With the immediate dangers removed, Harry only needed to train for swimming faster and protecting his body from the cold. Hermione had an idea about that. "Why don't you buy a wetsuit?"
"What's that?" both Harry and Luna asked.
"It's a garment that covers most of your body and is made of a kind of insulating rubber. Divers use it when going deep, where the water is colder, but it can serve just as well when swimming," Hermione explained.
"Where can I find one?" he asked.
"I can ask my parents to buy one and send it to you. I only need your measures for that. Luna, will you take his measures? It will be a bit awkward if I do it, since one needs to touch very close to intimate areas." Hermione blushed just at the thought.
Luna shrugged. "I don't mind if you do, but I'm just as willing to do that. You'll need to instruct me, though, as I have no idea what the muggles may need to make it fit."
Hermione blushed some more. She then instructed Luna and had all the measures written down. As expected, Harry's body reacted when touched close to his groin. He noticed Hermione looking at the resulting bulge with an undecipherable expression.
–..–
The wetsuit arrived a few days before the task. Harry was surprised to find that it also included a built-in knife and several pockets, one of which seemed ideal for his wand. It also came along with flippers.
"May I use them? Don't they give me an unfair advantage?" he asked.
Hermione smiled. "There's no rule against using Muggle aids, only against magical ones. The flippers may give you an advantage, as does the suit, but since the others could use one too, I don't think it's an unfair one."
After hearing it, Harry agreed. Indeed, the other champions could order wetsuits just like him. They could even conjure flippers, if they liked, after seeing him put them on. It was their choice not to.
–..–
The day of the second task was cold and dreary, as expected of a February day in Scotland. All four champions were wearing some heavy cloaks while waiting. When the fog above the lake shifted, one could also see a small platform near the middle of the lake, to which four objects were tied.
Bagman approached the champions and explained. "Your task is to reach the platform in the lake and bring back the doll with your name on it. Any unclaimed doll will vanish when the hour mark is reached, so you'd better take them before it happens. Good luck to you all."
They all shed their outer garments. Harry was delighted to see Fleur Delacour in her quite skimpy silvery swimsuit that showed her assets very nicely. Considering their ages, he still found Luna more enticing, though. The two male champions were also wearing only swim trunks. They all looked at him with surprise when he revealed his suit. While the others needed some warming charms to overcome the freezing weather, his suit kept him comfortable enough even without such charms.
The rest turned out to be quite trivial. Due to his flippers, Harry was much speedier than the other three, retrieving his doll and returning well before the others. Karkaroff tried to claim he cheated, but Harry was quick to point out that he used no magical aid, and what he used could be easily bought by the other champions, too, had they thought of it. The dour man didn't seem convinced but couldn't refute Harry's claims either.
–..–
The other male champions returned well within the time limit, both shivering from the cold. Fleur arrived last, barely holding onto her doll, and looked almost frozen.
Luna, who was already sitting at Harry's side, whispered in his ear, "Veela are creatures of air and fire. Freezing water put her at a great disadvantage, and even warming charms can't help her much under the circumstances."
Harry could only nod. Fairness didn't seem to bother the organizers, despite pretending otherwise. Well, that was no news for him. After getting to know Dumbledore, he no longer had any expectations of fairness or justice in the magical world. He had the impression that most magical people only cared about themselves, and rarely even about their closest family.
As if to confirm his ideas about fairness, most of the judges didn't give him a full score. Karkaroff gave him almost nothing, Bagman gave him the full points, Dumbledore looked disappointed for some unknown reason, and gave him less than full points, as did Maxime. Percy, who was replacing Mr. Crouch, also didn't give him the full points. It didn't matter to Harry, and he still got more than the others, although not by much.
–..–
Back in their apartment, Luna told Harry, "You should make sure that the third task is just as safe. None of Hagrid's 'pets' should be allowed, and no other dangerous creatures or plants. It would not go amiss to remind Dumbledore of his failing to take you out of this when he could."
Harry nodded in agreement and added, "I think that may wait a bit. I'd rather remind him a week or two before the time, or he may conveniently 'forget' my warnings. I no longer trust the old man."
She shrugged. "You should never have trusted him to start with. His deeds never matched his words, as far as I know, even as a headmaster. 'Hogwarts is safe,' he claims, but your experience differs vastly, as does Hermione's, Ron's, and Ginny's, at least. 'No bullying allowed,' but we have Snape, and no bullies are punished as needed. Detentions and point loss can't help much, you already know, and Dumbledore wouldn't allow anything more drastic. He's just a manipulative man who cares about nobody, so it seems."
"He certainly didn't care about the petrified children in your first year and never bothered to stop others from harassing me or Hermione, and not just Slytherins at that," Harry agreed.
He then recalled his conversation with Xeno. "Didn't you intend to teach me runes?"
She smiled. "Dad just mixed up my visions. Still, some protection runes on your skin can help tremendously during and after the third task. I was thinking of bone-strengthening and skin hardening runes to prevent injuries. Maybe some speeding runes to help you dodge any dangers. We can tattoo them into your skin or just paint them a few days earlier, allowing them to sink into your skin, although they will not last very long."
