Harry felt like he was dreaming. He was sure that Hermione felt the same. This large and elegant manor house, which he couldn't think of as anything other than a palace, was just too much. Too many rooms, too many decorations, too much space, too large a library. Well, Hermione wouldn't agree with the last statement. Once they were shown to the library, Hermione seemed dazed, not even hearing what anybody was saying. She just moved around like a fluttering butterfly, reading the names of books and authors, caressing the shelves and acting exactly as he thought she would when faced with such a place.
They barely managed to take her away from the library, only after promising that she would get other chances to visit there, and help her to the family dining room, where the house-elves had prepared a major feast. It was delicious and there were so many servings to choose from that Harry didn't even try to count. He only took small samples of each and felt like he wouldn't need to eat for another week, at least. Hermione was in no better shape, though.
Both were glad to see how happy their visit made the house-elves, who kept coming in and presenting themselves, just to get to know the new Lord and Lady Potter.
Harry was confused by a request that Twinkle, the head house-elf, presented: "Will master allow the young house-elves to continue mating like before?"
"Why should I change that?" he wondered.
"Well, other masters don't like their female house-elves to be pregnant or to be preoccupied with raising young ones," Twinkle explained.
Harry shook his head in disgust. "I think it's one's natural right to have children and raise them. I won't interfere in that!"
Twinkle seemed delighted. "I'm glad that our new master keeps to the tradition of his predecessors."
Something else was bothering Harry. "Why have I not known about all this before today?"
Although the question wasn't directed to anybody specific, Twinkle answered. "Master James and Mistress Lily forbade us from showing ourselves to you before you graduated if you grew up with muggles. They feared that despite their wills, you'll end up with someone else."
"They had wills? Why had nobody told me?"
Twinkle looked sad. "We don't know for sure, but the old headmaster seemed very interested in you in an unhealthy way. He kept everything secret, though, so even his closest house-elves couldn't find why."
Harry sighed. With every passing day, Dumbledore seemed less and less trustworthy. He had so many questions that Dumbledore should have answered but never did. It was futile to dwell on the past, though. "I didn't even know I had this place," he said dejectedly.
This made Twinkle smile. "Only a Potter can allow access to the manor and the lands. With no adult Potter alive, it all became inaccessible and forgotten, just like being under Fidelius."
"So, is this place safe enough to live in despite the current war?" Harry asked for clarification.
"Sure, Master. Potter Manor is protected better than Hogwarts and much safer." One could hear Twinkle feeling proud about it.
"Then why did my parents move elsewhere?"
Twinkle sighed. "Master James was an avid follower of Dumbledore. Mistress Lily didn't want to move, but Dumbledore persuaded Master James that it would be much better there, and she didn't want to fight her husband."
Dumbledore again! Was his whole life planned by that old man? Well, he would no longer follow the route set to him by the dead headmaster. He'll set his own from now!
In a way, getting bonded to Hermione was the first step in finding his own way, he thought. Looking back, Ron had done them a great favour by leaving. They could finally use their greatest asset – the muggle world – to help them survive and conquer. He was quite sure that this had not been anticipated by the old meddler.
He looked at Hermione. A silent conversation passed between them, although neither could tell how it worked. "We shall come to stay here tomorrow night, but we shall leave for the weekend. We shall probably return after that," he told Twinkle, who bowed slightly, looking happy.
They spent two more hours at the library before Hermione was ready to return to their hotel room, using Dobby-express as their means of transportation.
Dobby seemed hesitant after he brought them, evidently wanting to ask something but unsure if it was right. Harry encouraged him. "What is it, Dobby? You may ask me whatever bothers you even if I may not have the answers you're looking for. I won't be mad at you and won't punish you for asking."
It took another moment of hesitation before Dobby talked. "Winky is not well. Without a master, Winky is dying slowly. Will The Great Harry Potter Sir take Winky as his house-elf?"
Hermione answered before Harry could. "I'll take Winky as my personal house-elf. Bring her here as soon as you can and…"
She couldn't finish her sentence, since Dobby popped away already.
A few minutes later, Dobby reappeared, carrying a female house-elf who was wearing a stained pillow-case and looked very ill. Harry could identify the scent of butterbeer. He knew this beverage was as intoxicating for house-elves as was alcohol for humans. Winky was probably quite drunk too.
Dobby straightened Winky, holding her upright, and kept supporting her. She was clearly unable to stand on her own. Harry was unsure if it was mainly due to her illness or her drunkenness.
"What should I do now?" Hermione asked. This was one situation she had never thought she would be in, Harry was sure.
"You touch her shoulder and say you accept her as your bonded house-elf," Dobby said.
Hermione looked at Winky and asked, "Is that what you want?"
Winky was too weak to respond. She nodded her head, just barely.
Hermione moved closer and put her hand on Winky's shoulder that felt too thin, as if there was nothing but bones under her skin. She touched it tenderly and said declaratively, "I hereby accept Winky as my bonded house-elf until a time she would like to be set free."
Both teens were surprised to see the bluish glow emanating from the touched area and spread over Winky, covering her completely for a short moment before disappearing, as if absorbed into her body. This seemed to somewhat invigorate Winky. She still leaned on Dobby, but she managed to say, "Winky will never ask to be set free. Winky is a good house-elf."
Hermione now addressed both house-elves. "Dobby, take Winky to the manor, where she can recuperate with the help of the other Potter house-elves. Winky, your first task is to get well and regain your powers. Once you feel in full powers again, we shall discuss it further. I expect you to wear clean clothes, either a uniform, like most Potter house-elves prefer, or just some well-fitting clothing. A dress could be nice, or you may prefer a shirt and trousers. Whatever you choose is fine with me, as long as you keep it clean and look respectable." Winky nodded in understanding and Dobby held her firmly before popping away.
