
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/926431.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, F/F, Multi
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Rabastan_Lestrange/Original_Female_Character(s), Bellatrix_Black
      Lestrange/Original_Female_Character(s), Peter_Pettigrew/Original_Female
      Character(s), Original_Female_Character(s)/Original_Female_Character(s)
  Character:
      Madeleine_Yaxley_(OFC), Rabastan_Lestrange, Bellatrix_Black_Lestrange,
      Rodolphus_Lestrange, Peter_Pettigrew, Moaning_Myrtle, Original_Female
      Character(s), Original_Male_Character(s), Original_Female_Character(s)_of
      Color, Original_House-Elf_Character(s)
  Additional Tags:
      Coming_of_Age, Sex_Education, Female_Friendship, Mother-Daughter
      Relationship, Female-Centric, Sexual_Coercion, Sexual_Assault, Unhealthy
      Relationships, Pureblood_Culture, Loss_of_Virginity, Seduction, Emotional
      Manipulation, Sexual_Experimentation, Group_Sex, Underage_Sex, Bisexual
      Female_Character, Sex_Toys, Lesbian_Character, Revenge, POV_Female
      Character, POV_Original_Character, POV_Bisexual_Character, Canon
      Compliant, Marauders'_Era, Dead_Dove:_Do_Not_Eat
  Series:
      Part 1 of Madeleine_Yaxley_Arc
  Collections:
      Bisexual_Visibility, Focus_on_Female_Characters, Rare_Fic, Queer
      Characters_Collection, A_Nod_to_the_Original_Characters
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-01-01 Updated: 2018-01-14 Chapters: 3/12 Words: 6848
****** The Education of Madeleine Yaxley ******
by picascribit
Summary
     At 15, pure-blood Maddy Yaxley is keenly interested in romance, sex,
     and making a good marriage for herself. But after being manipulated
     and taken advantage of, she realises people are terrible, life isn't
     fair, and you can't always play by the rules.
Notes
     I wrote the original version of this story in 2007, but I have gotten
     to know the characters a lot better since then, and I have long felt
     that the story could be better, more meaningful, and offer a more in-
     depth exploration of its themes, so I have decided to re-write it. I
     anticipate the finished version will have at least 12 chapters, and
     be around 30k-35k words long. My plan is to post one chapter per week
     on weekends. I hope you enjoy the new version as much as I am
     enjoying writing it.
See the end of the work for more notes
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter Notes
     No specific warnings for this chapter. Nothing terribly sketchy
     happens here.
Madeleine Yaxley was reading. She was not generally much of a reader, but this
book was different. Three more like it were stacked on her nightstand, jewel-
bright covers glowing in the afternoon sunlight.
"Just try them," her cousin Ravenna had urged, pushing them into her hands.
"They're brilliant."
They were. Maddy had devoured two of them in a matter of days, and was already
deeply engrossed in a third.
     "No!" cried Estelle, colour flushing her delicate cheeks. She pointed
     her wand at Maximo with a trembling hand. "I will never marry you!
     You murdered my father!"
     Maximo tore his gaze away from her heaving bosom to fix on her
     crystalline eyes, bright with fury. Merlin, but she was attractive
     when she was angry!
     "I did not kill your father," he said, voice deep and rough. "He was
     already dead when I arrived. I would have saved him if I could. All I
     can do now is protect his only daughter. You must wed me, and the
     marriage must be consummated by midnight tomorrow, or I will have no
     choice but to hand you over to your father's enemies."
     Estelle eyed the tall, broad-shouldered wizard contemptuously. It did
     not matter how handsome and well-built he was, or that his eyes were
     the colour of the sea before a storm. She could never wed such a
     rogue, or yield her maidenhead to him, not even to break her family's
     curse ...
Maddy sighed with rapture and rolled onto her back, squirming into a more
comfortable position on the worn velvet coverlet, already anticipating what
would happen next. Estelle might resist for another fifty pages or so, but
ultimately, she would succumb to Maximo's charms, and realise that they were
meant for one another. And then they would go to bed together. That was the
sort of story Freya Lovelace wrote, and the sort of story that kept Maddy
turning pages.
At fifteen years of age, Maddy identified passionately with the virginal young
heroines of Lovelace's novels. Like them, she saw herself as strong-willed, but
ultimately good and deserving. Perhaps if she were as beautiful as they, she,
too, might one day be swept off her feet by a tall, handsome rogue with a
troubled past, finally tamed by the love of a good woman.
A light knock sounded on Maddy's bedroom door, and her mother entered. Maddy
sat up, closing The Maiden's Curse on her finger to hold her place.
"I hardly knew you were home, you've been so quiet." Cartimandua Venuti Yaxley
smiled, sitting down on the bed beside her daughter. She picked up one of the
colourful novels from the nightstand, and examined it, brow creasing. "Where
did you get these?"
"I borrowed them from Ravenna," said Maddy eagerly. "They're so good and -"
Her mother pursed her lips. "These kinds of books aren't appropriate for well-
bred young witches."
