The Will of Gil (Harry Potter)

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.

Chapter 22– Troubles.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"AHH!" My companion for this morning and last night lets out a scream as Andi opens my office door and walks in calmly, stopping our current activities in their tracks. Well, making my companion stop as I would have been fine carrying on, actually I would have much preferred carrying since that is really the reason we are in my office.

"Gilderoy, please get your whore out of here. I need you to sign some documents, and we need to have our weekly morning meeting." Andromeda says, after nonchalantly opening my office door and then calmly insulting my paramour and waiting with the door open for her to leave. Her attitude is freezing cold, and she doesn't say anything more about the activities we were just performing, which is to be expected after the number of times she has witnessed it.

"W-WHORE? Gilderoy, who is this-" The woman I brought back to my office for some fun begins to shout, and I can already tell it would become a long tirade. Clearly, she does not understand that the only reason I even talked to her was so she could be some entertainment for me, and if she is not going to fulfil that purpose, then why would I continue to interact with her?

"Now, now, calm down..." I begin but pause when I realise I don't know her name. I wait a second before I realise that I can just delve into my mind and delve that information out from the recesses of my mind, but then the woman goes and saves me time by supplying the answer herself. "Samantha Cornwallis." The last name doesn't ring a bell, so I assume she is a muggle-born or a half-blood.

"Yes, Samantha, my dear. It seems I will be having to deal with the bureaucracies of the workplace, so I, unfortunately, cannot entertain your company any longer. Though I will send you a letter soon, and I hope for your reply soon." Samantha forgets Andromeda insulting her and turns to look at me coldly for a second until it turns to admiration and then into some other stuff before settling on a mixed emotion.

Samantha gives me a nod before she quickly picks up her clothes and uses a spell to put them on, and then leaves, giving Andromeda daggers as she does, which Andi ignores. I'm not too fond of the way that ended, and it left things too open for me to be comfortable, so I will be running down sometime soon to go erase her memories. She is feeling a bit slighted right now, and I don't want her to go and do something stupid and detrimental towards me running high on emotion.

I blame Andromeda for this since this is the first time I have had a result like this. Usually, it is just some embarrassment and disappointment that the fun times are over before they leave with positive emotions, and I will chase them down later to get rid of their memories of our time together. Except for this time, things got derailed because Andromeda insulted the woman and called her a whore, ending my interaction in the worst way so far.

"Andromeda, was there any need to be so rude to her?" Usually, she just coldly talked to me, ignoring the woman completely until they left. And even after that, she would refrain from talking about it and just get on with her job. This has been happening quite frequently, and to be honest, I am doing it on purpose because I get satisfaction out of it.

There have been multiple times that Andromeda has walked in on me, and I did it because I realised that the contract prevents her from telling my secrets, and she is locked into it. So I took advantage of that to mess about with her like this, and over time she just got used to it, but this is the first time that she behaved like this. Andromeda is cool and calm, and she was again in this case, but something must have pushed her over the edge, and I don't think it was me because I pull this stunt all the time.

"I have constantly been knocking for the last few minutes, to no response. So forgive me if I was a bit annoyed, Gilderoy." She says shortly, very much not apologising and instead making her grievances known though I still have the feeling she is taking out some unrelated anger on me right now. But, of course, I knew about the knocking. I hear it every time, but I just ignore it because it is fun to see her silently fume after barging in on me since we were getting late for our meeting.

"Sorry, Andi. I just get so caught up in the moment, and I don't hear you knocking." I say, giving a half-ass excuse that even she knows isn't true, provided by the way she stares at me. To be honest, I only do this kind of thing with Andromeda because I can't really take it any further. Andromeda is a happily married woman, and while I am a selfish horny piece of shit that wants to get in every nook and cranny of the wizarding world, I won't go that far.

I like Andromeda. I really do. After these past few months of working together, I have learned so much about her, and I like what I see. She is cool and collected most of the time, but she has a good sense of humour and can crack a wicked joke when the atmosphere isn't too serious. When we are out for lunch and not at work, she lets loose and has fun, but when the situation calls for it, she can be downright ruthless and unrelenting.

Over the last few months, when we have seen and interacted with each other pretty much every day, I have gained a significant attraction to her, one that doesn't even rely on her beautiful features too much. Sometimes I can only relent that I didn't become Gilderoy when he was back in his Hogwarts days; since then, she would be free. But right now, she is a happily married woman with a daughter, and I might be a bastard, but I don't go around ruining lives, which is why I mess around with her like this.

