Spring Equinox

Umbridge wants to restore a certain old tradition. It backfires nicely with some very unexpected results.

Chapter 1

As all students sat down for dinner, a pink clad toad-like woman stood up at the teachers' table. Harry cringed internally. Although she had lately stopped giving him detentions, Harry was sure it was just a temporary respite, as she was probably dealing with other matters. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were. He was sure he was going to learn about them too soon to his taste, though.

"Hem, hem," the toad woman started. "The Ministry has not been content with the way our magical tradition was passed to the new generation at Hogwarts. It has decided to start by reinstating one of our age-long traditions, that of the Equinox celebration."

Her words meant nothing to Harry, and he noticed that Hermione, Dean and several others, all muggle-raised, seemed as disinterested as him. Others, those raised in magical families, seemed to know what was suggested, though. Some boys sniggered and some girls gasped, others blushed and all seemed quite excited, although not all seemed to welcome the idea.

Madam Umbridge didn't let them dwell on it, though. "The equinox is a little over three weeks from now, and we shall have the celebration at that night, Friday the 21st of March, according to our tradition. All students from fifth year up need to be present. Fourth year students may join if they have partners. Your heads of houses will explain this more to you tomorrow after dinner."

Glancing at the head table, Harry noticed that Dumbledore was not present, as had become normal lately. He was probably attending some other duties, Harry thought bitterly. He saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout Looking angry while Snape looked mostly surprised, despite trying to hide it.

Harry looked around. Parvati and Lavender were whispering to each other and giggling. Seamus was explaining something to Dean in hushed tones. Neville's face reddened almost like Uncle Vernon's and Ron seemed furious. Following Ron's glance, Harry noticed that Ginny was looking pensively at him. Noticing his eyes on her, she winked at him, blushing lightly, and moved her eyes to the table. Harry didn't know what it meant.

"I'm going to the library," Hermione said as soon as they finished their meal. It was nothing new, really, but Harry heard a certain tinge in her voice, one he hadn't heard before.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. I think you should ask some of the boys about this equinox celebration, though. It's the first time I've heard of it and it's probably the first time you've heard of it as well."

"Sure," he smiled at her, as she moved in one direction and he moved in another.

"Neville, what can you tell me about the equinox celebration?" he asked, once in the common room.

Neville seemed like he didn't want to say anything, but he then motioned Harry to sit closer and started talking. "The equinox celebration is a very old custom, tracing back to pagan rituals. It is basically a celebration of life and fertility. It normally starts with dancing and soon turns into an orgy, with each participant expected to have sex with as many partners as possible. It lasts about four hours and one needs some invigorating and stamina potions to be able to keep going till the end. Many girls find this to be the best occasion to lose their virginity honorably, and many boys as well."

By now both Neville's and Harry's faces were quite red.

"Have you taken part in one?" Harry asked.

"No. They are quite rare. Gran told me about it and thought it might help my confidence if I participated in one, but just the thought of being naked in front of many girls and women intimidated me too much. Now it looks like we have no choice."

"Naked?" Harry wondered.

"Well, how else can the participants have sex most of the time?" Neville turned even redder.

Things started clicking into place in Harry's mind. He understood the smiles of the boys and the mixed reaction of the girls. It looked like those who had experience or wanted some looked forward to that celebration, while the others dreaded it. Thinking some more he understood why some girls were looking at him, as if checking him over. He would be expected to shag as many as he could, and quite a few seemed to be interested in shagging "The Boy Who Lived" despite his current disgrace with the Ministry.

Looking at it this way seemed quite frightening.

Harry tried to change the direction of his thoughts. If everybody was going to be naked, then he would see all the girls in the buff. While he wasn't looking forward to seeing Millicent Bulstrode naked, he could think of a few he might really enjoy seeing that way. Having a chance to shag some of them was making it even better. 'Yes,' he thought, 'I may enjoy myself quite nicely in that celebration.'