"But Ravenna reads them," Maddy objected. "And Auntie Boudica, too. I think
they're hers."
"Ravenna is older than you, Maddy," said Cartimandua gently, "and my sister's
family takes a different view of such things than we do in this house, as well
you know."
Maddy pouted, hugging the book she held to her chest. "They're just stories,
Mum. And they're good. I like them."
Her mother set the book back down on the nightstand with a sigh.
"I know you do, Sweetheart. We all like things that aren't good for us
sometimes. When you're older, you can decide for yourself whether or not you
want to read these kinds of books. But for now, I would prefer that you don't.
You're still very young, with a lot to learn about life. These books will fill
your head with ideas and expectations that will only cause confusion and
unhappiness, because the real world isn't like that."
"I know it's not real," sulked Maddy, though she did not truly believe it.
People fell in love and lived happily ever after all the time. Perhaps not her
mother, but that did not mean it was all just wishful thinking.
"It's natural for a girl of your age to be curious about sex," her mother
continued kindly. "But it's not healthy to dwell on those thoughts and
feelings. Thinking too much about it can lead to temptation. Someday, you'll
have a husband who will teach you everything you need to know." Cartimandua
smiled and winked at her daughter. "Until then, be patient, Sweetheart."
Maddy blushed. She already knew all about sex. When she was small, she had
thought babies were made by magic, until she realised that Muggles had them,
too. Her mother had gently explained the truth: how a man put his "wand" into a
woman's sacred place, to make a baby together. That it was part of a woman's
duty to her husband. How good pure-blood girls like her must keep themselves
pure before marriage, if they wanted to win the love and respect of a good
pure-blood man.
"I'm going to put these away," said Cartimandua, gathering up the books. "We'll
return them to Ravenna next time we see her."
"Yes, Mum," said Maddy letting go of The Maiden's Curse with disappointment.
She knew that Estelle and Maximo were destined to fall in love and live happily
ever after, but she still wanted to read about how it happened. Maddy wondered
how scandalised her mother would be if she learned that the dark secret of
Maximo's past was that his grandmother had been Muggleborn. Fictional
characters going to bed together was one thing; pure-blood girls going to bed
with half-blood men was something else entirely.
Her mother rose. "We have a new gentleman lodger staying with us," she said,
fixing Maddy with a meaningful look. "We'll be dining this evening at six
o'clock sharp. I expect you to be punctual, and on your best behaviour."
Maddy scowled. "Another one? You won't even let me read those books,
but you can -?"
"That's enough, Madeleine," Cartimandua snapped. "You know very well that our
gentleman lodgers pay for your supper, and the clothes you wear. The least you
can do is show a little gratitude."
"Can't Squeaker bring my supper to my room?" begged Maddy.
"No," said her mother firmly. "We must be gracious when it comes to guests, and
show them proper hospitality in our home. Six o'clock."
"Yes, Mum," said Maddy, hanging her head.
As the bedroom door closed behind her mother, Maddy flopped back onto her bed
with a sigh of annoyance. She hated meeting her mother's "gentleman lodgers",
who rented the spare bedroom on the ground floor of the house, but rarely slept
there. They always treated Maddy like a child and an irritation, getting in the
way of their affairs with Cartimandua. The last one had moved out before the
Christmas holidays, making it almost a year since Maddy had had to deal with
one of her mother's paramours. She had hoped to have her mother and their home
to herself this summer, but apparently it was not to be.
It was lonely in the house when Cartimandua had a new lover. Sometimes, Maddy
could escape to her aunt and uncle's house for a few days, but she had just
returned from a week-long stay with her cousins. She had no other close friends
she could turn to. It might not have been so bad, if Maddy still had Freya
Lovelace's romances to occupy her, but now that consolation was gone, too.
Maddy flounced over onto her side, glowering at the wall in irritation.
It was all her father's fault. Boniface Yaxley had owned a small but popular
theatre in Wizarding London. He had run off with a showgirl when Maddy was
still a young child, and was never heard from again. Cartimandua told people
that her husband was dead, but she was vague about when or how. Maddy did not
believe it, but since she did not know where her father was, it made no
difference. He was dead to her now.
Her mother had had to sell the theatre, retaining only part ownership, and a
small percentage of the profits. That, and the rent from their "gentleman
lodgers", kept food on the table and allowed them to live the semblance of a
decent life - barely.
If only Maddy were a young heiress, like the heroines in Freya Lovelace's
novels, things would have been different. Even when they were orphaned and
destitute, it turned out they had a secret inheritance somewhere, and there was
always a strong, handsome man nearby to console and protect them in their hour
of need.
Maddy closed her eyes, imagining that she was the one who must wed Maximo by
midnight tomorrow, and how safe and happy she would feel with his strong arms
around her ...
===============================================================================
As she had promised, Maddy dragged her feet down the stairs to supper promptly
at six o'clock. She had spent the entire afternoon imagining the joys of her
new life with her roguish fictional lover, and was grumpy and sullen at having
her daydreams interrupted.
