to admit it's interesting to see a pact in action, very few people would take as many pacts as you have. In fact, I doubt there are more than a dozen active pacts in the world," Yennefer says, admiring the painting, still naked as she stands next to me.

"It's a start, but I can see a dozen places I could have done better," I say, looking between the nude painting in front of me and the equally nude woman next to me.

"Such a little perfectionist," Yennefer teases, before letting out a surprised yelp as I casually spank her perky backside, putting some of my enhanced strength into the blow.

"Shush you, there's nothing wrong with seeking perfection," I say, smirking at the genuine shock on her face before it fades into a playful smirk.

"Of course, it's the pursuit of perfection that had you make me strip naked and pose for you, on your bed no less," Yennefer counters, making me shrug.

"You're at my disposal, correct? Do you have an issue with my orders?" I ask, making her smile.

"Of course not, I'm yours to use as you please," Yennefer answers easily, unmoving even as my hand rises and gently cups her breast, my thumb brushing against her nipple.

If this is a test, she has to know there's a limit to how far she can tease someone with a Lust pact, but she doesn't seem bothered as I blatantly grope her chest.

"So you are," I say, letting go and moving to my chair. "Come here."

Yen doesn't even hesitate as she approaches me, standing before me in nothing but the choker that represents my control over her, my eyes roaming the body I've spent hours painting.

"Staring at you for the last few hours has left me a bit pent up, I'd like you to deal with it for me," I say, testing her right back since she seems so determined to test me.

— Yennefer Raum-Black —

Giving Gray a sultry smirk, she moved forwards without hesitation. Despite her disagreement with the Lodge's current scheme, she did agree with their end goals and if she wanted to place Gray on top of the world, she needed Gray to become very powerful indeed.

This meant she needed him to get over any inhibitions quickly while continuing to understand the importance of subtlety, to act both without reservations and without revealing the truth about him.

She also needed to keep a close eye on him because he took four pacts. Why were all her children so utterly reckless?

"Of course, sir, how should I please you?" Yennefer asked as she dropped to her knees, undoing his robes and pulling out his surprisingly thick shaft, already hard from ogling her.

A dark part of her mind laughed that he was bigger than Damian, almost as big as Geralt despite his age. He'd have a true bitch-breaker in a few years.

She wrapped her slender fingers around his manhood, gently stroking Gray's impressive cock as she smiled up at him. She wanted him to embrace the pacts, so helping push him along the Pact of Lust was the natural course of action.

"You decide," Gray said, making her smile.

"Hmm… are you a virgin?" Yennefer asked, nuzzling his shaft and placing several small kisses along it.

"I am," Gray admitted, making her nod. He hadn't already fucked Keira? Why was he hesitating? Ah, Keira wasn't ready yet and Gray cared about her too much to pressure her.

"Then let's take care of that little problem," Yennefer said, moving forwards and mounting him, capturing his lips in a deep kiss as she reached down and lined up his dick with her dripping cunt.

If he wasn't a virgin, he'd be more likely to follow his brother's example and fuck around, gathering more essence in the process.

She'd have been more hesitant yesterday, not finding a teenage boy particularly appealing, but with whatever ritual he had done he'd grown into a fine man—his muscled body remaining her of a younger Geralt as she teased the head of his cock back and forth between her labia, smearing him with her arousal.

He actually hissed into her mouth when she finally pushed him inside her, his new muscles tensing as he felt his manhood penetrate its first pussy, her lower lips wrapping around his shaft as she clenched down on the invading cock.

Her lips twitched in amusement as his hands moved to her backside. He was definitely an ass man.

It was a good thing that she had such a perfect backside for him to enjoy then, his hands gripping the soft buttocks as she started to ride him with far more enthusiasm than she expected.

It'd been a while for her, and Gray had a good cock on him, so this wasn't nearly as dull as she expected, especially since he was letting her take charge and set the pace.

She settled for a more languid pace, gently riding him instead of going wild, but he didn't seem to mind as they kissed. He had been testing her to see how far she'd actually go in her service to him, but clearly he underestimated her dedication to her plans.

