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Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 or 7 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 13: THE PACT

In the gloom before dawn on Hallows, Lilith, Astrid, and their three fianc�s waited for the delegation that would take Lilith to Hogsmeade and her meeting with the Lord of the Forest.

A carriage drew up to the steps of Hogwarts, and the Mayor stepped out of it.

�It is time, My Lady,� he said.

Lilith looked back at her sister, and then took Alfred�s hand and stepped forward to climb into the carriage, followed by the Mayor.

Astrid watched the carriage leave, and then turned frightened eyes to Severus.

�Why do I feel as though I�ll never see her again?� she asked. He smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

�We should go,� he said. �The more you concentrate on finding Slytherin�s sword, the less you will feel your sister�s absence.�

�You�re right,� she said. She pulled out a bright green ribbon embroidered with silver snakes and held it in the middle. Severus grasped it on one side of her hand, and Max on the other. Astrid took a deep breath, and whispered the password.

�Victory.�

There was the familiar sensation of traveling by portkey, and then they were dropped onto a brick patio behind a decaying manse. Ivy had been overgrowing the building for a long time, and moss was covering much of the patio, where the ivy wasn�t encroaching.

Astrid took a moment to look around, noticing patterns in bricks and on moss-covered stone, all with snake motifs. She started towards the manse, and then a voice stopped her in her tracks.

�My Lady,�

She turned towards the voice, and stared into the forest, which had crept up to the very edge of the flagstone.

Something stirred in the undergrowth.

While she watched, the stirring became definite movement, and then a nude male figure emerged from the undergrowth. His skin had a greenish tinge to it, and his face was entirely made of browned leaves.

�My Lady,� he said. �Have you come to renew the Pact?�

Astrid was speechless. Her father had mentioned a pact, but she was faced with one situation she had never studied for. Nevertheless, she desperately wanted to see her father�s plans brought to fruition. He had been thwarted from making the pact, but she would not be.

�Yes,� she said. �I also came seeking the sword of my forefather, Salazar Slytherin.�

�I know not of Salazar�s sword,� he said. �You will make the pact? This day is ideal.�

�I know,� Astrid said. �My sister is making a pact north of here.�

�You may bring your consorts, My Lady,� he said. �The circle is this way.� He gestured to a path that Astrid had not noticed before, and then extended a hand towards her.

Almost feeling bespelled, Astrid took his hand and allowed him to lead her down the path. She could hear footsteps behind her, and knew that Severus and Max were behind her.

He led the way through the old forest to an opening in the trees. In the clearing was a stone circle very similar to Stonehenge in the south, but this circle was less than a third of the size of the famous monument, less than ten meters across. The inside of the circle seemed to be obscured by a mist that hung between the upright stones.

As they approached, the Lord raised his hand and the mist between two uprights parted like it was a curtain. Beyond was not the late autumn of the real world, but the perpetual summer of faerie.

Astrid reached behind her and clasped Severus� hand, and then reached out for Max before the three of them followed the Lord of the Forest into Faerie.

***** *****

The carriage carrying Lilith and the Mayor drove through Hogsmeade and up to the manor house on the hill. The Mayor�s wife and several other women from the village met them, including Madam Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks. They took Lilith to the side of the Manor, where a spring welled up to form a pool.

They helped Lilith disrobe and collected water from the spring. They consecrated it with salt, and then ritually bathed her. After the bath, they put her into a linen shift and led her along a flagstone path that disappeared into the woods.

The path led to a ring of trees with mist hovering between them, obscuring whatever was inside the ring. Lilith�s escort stopped ten yards from the trees. Lilith cautiously continued forward.

As she approached, the mist between two of the trees parted, revealing an opening to the eternal summer of Faerie beyond it, and the Lord of the Forest standing on the threshold.

�Please, enter, My Lady,� he said. �My brother to the south is making the Pact this day, as well, with your birthmate. You have only to cross the Doorway, and the rites will begin.�

Lilith turned towards Alfred, a few steps behind her. He smiled at her reassuringly, and took hold of her hand. Encouraged, she took the final steps towards the Doorway.

****** *****

Astrid felt as though she were in a dream. She was surrounded by a bevy of nymphs that giggled and sighed while they undressed her, rubbed sweet oils into her skin, and then painted designs on her skin with woad. She offered no resistance when her escort of nymphs led her, as naked as they were, to a couch of pine boughs and oak leaves, covered over with white doeskin. They encouraged her to sit on it, and then they looked towards a copse of trees nearby.

There was a stirring in the trees, and the Lord of the Forest stepped out. Already, with just her presence in faerie, the leaves on his face had begun to uncurl, and were greener than they had been. He was clad only in a deer hide belt with a stone knife thrust through it, and a cloak of a deer hide painted with woad. He walked towards her with the easy stride of one who is master of all he surveys.

The markings on his body were not woad, but they almost seemed to be like variances in color that plants acquired. Behind him were Severus and Max, both painted like Pictish barbarians, and completely nude except for a belt of deerskin that carried both their wands and a stone knife.

