Harry and Hermione found McGonagall in her old office. She seemed glad to see them, and quite content at noticing the way they were holding hands. "What can I do for you two?"
Hermione blushed, unsure about what to say. Harry spoke instead. "We were just informed that we've somehow become married, although we don't know how this could happen. We were also told that it was important to consummate the marriage, or it could lead to unpleasant consequences." Harry's blush now matched Hermione's.
"Are you content with this? Do you really want to be married?"
Harry looked at Hermione before they both nodded. Minerva hid a smile.
"I believe you need your own lodging, then." She searched one of her drawers for a certain parchment and then checked it. "Yes, that's just fitting," she said to herself before turning to the youngsters. "There's an apartment, not far from the Gryffindor tower, that should be just perfect for your needs. I'll make sure it is ready within an hour and send a house elf to lead you there. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Harry felt uncomfortable about it, but he needed to know. "A girl came to me, claiming that she was my betrothed. She's the one who told us we were married. Do you know of any betrothal my parents signed for me?"
It took her a moment to recall those memories. "I don't think I've heard about a contract, but I do remember that James seemed quite smug a few weeks after you were born. He told me he had made all the arrangements for you to have a good wife if only you survived the war."
"Do you know who the other party was?"
"No, but it must have been a girl born shortly after you. There were only a few. There was Parkinson and Greengrass and Bulstrode. Only the Greengrass were in good relations with your family, so it must have been… – Oh! It's Daphne Greengrass who said she's your betrothed, isn't it?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, she's really a nice girl. She's never taken part in anything unworthy, and she kept her distance from Malfoy and his cronies. She helped tremendously at the hospital wing during and after the battle. She could make a very good wife, but then – if you two are already married…"
"She said Harry had enough titles to have more wives," Hermione said.
"And how do you feel about it?"
"I really don't know. I… well, I've never thought I was good enough for Harry, and he seemed to like Ginny, so…"
"I've always loved you, Hermione. I just thought that I had too many problems to burden you with, and Ginny was more than willing to give me some distraction."
Hermione blushed again. Minerva smiled knowingly. "Do you know when you got married?"
"She said it was during Christmas. We were at Godric's Hollow on Christmas Eve, and then we had to flee from Voldemort, yet Harry got hurt. I had to heal his injuries. It probably happened during that time."
"You did something to disguise yourselves, I'm sure."
"Well, we 'borrowed' the identity of an old couple from another town."
"And what were you thinking?"
Hermione blushed again. "I wished we really were a couple."
"So did I," Harry added.
Minerva smiled at them. "Sometimes wishes do come true, you know. Now, if you don't mind, I need to instruct the house elves, and there's some more I need to do."
"Thank you, professor. You've been a great help," Harry said as they left the room.
"Now what?" he asked, once they were alone.
"I think we should try summoning our rings, but not here. Let's go someplace more… secluded."
There were some nice spots along the shores of the black lake. Harry let Hermione lead him to one such place, not easily visible from the castle. He sat on the ground, and she sat at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Why don't you try summoning your Lady Potter ring?"
Hermione shrugged. She then concentrated for several seconds. She was starting to doubt it, when the ring finally appeared on her finger, flashing once and resizing to her finger.
"Your turn now," she prompted him.
A short while later, the Lord Potter ring appeared on his finger.
"Now what?" he asked.
"I think it's about time you kiss your wife properly." There was some anticipation in her voice.
Harry didn't need to be asked twice. He moved his head closer to hers, and Hermione met him midway, starting a kiss like neither of them had ever experienced before. It was sweet and loving and yet full of lust and hope and many more feelings. It seemed to have lasted for hours, yet merely seconds. Time seemed irrelevant. They broke for air after a while, only to resume the kiss more passionately. No words were needed. Both knew perfectly what the other was feeling, and both rejoiced in the ability to just be with each other with no other concerns, if only for a short while.
A house elf popped near them, making them finally break the kiss.
"The professor asked me to lead you to your apartment."
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a door. "The password is 'Wedding bond', and you may change it after you go in."
Harry said the password and the door swung open, revealing what looked like a luxury apartment in a five-star hotel. It had a patina of antiquity, yet everything looked clean. The small entrance hall led to a living area, and a wide corridor on the other side sported several doors. The one at the end was open as if waiting for them. Going into that room, they found a wide canopy bed in its middle. It was all that they needed at that moment. Soon enough, clothes were removed, hands started roaming, kisses were shared and moans were heard. They moved their activity to the bed.
"It's my first time," Hermione confessed. "Please be gentle."
"It's my first time, too, but I'll do what I can to make it as pleasant as possible for you."
There was no more talking. Despite the lack of experience, their instincts seemed to dictate their actions, while they kept kissing and caressing all the while. Hermione didn't even pay attention to the slight pricking pain when Harry got in. She only felt that she was becoming complete in ways she couldn't have imagined before.
When they finally reached their peak, it was fabulous. It took them quite a few minutes to return to reality, both panting and looking happy.
Still cuddling together, Harry looked around, noticing that they also had a connected bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe. A shower seemed quite right at the moment, as they were both sweaty and sticky, and Hermione's thighs had a few red spots as well. Still, they didn't want to separate.