Having had a life where I did not have any family at all, with no support or love and then gaining memories of being absolutely adored and spoiled by my family, I have weird and intense issues when it comes to the subject. I might have used the excuse of wanting to have a family when it came to stopping being an author and settling firmly back into England and stopping the bogus adventures, but that is something I want eventually. Not right now, as I would like to get out there and really enjoy myself for a while, but eventually, one day, I would want that sort of thing. This is why I will not go and ruin a family, at least not one based on love or with young children.

"You hear me knocking, and I know you do. And yet you ignore it, waiting for me to come in, or else you will never open the door or stop for me. You do it on purpose. Why?" Andromeda says, whatever has been bugging her out of work had pushed her to the limits, and my actions just now made her patience stray, and she snapped, unfortunately, at me. Really, I am not sure just why I do this to her. I really like her, but she has a happy family life, so I won't ruin that, but I can't let go of my attraction to her so easily, either.

After the first time when she accidentally caught me with that woman, whose name escaped me, but I knew she liked pink, I realised that this was the closest I was going to come to her. So I continued it on purpose, knowing there would be no consequences with the magical contract in place, and yes, it might be weird and strange and kind of fucked up, but I guess I am as well, considering my circumstances and I live in a world of magic so who gives a fuck. But now that she is straight up questioning me on it, I don't think I will be able to continue doing this in the future.

"Haha, alright, you got me. As for why? Well, why not? You are a beautiful woman Andromeda, and that exasperated look and the way you fume at me is seriously adorable. So, of course, I can't help but continue to tease and mess with you like that when you give such great reactions. Plus, I think I might have a bit of an exhibitionist kink, which is great becomes it matches up perfectly with your voyeurism kink." So I explain and then try and joke around at the end, trying to finish on a lighter note and get her focused on that instead of my attraction to her.

I don't actually have an exhibitionist kink, though I am unsure about Andromeda having a voyeurism kink. After all, I am not messing with her or forcing her to open that door. She could just wait or skip the meeting. We could even do the meeting after I finished and got bored. She makes that decision to come barging on in, and no one is forcing her to do that. I haven't messed with her mind or influenced her at all. This situation happens consistently, and yet she comes in every time. She complains a little afterwards but then completely forgets about it, though today she snapped for some reason.

"I-I don't have a voyeurism kink!" She shouts, shocked at my accusation and playing perfectly into my hand like I wanted her to. "W-Whatever, Gilderoy. Just stop it, okay? This is work, so let's behave purely professionally when we are here from now on, okay?" Andromeda says to which I nod my head, agreeing with her request. I was assured of her never leaving my company or quitting because she had signed the magical contract, but that doesn't mean she couldn't get upset, and I don't want to strain the relationship between me and my current second in command.

"Honestly, why me? I am not beautiful. I am an old lady with a grown-up child now. You are constantly sleeping with young women and have your pick of the crop. So why are you making fun of me?" I hear Andromeda quietly mutter to herself under her breath, clearly not meaning for me to listen to it, but I do anyway, and I am shocked at what I hear. I observe her for a moment, wondering whether I should speak up and say something, and when I look at her, I can see that she is very sad for some reason and she seems to have lost some confidence in herself, and I can't let that rest. If she isn't beautiful, then I want her to introduce me to the women she thinks are because they must have the face of angels.

"Andromeda, of course, you are beautiful. Unfortunately, I am a vain and selfish man with an unhealthy obsession with the opposite sex, constantly chasing beautiful women. Do you think I would hire an ugly secretary that I would see all the time, day in and day out? No, obviously not. I only have the best, and that is what you are, so what is wrong, Andromeda? Something must have happened for you to be thinking such absurd thoughts so suddenly?" I inquire, wanting to know what is upsetting her so much. to have lost such faith in herself. Usually, she has a remarkable self-assuredness, but something has demolished that now.

"Wha- I-It's nothing, Gilderoy. Just ignore me. I am just complaining about something stupid. Let's get on with the meeting, shall we?" She tries to reflect and move on past the subject, but I can see that she is appalled that I heard her mutterings and called her out on it to resolve the issue. I want to help her not only because I like her but because she is the main driving force behind my company and my only employee at the moment. I am relying on her to do most of the work, and if she is not confident or assured of herself, then how can she convince others in negotiations and make me money? I need to fix this now.

"It is not nothing, Andi. I hired a confident, intelligent, collected, beautiful woman that I could trust to handle most of the work without supervision and thrive. In this business, and in life in general, confidence is key, and if yours is wavering, then how can I trust you to work to the best of your ability? Please sit down and talk to me, Andromeda, and tell me what is wrong. That is an order from your boss." I say, getting up from the bed that I have in my office and waving my wand at it to return it to its original form, a comfortable sofa. With magic being so convenient and me wanting to mess with Andromeda, I did all my activities in my office, but of course, not all the women were into that, so I just made a bed.