When he reached her couch, the Lord of the Forest knelt before her, his head bowed for her blessing. Astrid had no idea what was expected of her, but she felt moved to take a chalice that one of the nymphs offered to her. She raised it in both hands, facing both the Lord and the two men that had followed her into Faerie.

�To the Hunt!� she called out, wondering where the words were coming from. They seemed to surge forward from some part of her that she had been unaware of until now. She brought the chalice to her lips and took a drink of the dark purple liquid inside it. After she had swallowed, she offered it to the Lord.

�May you return with the King Stag,� she said.

The Lord of the Forest took the chalice from her hands and drank deeply from it.

�Two await to accompany the Hunt,� he said. �They need to don the antlers and hide of the Hunter.� He handed the chalice back to her, and stepped aside.

Severus moved forward first, and knelt at her feet without taking his eyes from her face.

Astrid offered him the chalice. He took it in both hands, as the Lord had.

�Run well,� she told him. �Attend the Master of the Hunt, but the kill is his.�

�The kill is His,� Severus acknowledged, and then bent his head to drink.

While Severus was drinking, a nymph came forward and handed Astrid a cloak like the one the Lord was wearing. She took it from the nymph and settled it onto Severus� shoulders. As he raised his head from drinking, she fastened the ring brooch at his throat.

Another nymph handed her a pair of antlers. Without understanding how it would work, Astrid settled them onto the dark head before her, and watched while the antlers seemed to settle into his head and become part of him.

Severus handed the chalice back to her and a nymph refilled it while Severus stepped back and Max stepped forward for his own ceremony that left him bearing antlers on his head.

Another spirit on one side, definitely male, blew a ram�s horn. From the forest nearby there was an answering bellow.

�To the Hunt!� the Lord bellowed. He turned towards the forest and began running towards it. Severus and Max followed him without a backward glance.

Only after they had gone did Astrid become aware of the taste of elderberries in her mouth, and she looked down at the chalice in her hand in horror.

�Do not trouble yourself,� one of the nymphs told her. �Only those who come without our summons must stay if they eat or drink. You are our guest, and our Lady. We would as soon banish ourselves to the human world as keep you here.�

�Oh, good,� Astrid said. �Can you tell me if the Lady of Castlemoor is making her pact?�

�She is,� one of the others said. �It is seldom that there are two Rites at the same time, so close together.�

�Good,� Astrid said. �Is this truly only going to take one day on the outside?�

�Only one human day,� one of the nymphs said. �Nine days will pass here. Each day, you will be taken to a different place. The first eight rites consecrate the eight directions. The ninth rite ties them all together.�

Astrid couldn�t think of anything to say, so she covered it by taking another drink.

~*~*~*~

The shadows were long and two large fires had been kindled before the Hunt returned. The Lord came forward with a stag draped over one shoulder, and laid it at Astrid�s feet. He stepped back while nymphs and fauns swarmed over the kill, skinning and dismembering it with practiced ease.

In a very short time, the hide was pegged out in front of Astrid, raw side up, and the flesh and organs were laid out on the hide. A nymph put choice pieces of the stag in a basket of grasses and brought it to Astrid.

Though she had never eaten deer before in her life, and she had been nibbling on grapes and berries all day, Astrid found herself craving the bloody flesh that was offered to her. She took the basket and picked up the first piece, paying no attention to the blood that dripped onto her naked skin and ran down her arm.

As she bit into her first taste, her eyes met Severus� across the hide, while he took his own first bite of fresh venison. Around them, the sky became completely dark and the stars overhead were accompanied by tiny glowing fairies, swaying around in the night air.

They ate and drank until they were sated. Severus and Max were led away to a bower by some of the nymphs, presumably to be suitably entertained until the sun rose again.

After they were gone, the same nymphs that had painted Astrid that morning pulled her to her feet and led her to another bower, this one strewed with heavy-scented flowers like roses and honeysuckle. Astrid was encouraged to lay down on the white doeskin inside and then was left alone to wait.

She did not wait long. The vines covering the entrance to the bower were pulled aside and the Lord entered. Astrid could only barely see the outline of his body, but it was enough to make her burn with desire, especially when he paused to set aside the deerskin cloak and he was vaguely illuminated in profile, with his manhood standing out proudly from his body.

He turned back towards her and moved forward, bringing with him the scents of the forest.

Without any hesitation, Astrid parted her thighs to receive him.

She didn�t know what she expected, having had only Severus, Max, and Alfred as lovers. She expected the roaming hands that set her nerves on fire, and she expected the moist lips that trailed tingles down her neck to both breasts, and then down her body to her sex. She arched into the warm breath that ghosted over her mound, and moaned when the agile tongue explored her moist folds, stimulating her almost to the point of orgasm.

She braced herself as he moved over her, moving between her thighs and positioning his shaft to press at her entrance.

His penetration was swift and thorough. He was fully sheathed before the scream had fully left her lips. He paused to let her catch her breath. She reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders as he began to move inside her.

***** *****

Lilith laid in her bower, the last of the nine. The Lord had told her that this would be different, partly because the sun had not yet set, and that after this coupling, she and Alfred would be returning to Hogsmeade and the celebration that awaited them.