The man seated beside her mother at the dining room table was entirely un-
Maximo-like. He was young - in his late twenties, at most - and he was tall,
but there the similarities ended. He was thin as a broom-handle, his ears stuck
out, his jaw was narrow, and his eyes were the same muddy brown as the limp
hair that fell to his shoulders.
Maddy kept her eyes down and said nothing as she took her place at the table.
Perhaps she and her mother's new lover could simply ignore one another until
one of them went away.
"I told you about my daughter, Madeleine," said Cartimandua. "Maddy, this is
Ophiuchus Cameron, our new lodger."
Maddy nodded, and mumbled a vague greeting, not looking up from her place
setting.
"Why, Manda," said the man, with every appearance of genuine delight, "you
didn't tell me I'd be spending the summer with two beautiful ladies!"
Maddy looked up, surprised. None of her mother's past paramours had ever so
much as looked at her twice, let alone complimented her.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Madeleine," said Cameron, still smiling.
Charmed in spite of herself, Maddy hesitantly returned the smile.
"Well, this is very pleasant," beamed Cartimandua. "Squeaker, you may serve
supper now."
As the house-elf carried the dishes to the table, poured the drinks, and ladled
out the soup, Cameron turned to Maddy once more.
"I think you must know my sister, Tabitha," he said. "She taught Defence
Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts last year. And my niece, Antares, is in
Ravenclaw. She's a bit younger than you, though, I think. You're what?
Seventeen? You can't be eighteen yet; your mother said you were still in
school."
Maddy put a hand over her mouth to hide a giggle. "I'm fifteen."
"Really?" he said, impressed. "And already such a lovely and sophisticated
young woman. I imagine there must be dozens of boys exhausting their owls every
day, sending you love letters. Or maybe one special boy?" He raised an eyebrow
knowingly.
Maddy giggled again, and shook her head.
She had had little attention from the boys at school before the previous year,
and then it had mostly come in the form of staring at her chest, which had
begun to fill out noticeably.
As they settled in to their supper, Cameron regaled Maddy and her mother with
stories from the previous summer's Quidditch World Cup, and told them his
family were distant cousins of the Blacks, even keeping the tradition of giving
their children names plucked from the stars. Every now and then, he would smile
at Maddy, almost as much as at her mother, and ask her a question about
herself.
Perhaps Cameron was not handsome like Maximo, but Maddy was pleased to finally
have one of her mother's paramours show interest in her, and treat her like a
real adult. Maybe this summer would not be so bad after all.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Summary
     Maddy likes that her mother's new boyfriend treats her like an adult,
     but he still makes her uneasy in a way she can't quite put her finger
     on.
Chapter Notes
     Warning: explicit attempted rape.
     "O Maximo! I can never marry a mudblood like you even tho you are so
     hansom!" said Estell
     "You have no choise!" said Maximo with eyes that looked like storms
     "You must marry me and we must go to bed together tonite or you will
     be ravished by all your fathers enemes! Any way I no you really want
     to". He smiled and looked at Estele's
Maddy hesitated, quill poised over the parchment, wondering whether she dared
write the next word. Holding her breath and lowering the nib, she wrote tits in
very small letters, then bent her head so that her hair swung down to hide her
face, giggling at her own audacity.
Without any close friends to visit, and without Freya Lovelace's novels to
read, Maddy had hit on the idea of writing her own stories to amuse herself and
pass the long summer days. She decided to start by writing the rest of Maximo
and Estelle's romance, as she imagined it in her daydreams. Perhaps Maddy would
write to Ravenna and ask her to sneak the book back to Hogwarts in September,
so that she could finish reading it, and see how closely her own ideas matched
the original. Maybe she would even show her version to Ravenna and Venice, if
it turned out well enough.
"What's so funny?"
Maddy's head jerked up. Ophiuchus Cameron leaned against the doorframe of the
study, head cocked to one side in amusement.
"Nothing," said Maddy, quickly shoving the parchment into a desk drawer. "Just
writing ... something.
Cameron came into the room and sat down across the desk from her. "Letter to a
... friend?"
"A story," Maddy admitted.
She had hoped that, by working in her father's old study, she could keep her
writing secret, since her mother hardly ever visited the room. It was more
comfortable to write sitting at a desk than on her bed, even though she was
less likely to be discovered in her own room.
"What kind of story?" asked Cameron, still looking amused.
"It's nothing," said Maddy, cheeks warm. "Just something I do to pass the
time."
Cameron grinned. "Well, whatever it is, it looks like it's put some colour in
your cheeks. You look positively radiant right now."
Maddy giggled. Cameron had a way of talking to her that made her feel almost as
beautiful as the heroines of Lovelace's novels. With her dark hair, blue-grey
eyes, and slightly plump build, Maddy might be considered pretty at best,
rather than a great beauty like her mother.
She guessed her mother must be out of the house at the moment; Cartimandua and
Cameron were almost inseparable these days. If he was at loose ends, and bored
enough to seek out Maddy's company, her mother was probably not anywhere
nearby.