Hermione came back just before curfew. She bee-lined to Harry and dragged him to a secluded corner. "Harry, have you found anything about the equinox celebration?" she asked urgently.

"Some, but why won't you first tell me what you found in the library?"

Hermione sighed. "There wasn't much about it and what I found was very vague. It is an old pagan celebration of life and renewal. There are also the fall equinox celebration and the summer and winter solstice. The spring and summer celebrations were almost abolished by Christianity, as they also had some erotic elements, and the winter celebration was replaced by Christmas, yet the four dates are still celebrated occasionally by remote communities."

"Was there anything about the contents of the celebrations?"

"Only that the spring and summer celebrations were usually a kind of orgy, but no details." Hermione blushed as she spoke.

It was now Harry's turn to sigh. He didn't really want to speak with Hermione about such subjects – it was too embarrassing – but he didn't have much choice now, and she deserved to know. "Well, I asked Neville. He said that it starts with a dance and soon turns into an orgy, where each participant is expected to have sex with as many partners as possible. Young people use this occasion to lose their virginity. Oh, and everybody is nude."

Hermione's blush deepened. "Thank you, Harry. I suppose you're looking forward to it, don't you?"

Harry blushed a bit more. "It can be nice seeing some people nude, I think. As for the rest – I'm not sure. I've never been with a girl before, you know."

Hermione smiled. "I have no such experience either. I don't mind being seen nude. My parents take me to nudist resorts each summer. I don't like the idea of having multiple sex partners, though. There are some boys I don't want near me any way."

"I'll try to protect you," Harry promised.

"I'll think of what we can do," she added, turning practical again.

Hermione looked very preoccupied in the morning. Well, most girls did. Harry could understand that in a way. While boys didn't usually mind shagging as many girls as they could, not minding too much who they were having sex with, girls gave more importance to the person than the deed. Most of them, at least. Harry noticed that Lavender was already making lists of who she wanted to shag during that celebration, including boys who were not normally attracted to her, like Harry. Many boys were preparing similar lists. Harry overheard a couple of Ravens discussing the physical merits of Hermione and could barely hold his rage. Hermione was his best friend! She was also a beautiful and shapely girl, sure, but she didn't deserve being treated like a sex object!

They had a free period before lunch, and Hermione walked with him to the lake, where she found a place to sit down and talk.

"Harry, I don't want to have sex with just anybody at the celebration."

"Then don't! You should not let anybody touch you if you don't want to."

She sighed. "This is organized by the toad. I don't believe she will let us choose."

Harry's expression darkened. "I won't let anybody rape you!"

She smiled sadly at him. "I'm not sure you'll be able to help in this case. Still, will you be my first, if we can even choose?"

Harry gasped. Did she really want him to be her first sexual experience? He was surely honored. Yet thinking a bit more, he realized he'd like to be her only one. He wondered where that feeling came from. "I'll try to be your first, at least. Why do you choose me, though?"

Her smile brightened. "You are my best friend, maybe even more than that, really. I can't think of anyone I'd rather let open me than you. Not even Ron."

"What about Ron?"

"He's my friend, and I'd rather be with him than with others if I can't be with you."

This answer made Harry feel better. He liked being Hermione's first choice. She certainly was his first choice.

"I'll do my best to stay with you, but let's hear Professor McGonagall before we do any planning."

She smiled thankfully. "I knew I could count on you."

Hermione then hugged him. That wasn't too unusual, but she also added a quick kiss on his lips. He continued thinking about it long after they rejoined their classmates.

Their head of house assembled them that evening. "I'm sure most of you already know what this ministry sponsored equinox celebration is all about," she started, her tone showing clear displeasure with the idea. "For those who still don't know or who are unsure about what they heard, here it is: The Equinox Celebration is a pagan tradition which some of the magical communities still practice. It was originally used to thank the gods for bringing spring after the cold winter and to show the appreciation for the fertile land by fertilizing all women taking part in the ceremony. It has long disappeared from all main magical communities as people adhered to monogamy."