Hermione turned to Harry. "I've heard you talk with Twinkle about the young house-elves mating. Care to do the same?"
There wasn't much talking for the next hour. The only sounds heard were some moans and ecstatic cries along with the sound of two bodies moving against each other, finding new ways to bring pleasure to each other.
\/\/\/
The rain stopped during the night. The morning was still quite cold, but the sky was clear and the wind calmed down. The young couple enjoyed its morning activities and then, showered, clothed, and took breakfast at the hotel. They then packed and checked out of the hotel, walking hand in hand.
Harry wasn't sure what to do next. The previous day left them quite overwhelmed and they hadn't planned what to do. Now he wasn't sure how to reach Potter Manor. There was no regular road going there, this was clear. He wasn't even sure where the Manor was. It had been too dark to even see outside by the time they visited there, and although he thought he heard some sea noises, it could just as well be the rain playing tricks with his hearing.
He knew he could ask Dobby, or any of the other house-elves to take him, but he needed some secluded place for that. He couldn't risk calling them where others would see them. There were some public gardens nearby, but the sunny weather brought too many visitors there. He didn't think they could find a secluded place in them.
Hermione had an idea. "We still have that picnic basket. Why don't we go on a picnic out of town, as we did before? I'm sure it would be easier to find a hidden spot there."
Not having a better idea, Harry agreed. A short visit to the office of the local tourist board gave them a map of places of interest in and around Liverpool. A few of the places that seemed to fit their requirements had bus stops at only easy walking distances away. Hermione chose one and they spent some more time cuddling on the bus bench.
By the time they reached that picnic area, the grass was no longer wet, although the underlying ground was still a bit soggy. This didn't deter them. They spread the cloth on the ground and opened the basket. Everything in it was in stasis but a short 'finite' made it useful again, They didn't even use their wands for that, since wandless magic was practically undetectable by the Ministry and that spell was very easy to master.
Harry enjoyed their picnic. The food was good as was the beverage, and the company was excellent. They were also quite alone there. Despite setting their picnic on the highest point in that area, they could see nobody else. Had the air been warmer, they would have been able to enjoy being together there even more. Still cuddling with each other and absorbing some warmth from the sun was quite nice. They talked softly, just expressing their feelings, discussing nothing important.
The sun was about halfway down when they decided that they had enough for that day. They packed the remains back and threw the garbage in the designated bins and then moved a bit farther from the road into a small depression that kept them well hidden.
A few minutes later, Dobby deposited them in the entrance hall of the Manor. This time, they didn't rush in. Instead, they asked to be shown the grounds, The weather was very similar to the one they had left behind. Indeed, Twinkle affirmed it, "Potter Manor is only about forty miles south-west of Liverpool, which puts it in Wales. Godric Hollow is about a hundred miles southward from here."
The grounds were huge. They could have not been able to see much of them had they not used house-elf transportation. Harry was delighted to see he had a Quidditch pitch and also an Olympic sized covered swimming pool that could be used during all weather conditions. They also had some livestock, mainly for breeding, a stable with a few horses to ride on and some fields where the house-elves cultivated food plants and others for magical herbs. A large greenhouse was used for growing magical potion ingredients that wouldn't normally grow in the local climate. Harry was sure that Neville would have liked it.
There was also a formal English garden, "Your grandparents used to have some garden parties in here during the summer, when the weather permitted," Twinkle told Harry.
Hermione still considered the library to be the best feature of the Manor. As soon as they finished checking the grounds, she found her way to the library, as if attracted by a magnet.
This time, Harry asked to be served a modest dinner only. Twinkle smiled understandingly. "The cook felt like showing off last night. I'll do my best to calm her down. Still, no food was wasted. The house-elves enjoyed some too, and the rest was given to an orphanage, as your ancestors normally did."
Harry was glad to know that his ancestors cared for the orphans. He felt like he really needed to get to know his family history. Well, he could probably start by talking to the portraits whenever he found some free time.
He managed to drag Hermione away from the library for dinner, although he didn't need to be too persuasive. Aside from some more books, Hermione had a few more plans for the evening.
Dinner was calm. There was just enough food and it tasted wonderfully. Hermione still had a complaint. "Why don't you eat with us?" she asked the house-elf who served them.
The house-elf shook her head at the ignorance of her young Mistress. "Elvies don't usually eat the same food. Human food is too spicy for most house-elvies and house-elvie's food is too bland for humans. Besides, we can't serve and eat at the same time."
Hermione didn't like it, but accepted the explanation. If the food was so different, there really wasn't a reason to eat together.
With dinner over, Hermione asked to see where Winky was recuperating. Twinkle was proud to show her the house-elf "village" built into the attic. Hermione had to almost crawl to go in, since it was all designed to house-elf sizes, but she was convinced that the house-elves really had as good conditions as they liked. She was also relieved to see that Winky was recuperating quite nicely. She still looked too thin and sickly, but she could talk freely and was already discussing the merits of various clothing styles and considering what would be best for her.
Harry didn't crawl in, though. He was glad to look through the windows into the tiny houses and notice how well furnished they were and how suitable they seemed for the small beings that lived in them.
Hermione seemed in a very good mood after crawling out of the house-elf village. She grabbed Harry's arm and suggested, "Let's go to the library!"
"Again?" He asked plaintively.
She winked at him. "There are more ways to enjoy the library, you should know."
It made Harry wonder what kind of books she had found there.