It took a few days for Dumbledore to find another DADA teacher and he needed the approval of the owners before accepting him. He had no doubt they would accept, though.
"Sirius Black? Is he well enough to tackle the job?" Susan asked.
"He spent a part of the summer with us. He's well enough, we believe. I only wonder when he plans to get married," Hermione replied.
"Married?" Susan blurted.
"He came with his girlfriend and they were planning a wedding. She also had a scar and it was treated the same day as Harry's."
"A similar scar?"
Hermione smiled sadly. "Not quite. It was caused by a cursed dagger and was on her throat."
Susan shuddered at the implications.
"He's not starting right away, probably due to the wedding," Harry noted, looking at the parchments Dumbledore gave them earlier.
"Oh, when will he come and what until then?" Hermione asked.
"He only intends to start on the second week of October. Professor Lupin will cover for him until then, except during the full moon," Harry read from the parchment.
"Lupin was good. It's a pity he can't keep the position," Susan said.
"We know. He realised that even with Wolfsbane he may still be a danger, especially if for one cause or another he fails to take it. He simply couldn't accept endangering the students, regardless of what others said," Hermione answered with evident sadness.
"So, are we approving this? I don't mind Lupin teaching and if Black is even half as good, he's welcome."
Both Potters smiled. "He used to be a very good Auror, but he got a bit 'rusty' since," Harry added.
"Fine. Do you plan to do something about Binns?"
Hermione chuckled. "We will, but we should wait a bit. Too many changes at once may cause problems, especially with magical folk. They are not accustomed to rapid changes, like muggles."
"Are you suggesting muggles are better?" Susan didn't seem to like that.
"No, merely that the changes in muggle society happen much faster, although some communities may still adhere to outdated customs, beliefs and behaviour, just like our magical community."
Susan shrugged with relief. "Well, we're all human and have human defects, so it seems."
–..–
Dumbledore presented the new temporary teacher. "Let us all welcome back Professor Lupin, our temporary DADA teacher. Professor Black, who accepted this position, will not be available before mid-October due to some personal matters, all of the good kind, I assure you."
Most older students seemed quite glad to welcome Remus. Only the two lowest years had no previous experience with him and seemed indifferent. Snape scowled, of course, but that was no news either.
That reminded Harry. "Shouldn't we do something about Snape too? He's destroying the chances for any non-Slytherin student to become an Auror or a healer by making Potions the most hated subject. That's not right!"
Hermione smiled to calm him. "Let's wait a week or two before doing anything else. Dumbledore is sure to fight any suggestion concerning Snape, you know, and we don't need any additional confrontations with him, for a while."
Indeed, Dumbledore seemed quite morose at having to give up his political jobs and was a bit sarcastic whenever speaking with the owners. He was still polite, of course, but he couldn't detach his feelings completely.
It turned even harder due to the changes in the political arena. Once the media started publishing the Minister's misdeeds, it was becoming evident that he could no longer hold that position and his close aids would have to go as well.
With the media at her side, Madam Bones had the upper echelon of the Ministry investigated and discovered quite a bit. Bribes and blackmail were only the tip of the iceberg. Soon enough, Fudge, Umbridge and quite a few of their teams would be led into interrogation rooms and holding cells. Most would spend quite some time in prison, that was sure.
–..–
Lupin proved to be as good as during his previous time as a DADA teacher. He still did something different this time: he moved his class and his office to a new place, where there was an empty classroom, long unused, along with a teacher's office.
"I also moved my lodging," he told Harry. "It's just an assurance against the infamous curse."
Harry smiled understandingly. "We intend to scan the school for that curse and others, but it may take some time. Dumbledore is not very cooperative since we forced him to decide on one position only."
Remus nodded. "That's understandable, but it was long overdue, in fact. He should have had to do that long ago, but nobody bothered. Are you planning on keeping him for long?"
Harry sighed. "Initially, we had no plans to replace him, but the way he acts, we may be forced to choose between keeping him or advancing Hogwarts. You know what we'll decide."
Remus only nodded in agreement.
–..–
About a week later, they got the invitation to Sirius and Marlene's wedding. It would take place at a palace owned by the Black family, not too far from London, where there was room enough for the many guests. Marlene's closest family had been murdered during the war, but she had some distant family and many friends from before the war and a few after it. She couldn't invite her muggle friends, of course, but she would celebrate with them differently.
