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The Taming of the Shrew - Wizard Style - COMPLETE	By : LaBibliographe Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 97037 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: 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
- 39
- 40
- 41
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3-12-10

A sincere thank-you to my regular reviewers. I truly appreciate the time you take to so generously give me feedback, reflecting your interest in the story and understanding the importance of acknowledging my writing.

And now - more plot, more characters, more marital adjustments.

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Chapter Forty

Satisfying Your Slytherin
The moment Lucius returned to their apartment and saw his wife reclining on the drab red sofa, the embarrassing conversation with Draco leaped to the forefront of his harried mind and the wizard bit out in frustration, �Hermione!� startling her out of her engrossed reading of the Witch Weekly article on �Seven Steps to Sexually Satisfy Your Slytherin�. She�d been pondering number six, wondering where she could find four sets of large fur-lined handcuffs.

Sitting up, she nonchalantly closed the magazine and placed it cover down on the coffee table. An owl delivery she�d received from Harry a couple of hours before, she quietly wedged behind the cushions. He and Ginny were home in England and he would come to visit her when he could. Hermione didn�t think Lucius barking her name meant it was a good time to mention Harry�s visit.

Aiming a slightly too bright smile at him, she exclaimed, �Lucius! You�re finished a bit early. Is anything the matter?� Hermione�s cheeks pinkened at being caught with her guilty pleasure magazine, but Lucius paid no attention to her slightly sheepish behavior. He had his own ill-usage to spout.

�I understand from Draco that my preferences in ladies� lingerie are now common knowledge in the family. In future,� he said, his voice sliding into the snotty, oily tone she disliked, �it might be well to remember that any information you give to Narcissa will find its way to Draco and certainly to Severus. Why ever would you tell Narcissa that I bought you thongs?� Lucius removed his robes and hung them by the door, leaving him dressed in the black wool trousers he favored and a white cotton dress shirt slightly wrinkled from the day�s wear. He loosened his green-striped tie and slung it impatiently over another hook.

Hermione could see that her husband was not happy to have their private intimacies revealed to others and she hurried to exonerate herself, �I didn�t � exactly. It was the elves.� She bit her lip and offered up a wheedling glance at her irate mate.

�The elves,� he said, his voice going flat with displeasure. Lucius stalked farther into the room and began pacing, never a good sign. �The elves are gossiping about your underwear? Do I look like an idiot?�

Hermione saw his middle finger rubbing against his index finger and sighed. His pride was hurt. She got up and went over to intercept her unhappy husband in his perambulations. �Yes, the elves,� she said, wrapping her arms around his slim waist and holding him still. �Do you not like anyone to know that I wear thongs to please you?�

Lucius knew her cajoling words were meant to put the incident into perspective, but he was mentally squirming that he, an older man, had dressed his much younger wife in risqu� garments with everyone knowing it. As Draco had facetiously pointed out, it sounded like Lucius needed the stimulus of the brief, feminine apparel to perform. That made the arrogant, blond wizard livid. Didn�t he have enough on his overflowing plate without being viewed as an aging lover, too? Did Hermione see him that way?

�How shall I put this so you understand my feelings?� he snipped. �Would you appreciate your Harry and Ron to know that I don�t bother with underwear, preferring to have my trousers lined in silk instead and that you find the easy access very alluring?�

Hermione blinked, seeing that amorous information as too intimate for public knowledge; no, she would not like for her friends to be privy to such erotic details. They didn�t need to know that she had recently discovered she liked to�Hermione blushed. �No. I suppose I wouldn�t like that. But Lucius, about the thongs, it wasn�t my fault�mostly.� She saw his exasperation and rushed to add, �It was a mix up with our laundry.�

The sardonic raising of a blond eyebrow prompted Hermione to insist, �It was. A couple of days ago Narcissa came here with a bulging pillowcase and an amused smile. She dumped out the sack and several of my thongs, plus a couple of the shortie negligees, fell out onto the sofa right there,� she pointed dramatically, hoping to sidetrack her spouse�s attention, �where I was just now sitting. Apparently the particular elves doing the laundry that day mistook Narcissa for the correct Mrs. Malfoy, not being aware that I now had that name. They delivered my clean laundry to her. See? I didn�t tell her�um, really. She sort of found out from the mix up.�

�Sort of found out? That the lingerie was my choice? How did that happen?� Lucius hadn�t yet heard any exculpating reason from his little, curly-haired chatterbox. His foot still tapped in irritation, but his arms loosely enfolded Hermione as she leaned against his chest.

