The seventh and final school year at Hogwarts had been dragging on tediously for Hestia and Flora Carrow.
For the twins, regular classes had become downright boring. While the rest of their seventh-year classmates were drowning in panic over the impending N.E.W.T. and struggling to grasp advanced magical theories, Hestia and Flora yawned at their desks. Whatever the professors tried to teach them as "new," they had already learned, dissected, and mastered during their training in previous years, supplemented by study in the Gaunt Manor library during their summers, and now under the sadistic but effective tutelage of Bellatrix Lestrange.
The only genuinely new and somewhat entertaining part of their schedule was Professor Filch's classes. Watching the old squib caretaker in charge of a classroom, enforcing discipline and teaching his new branch of magic, was amusing in its own twisted way.
However, there was one tiny detail that soured those hours for them: Aurelian.
Since he was the co-creator of Arcane Patterns, the entire class practically treated him like a second teacher. Aurelian, being the incredible person he was, would wander among the desks, helping his classmates understand the patterns and better practice channeling ambient magic into the parchment and ink catalysts that Filch had provided them.
From their shared seat at the back of the classroom, Hestia and Flora watched the scene with a cold, murderous fury.
Clutching their pens so tightly they were nearly snapping them in half, they watched as all the girls in the classroom smiled at Aurelian in a sickeningly sweet manner. Their classmates from other houses leaned over their desks, getting far too close to him under the pretext of asking him about their "questions" regarding circuits and ink.
To the sharp eyes of the Carrow twins, it was evident that none of those girls were truly interested in the class or the new branch of magic. They were only interested in getting close to the richest, most handsome, and most powerful Lord in Great Britain.
The entire class was completely useless to Hestia and Flora, since they didn't even need catalysts to use Arcane Patterns, but sitting there watching those whores hover around their fiancé was pure torture. They had promised Aurelian, for the sake of the others, that they would rein themselves in a bit this year and not cast curses in the hallways—a promise they had reluctantly accepted.
But the scene unfolding before them this afternoon did nothing to help them keep their word.
A Ravenclaw girl, with brown hair and a suspiciously short skirt, had leaned so close to Aurelian that her shoulder was millimeters away from brushing against her beloved lord's arm.
Flora clenched her jaw. Suddenly, the memory of a dark and useful spell that Bellatrix had taught them as a "simple trick that would surely come in handy later" flashed through her mind. A sharp, malicious smile curved her lips. She leaned toward her sister and whispered the idea into her ear.
Hestia listened intently, and upon understanding the plan, nodded frantically.
The spell was simple but brutally effective. When cast on a target, the magic created an undetectable barrier over their skin and clothing. If anyone other than the spell's original caster (or someone authorized by their magical signature) tried to touch the target, they would be immediately repelled by a powerful and painful electric shock.
In this particular case, they would use that beautiful magic to ensure that none of those cheeky bitches touched their beloved Aurelian.
Taking advantage of the fact that Professor Filch was distracted correcting something on the blackboard, Hestia and Flora pulled their wands out from under the table. Discreetly and taking care that not even Aurelian would sense the magical fluctuation in the classroom air, the twins waved their wands at the same time and murmured the incantation.
An imperceptible purple spark flew across the classroom and attached itself to the back of Aurelian's robe, merging with him.
The girls lowered their wands, leaned back in their chairs, and smiled expectantly, waiting to see if any of those sluts would try to cross the line.
The moment of truth wasn't long in coming.
The stupid Ravenclaw girl from earlier, pretending to lose her balance while showing him a scroll, reached out and tried to grab Aurelian's forearm to "steady herself."
ZAP!
An electric crack, like the snap of a whip, echoed through the classroom.
The Ravenclaw girl let out a shrill scream of pain. She quickly pulled her hand back, stumbling backward and crashing into one of the desks. With tears in her eyes, she cradled her right hand against her chest, watching in horror as her palm had been burned, leaving a very visible and slightly smoking mark.
The murmur in the classroom stopped immediately. Everyone turned to look at the whimpering girl.
Aurelian, who until then hadn't moved from his position, looked at the arm where the girl had tried to touch him. It took his mind less than a second to connect the dots and deduce the cause of that magical discharge; the magical signature was extremely subtle, but Aurelian already recognized it perfectly and realized who the masterminds behind the spell were.
Without changing his expression in front of the rest of the class, Aurelian slowly turned his head toward the back of the classroom.
His eyes met Hestia's and Flora's directly.
The girls, feigning innocence, stared at him with wide eyes. Aurelian watched them for a moment, let out an inaudible sigh, and then subtly winked at them while shaking his head in a gesture of resigned amusement.
Hestia and Flora covered their mouths, laughing silently as the Ravenclaw girl was sent to the infirmary by Professor Filch.
Under the table, the twins clasped their hands together. Their hearts were pounding, filled with that intoxicating love and devotion they felt whenever they looked at their soulmate. Their Aurelian was so handsome, so sexy, so damn perfect, and most important of all… he was theirs. Uniquely and exclusively theirs.