Quite a few students were invited along with their families. Longbottom, Davies, Bones, Greengrass, Lovegood and some more were natural. The Weasleys were also invited, as were other light families, but Sirius had to invite Malfoy, Nott, Avery, and quite a few from dark families too. As Lord Black, it was unthinkable to alienate the dark faction, where Black had been a prominent family before the war. Dumbledore and McGonagall were also invited and Snape wasn't, of course.
Luckily, the invitation could serve as a portkey, or the travel from Scotland could have taken half a day.
–..–
The magical wedding ceremony was done in a very large hall, somewhat reminiscent of a cathedral, although there were no religious symbols there. The text was unintelligible, but the chanting and the movements were very beautiful, almost like a ballet. It then ended with a magnificent multicoloured flash and a golden aura engulfing the couple for a bit.
That was followed by a reception and a feast, quite a memorable one, as far as Harry was concerned. It was even tastier than the food in France and the portions were much larger too.
That was followed by some dancing. As much as Harry wanted to only dance with Hermione, he had to also dance with Ginny, Daphne, Tracey, Hannah and quite a few more, yet Susan made sure to dance with him whenever Hermione felt a bit tired. This didn't go unnoticed, of course. Daphne, during their second dance, commented, "It looks like Susan is eager to cooperate on more than handling Hogwarts. Are you alright with that?"
Harry shrugged. "She knows the facts and accepts that her chance is quite small. She still thinks it's good enough."
"Are you going to give other girls the same chance?"
He pointed with his chin at their bodies, touching so closely for the dance. "Don't I do it already?"
She just chuckled in response.
–..–
Ginny was even less subtle. "Why are you dancing so much with Susan? I want my chance with you too, you know."
Harry sighed for having to explain. "I need her cooperation in handling Hogwarts, you know. It would be unwise to antagonise her unnecessarily."
"Doesn't she want another kind of cooperation too? In bed, I mean."
Harry tried not to blush. "She probably does, but she knows how slim her chances are. Hermione is all I need, and we don't expect that to change before graduation, that's sure."
Ginny only pouted at hearing that.
–..–
As expected, Harry also danced with the bride. Her scar and her worry lines were now in the past. With the proper makeup, she looked almost like she was still a Hogwarts student. "You look magnificent," he complimented her, "and almost as young as my wife."
Marlene smiled her thanks. "You really know how to compliment a woman. I also noticed that you attract quite a few young ladies. It looks like most of them would like to bed you even without a wedding. How does Hermione handle it?"
He smiled. "She knows I'm not interested. She also advised me to not antagonize any, since my position may require one or more additional wives, so I must act nicely with them. Most are quite nice, so it's no problem, really."
Her smile turned teasing. "Of course. You wouldn't even mind if they came to the nude beach, would you?"
He smiled back. "You know I'm a hormonal teen. I like seeing nude women and girls, but only Hermione enjoys the rest, as it should be."
"Of course. I still wonder if many boys would have acted like you. Most wouldn't, I'm sure."
Harry just shrugged at that.
–..–
The Potters and Susan returned quite late to the Potter apartment, where Susan and Hermione had earlier helped each other with the preparations.
"May I stay here for the night?" Susan asked. "Hannah intends to spend the night with her family and I have no close friends in the dorms," she added as an explanation.
Indeed, most of the students who came to the wedding were only expected to return the next morning.
Hermione frowned. "Are you sure it's wise? It may cause all kinds of gossip, you know."
Susan shrugged. "So what? Many already believe I'm shagging Harry anyway. Besides, I see no potential husband in any of the upper classes. I may eventually decide to not marry at all and only produce the Bones heir, so I don't mind the gossip."
Hermione relented, although reluctantly. "Well, we have a guest room. You can use it if you stay."
"I could also join you if you like. I don't mind losing my virginity to Harry or you watching us, and I'm on the potion, so no consequences are expected."
That was too much for Hermione. "No! Not yet, at least. That can complicate things way beyond what I'm ready for, probably more than you are ready for too."
Susan pouted but agreed. "Well, we have more than enough complications already. This can wait for a better opportunity. Goodnight."
Hermione still made sure to lock their bedroom both physically and magically before both Potters got rid of their clothing and went to bed. They only fell asleep close to an hour later, both fully sated.
–..–
Hermione was quite pleased to find the guest room empty after she and Harry had their good-morning activity. She liked Susan and she even thought Susan could make a good second or third wife, if needed, but she liked her exclusivity with Harry and wouldn't give it up before it was necessary.