�She was already here, so I invited her for some tea and, well, you always wanted me to be better friends with her, didn�t you?� Hermione smiled encouragingly up at the cold, handsome face above her and wiggled closer, �I merely told her the anecdote of how I ordered all the horrible clothing and you had to re-select everything when I nearly gave Madam Malkin heart palpitations. Narcissa thought it was funny. Remember, she already knew that you had selected that black lace dress I wore to that first dinner with them.� The penitent little witch snaked her arms farther around Lucius� narrow waist and clung to his shirt at the back.

Hermione smiled weakly as Lucius� frosty gaze didn�t waver. �And, well, it somehow came out that you ordered all those thongs and negligees, too.� Hermione winced and peeked up at her husband�s austere visage, which wasn�t looking so attractive at the moment with the ferocious frown decorating it.

�Why is that so bad?� She petted Lucius� back where she was gripping him, trying to calm him. �I�m sorry. I didn�t realize she would tell anyone.� At Lucius� furious indrawn breath, she forestalled him, �I�m at fault. I should have known she would tell. But are you ashamed that you gave me the thongs and negligees?�

The fuming wizard replied, �I�m not ashamed, but I wasn�t best pleased to have Draco tease me that I needed help with my libido at my advanced age, by dressing my wife in racy underwear.�

Hermione drew away from Lucius� chest, �WHAT? That little�was he intimating that I wasn�t attractive enough for you unless I pranced around in sexy lingerie?�

Lucius was dumbstruck. He hadn�t seen that aspect of the situation at all. How could anyone think that Hermione couldn�t hold his interest without some fancy bits of lace? Oh ye Gods, of course. She would think that. He would have to do much better in seeing things from her perspective. Had he just served Draco up as dragon treats?

�It was only a friendly jab, Hermione. I�m sure he never had any thought of disparaging your physical appeal. He was aiming at my jugular, not yours.� When he saw his words were having little effect on his wife�s mood, he added, �It was just a normal Slytherin to Slytherin taunt.�

�Well, you were taking it very seriously just a moment ago,� she said, incensed. �Now you say it was only your incomprehensible Slytherin type of humor?� Hermione�s lips pursed in disbelief and one eyebrow arched over her narrowed eyes.

�Exactly. I may have overreacted.� Lucius still hated that anyone thought he was inadequate to satisfy his wife, but he wasn�t prepared to skewer his own son over the matter. His temper had loosened his tongue beyond what he wished to divulge and now he needed to backtrack. His headache was now pounding behind his eyes and he went around the sofa to the kitchen for a glass of water, downing the powder Draco had given him.

�What are you taking, Lucius?�

�Merely a headache powder. I sat reading too many parchments in the waning afternoon light.� He saw Hermione�s brows snap together and shrugged, �I need to keep up both the school business and my own. I�ll add some orbs to the office tomorrow. Don�t fuss,� he added to forestall a lecture. �I won�t make that mistake again. My study at home is much better lit.�

He hoped the conversation had digressed from the contentious ideas he�d inadvertently broached, but wasn�t surprised when Hermione dove right back into their interrupted discussion.

�Why?� Hermione wasn�t going to let this go. She knew it was leading to something they had never discussed and it looked to be an issue that needed to be aired.

�Why what?� A pair of faux-innocent, icy eyes staring straight at Hermione told her he was hedging and trying to dodge the question. The eyes might have convinced her if he hadn�t also unconsciously raised his telltale chin. Yup, there went the avoidance signal - her mate was fibbing like the champion liar he was. And she knew precisely why.

�Lucius, come here,� his wife said, and slipped her hand into her wary husband�s, pulling him over to the sofa where she gently tugged him down to sit with her.

Lucius sat and clasped his hands, resting his forearms on his splayed knees. He didn�t look at Hermione, instead stared sightlessly down at the coffee table.

Hermione brushed her fingers through his hair, trying to soothe his headache, then lingered to caress his cheek before she said, �Why is it so upsetting to you that your family knows I wear thongs and you bought them for me. Lucius?�

No answer. The wizard continued to sit very still and stare at the coffee table.

�Do you know what I think?� she persevered, wanting him to let the subject be brought into the open. �Lucius, I think you feel guilty for corralling me into marriage. I think most of all you are tearing yourself apart because you enjoy our marriage, but think you shouldn�t because of the age difference. You have a guilty conscience about the disparity in our ages. You think you�ve wronged me. It wasn�t anything you cared about when you first took my marriage contract, but you care now and do you know why?�

Lucius sat stolidly, only his slightly tightened lips telling Hermione he was at all affected by what she was saying.