The characteristic dampness of the Potions classroom greeted them. Hestia and Flora, walking on either side of Aurelian, entered the room and took their usual seats.
For the twins, classes with the new professor, Horace Slughorn, had added absolutely nothing new to their vast knowledge of the art of potion-making. In fact, the only real source of entertainment they found during that hour was watching the professor himself.
Every time Horace Slughorn set his gaze on Aurelian, his chubby face drained of all color, turning as pale as old parchment. The old Potions master broke out in a cold sweat, his hands trembled, and he avoided asking him direct questions at all costs. Hestia and Flora found it utterly amusing to see an adult so terrified by the mere presence of their fiancé.
Professor Slughorn cleared his throat, trying to project some of his characteristic joviality, and began the class.
"Today, my dear students, we will face a wonderful challenge!" announced Slughorn, lifting the lid off a small cauldron in front of his desk from which golden steam was rising. "Whoever manages to brew the best Draught of Living Death in the class will receive a small vial of Felix Felicis, better known as Liquid Luck."
A murmur of excitement rippled through the classroom. Hestia and Flora looked at the small golden vial with some curiosity. Frankly, neither of them felt they needed luck. They were perfect, powerful, and had everything they wanted. But, after all, it couldn't hurt to have such a rare and valuable potion as a trophy.
The twins headed to their respective workstations, located side by side. As they prepared their ingredients, Hestia leaned toward her sister, a competitive gleam in her eyes.
"Let's make a deal, Flora," Hestia whispered. "If I brew the best potion and win that vial, I'll have Aurelian all to myself for an entire night. No interruptions."
Flora paused her knife over a valerian root. She looked up and smiled sardonically at her sister, accepting the challenge instantly.
"Sounds like an excellent deal to me, Hestia," Flora replied, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Because when I win, I'll make sure to tell you in great detail how I enjoyed my passionate night alone with our beloved, while you slept alone."
"Keep dreaming, my beautiful brides."
Aurelian had appeared right behind them. He raised his hands and stroked both of their dark hair at the same time, sliding his fingers through the girls' locks.
"When will you learn not to use me as if I were a mere betting chip?" Aurelian whispered to them.
Before the twins could apologize or explain themselves, Aurelian leaned in a little closer. He wrapped his arms around their shoulders, pulling them toward his chest, and lowered his voice to a deeper, more seductive tone that sent shivers down both their spines.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm the one who's going to win that potion today," Aurelian promised them, his breath brushing against their skin. "And as a prize, I'll enjoy both of you all night long… and I assure you, I won't let you sleep or rest for a single second."
With that fiery promise hanging in the air, Aurelian shrugged, gave them a beautiful smile, and walked calmly over to his own cauldron.
Hestia and Flora stood completely frozen in front of their ingredients. Their faces had turned as red as a tomato, the heat spreading rapidly throughout their bodies. Suddenly, the idea of winning the potion lost all its importance in the face of the anticipation of what they would gain by losing.
The rest of the hour flew by. When time finally ran out, Professor Slughorn began pacing around the classroom, checking the contents of the cauldrons. He dismissed most of them with a look of disappointment, gave a couple of attempts a passing grade, and finally reached Aurelian's table.
Slughorn peered into the cauldron. The liquid inside was a shade of violet so perfect it looked like a mirror. It was absolute perfection.
"Mag… magnificent," Slughorn stammered.
The professor took the small golden vial of Felix Felicis with trembling hands and handed it to Aurelian. The girls, who were watching the scene from behind, felt a pang of sadness at not having won, but their attention was quickly captured by the professor's strange behavior.
When Slughorn's fingers brushed against Aurelian's as he handed him the award, the old man thought he saw a ghost. The shadow of the brilliant, charming teenage Tom Riddle overlapped so perfectly with the figure of Aurelian Gaunt that Slughorn's breath caught in his throat.
Without another word, the Potions master stepped back, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"C-class is over! You may all leave!" Slughorn announced hastily, and he ran out of the classroom toward his private office, fleeing as if Death himself were chasing him.
Hestia and Flora looked at each other, shrugging indifferently. They had neither the desire nor the slightest interest in finding out what trauma from the past had frightened the old, pathetic professor.
Both turned their gaze toward Aurelian.
Their beloved fiancé, completely ignoring Slughorn's dramatic exit, turned toward them. Holding the small, shiny vial of Felix Felicis between his fingers, he swirled it slowly. He gave them a crooked smile, silently reminding them of the promise he had made at the beginning of class, and Aurelian always kept his promises.
The girls' cheeks flushed deep red once more. They exchanged a look of complicity and desire. Without a doubt, it was going to be a great night.
-------------------------
I have a Patreon account. If you would like to support me, I would greatly appreciate it. You will be able to read up to 15 more chapters, listen to all chapters as audiobooks, and view images of the characters in the story for free. Thank you very much for reading my story :D
patreon.com/Daoistrg