With the bed now a comfortable couch, I sit back down on it and tuck my wand away, calmly patting the seat beside me while staring Andromeda down. She stays still, not saying anything, but is spurred into action when I raise an eyebrow at her and make it clear that I will not let this go. With a sigh, Andromeda walks over and takes the seat, making sure there is a sufficient gap between us which is when I notice that I am still shirtless and only wearing some loose pants, but since she doesn't say anything, I don't move to change, content and comfortable as I am.

"Alright, take your time. You can take as much time as you need, but we can be here for ten minutes or for ten hours because I am not letting you go until you have everything off of your chest." I say, giving her enough slack not to feel pressured but also not letting off enough that she can simply shirk me off and ignore me. Andromeda can take as long as she wants, but she is telling me what is wrong before she leaves this room.

"You want me to get everything off my chest? Does that include my shirt and bra, or are you not being an insatiable human being for once?" She says, and I presume she is trying to distract me and change the subject so she can leave. So I won't dignify that with a response because as much as I would love to see such a sight, my business is more important than a momentary high of pleasure.

Staying silent, I sit there calmly and simply wait for her to speak. Andromeda stares back for a bit before averting her eyes and then looking at the ground. I see her legs twitching minutely as if she is trying to work up the strength to get up and leave, but she can't bring herself to do it and finds herself stuck on the chair before she eventually gives up and sighs before turning to look at me.

"My husband didn't want me to take this job..." So she says to start off, not knowing how to carry on from there. This revelation does surprise me, however, since I remember pretty specifically that when I offered Andromeda the job, and we were talking through the specifics, she said she had to go home and talk it over with her family, and then she came back and agreed to work for me, so I thought they were onboard with it.

"Your husband, Ted, right? Isn't he happy with you having a job? Why, plus you have been doing it for the past few months, so why is this becoming a problem now?" According to her, Ted didn't want her to take the job in the first place, but she did even so, and she has been performing just fine so far, even without his approval, so what has changed?

"My husband didn't want me to take this job purely because of his feelings. Hmph, and I would have been fine turning down the job if he wanted me to, but the second I mentioned it, he shut me down hard and forbade me from doing it. Not even taking the chance to think about me or even talk it out, just a straight-up no, so I made the decision that was best for myself for once and took the job. My daughter has been very supportive, but Ted has been very unhappy with it." Yeah, that tracks. Andromeda is the kind of woman that doesn't like to be told what to do and has an independent streak a mile long. Hell, she ran away from her family when they tried to force her into a marriage.

"Mm, yeah, I can see that. I have only known you for a few months, and even I know that trying to control you or tell you what to do is a bad idea. I know every order I give you can be easily refuted if you are totally against it, which is why I am surprised you listened to me and stayed here to talk to me. Something must be seriously wrong, so what has he done now that has got you so down in the dumps." I continue to pry at her, trying to get her to open up to me some more. This woman can be as solid as stone. Even with the intimate acts I have been performing before her on purpose, she didn't say anything and kept it in before erupting because of an outside influence.

"Ever since I took this job, I have been arguing with my husband, at least whenever we actually see each other, since he is always at work anyway, which is part of the reason I wanted my own job. He works way too many hours and does too much for so little pay, and everyone takes advantage of him. All I wanted was to help out, but he couldn't accept it, his pathetic pride getting in the way. So now we hardly speak without arguing, he spends most of his days at work, and when he comes home, he ignores me. We don't even sleep in the same bed even more. And then..." She stalls, and I find myself leaning forward in anticipation.

"And then?" I say, trying to lead her forward. I really want to get this out of her, and I can't say it is for purely pure reasons either since if she leaves her husband, then I can shoot my shot at her, and she is not the type of woman I would obliviate afterwards since I actually like her. Sure, I don't want to be the reason for a family to break up. Still, if it happens naturally due to the husband being an asshole and with the daughter all grown up and independent, and without any assistance from myself, then I am okay with that.

Sure, I might be the reason in an abject sort of way since I gave Andromeda the job, but I am not the reason for Ted being a dick and denying her the right to work and putting the strain on his own relationship. Okay, yes, I might be making excuses for myself, but if that stupid idiot can't appreciate and takes for granted the woman that left her entire life behind to be with him, then he doesn't deserve her. And while I probably don't deserve her either, I am not going to let something like that stop me.