�Because you care about me, Lucius. I�ve become more than a warm female body with the requisite insertion points. And now the age difference is bothering you where it never did before.� Hermione laughed and finally Lucius turned to her, his face registering confusion and the lingering annoyance of earlier.

She looked at her husband with some sympathy mixed with exasperation. �Should it not be I who has the right to object to the age difference? Unless you have any argument to put forward on how my youth isn�t up to your standards?�

Lucius studied his wife�s expression for any answer on how she truly felt about the taboo subject of age. His discomfort was only apparent in those slightly pinched lips and bleak look in his eyes. Did she hate being married to a man so many years her senior? She was correct that the age difference hadn�t been important to him before � before he learned to appreciate her for more than a means to an end and the hope of rough sex. That revelation had burst on him when he was subjected to the portraits in the Headmaster�s office telling him that Hermione had defended him to Draco. It had warmed him, while simultaneously bathing him in a sense of guilt, a feeling he didn�t often suffer and most certainly didn�t appreciate.

Sometimes lately he had visions of himself, a tarnished wizard pushing fifty, in bed with his fresh, young, delectable wife, doing what he loved, using his tongue to make her scream in pleasure; the scene in his head then disintegrated to dishonor and he grew morose at the age difference. That form of sex was a treasured one for him, and his pangs of guilt were only assuaged by knowing that more and more she was abandoning herself to that pleasure. Was it so wrong, if he was providing her with such obvious, if fleeting bliss? He didn�t want to talk about it to her. He wanted her to accept their marriage, accept him.

Just then Crookshanks came in through the open window in the kitchen and jumped up on the sofa from behind, not seeing that his nemesis was sitting there. As Lucius turned to see what had hit the sofa behind him, Crookshanks saw an opportunity to bat at the long strands of platinum hair, which swished in front of his whiskers. His claws got tangled in Lucius� hair and Lucius leaned quickly away from the beast, grabbing for the nearest implement to smack the cat. He rolled up the magazine from the coffee table and swiped at the unrepentant animal, which leaped forward onto the coffee table, deftly avoiding the wizard�s reach. Crookshanks bounded off the table and ran.

�Lucius, don�t!� Hermione cried. She wasn�t worried about her animal, knowing it was fast enough to evade her husband, who wasn�t trying very hard to connect in any case. What made her yell was the magazine in Lucius� hand.

�That four-legged pest isn�t supposed to be here if I�m in the room. I thought we had agreed to that,� the blond wizard groused.

�Crookshanks didn�t see you, I guess. He�s gone now.� Hermione charily watched as Lucius surveyed the living area for any sign of the little irritant. She held her breath as he folded both hands over his makeshift swatter, rolling it up more as he peered under the coffee table.

�He�s probably gone into the bedroom to take a nap on my side of the bed,� the blond grumbled. �I found a cat hair on my pillow last night. Please tell the elves to be more thorough in their cleaning.� Lucius used the rolled magazine to shake at Hermione as he made his point and noticed her eyes followed the movement of the rolled paper like she was hypnotized.

�What? What�s wrong? You know I wouldn�t have actually hit the little pest � not hard, anyway.� Lucius� attention was arrested by his wife suddenly biting her lips, her eyes still on his hand holding the paper. Unfortunately, Hermione wasn�t the only one to learn the body language of their mate and Lucius put two and two together. He unrolled the paper to see it was an issue of Witch Weekly, a low-class rag he was surprised that his wife would even read. When he heard the gasp his wife made, he studied the journal more intently. A slow smile lifted his lips as he saw the featured article and a good mood flooded in, miraculously replacing his earlier dour mood and vexations for the moment. Maybe she did want him, on some level at least.

�Darling,� he taunted, �you�ve been studying up on how to please me? Seven Steps. Hmmm, it sounds promising. Shall we start at the beginning? I could use a little relaxation.� Lucius gazed at the little witch beside him, a predatory expression shining in his wintry eyes.

�Someone must have left it here,� Hermione began, but Lucius turned the magazine so she could see the address label with her name on it. �Oh, very well, it is mine, but I wasn�t reading that article.�

�No?� her husband�s silky tones made her shiver. �You were reading something when I came in. If it wasn�t�let me see� �Seven Steps to Sexually Satisfy Your Slytherin,� what were you reading?� Lucius placed the journal face down behind him so she couldn�t see it.

