Catrilla serves 

The rest of the drive back, Nox finally seemed to be able to relax again. Catrilla was glad about that because the last thing she wanted was to get him in trouble. So instead of talking to his strict father about what he did, she found it would be much smarter to teach him herself about the consequences of those potions and how to brew them properly. When they entered the mansion, Catrilla hung up her coat.

"Why don't you go down to the basement and put all the ingredients on the table. You should know where they are." She winked at him and turned towards the stairs.

"Wait." 

"What is it?"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to change. I don't want to spend two hours brewing a potion in my nightgown."

"I see. What are you going to wear then?"

"Ehm… I thought about a blouse and some pants. Why does it matter?"

"Well… I thought… W-Would you dress in something specific… for me?"

"I don't see why not. Like what?"

Nox paused. What was it with him tonight and his nervous decision-making?

"Do you remember that vacation at the beach 8 years ago? The one where you took me with you?"

"Sure, I remember that. It was a nice vacation."

"You had this green bikini, and it was the first time I realized how… how gorgeous you are."

"Oh yeah… I remember your eyes popping almost out. Made me very uncomfortable back then."

"Really? Oh, I had no idea it was so... Anyway, you would not be uncomfortable wearing it for me now, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then please wear it for me. I always dreamed of seeing you like that again."

"Well, if that's what you want."

"It sure is."

"Okay, then I'll wear that. Meet you in the basement."

She went upstairs and dropped her nightgown on the bed. She looked through her drawers and found the bikini Nox mentioned. She had almost forgotten about it. Funny that she made such a lasting impression on him by just wearing this. She looked in the mirror and remembered something else. He said he dreamed of seeing her like that again. That meant she should also change her hair accordingly. A swift move with her hand was enough to transform her wavy shoulder-long hair. It became straight and looked like it was getting pulled back in her head as it became shorter. She put on some lip gloss and compared herself to a picture she had from that vacation. Looking through the mirror, Catrilla looked back at herself, exactly like she did 8 years ago, and she hoped it would be enough to please Nox.  

Catrilla slowly walked past Luna's Bedroom, down the stairs, and entered her basement, where Nox was browsing through her inventory. "I see you had no trouble finding what we need."

He turned around and looked like he saw a ghost.

"My goodness!" he gasped, "Even the hair. This is just perfect!"

His mouth was gaping, and his eyes seemed to pop just like when he was a teenager back then. He made a step towards her.

"And I can touch you wherever I want?"

He said it as if that would be something out of the ordinary. Catrilla smiled, slightly perplexed. "Are you okay, Nox? Of course, you can touch me wherever you want. What kind of stupid question is that?"

Catrilla found his behavior quite amusing. He put his hands on her hips and started feeling her up like he was studying her body with his eyes and his hands. It was as if he had never touched a woman before. Then again, he probably hadn't. He was not even fully grown up. Just like Luna, they were both in their late twenties, with Luna being slightly older than him. Most witches and warlocks had their first physical experiences in the years after their ascension. 

Catrilla slowly turned around and felt his hands sliding over her back, down to her ass, where he took his sweet time, and back up to her neck and her shoulders. She felt his breath on her, and she leaned her head to give him access as he gave her a single kiss on her neck. Catrilla wondered if he even wanted to get started with that potion or do this all night.

He whispered, "You're so hot."

He had a point. Even though they were in the basement and she wore nothing but a bikini, she certainly felt hot, like it was summer. And it was more than that. As she felt his boner through his pants pressing against her back and his hands grabbing one of her breasts while the other massaged her clit she became even hotter. Catrilla let out a soft moan and wondered if Nox would want to take her right there and then. She would let him, she realized, and wondered why that was even something she had to realize. What a strange thought. She faintly sensed that she should think about that some more, but instantly decided not to.

Nox let go of her. "You should get started. There's more time for that after you're done."

"Uh, sure. So…" Catrilla turned around, "Wait, I thought you wanted to learn how to make it?"

Nox smiled. "I think I'd better just watch."

After one hour, the potion was finally brewing in the cauldron. Catrilla explained everything she did to Nox, and he was a perfect student. He was very attentive and slapped her ass from time to time just to make the whole thing a bit more entertaining. Nox was browsing through her cupboard with some potions she had made a while ago.

"What is ‘Magic Milk'?" 

"Nothing you ever need to worry about."

He gave her a disapproving glance, and Catrilla felt bad immediately. "I mean… It's for breast milk. You see, I might look like a thirty-year-old witch, but I am in fact over one hundred and fifty years old. After witches reach a certain age, they can still get pregnant, but they produce less and less milk or none at all. So for that, we have this potion. It works within a few minutes, and you keep producing milk until you drink the antidote. It's a very common potion for witches my age."