"I'll gladly learn them, if you think I should."
–..–
Hermione joined in tutoring Harry about runes, as expected. She even suggested a few more protection schemes. None would stop the unforgivables, of course, but even having a permanent shield against most other curses could help well enough.
"I think I'd like to have such a shield myself. It could protect me from curses like the one Malfoy cursed me with, the one that made my teeth grow," Hermione said.
"But it eventually helped you make them the size you liked better," he reminded her.
"Of course, only I could have asked for that even without the curse. I just hesitated, mainly because I thought my parents wouldn't like me doing that by magic."
He smiled. "That's true. I didn't mind your teeth even then, but now you're smiling more freely. I like that."
Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Harry."
–..–
That night, after having a few shags with Luna, she asked, "Have you never thought about Hermione as a possible mate for you?"
Harry was surprised. "Why do you even ask. I love you and I need no other woman."
She smiled. "I know you love me, but that doesn't mean you can't love another too. Now, what about Hermione?"
Harry tried to think. It wasn't very easy when a naked Luna was pressed into him, still smelling of sex. "I did think about her a few times. I find her looks very nice, and she was almost as enticing as you during the Ball, but she clearly didn't think of me as a potential mate, so I didn't either."
"I think she changed her mind now. She didn't say it, but I think she'd like to shag you just as much as I do. I could ask her, if you like." Luna was clearly teasing him. Or was she?
Harry thought a bit more. "She clung to me as close as you do during the last dance I had with her at the Ball. I didn't understand it then, but maybe it was a hint? She was still with Krum, though."
"Did she see him or date him after the Ball?" Luna asked.
Harry tried to recall any such event. "No, I don't think so. I think she even told somebody that she dated Krum strictly as a friend, since his girlfriend couldn't come."
"And she seemed quite eager to touch you for your measurements, although quite apprehensive too."
"But you took my measurements."
"Of course. I love touching you, especially there," she said teasingly, grabbing his manhood. That put an end to the conversation.
–..–
It was Friday. Hermione was visiting them again, and curfew time was approaching. "I think I should return to the dorms," she said.
"You may stay here for the night," Luna suggested.
"But… I have no sleepwear with me!" Hermione protested.
Luna shrugged, some mischief in her eyes. "No need for any. We sleep nude. You can do the same. I don't even mind if you join us."
"Join you? Nude? That's…."
"A dream come true?" Luna offered helpfully.
"Why do you even suggest that?" Hermione asked, trying to overcome her blush.
"Why not? Harry can easily satisfy us both, maybe even another one or two additional wives. He also has enough titles to allow him as many wives as he'd like, and I noticed you like him."
"He's my friend. Of course, I like him."
"And lately you'd like him to be more than a friend, I believe."
Hermione lowered her head. "Something changed as soon as I saw your wedding rings. I felt like I also wanted one."
She took a deep breath before speaking some more. "I think we were so close for three years that I failed to notice when my feelings changed from friendship to love. Only after I saw him happily married to you, did I start feeling like I missed my chance with him, although I didn't seek any such chance earlier."
Luna smiled. "You still have a chance. Let him feel your love, and it may turn to a magical marriage, like it happened with me."
"I'm afraid Harry may panic if I come naked to your bed."
"I'll talk to him as soon as he comes out of the shower. We usually shower together, but I wanted to talk to you alone. Still, the shower stall is large enough for three. We can join him now, if you like."
Hermione gave it some consideration and then shrugged. "I went to nudist resorts with my parents since I was very young. It shouldn't be too awkward to share a shower with you both." She still blushed, though.
–..–
Harry wasn't surprised to feel a pair of hands engulfing him in a hug while he showered, only they didn't feel the same. He then felt a pair of breasts pressed against his back. They were larger than Luna's. And the scent was…
"Hermione? What are you doing here?" he asked, not turning around.
"Luna invited me to join the shower," she said.
Harry could feel another pair of hands reaching for him, one going down to his crotch.
"But… why?"
Luna answered this time. "Hermione loves you and you can take her as Lady Gryffindor or Peverell, if you like, or any other title you have."
Harry finally turned, still enjoying the hug. Hermione blushed when he scanned her quickly.
"Like what you see?" she teased.
"I always liked you, Hermione, not merely your looks, although you look even better than I imagined. Do you really want to join us?"
She moved one hand down his back to pull him closer to her, his semi-erect member touching her mons. "Yes, Harry. I realized this as soon as I saw your rings. I want one too. Will you take me?"
He smiled. "I could never tell you 'no', and this time it's the same. I'll do anything for you."
"Even shag me?" she asked in a mixture of teasing and hope.
He smiled. "I don't believe it would entail a great sacrifice on my part. I'm looking forward to it, now that you want that."
Hermione initiated a snog and started moving out of the shower. Luna cast some drying charms on the three of them and helped direct the kissing couple to bed, where the snog soon turned into a shag. She wasn't too surprised to see another bright flash illuminating the room when the two reached their peaks. She only waited for the two to calm down a bit.
"Congratulations, Hermione. You're now Harry's wife, too. Now, I think he shouldn't forget he also needs to shag me," Luna said, pushing Hermione aside and straddling Harry.