Hermione�s face bloomed red, then she shot up off the sofa and went to close the kitchen window. �Do you enjoy making me feel the fool?� she asked from behind the short counter separating the living area from the kitchen space.

�How is it foolish to want to find ways to please your husband? I think you�re embarrassed about being caught reading about it, not at actually doing what is in the magazine.� Lucius rose and joined Hermione in the small kitchen space, crowding her against the refrigerator door. �Do you want to try those seven steps or not?� His hand slipped up under her jumper and found a plump breast encased in a filmy material that didn�t hide her pert nipple. �I am definitely your Slytherin, for good or ill, so we may as well make the most of it.� He lifted his hand and intoned, �Accio magazine,� and the weekly rose and zoomed into his waiting palm.

�Now,� the grinning wizard crooned as he withdrew his hand, but kept her pinned to the refrigerator with his pelvis, �what does it say about the first step? Oh, yes, here it is.� He read for a second, �Oh. Well. We�ve already done that. I�ve been naked in front of you numerous times.�

�Lucius! I was just reading the article. I had no intention of doing any of that,� Hermione huffed.

�And I�ve already enjoyed number four without you doing anything except hanging from the ceiling. Since then you�ve certainly embraced it with open legs.� Oh, yes, she had. Lucius� feelings of guilt were doused for the moment by the delicious recollections of her grabbing his hair to hold him to her as he plied her cleft with his agile tongue.

Hermione blushed even as she objected, �You don�t have to be crude, Lucius.�

�You�ve already reciprocated with number five for me and I was certainly satisfied,� Lucius murmured as he bent down to nuzzle one shell-shaped ear through his wife�s wild curls. �Very satisfied,� he breathed, tickling her ear. �You were very careful not to nick me with your teeth.�

Hermione�s face lit up like a bonfire, but her embarrassment was shamefully mixed with a sense of accomplishment. It was anathema to her to do anything poorly and she was basely thrilled that Lucius found her first-ever blowjob acceptable. The green-eyed monster of jealousy over her constant competition with Lucius� first wife subsided as she basked in his praise. �Truly?� she asked, her insecurity peeking out and surprising her husband.

�I think about it all the time,� he said honestly, one of his purely happy smiles making an unusual appearance.

At that moment, the ormulu clock split the pleasant silence announcing the hour and they both started. �Damn,� said Lucius and Hermione had to agree. �They�ll be waiting for us. We have to go.� The wizard furrowed his fingers through Hermione�s locks and focused his mesmerizing eyes on her limpid brown ones. �This is not over,� he said, one honey eyebrow rising as he pinned her with his icy gaze. �I�ll expect you to work on performing number two tonight.�

�Tonight? I can�t -� Hermione began, but was interrupted.

�Tonight,� he commanded and jogged back around the small counter and into the small hallway to gather their robes off the pegs. He held Hermione�s robe and she slipped into it, waiting as Lucius donned his, then both of them left for the meeting.

+++++++++++

�So, we�re all here now. Severus, would you like to begin?� Lucius sat down near Hermione and the dark-haired wizard rose to take his place. The two wizards had finally decided to expand the circle of people actively working to discover why the Purebloods were being targeted and this was their first meeting to discuss strategies. Lucius and Severus had included Luna, Neville, Draco and Narcissa in addition to themselves and Hermione. They all sat in Draco�s classroom.

�It may or may not be apparent to all of you,� Snape began, �that some alien, invading force is pouring a slow measure of hidden poison into our community. The best Lucius and I can discern is that Purebloods are being targeted as victims and all the rest of us are being used to work against them.�

Snape started a slow pacing back and forth as he spoke, reminding Hermione and Draco of their years sitting in the former Potions Master�s classroom. They exchanged surreptitious smiles, both thinking the same thing. Lucius saw the interplay and his middle finger twitched, then slowly started rubbing against his index finger, drawing his wife�s attention. The telltale motion confused her until she caught Lucius� gaze and saw cold eyes looking between her and Draco.

Hermione�s eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline and she growled in disbelief, reaching over to give her husband a vicious pinch at his waist. �Don�t you dare go there,� she hissed. �That is so insulting.�

Lucius hissed in turn at the pain, frowning. He closed his eyes briefly then opened them in sad acknowledgement, signaling an apology, his lips twisted with contrition. Sheepish did not look good on the handsome man and it reinforced Hermione�s determination to broach Lucius� worry over their age difference. But now was not the time. Luckily, Draco had missed the byplay, having focused back on Snape as he paced to the far side of the room.