"A few days ago, I had decided I had had enough and resolved myself to confront him and talk about it because I can't keep living like that. Nymphadora had already gone back to Hogwarts, so the house was becoming unbearable. And so I cornered him when he got back and tried to talk to him. I really tried, you know, but do you know what he said to me?" She questions, not me necessarily, but the situation in general, as if whatever happened was so incomprehensible that she was questioning reality. I shake my head, prompting her to continue.

"He said I shouldn't be working, that I should stay at home, and it is the man's job to provide for the family. He shouted at me, telling me I was ruining the family by trying to do something for myself, and I was just reminded of my old family. The appearance might have changed, but he was saying the same things in essence. Trying to control me, deciding how I should be and what I should do, and I almost laughed at the hilarity of the situation. I ran away from my home for him to get away from my family's control, and now he was doing what they had. I am really an idiot, aren't I?" She rants, sniffling at the end.

The room devolves into silence, and I don't really know how to help her. And then I think to myself, do I want to help her, and if so, in what ways? It could be called helping to give her advice and save her marriage, or I could help her by advising her to leave a bad marriage which would also be to my benefit—a lot of options here and not a lot of time to choose. So I decided just to do what comes naturally, and my natural instinct is to help myself. Yeah, I am a bastard, but t least I know what I am about, unlike those people that waffle about trying to deny it. I am an asshole.

"Hey, that is not true at all. You are not an idiot." I say, scooching up to her on the sofa and putting my right hand on her knee, my hand feeling the soft nylon on my fingers. And I reach my left hand out to her chi, dragging her head from looking forlornly at the ground to look at me, and I stare deep into her eyes. She seems a bit dazed, but she doesn't say anything, which I take as a sign to carry on.

"Gilderoy..." She mutters, stunned and unable to react at the sudden direction this interaction has taken. Even so, she doesn't try to move away, she doesn't flinch away from my touch, and my hands still rest gently on her knee, and the other still holds her chin softly. Her eyes stare back into mine, but she doesn't flinch away. I don't know exactly what she is feeling, but there isn't anything negative in her gaze.

"Listen to me, Andi. This is the truth, the absolute truth, and I refuse to believe differently. You are a beautiful, kind, gentle woman. And at the same time, you are funny, with a wicked sense of humour, and you can be so invested in something, you care so much, and there is a fire inside you that burns brightly in the darkness of the world. A beacon for idiots like myself that need some help, and I can't help but want to be around you all the time. You draw me in being the miraculous woman that you are, and..." I pause here, still gazing deep into her eyes, and she is staring just as intensely back into mine.

She hangs on tenterhooks as she waits for me to finish what I am saying, but I decide that actions are worth way more than words. And so I lean in, moving towards her. She doesn't seem to realise what is happening, but she isn't moving away as I come closer, either. So I don't just force myself on her, and I give her ample time to react, which she does not.

And then my lips are on hers.

Thank you to my Hero Patron Cory A Cinquini.

Thank you to my Superhero Patrons, Marcus Lane, אוהד דולינסקי and Hunayn Abbas. Thank you for all your support.

Thank you to my Legendary Hero patron Haha93. Thank you for your immense support.

Thank you to my Galactic Hero Patrons James Feazell, Luis Barreda, Orest, Spoder man, Clocker, 2Bizzy, Wilder, Jeffrey Iverson, Gerard Steeghs, TheBerryMan, Tariq Syed and amilagarwal. Thank you for your extraordinary support.

Thank you all for your support, I truly appreciate it.

If any of you have any questions, suggestions or want to chat about the stories then hit me up on either Pat reon or Discord.

I currently have three regular fics active, and I now update each of them in turn every 5 days.

It starts with From The Smoke, then moves on to The Will of Gill, and finally Amarillo's Pirate Adventure.

I also have a Pat reon that is currently at least 9 chapters ahead of schedule.

You can read my next chapter three days ahead of time for $2.

You can read the next chapter of all three fics for $5.

For $10, you can read the next two chapters of two of my fics, as well as one chapter from the remaining one, before the general public.

For $20, you can get the next three chapters of all three fics.

Finally, for $30 you get access to all chapters as soon as they are complete. Please keep in mind that there is no guarantee that this is above the definite nine chapters of the above tier.

My discord: /AY7vBWMN to discuss the fics and hang out.

My Pat reon: reon com/ DragonField (no spaces and a dot before the com) for anybody who wants to read up to and maybe even past the next three chapters of all my fanfics.

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will see you in the next one!

Stay safe and have fun!