"We can shower together," Hermione suggested.
"Are you sure? I may react and…"
"Shag me again? We're married. It's just natural to do it."
Both were right. It took them almost half an hour to leave the bathroom, as they just couldn't get enough of each other. When they finally came out, wearing fluffy bathrobes, they found some clean clothes waiting for them on a newly set bed.
..
Daphne was waiting in the library. It was easy to spot her, as she was the only one there. Not even the Ravenclaws were present. A day after the historic battle was not a time many people would consider the right to visit the library.
"It took you some time," she noted, with some evident teasing, as they sat down.
Hermione shrugged. "We had to wait for our apartment to be ready, and then we needed a shower as well." She seemed too happy to let the teasing bother her.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves, but we need to proceed, as there's a lot you need to know and quite a few arrangements that you should finish today."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you first need to go to Gringotts and take control of your assets, as the goblins are not known for patience. I suggest you look for the betrothal contract and read it thoroughly. While at Diagon Alley, you also need to buy some clothes. You need formal clothes for the funerals, as well as some for muggle funerals if you intend to attend any."
Harry frowned, his good mood changing quickly. Hermione asked, "Can you join us? You seem to know much more about wizarding customs than both of us together."
"I can't join you at Gringotts, as I'm not family yet, but I can help you with your shopping." She stood up. "Let's go!"
They used the Floo from McGonagall's office to reach Gringotts without attracting attention. The goblin guards on the other side frowned at the Potters but did nothing else. Daphne waited for them in the entrance hall while they spent more than an hour with the Potter account manager and another hour at the vaults. Daphne could still barely refrain from laughing when she saw them return. Both Harry and Hermione seemed overwhelmed, and not merely by the ride.
As it was past midday already, Daphne suggested stopping for some lunch.
Hermione agreed. "I think some lunch may do us good. Besides, we still need to comprehend all that we were told and all that we found out. Yet lunch at Diagon Alley is out of the question. We may attract too much attention, and Harry hates it."
It turned out that Gringotts also had a passage leading to muggle London, sparing them some of the attention. Hermione transfigured their robes into muggle clothing. They found a hamburger fast-food restaurant and ate there. Daphne enjoyed it the most, as it was her first taste of something completely Muggle. Harry enjoyed it almost as much, not being allowed any of this while with the Dursleys.
"I think Harry needs a whole new wardrobe. Why don't we start with shopping Muggle style? I also need some new clothes, as there's not much left of what I had before last year," Hermione suggested.
They used the underground to reach the shopping area that Hermione had in mind, adding another first to Daphne's experiences. Hermione led their small group, making sure each got what each needed and that nobody wasted time on unnecessary items. They still managed to collect a nice number of packages of various sizes. A short visit to the ladies' room helped Hermione shrink it all and store everything in her handbag.
They bought some soft drinks and sat on a bench to plan what to do next.
"Do we need to return to Diagon Alley for clothes shopping, or can we shop at Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked.
"Hogsmeade was partly ruined during the battle," Daphne informed her. "I doubt if any shop will open before they finish with the funerals. That means we need to shop here."
Harry sighed but didn't intervene.
"In that case, we need to disguise Harry, and since I'm known as his closest friend, I also need a disguise. I suggest we go to the Leaky Cauldron but disguise ourselves before reaching there."
When the three arrived at Madam Malkin's shop, Daphne seemed to be accompanied by a redhead couple of unknown origins.
Madam Malkin was just too glad to cooperate, once Daphne explained the situation. An hour later, the same three left her shop, with Hermione's bag holding several shrunk robes, some of them bearing the Potter crest and others bearing the Black, Peverell, Gryffindor, and Slytherin crests – all the major Lordships Harry was holding. One set of robes was carrying both Potter and Black, while another had all of them together.
They returned to Hogwarts just in time for dinner.
Ron was already at the table. He looked grimly at Daphne, but Hermione's glare at him assured his silence. Ginny joined the table a moment later, sitting beside Daphne without seeming to mind it.
"How's Lavender?" Hermione asked.
"Getting better, they say. She's still asleep, but Poppy believes she'll wake up in the morning and regain her health in another day or two," Parvati, who was sitting on the other side of the table, replied. "How are you?" she added.
Hermione shrugged. "We're fine. Harry and I got our apartment in the morning, and we then visited Gringotts and did some shopping, as both our wardrobes had become practically non-existent during the war."
"You and Harry got an apartment?"
Hermione pushed her hand forward, showing her ring. "Daphne told us we were married, and it turned out we really are."
Parvati looked almost stunned as she examined the ring, which was evidently extremely expensive and very beautiful. "So… You really are Lady Potter…"
"Sure, but you can still call me Hermione."
Harry turned and noticed Ginny, whose face was tear-stained. "How are you? How is the rest of the family? I'm sorry I couldn't spend some time with them today."
Ginny smiled sadly. "George is the worst. It's almost as if he's dead as well. Charlie and Bill are constantly with him, while Percy and Fleur stay mostly with my parents. They would appreciate it if you came."
"Will you lead us after we finish here?"
Ginny smiled sadly. "Sure."