�We�ve noticed for a while now that in meetings or even on the street, Purebloods are being singled out for unpleasantries,� Snape continued. �First they were politely shunned, then some passive harassment crept in and now it has escalated into active antagonism, with the beginnings of actual violence. I am hoping we may pinpoint the source of all this artificial animosity before someone is killed.�

The dark-haired wizard smiled mirthlessly, �It is also for this reason that I hired nearly all Pureblood teachers. It wouldn�t do for a Halfblood or Muggleborn professor to act against a Pureblood student using out of control authority because of their irrational reaction to this danger. It will be easier if an affected student reacts against a Pureblood teacher. The teacher has the power to stop misbehavior or give detention.�

Lucius whispered in an aside to his wife, �Unless the student sneaks up and pinches his arse in a crowded hallway.�

Hermione was still miffed at her husband�s embryonic bout of jealousy, but she reached over and clasped his hand with hers, silently commiserating with his numerous butt bruises, all of which she treated with ointment day after day.

Lucius heaved a huge sigh, hoping he was forgiven for his brief bit of insanity, and fervently clutched her hand between both of his. Neither one looked at the other.

Neville asked, �Is the problem widespread, or just in England, or only in isolated areas?�

Snape replied, �Lucius and I think it is something that has been introduced into the wizarding community only here in England, but it seems to be spreading fairly rapidly here. Similar behavior has not been noted in dealings with other countries. For example, Lucius has business concerns abroad that are functioning fine, but the business concerns he has here are beset by numerous anomalies, which are growing worse.�

�Why would anyone want to do this?� asked Draco.

Lucius answered that. �If it is the Purebloods being targeted, and we�re not one hundred percent sure yet, I fear all the Purebloods may be taking the blame for the Death Eaters� and Voldemort�s movement. We think all the Purebloods might be suffering, not just the ones who had anything to do with promulgating the war.�

Hermione spoke, �I think we�ll have to find out who in order to find out why. For now, all we can do is try to trace how this is happening. I favor some sort of spell, but I don�t know how it could work.�

�Or it could be some form of toxin that is introduced into the Purebloods� chemistry, so that something about a Pureblood will irritate anyone not a Pureblood,� Luna mused. �Like nettles.�

�Both ideas have some value,� Snape agreed. �If a potion is at work, I would like to take samples of various body fluids from all of you to check that no odd toxin is in anyone�s blood or perspiration or saliva; that will give me a broad sample. There may be uneven distribution to be found in those of us with Muggle blood. But also I can check if anything may be found in those of you who are Purebloods like Lucius.�

Everyone nodded their heads in acceptance and Snape went on with a small nod to Hermione, �I might also favor a spell, but there is no trace of any magic attached to anything in Hogwarts. I went over the entire building before anyone came. The spell, if it is one, is so arcane and secretive, it would have to be the effort of an extraordinarily powerful wizard or witch. And frankly, there aren�t many of those around. The last one I know of was vanquished in the war.�

�Could Voldemort have left this spell to activate if he lost?� asked Hermione.

Snape looked at the little witch with a certain measure of respect, �It is possible, I suppose, but I never knew him to think in terms of anything he couldn�t experience for himself.�

Lucius growled agreement, his tone acidic, �His mindset was extremely self-centered. He was the definition of a megalomaniac. I don�t think he would have bothered with the intense and convoluted spell-casting needed for something this far-reaching and remote if he couldn�t be there to enjoy the suffering. And if he left a spell to trip many years after he was gone, why bring misery to the Purebloods? Why not target the Muggleborns instead? Ideologically he supported the Purebloods and hated anything Muggle-related.�

The dark-haired wizard nodded in cynical amusement and spoke to Hermione, �But it is an idea worth considering.�

Severus quit pacing and stood, drawing his robes around him. He looked at each of the individuals in his audience, �We think this needs to be a multi-pronged approach with each of you performing a task to narrow down the possibilities.