"May I read your story?" Cameron asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.
Maddy hesitated, biting her lip. "I dunno if it's any good."
"Oh, I'm sure it is," he told her. "Please?"
Slipping the parchment back out of the drawer with nervous hands, Maddy passed
it across the desk to Cameron. His fingers brushed hers as he took the
parchment from her hand, and his eyes remained fixed on her face. It made
Maddy's belly feel strange - excited and a little afraid. Her hands twisted
together in her lap as Cameron read over what she had written.
"It's very good," he said at last, with a smile that was almost a smirk.
"Please don't tell my mother," Maddy begged. "She wouldn't like it."
Cameron winked, grinning broadly. "Never fear. It'll be our little secret."
Maddy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Do you like these kinds of stories, Maddy?" Cameron asked, leaning closer over
the desk. "Forbidden lovers? Whirlwind romance? A little bit of ... sex?" He
raised an eyebrow.
Maddy's cheeks flushed again. "Yeah."
"So do I," said Cameron. "There's no harm in it. Your mother told me you've
been reading romances. I'm sure she has your best interests at heart, but
sometimes it's hard for mothers to accept that their daughters are growing up.
There's nothing wrong with a little healthy curiosity. It's natural to want to
explore ... certain feelings."
"Mum said so, too," Maddy admitted. "But she said I shouldn't dwell on them."
"I'll tell you a little secret," said Cameron, dropping his voice to a low,
confidential tone and leaning closer still, so that he and Maddy were only
inches apart. "Everyone has those thoughts and feelings. Wanting certain things
is natural. You wouldn't tell someone not to dwell on water if they were
thirsty, would you? You'd tell them to take a drink."
"I-I suppose so." Maddy swallowed, heart beating fast. It felt strange to talk
about such things with an adult man, especially an adult man who was doing the
things they were talking about with her mother.
"You're a very lovely young woman, Maddy," Cameron continued.
He lifted a hand and brushed back a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her
ear. The touch made the breath catch in Maddy's throat, and her heart pound all
the harder. She felt as if Cameron were weaving some sort of enchantment around
her.
"It's a wonder some lucky boy hasn't already ... indulged your curiosity," he
murmured. "But I suppose your mother takes great pains to keep you ... pure."
Downstairs, the front door slammed. Maddy jumped, but Cameron merely leaned
back in his seat, looking unconcerned.
"I'd be very interested to read the rest of your story, once it's finished," he
told her, standing up. "We can talk about it later."
He gave her another wink, then turned and strode out of the room, leaving Maddy
trembling, parchment clutched to her heaving bosom.
===============================================================================
Maddy wrote in her room after that, with the door closed. She liked that her
mother's lover treated her like an adult, but he also made her uneasy. At
meals, Cameron was friendly and courteous, but sometimes Maddy felt his foot
nudge hers under the table in a way that she did not think was accidental. When
her mother left the room, Cameron would smile and wink and ask her in a low
voice how her story was coming along.
Sometimes Maddy could hear her mother and Cameron at night, when they were
together in the privacy of Cartimandua's bedroom. The sounds of their loveplay
made Maddy shiver with fear and forbidden delight. She knew she should not
listen, but she could not always help herself. Her mother's cries and moans
sounded like pain to Maddy's ears, but she knew from Freya Lovelace's novels
that sex was supposed to feel good for women as well as for men. When her
thoughts and feelings became too confused Maddy tried to shut out the sounds
from the other end of the hallway and focus on her story.
Late one night, Maddy set down her quill and shook out her cramped hand. She
had just finished writing a scene wherein Estelle learned that Maximo's
grandmother was not truly Muggleborn after all, but had only been adopted by
Muggles by accident. After learning that he was really a pure-blood, Estelle
let Maximo touch her breasts, and told him she would gladly yield her
maidenhead to him - once they were properly wed.
The candle on Maddy's nightstand had burned low. It must be past midnight.
Maddy was anxious to write the elaborate and romantic wedding scene she had
imagined - and the bedding that would follow, but she was thirsty. It was too
late at night to ring the bell to summon the house-elf without waking anyone.
Getting out of bed, Maddy tiptoed downstairs, trying to avoid all the places
where the floorboards of the old house creaked.
She stopped short in the kitchen doorway. "Oh!"
Cameron sat slouched in a chair at the kitchen table, pouring himself a measure
of firewhiskey. He looked up when he heard Maddy.
"Oh. 'S you." He lifted the bottle, tilting it toward her invitingly. "You
wanna drink?"
"I just came down to get some water," said Maddy hastily.
Going the long way around the table, she took down a glass from the cupboard
and filled it from the tap.
"Din't know you were still awake." Cameron eyed Maddy appreciatively, looking
her up and down.
Maddy suddenly realised how sheer her summer nightgown was, and crossed her
arms over her chest, cheeks flaming.
"I was writing."
Cameron gave her a knowing wink. "Course you were. How's your sexy story coming
along?"
"It's good," said Maddy nervously. "I'm writing the wedding scene next."