She hoped Astrid�s quest had been as successful as her own.

The vines at the entrance to the bower parted, but the male figure that entered was not the Lord of the Forest.

�Alfred?� she whispered.

�Yes,� he said. �He told me that this time it should be me. Our coupling will bind us closer together, and still finish binding you to the land. He told me to remember that you represent the Goddess, here, and that I should treat you appropriately. He reminded me that I�m here to worship you.�

�Well,� Lilith said, reaching out to take his hand and draw him down to her. �I suppose that you�d better get started, hadn�t you?�

~*~*~*~

When Lilith and Alfred emerged from the grove of trees, they were extremely surprised at the sight that met their eyes.

Several centaurs were waiting with the witches and wizards waiting to escort them to the village.

The most impressive of them, a large male with black hair and body, came forward and inclined his head to Lilith.

�I am Bane,� he said. �We are here to show the humans that this Pact benefits all who live here, including us.� He stepped aside and Lilith gasped.

Guarding a flower-decked cart were two unicorns. Next to them was a larger male that was clearly in charge. He was wearing a wreath of flowers around his neck, and a tiny wreath was around his horn. The other two unicorns were similarly bedecked.

�Silver?� Alfred said. He stepped away from Lilith and approached the larger male. He removed the deer antler headdress and put it under one arm as he walked up to the unicorn.

�I thought that was you,� he said. �You have certainly grown up since I first saw you.�

�A great deal of time has passed since then,� the male replied, and fixed Alfred with a look that plainly told of his lack of appreciation of Alfred�s sense of humor.

�I saw him born,� Alfred said, turning back to Lilith. �Lucius and I were in the forest, on the sly of course, and we came on a pregnant female. We thought she was injured at first, and then we realized that she was giving birth. We couldn�t have left to save ourselves. How many wizards have seen a unicorn born?�

�Not many,� Lilith said. �Why do you call him Silver?�

�Lucius named him,� Alfred said. �Most unicorns are cream colored when they�re born. Silver was as white then as he is now.�

�Unusual,� Lilith said, and then her attention was drawn to movement behind Silver. At first, it seemed to be shadows, or a trick of the light, but then she realized that it was a separate creature.

Silver turned his head and nuzzled at something, and then a much younger female unicorn came out from behind him.

She was as black as onyx. A wreath of lilies rested around her neck, and a tiny wreath of starflowers was around her shining ebon horn.

�This is my latest foal,� Silver told them. It wasn�t until he spoke the second time that Lilith realized that, of the humans in the immediate area, only she and Alfred could understand him.

�A black unicorn,� Alfred whispered back. �I�ve heard rumors of the possibility, of course, but I�ve never heard or seen a record of anyone who actually saw one.�

�Umbra,� Lilith whispered.

The black foal had cocked her head at Lilith, and then looked up at Silver. She lowered her head and picked up something in the grass at her feet. She walked with a steady pace over to Lilith, and offered Lilith the item in her mouth.

A flawless dark purple rose.

Lilith accepted the flower reverently, and then tentatively reached out to touch the foal, to reassure herself that this amazing creature was real. The young female accepted the caress, and then leaned into it.

�You name me?� she asked Lilith.

�Yes,� Lilith said, still somewhat awed. �I�ll call you Umbra.�

�Umbra,� the foal repeated. �Okay, I Umbra.�

She walked around behind Lilith and then nudged the witch with her shoulder.

�In cart,� she told Lilith clearly. Lilith smiled and reached for Alfred�s hand before walking forward.

Once they were in the cart, two centaurs stepped forward and picked up a pull bar. They leaned into the pull bar, and the cart started moving.

***** *****

When Astrid stepped out of the stone circle, followed by Severus and Max, she carried a bundle in her arms. It was the white doeskin that had been spread beneath her for all nine rites, including the last one where Severus and Max had shared her. She had been given very specific instructions on what to do with it.

She turned back to the circle, to see that the otherworldly veil had disappeared. She walked back into the circle and up to the altar stone in the middle. She pulled her wand out of her doeskin robes and waved it at the altar stone.

�Wingardium Leviosa.�

With a grating sound, the altar stone lifted off of its base and hovered in the air. The base beneath it was hollow. Astrid carefully placed the doeskin in the hollow, noting that there were others there, most of them crumbling with age. There was also a long item wrapped in leather that had not disintegrated. She touched the item and felt the hardness of metal under the leather. She wrapped her hand around it and carefully drew it from its resting place. She stepped back and lowered the altar stone back to its base.

After the stone was settled, she unwrapped what she had retrieved.

The wire wrapped hilt of an old sword came into view, with the Slytherin snake on the pommel.

�I think we found the sword of Slytherin,� she said unnecessarily. She finished unwrapping it, revealing the wavy kris blade of the sword.

�Your father will be very happy to have that,� Max said, removing his antlers. �When will you give it to him?�

�When we get to Hogsmeade,� she replied. �He�ll be called to the celebration by the blood he took from Harry. While he�s there, I�ll give him the sword.�

TBC
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Practice to Deceive