�You, Neville,� Snape turned to the younger man, �can examine all the botanical and especially the herbal substances that either grow here, are imported through suppliers, form the manufactured base of, or are even airborne into this school. Report back on your assessment of any suspect flora.�

�Draco, you will identify any students who you believe to be suffering from this malady and send them to Luna on some pretext.�

�Luna, you will be receiving students sent to you by Draco who are likely infected. I will show you how I�ve been checking body fluid samples and you can test them. If they all have normal functions, we can assume both that it isn�t a potion of some sort and that they got whatever ails them somewhere recently, if they didn�t show signs of belligerence when they first came. Then we can check their routines and belongings for anything common to all of them.�

Hermione looked like she was going to burst out of her seat and Snape sighed, irritated by memories of her enthusiasm in class, �Hermione, we will need a record keeper for all our discoveries. You may write down everything Neville has learned, all the names Draco sends to Luna, and all Luna relays as her findings. Include whatever else you think pertinent. Those records must be available for us all to read so everyone knows what we�ve all found. You can keep them warded in the Headmaster�s Office so only those in this room may see them.�

Snape looked at Lucius who nodded and said, �I�ll clear a cupboard.�

Narcissa had waited patiently and her husband finally came to her, �Narcissa, I would like you to list and take samples of all personal products used by the students. This could include hair cream, perfume, hand lotion, any sprays or make-up, plus any other intimate items. You may have to do some detective work to discover all the things the student body uses in their more private moments. Get samples of any other product that is held against the skin for any length of time also, like prophylactics. Tell the students that there are new school regulations about some of the items brought to school and you need to doublecheck their belongings. You can tell them you personally think it�s all rubbish and gain their sympathy. That way you�ll probably be able to gather more items.�

�We have to make a concerted effort to find what is jeopardizing our community,� said Lucius. �It may be magic-oriented, or it may even be some sort of Muggle attack, although neither Severus nor I really subscribes to that theory.� He heard Hermione gasp at his last statement and he turned to gaze at her. �That never entered your mind, I assume.�

�No, it didn�t. If we�re talking about invasions, it could be the goblins. They aren�t our most friendly allies,� she said in defense of her Muggle origins.

�True,� Lucius agreed, �and they have much better insider knowledge of the magic community than most Muggles. But the financial process has been badly disrupted due to this mess and above all the goblins worship money. Plus it is a fact that most of the real money is in the hands of the Purebloods still. That�s another reason it doesn�t make sense for the goblins to attack us this way. No money is flowing to them via ruined investments and bankrupt clients.

Lucius turned back to address the entire group, �At first I thought it was merely a change in the political climate of the Ministry � Hecate knows I�ve been through enough of those. But as time went on, the atmosphere became more inimical instead of just the normal patterns of greed shifting round. When Severus mentioned some of his experiences, we compared notes and became alarmed. It turned out we had a right to be worried.�

�One final point,� Snape suppressed a grin as he passed on the juicy detail. �It has come to our attention that any form of intense physical exertion, possibly accompanied by pain, tends to dull the effect of the malignancy for awhile. I suggest we introduce some form of physical activity that includes mild to moderate pain, like boxing for the boys and�� here Snape stumbled. He couldn�t think of any physical activity besides sex to put forward for the girls.

Narcissa broke in, �Maybe we could introduce waxing. That stings terribly.�

Several faces went blank. Except for Draco, who was grinning, the men hadn�t a clue what she was referring to, and the women weren�t going to explain. Finally Hermione offered, �We can explore that option later as well as the boxing. For now, is there a form of detention that brings some type of physical pain that would be acceptable to parents when they find out?� She expanded her idea, �Detention will probably follow right on the heels of any students who become more belligerent from the problem. It would be a natural way to reduce the compulsion in those most affected.�

Lucius perked up at the idea of being given a license to wallop the students, especially the ones who had been bruising him black and blue. His interest faded, however, when he heard Snape�s final summation as the wizard wound up the meeting with the plans the two of them had put together beforehand.

�Try,� Severus said, �to think of methods that will cause minor pain yet not hurt the students unduly, while we search for this hidden agent. Luna, if you can provide a list of physiological reactions of the body to pain, we may be able to pinpoint the exact response that dulls the agent and not have to be so broad in our approach. Some quiet testing of various responses and the resulting reduction of animosity may lead us to the precise body reaction that short circuits the source. It may be nothing more than a heightened heart beat, but we need to know.� Snape looked at everyone, �Now does anyone have anything else they wish to say or ask?�

No one did and the meeting broke up.

tbc...

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Don�t forget this chapter�s pics and responses -

http://labibliographe.livejournal.com/64143.html

If the spirit moves you, a review or at least a rating would be nice - my muse is looking kind of needy.
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The Taming of the Shrew - Wizard Style - COMPLETE