Cameron swiveled around in his chair to face her. The dressing down he wore was
half open and carelessly belted, showing off a thin, pale chest, and rather a
lot of his left thigh.
"There's no need to worry about your mother interrupting us this time. She's
taken a sleeping draught. Selfish cow." He muttered the last words into his
glass.
Maddy hunched her shoulders. "She does that sometimes."
"You'd think she'd spare a thought for my feelings," Cameron said bitterly.
"You saw what she was wearing at supper. 'S cruel to tease a man then leave him
cold."
"Oh. Um," said Maddy, cheeks hotter than before.
"Beautiful women have power over men," continued Cameron, frowning at Maddy's
crossed arms. "But you prob'ly already knew that. We're weak, y'see. Just can't
help ourselves. One look at a nice pair of tits, and our pricks start doing all
the thinking."
Maddy's eyes widened. Such bawdy talk was not unknown in hushed, giggling
conversations with her cousins, or in the pages of Freya Lovelace's novels, but
Maddy had never had a grown man speak to her so frankly of such things before.
Cameron stood up, a little unsteadily, and Maddy tensed. The corner of his
mouth curled up.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he said, stepping closer. "I'm just ...
thirsty. You'd never keep fresh, pure water from a man you knew was suffering
from a thirst, would you, Maddy?"
Reaching past her, he picked up the glass of water, draining it in a few
swallows. When he was finished, he set the glass carefully on the counter, and
looked down at her, head cocked to one side. Maddy stared up at him, wide-eyed,
her back pressed against the edge of the counter, heart hammering in her
throat. This close, he seemed taller than Maddy had thought. The top of her
head barely reached his chin. She could smell the liquor on his breath, and
feel the warmth of his body.
"You're a good, kind, unselfish girl, aren't you Maddy?" Cameron said.
"I - I think so." Maddy swallowed nervously.
"You could help me. And I could help you. Teach you some things. Your mother
would never have to know."
Maddy licked her lips. "Wh-what sort of things?"
His hand rose, and he traced a finger across the tops of her breasts, exposed
by the low neck of her nightgown. Maddy froze, unable to breathe.
"You know what sort of things," murmured Cameron. "The sort of things you've
read about and dreamed about and written about."
He took one of her hands in his, unfolding her arm from across her chest and
moving it down between them, pressing it so that she felt a hard shape through
the fabric of the dressing gown. Maddy flinched, but he held her hand there,
curling her fingers around the shape.
"You want this, don't you, Maddy?"
"No!" she gasped. "I want to stay pure for marriage!"
Cameron gave a derisive snort. "No one really does that. It's just something
women say to act like you're better than us. Some females might be frigid, but
with a mother like yours, and those stories you like to write, I know you're
not one of those. I'll bet you're gagging for it."
He squeezed her fingers, forcing her grip to tighten.
"Tell me you haven't thought about my cock inside you," he growled. "Tell me
the thought hasn't made your little cunt wet. I've thought about it. Every time
I fuck your mother, I imagine it's you under me instead."
"Please -" whispered Maddy, almost tearfully, trying to pull her hand away.
"Your mother likes what I do to her," Cameron continued, heedless of her
struggles. "You'll like it, too. I'll make you moan, just like her. Stop
pretending like you don't want it as much as I do. I'm going to fuck you. You
might as well relax and enjoy it."
Putting his hands around Maddy's waist, Cameron lifted her to sit on the
countertop, banging her head against the cupboards in the process. He did not
seem to notice. Maddy tried to push him away, but he caught her wrists, holding
them with one hand while he drew his wand from the pocket of his dressing gown.
"Tenax," he said almost lazily, pointing the wand at each of her hands in turn,
so that they stuck fast to the countertop on either side of her.
"No!" Maddy sobbed. "Stop it! I don't want to -"
She struggled helplessly as he forced her knees apart, sliding his hands up her
thighs and taking a half-step closer. His dressing gown gaped open, and Maddy
could see the ugly red thing standing up between his legs, looking huge and
monstrous to her terrified eyes.
"Your mother is asleep," he reminded her. "Scream all you want. I like hearing
y-"
Cameron broke off, frozen, eyes bulging. An animal sound of surprise and pain
tore from his throat.
"You will step away from the Young Mistress," said a high, ringing voice.
Maddy blinked over Cameron's shoulder in shock. Squeaker, the Yaxley family
house-elf, stood in the doorway, dressed, as always, in a clean white linen
pillowcase belted with a length of green satin ribbon. She held her hand out on
front of her, palm upturned, long fingers curled, as if cupping an invisible
object.
"Squeaker is telling you now to step away, Sir," the elf repeated firmly.
Her fingers curved inward, tightening, and she moved her hand in a twisting
motion. Cameron yelped, hastily backing away from Maddy. He wheeled on the elf,
body bent forward, hands clutched protectively between his legs.
"How dare you use your magic against a wizard, and a guest in this house?" he
demanded hoarsely.
The house-elf gave Cameron a cold look. "Squeaker's magic is used only to help
and protect her mistresses."