"I had no idea," he said with a curious smile on his face, and put the bottle back. His eyes darted back to Catrilla. "What happens next?"

"We wait for one hour, and after that, it's done. I hope you learned a lot today. You were a good student, Nox. I'm proud of you." She gave him an encouraging smile, and he smiled back.

"Thank you for showing me all of this. You are a very special witch, Catrilla. I am very grateful."

"Well, thanks," she chuckled, "I'm happy to be of service."

"There is one more thing I'd like to ask of you."

"Of course, Nox. Anything."

"I want you to give this love potion to Luna tomorrow morning. Would you do that for me?"

"What? Nox… After everything we talked about? I must admit that I am a bit disappointed in you. Didn't you listen to anything I told you tonight? It's a horrible, evil thing to do! She'd never be the same."

"You didn't answer my question."

"You really want me to give this to my own daughter? I… Please, Nox, think about this."

"Catrilla… I want you to do this for me. Will you help me or not?"

"I… I mean… I'll do it if you really… Are you sure? I mean, really sure?"

"I am one hundred percent sure. Why do you think we did all this? To let it go to waste? I don't think so. I want Luna to love me. To be my adoring little slave who would do anything and everything to please me, just like you described. It's my greatest wish to see her like that, and you will help me fulfill it, won't you?"

"I… I will, Nox. Of course, I will. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"It's fine. You'll make up for it."

"I will. Whatever you want, Nox."

"Good girl. Tell me again what you're going to do tomorrow."

"I will slip Luna ‘Amorous Adoration' tomorrow, so she will fall in love with you."

"Very good. You would do anything for me now, would you?"

"Yes, Nox. Of course, I would."

"And this will be our secret, you understand?"

"I… What do you mean?"

"I mean, you will serve me in secret. No one else can know about this."

"Okay… I won't tell anyone."

"You won't tell anyone what?"

"That I will serve you in secret, right?" Catrilla replied, growing increasingly irritated by his strange crossfire questions. What was he getting at? "Why are you so… Wait a second! Did you… No…"

"Yeah, dummy. Secret Service. That really took a while. Works just like you described. You became a gullible, helpful servant to me without even noticing anything!"

Nox laughed, and Catrilla was simply shocked. That could not be true. She would have noticed, wouldn't she? Well, no, not really. That would defeat the purpose of the potion altogether. Did she really do anything tonight that she wouldn't otherwise do? Nothing at all came to mind. But she believed Nox, and if he said she drank ‘Secret Service' then it must be true. Actually, now that she thought about it, she really did want to be his servant, but that didn't feel out of the ordinary at all. It was as natural as breathing. Anyway, she was preparing for moments like this for 20 years. When in doubt, drink the antidote, no matter what. That was the rule, and she instinctively walked to her drawer and fetched her antidote for ‘Secret Service', even though she was pretty sure it wouldn't do anything. 

"Toss it in the sink," Nox said in an almost bored tone, "I want you to stay like this."

Catrilla looked at the bottle and back at Nox. "Oh, sure."

She smiled and spilled its contents into her sink. How dumb of her to think she should drink that. Nox needed her just like she was. "There you go. All gone. Anything else I can do for you?"

Luna adores 

Nox pretended to think as he watched Luna through the mirror on her cosmetic table. She was still staring at him with a dreamy look on her face. The popular blonde licked her lips, and he was pretty sure her right hand was slowly moving between her legs, hidden by her book and the skirt part of her dress. She looked just stunning. Never has he seen Luna sexier, and he was here with her, all alone! The cherry on top? She was visibly craving him more and more. The effects of the potion should be halfway through by now. That meant her arousal and her desire for him would peak very soon. 

She'd want to impress and entice him. Luna's memory should be heavily affected as well by now. Would she really think that she'd always had a crush on him? Nox couldn't imagine, but according to Catrilla, it should be exactly like that. Soon, he would even be able to change Luna's whole reality with a few simple words. He might not be able to do that yet, but he should be able to persuade her with ease already. Nox looked back in his book and smiled at the prospect.

"Why are you smiling?" Luna asked him curiously. 

"Hey, are you watching me?" 

"What if I am?"

"Well, then I'd tell you that it's rude."

"Oh, my apologies. I had no idea you were so sensitive."

She smiled teasingly, but he gave her a stern look. He wanted to make it as hard for her as possible. He wanted to make her work for it. After all, Nox tried to get her attention for years without any success.

"Hey, come on, I didn't mean it like that," she said apologetically. Luna closed her book and put it on the desk. "I think we've done enough, don't you?"