She took a deep breath and continued. "The celebration is basically an orgy, where each participant is expected to have as many sex partners as possible. All females are expected to be impregnated, and normal contraceptive spells and potion are nulled by the magic of the ceremony."

This brought some urgent comments among the students. Most girls were worried, though. None of them had plans to get pregnant before finishing school, not even the seventh year. The younger ones were practically mortified by the idea. The professor let the noise subside a bit before continuing. "I'm very aware of your position about that aspect of the ceremony, as are other teachers. We are currently searching for a way to prevent unwanted pregnancies due to the celebrations. I'll let you know of the results. Meanwhile, I can tell you that some of the muggle contraceptives may prove very useful."

There were some questions, as expected.

"May I stay with the same partner for the whole celebration?" one girl asked.

"Normally, that should not be a problem, despite being a bit unusual. Those who take part in such ceremonies usually want the variety, or they would just stay at home. I'm not sure what will be allowed in this case, though. I may have a better reply a few days before the celebration."

"Will I be forced to have sex with somebody, even if I don't like her?" a boy asked.

"Again, normally – that would be no problem. In our case, I'll only know close to the ceremony."

"How can I even perform for so long? A man is not expected to shag more than a few times a day," a seventh-year boy asked.

"There will be potions for enhancing your virility and your stamina, as is customary in such events. You will function more than adequately, I'm sure." This time she seemed to be amused, at least.

"How can I be ready for sex? It sometimes takes my boyfriend more than an hour to make me ready for him," a sixth-year girl asked.

"There will also be some lust potions at the celebrations, to make you ready in no time," the professor answered.

"What about same-gender sex?" somebody asked.

The professor sighed. "As this is all about fertility, only heterosexual relations will be expected. As you know who is sponsoring this celebration, you may imagine what her reaction to homosexual relations may be."

There were no more questions. "I'll inform you all of the details about a week before the event. Until then, I expect you to know about all the contraceptive means that can be used effectively."

This didn't help Hermione much. Harry tried to assure her that he would protect her, be with her and keep her safe. She only smiled sadly, "I know you want to, but you can't really promise."

The meeting McGonagall set a few days before the equinox didn't help much either. "Professor Snape has been requested to prepare the stamina, lust and virility potions, as well as one that flushes the usual contraceptive potion dispensed by the healer. He also promised me to make a potion that negates the effect of that potion and restores the contraceptive for twelve hours. I'm also making some myself, just to be safe. I suggest that each girl takes a portion of this potion just before leaving the tower to the celebration and another when coming back. This should be enough to protect you from unwanted pregnancies. Refrain from drinking the butterbeer – it is going to be spiked with the fertility potion."

"May we choose who we shag with?" a girl asked.

"To a limit. You are expected to change partners after sex and I've heard that during dance as well. You may form small groups and keep the exchange within the group, but you may not be able to only choose one, unfortunately."

"May I ask whoever I like for a shag?" a boy asked.

"You may, but the girl may refuse, just as you may refuse a girl you don't like." This answer seemed to relax Hermione a bit.

The professor resumed her explanations. "You should only wear outer robes on your way to the celebration. These will be left with the house elves at the entrance, along with your shoes and socks. Anything else you wear would only slow you down, as you will be asked to stay completely naked. I should also inform you that the staff will be naked as well." Nobody could mistake her tone with enthusiasm.

"The evening will start at ten with about twenty minutes of dancing and some toasting, to put everybody in the mood. You will then have your first sex session for about twenty minutes, to let the virgins gain some confidence and experience. Another dance session will follow and then the main sex session will begin, with some music playing in the background. It will last until two in the morning, when you'll take your clothes and return to your dorms. Each of you is expected to experience intercourse at least ten times, each time with a different partner."

She looked around. Nobody seemed to have immediate questions, although she didn't see many happy faces. Even horny boys seemed to think that so many partners in one night might be too much.