"I wasn't hurting her," snapped Cameron. "We were just having a bit of fun."
"It's not true!" cried Maddy. "I told him to stop!"
"Squeaker knows," the house-elf assured her. "Squeaker will not let the bad man
touch the Young Mistress again. Is you all right, Mistress Maddy?"
"I - I don't know," Maddy admitted. Her voice broke and a tear slipped down her
cheek.
Squeaker approached and Cameron backed away, still clutching himself.
"The Mistress will hear what the bad man did," said the house-elf as she
unstuck Maddy's hands from the countertop and helped her down.
"No, don't tell my mother!" begged Maddy, wide-eyed with renewed panic. Her
mother would not be pleased when she learned what had happened.
The elf bowed her head. "Squeaker must."
"Enough of this charade," Cameron said contemptuously. "I won't be intimidated
like this. Do you really expect me to believe that Manda would trust the word
of a little tart or a house-elf over the word of the man who shares her bed? If
you don't want to fuck, fine. Forget about it. It's late. Let's all just go to
bed."
"Squeaker is honoured by the Mistress's trust," said the elf, eyeing Cameron
with dislike. "She will believe when Squeaker tells her of the evil deed done
in her house."
"I don't think so," growled Cameron, snatching up his wand from the counter.
The house-elf raised her hand once more and made a quick, sharp squeezing
motion. Cameron yelped again and dropped to his knees, bending over in pain.
"I think we is hearing enough from you," sneered Squeaker.
She raised her other hand in a forceful pushing gesture. Cameron flew backward
against the cupboards and collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
"Always go for the knackers, Mistress Maddy," advised the elf, as she busied
herself binding Cameron's hands and feet. "That is the quickest and surest way
to get a man's attention."
Maddy nodded, hugging herself. She realised she was trembling. For a second,
she almost considered thanking Squeaker for rescuing her. But that was absurd.
It was no more than a house-elf's duty to protect their family from harm. She
had been stupid not to think of calling out to Squeaker in the first place. It
was easy to forget there was someone else in the house when that someone was
not a person. Maddy stared down numbly at the still form on the kitchen floor.
Cameron had certainly forgotten.
"Squeaker must stay here and watch over the bad man until the Mistress wakes
and decides what will be done with him," said the house-elf, "but the Young
Mistress should go to her bed. It is very late."
"I-I don't think I could sleep," muttered Maddy, subsiding into a kitchen
chair. She wished she could stop shaking.
Squeaker gave her a look of sympathy. "Would Mistress Maddy like a cup of
calming tea?"
"Yes," Maddy sighed, almost adding "please".
The house-elf busied herself with the kettle, but Maddy could not take her eyes
off Cameron.
"He said I was powerful," she whispered. "He said he couldn't help himself."
The house-elf paused over the jar of loose tea leaves. "It's not Squeaker's
place to say. But - was you feeling powerful, Mistress Maddy?"
"No," said Maddy softly.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Summary
     After Maddy's mother throws her attacker out of the house, the two of
     them have a talk about sex, men, and the unfairness of the world.
Chapter Notes
     Warning: discussion of sexual assault, mild victim blaming.
"How dare you?" exclaimed Cartimandua. "I allow you to live in my house - to
sleep in my bed - and you repay my generosity by molesting my daughter?!"
"I never touched the little bitch!" Cameron snapped. "She's just jealous of me
being with you. I've known it from the start. I just never thought she'd go
this far to get between us. Are you telling me you hadn't noticed?"
Maddy pressed herself against the wall outside the door, holding her breath,
listening intently.
"And the house-elf?" demanded her mother. "Was she jealous, too?"
Cameron made a contemptuous noise. "The little beast didn't see what it thought
it saw. The girl and I were only talking. When I reached past her for a glass
of water, the elf hexed me out of nowhere. It was the girl who told it I'd
attacked her. You know me, Manda." His tone turned cajoling. "Why would I even
look twice at a child when I already have a beautiful, sensual woman seeing to
my needs? Now, why don't you put your wand away, and -"
"I don't think I will," Cartimandua said icily. "Squeaker is an honest and
loyal elf. I've never had any cause to doubt her word, or her eyesight. As far
as looking twice goes, I've seen you looking at my daughter more times than
that. I just never imagined you were capable of anything so vile."
"Maybe I did look," conceded Cameron grumpily. "I'm a man, aren't I? We can't
help looking, or thinking about things sometimes. Especially when a girl comes
waltzing in, wearing a nightgown so sheer that her tits are on display, and I
can count every hair on her twat. Where was I supposed to look, when her
nipples were staring me in the face?"
"I would expect a decent man to avert his eyes," said Cartimandua.
"I was drunk," Cameron said dismissively. "She surprised me. You want to know
what really happened? I told you she was jealous. The little slut
practically begged me to fuck her. You should have seen the filthy stories she
showed me. It was only when I said I'd never dream of doing such a thing behind
your back that she came up with this cock and bull story about me attacking
her."