Nox was sure she hadn't read a single line, just like him. Not that he cared. Luna got up from her armchair and stood in front of Nox, who remained in his. She was jaw-dropping gorgeous. It would be just as hard for him to resist her, he figured. At least it's a challenge.

"Say, Nox. Do you really like my outfit?"

Nox took this opportunity to stare at her perky tits, rising with every breath in the corset he picked out for her. He missed the sermon back then when she wore it once, but she told him all about her experience with it. He'd urged her to show it to him, and she took it out of her closet so he could have a look, but she swore never to wear it again. He didn't let it go, and it ended in a bit of an ugly fight, and the first time she called him a 'creep'.

He remembered this as he smiled at her. "Yes, I like it a lot. To be honest, this is the first time I considered you attractive. You should wear stuff like this more often."

Of course, this could not be further from the truth. He was purposely mean, to study her reaction. Luna looked hurt by his comment, but she didn't show any signs of anger or even protest.

"I guess I have to. Seems to be the only way to get some attention from you." 

"What does that mean?"

She huffed. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Nox didn't say anything. He had never seen her react like this and just waited for more. This was curious and bemusing at the same time. She finally spoke again, and this time she hid her temper a bit better.

"You know, Mother wanted me to wear it because I can finally make the official choice for my ascension partner."

Nox feigned surprise. "Oh, is it that time already? I had totally forgotten."

Luna looked at him, irritated. "Well, yes. It is time. You know I've been asked by a lot of boys in the past few weeks."

Nox raised an eyebrow. "Good for you?"

Her lips were pressed together. "Well, what about you?" Luna asked, more nervous than annoyed this time.

"What about me?" 

"Well... Did you ask someone? Did someone choose you to ascend with her?"

He looked at her, and after a moment of silence, he flatly said, "Of course."

"Who?!" Luna demanded, with wide, glittering eyes. "And why have you never told me about her?"

Nox stood up and looked at her, trying to look confused. Her eyes were wet, and she looked like she would start sobbing soon. 

"You."

"What?"

"I'm going with you, Luna. I thought that was obvious."

"But… You never asked me… And I never…"

"Don't you remember? I asked you right after we were told what the ascension was."

"What?! Of course, I remember! But I thought… I didn't think you would remember. I thought, if you wanted to ascend with me, you would ask me again. I waited for so long, Nox!"

"How ironic. You didn't have to wait for me, ever."

"I am so relieved. That means you really still want to ascend with me?"

"Of course. I never asked anybody else, so I was really counting on you."

"I feel so stupid now. And happy at the same time."

"Well, you still have to accept."

"Oh my gosh, you are right!"

Luna held out her right hand and said in a well-studied tone, "I, Luna Bella, hereby accept your offer to be my partner for our ascension."

Nox closed his hands, forming a bowl, and whispered a simple spell that made a golden ring appear that got bigger in size. His name was engraved on it. He gently navigated the ring over her wrist, where it shrank again until it was wrapped around her skin. The ring got flatter and thinner, and with the last of his magic, he made the ring one with her skin. She would wear it for the next five years, as it was tradition. Nox was so happy that it was his name after all that would claim her. Luna seemed even happier than him, raising her arm to look captivated at the ring with his name on it. She looked like she had received the greatest honor.

"Nox, it's so beautiful!"

"You are beautiful."

He abandoned his plan to be cold to her right there and then. He could not bring himself to it, and it would ruin this moment. Even though he had to use a potion to achieve it. He loved her, and this was meant to be. 

"Thank you so much, Nox. You always had a special place in my heart. I'm glad that we walk this next stage together as well. I think… I think we are meant to be." Luna was blushing red, and Nox took her hands.

"I feel exactly the same. Have you… saved yourself for me?"

The question took Luna by surprise, but she nodded, "Of course I did. I'm so excited to share my first kiss with you after we have ascended. It will be so special!"

Nox shook his head. "I think we should do it now." 

"Now? But… that's against tradition. We are not supposed to!"

"I thought you wanted it to be special? What is special about doing what everyone else is doing at the same time?"

"Well… I guess I didn't see it that way before. But I mean. It's just one more week, right?"

"Luna…" he stared into her eyes and caressed her cheeks with his hands. "If you really want to wait…"

He came closer as Luna's breath rose again. Her cheeks were still blushing red, and her eyes, filled with desire, were jumping between his eyes and his lips. Nox was pretty sure he would get her to do this. If not, it should be a matter of minutes. He wanted her to make the final move. He smelled her sweet breath and knew she would give in. Luna closed her eyes and finally leaned in for her first kiss.