She should have made his first time more special, but also she wanted to make sex more casual for him, she wanted him to have sex on a regular basis, in increasingly depraved ways to farm essence, so perhaps making his first time so casual was better.

Her hands moved to his chest, and if he had just a few small scars he'd be just her type, it was almost unfair how quickly he'd gone from a scrawny kid to this pinnacle of manliness.

The poor schoolgirls, they didn't stand a chance, with his looks and his lust pact, did they? He'd make Damian seem like a prude by the end of the year, hopefully at least.

Gray made a cute little sound as she felt him start to twitch inside her, making her grin.

"You don't have to hold back, sir, release your seed into me, pump your little cumdump full of your semen," Yennefer whispered into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe slightly as she sped up the gyrating of her hips, she knew he enjoyed being treated with such respect, having her under him.

He was a prideful little fucker, why else would he insist on doing these rituals without asking for her help? It was another thing she'd have to keep an eye on.

But that was for later because right now she needed to focus on her job, which was to make Gray paint her insides white with his seed.

It wasn't really any challenge considering his former virginity and her experience, so she wasn't particularly surprised when he grunted, gripping her hips as he thrust up into her and let loose, the familiar warmth making her smile as she kissed him.

His thrusts came to a stop, leaving her feeling rather bloated due to the size of his load, had his pacts or rituals increased his virility?

"Was that satisfactory, Sir?" Yen asked with a smirk, unsurprised when Gray stood up, his hands holding her in place as he carried her over to the bed, tossing her down.

She could still feel his erection after all, which hadn't softened at all, laying on his bed with her legs spread to show the semen leaking out of her wet slit.

As Gray moved forwards, she simply smirked and spread her legs wider, knowing that his second time wouldn't be quite as gentle.

But then, she'd wanted to wake up that particular beast, it was only fair that she was the one to be its first victim.

He might have been passive for the first round, but as he flipped her onto her front, lifting her hips up and thrusting forwards, she quickly realised that that wouldn't happen often, moaning as he started to fuck her, hard and fast.

Heh, like father like son.

— Bonus Scene — Albus Dumbledore

It was entirely too common for his plans to go awry due to matters entirely out of his hands, and once more his plans had been utterly derailed by the whims of fate.

Damian Raum had given up both the Raum and Black seats, something he boasted about to his friends, the Weasley Twins, making his younger brother the new Heir Raum-Black.

This was problematic because he had plans for Damian, several of his plans required Damian to become the Lord Raum-Black and this would mean he'd have to rework quite a few plans.

Firstly, he could no longer guarantee that he would get access to the Raum library, where he suspected that the life's work of Herpo the Foul had ended up. All of Herpo's research on Horcruxes was likely just out of his reach, and he needed those books to try and find a way for Rose to survive the destruction of the soul piece embedded in her scar.

Damian hated Tom and his Death Eaters, blaming them for his father's death and rebelling against his family's dark nature, and this had been a massive opportunity.

He had planned to push Damian to claim his Lordship the moment he became of age, to reduce the power of Yennefer Raum-Black.

Yennefer was a war hero, but she was a brutal and cold woman who had wiped out entire families in revenge for her husband's death, and she'd wielded her power and influence like a cleaver over the years. She needed to be reined in.

That this would put a more progressive man in the position of Lord Raum-Black would be another victory, helping the wizarding world move forwards, but now the next Lord Raum-Black would be Grayson.

In truth, he knew little about the reclusive child beyond his clear intelligence, his grades were impressive for one as magically-challenged as Grayson.

He'd put a lot of effort into keeping the fickle Damian on his side, including making sure he'd become prefect (despite Minerva's disagreements), and now it was for nothing.

Grayson was likely more politically-adept than Damian. If he suddenly approached Grayson after he become Heir Raum-Black, it would make him seem like just one of the vultures or parasites that would inevitably start to circle him now that he held such a lofty title. Still, he needed access to Herpo's research (and to destroy it once he was done with it), and he wanted to weaken Yennefer, so how to go about it?