In the hallway, Maddy cringed. No one had ever called her such things before,
or told such blatant lies about her. What if her mother believed him? And on
top of that, Cameron was going to tell her mother about the story Maddy had
written.
"Shut up," Cartimandua snapped. "You have five minutes to collect your
belongings and get out of my house. I never want to see your face again. And if
I ever hear that you have been anywhere near my daughter, or tried to spread
malicious gossip about her, I swear by all that is pure and powerful, I will
shrivel your parts down to nothing, and you can live the rest of your life as a
eunuch."
"Manda -"
"Not another word. Go. Now."
Maddy fled to the bathroom across the hallway and locked herself in, heart
pounding. Her face was hot with shame, and she still felt as if she might start
crying again at any moment.
It's OK, she told herself. You're safe now. Mum's making him go away. You'll
never have to see him again.
But it was no good. The bruises left on her thighs by Cameron's fingers ached,
and when Maddy closed her eyes, she could still see his hard staff poking
grotesquely out of his dressing gown. The memory made her feel sick and soiled.
If Squeaker had not stopped Cameron, he might have ravished her. No decent
pure-blood man would have wanted to marry her then. Cameron might even have put
a baby inside her, and then she might have been forced to marry him. She
shuddered at the thought.
Maddy waited in the bathroom until she heard the front door slam, and her
mother's light footsteps in the hallway. Cartimandua knocked on the bathroom
door.
"Maddy, Sweetheart, are you in there?"
"Yes." Her voice sounded small, even to her own ears.
"Come up to my room," said her mother. "I've had Squeaker draw a bath for you."
Reluctantly, Maddy opened the door, looking down at her bare feet.
"I'm so sorry, Maddy," said her mother, gently stroking her hair. "I misjudged
him, and I put your purity in peril. Can you ever forgive me?"
Now that Cameron was gone, Cartimandua sounded sad and tired.
"Of course, Mum," said Maddy, looking up in surprise. "It wasn't your fault."
Cartimandua hugged her. "You're a dear, sweet girl. It's a shame we live in a
world where some men prey on such sweetness. Come along."
Maddy followed her mother up the stairs to her private suite, and into the
bathroom, where the house-elf was just finishing filling the bathtub with
steaming hot water and frothy pink bubbles.
Squeaker curtsied. "Mistress Maddy's bath is ready, with the nerve-soothing
bubble potion, just as you ordered, Mistress."
Cartimandua nodded, and dismissed the elf with a wave of her hand. "A nice, hot
bath will be just the thing to make you feel clean and fresh and like yourself
again."
Stripping off her dressing gown and nightdress, Maddy quickly stepped into the
tub, sinking gratefully under the bubbles. For some reason, she did not want
her mother to see the bruises on her thighs, or to know how close Cameron had
come to spoiling her purity.
Cartimandua pulled up a stool and sat down at the head of the bathtub. Freeing
Maddy's long, dark hair, she draped it over the edge of the tub, and began
brushing it with gentle, even strokes. Maddy closed her eyes with a sigh, and
began to relax.
"I'm sorry," said her mother again. "Men can be terrible brutes sometimes."
"I wish you had hexed his parts off," said Maddy with feeling.
The brush paused, mid-stroke.
"You heard that, did you?"
"Yeah," said Maddy. "He deserved it. That, or Azkaban, or something."
"He did," Cartimandua agreed. "But his silence is better for our family than
any punishment. If you made a formal accusation against him, it would have
caused a scandal. And without any evidence, it would be your word against his.
If you heard what I said, no doubt you heard his version of events as well."
"But Squeaker could -"
"House-elves can't testify in a court of law," her mother said kindly.
"Everyone knows they always side with their masters, no matter what. Their
testimony can never be trusted."
"You believe her, though, don't you, Mum?" Maddy asked desperately, trying to
turn around.
"I do," Cartimandua assured her, a hand on her bare shoulder. "And I believe
you. But that doesn't mean anyone else would."
"It's not fair," grumbled Maddy, subsiding back into the tub.
"No," her mother agreed, "it's not fair. But that's often the way of things,
for women. The best thing to do is to put it out of your mind. Pretend it never
happened."
Maddy was not certain she could do that, but she resolved to try.
"Did he ever ... hurt you?" she asked.
The brush hesitated again.
"No. Not him," said Cartimandua, sounding more tired than ever. She sighed.
"None of this would have happened if your father was here."
Her father. Maddy's mother hardly ever mentioned her vanished husband. If he
had not run off with a showgirl, there would never have been any strange men in
their house. They would not have needed any "gentleman lodgers" to make ends
meet. And Cameron would never have touched her. That made Cameron's attack her
father's fault, as far as Maddy was concerned. Another injury for her and her
mother to lay at Boniface Yaxley's door. Someday, Maddy liked to think, she
would track him down and force him to face her and explain why he had abandoned
them.
"It's past time we had a talk about some things," said her mother, as she ran
the brush through Maddy's hair. "About men. And about sex."
Maddy's cheeks grew warm. "I know about sex. You told me ages ago where babies
come from."
"There's more to sex than just making babies, as I think you're beginning to
learn," said Cartimandua darkly. "I saw the way Ophiuchus looked at you, and I
think you probably noticed it, too. Perhaps I should have said something
sooner, but you should have known to dress more modestly with a strange man in
the house, to keep from leading him astray with lustful thoughts."
"I wasn't trying to lead him astray!" Maddy objected. "I didn't know he'd be in
the kitchen last night! I just wanted some water -"
"Hush," said her mother, stroking her hair. "I know, Sweetheart. You weren't
thinking about it. You're a good girl, and your heart is innocent. But you must
learn to be mindful of such things. You're blossoming into a lovely young
woman, and men will take notice of that. Some will try to take advantage. It's
your duty to keep yourself pure, and to signal to them by word and deed and the
modesty of your dress that you are not available for conquest."
"Yes, Mum," Maddy murmured, lowering her eyes.
"You're special, Maddy," Cartimandua continued. "You're a beautiful, pure-blood
witch. That makes you a rare flower. In two or three years, wizards will be
clamouring for your hand in marriage. You must keep yourself fresh and pure,
and your reputation spotless, for your future husband. Do you understand what I
mean by that?"
"I think so," said Maddy, blushing.
"It means you must guard your maidenhead jealously, and let no man put his
staff into your sacred passage without putting a ring on your finger first,"
said her mother candidly. "It also means that you must never tell anyone about
what happened last night, or they might doubt your purity."
"Yes, Mum," Maddy said again, squirming under the water. She wondered whether
she could even bring herself to tell Ravenna and Venice what had happened. The
shame of it was still too sharp to bear thinking about.
"Good girl." Her mother patted her on the shoulder. "We'll work together to
find you the best possible match. A good marriage will go far toward restoring
the fortunes and good name of our family. In the meantime, be careful not to be
too familiar with any boys at school, especially if you aren't certain of their
family connections."
"I can't even go on dates?" asked Maddy plaintively.
Cartimandua gave a gentle laugh. "I didn't say that. Just be mindful of your
reputation. And consider that you might be better off marrying someone a few
years older than you. A wizard who is settled and established in his career,
able to care for you and your children as you deserve."
The mention of children made Maddy blush again.
"Anyway," Cartimandua continued with a rare bawdy chuckle, "these young boys
don't know what to do with a woman in bed. You want a mature man for that.
Believe me, your sacred passage will thank you."
"Mum!" exclaimed Maddy, shocked.
"I just want you to be prepared," said her mother, kissing the crown of her
head, "so that the next time a man - or boy - casts his eye in your direction,
you'll know what to do."
"I will, Mum," Maddy promised.
But she thought she might learn the parts-shriveling hex, too, just in case.
End Notes
     Hey, we all like to indulge our ids once in a while. If you're
     looking for more sketchy characters and dubious porn, consider
     checking out some of these:
     On_the_Cusp_of_Slytherin - When Gryffindor dare-devil Lina McLaggen
     sets her sights on a cute Slytherin boy named Tom Riddle, she's not
     prepared for what he has in store for her. No actual porn in this
     one, but sketchiness abounds. Incest, unplanned pregnancy, and a
     whole Chamber full of secrets. Lina is a canon character who changes
     her name at the end of the fic.
     A_Nasty_Piece_of_Work - Fenrir Greyback was just as terrible a person
     as a teenager as he was as an adult. He visits his family's homeland
     of Albania to track down a young werewolf, seduce her, and force her
     to turn him. Rape, murder, blood magic, and Greyback being Greyback.
     That_Awful_Boy - After the breakup of their friendship, Severus tries
     to get back into Lily's good graces. The summer before their 7th
     year, they hang out, brew potions, get high, and fool around. But
     Severus has an ulterior motive for getting close to Lily. Attempted
     consent violation, via love potion drugging.
     The_Diary_of_Regulus_Black - A series of diary entries dating from
     Regulus's childhood, through his death, and chronicling an unhealthy,
     abusive relationship with Severus Snape. Rape, coercion,
     manipulation, character death.
     Consolation_Prize - The story of Severus and Regulus's abusive
     relationship, told from Severus's point of view. Rape, coercion,
     manipulation, character death.
     Paper_Thin_Hotel - Set during the second war, Severus is reminded of
     Regulus when he has to spend the night at 12 Grimmauld Place. He
     takes some Polyjuice Potion to a Muggle brothel, and turns a young
     sex worker into the object of his obsession. Violent sex, sex worker
     abuse, consent violation via Imperius curse, general fucked-up-ness.
     Thrall - The summer after the second war, Ron Weasley is the only one
     of his siblings left at home. He helps his mother tidy up the place,
     and finds some old LPs in the attic. Curious, he listens to them -
     - and discovers the magical voice of vampire singer Lorcan d'Eath.
     Falling under the spell of his voice, Ron convinces his mother to
     visit Azkaban with him, to meet d'Eath in person. Incestuous
     threesome, magical manipulation, vampirism.
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