CHAPTER ELEVEN: ENTER THE WEREWOLF
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1996. Potter Manor.
It was early in the morning and still dark outside. Harry had awoken from a very pleasant dream and was staring at the ceiling in the Master's Bedchambers contemplating just how bizarre his life had become. After bonding with Tonks, "Dora" as she was now called, and a filling dinner, Hermione invited Dora to spend the night with them. Nestled against his left side, her brown hair and head using his chest as a pillow slept the love of his life. That he was sleeping with her at all would have been unthinkable to him only a few days ago. That another head of brown hair was using his right side as a pillow was beyond any of his wildest, adolescent dreams. That Hermione wanted this, wanted to share him with another woman was - well, he never would have seen that coming. Not in a million years.
For the past week, Hermione had been a constant source of surprises. It had been almost a week since she woke up in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts following her near death in the desperate fight at the Department of Mysteries, an event Harry now knew had changed his life forever. From now on, his life would be defined in at least three very distinct phases: the Pre-Hogwarts Phase, the first five years and now this new one.
The pre-Hogwarts phase began before Harry could even remember. It was the only life he had known. It was a life bereft of love, affection, kindness and friendship, when he lived a lonely existence. Abused and neglected by his own family, he was denied any kind of childhood and was then convinced not only that he would never know love, affection or friendship, but that he did not deserve any of those things that most people took for granted.
He had been abused and neglected from the day he arrived at his Aunt and Uncle's house as a mere baby. He was beaten frequently and often for no reason, just because they could. He slept in a cupboard under the stairs on a hard piece of plywood and was often locked in there for hours and even days at a time. He thought that was normal, at least for him.
He was five years old before he knew he had a real name. Before then, he answered only to "Boy" or "Freak." He learned his real name while being beaten by his Uncle a week before they had to send him off to primary school. Uncle Vernon Dursley wanted to be sure the "Boy" would not embarrass his family by being ignorant of his name, although all through the beating he complained that his Aunt should have left Harry in the dustbin that Uncle Vernon dumped him in the day after he was found on their doorstep.
Harry had an innate love of learning. Vernon made sure he never used it. Harry was at the top of his class his first year in Primary School and his Cousin Dudley was at the bottom. When this little fact came to light, Vernon beat Harry mercilessly and made it clear that if he ever outperformed a real boy again, he would pay for it. Harry suppressed or did his best to hide his intelligence from that day forward. Hopes and dreams were now the things for real people. As Harry was a "freak," he did not deserve such things. Hopes and dreams were for normal people, not "freaks" like him.
Not long after his eleventh birthday, that phase ended abruptly. True, the Dursleys still treated him worse than an animal and had he been a dog, they would have been arrested by the BSPCA. But he learned he was not a "freak," rather he was a wizard. That revelation ended the first phase in his life.
The second phase in life began to rekindle his humanity. Almost from the start, he found acceptance and friendship. True, he also learned he was famous and suspected he was wealthy and could care less. It was his friendships that mattered to him.
It was at Hogwarts, where he found friendship, trusted Dumbledore, found his godfather and began to believe he was deserving of love. But a dark cloud hung over him and refused to go away. Voldemort was regaining power and wanted him dead. Harry had killed a man at the age of eleven, although he did not remember the actual death. People had died or had almost died simply because they knew him and were believed to be close to him, even if they were not.
Harry had fallen in love with a wonderful girl. He should have been dating her and looking forward to spending all his time with her, but he held back. Deep down he feared for her safety and his fear was based upon the fact that if they did become a couple, it would be a death sentence for her. He would rather not have her at all than be the cause of her death. He could not live without her in his life, yet he could not have her close.
Moreover, she was his best friend. Now that he looked back on it in hindsight, that alone marked her as a target. Keeping her away would never save her. He should have known, but the noble thing to do was love her from afar and hope for the best for her. He knew there was little if any hope for himself. He knew his destiny was to die at the hands of Voldemort one day and the best he could hope for was he'd take the bastard with him. He held his feelings for Hermione to himself.
He was also scared that she might not feel the same way about him. Again, he should have known otherwise. They both were very uncomfortable with physical contact and physical displays of affection. They both guarded their feelings and built walls to keep others from hurting them. Yet, between them, those barriers did not exist. Hermione was one of the few people who could touch him, hug him or kiss him without making him recoil or tense up and he now realized he was one of the few she had no problem showing affection to and certainly the only boy. Still, the fear for her safety and fear of rejection blinded him to that reality and mired him in a world without hope for his future or a reason to live beyond Voldemort. He was also concerned that if he and Hermione got together, he would lose his friendship with Ron. Now he wondered so what?
The new phase he found himself in was both very disturbing and exhilarating a the same time. It began in combat and with the death of his Godfather Sirius. The death had enraged him. He had so hoped Sirius would become a permanent fixture in his life and he had felt he led the man to his death. He would have dwelled on that and, based upon past experience, wallowed in guilt for months or years. Then, after a row with Dumbledore that momentarily convinced him he had nothing really to live for, he went to check on his friends in the Hospital Wing. That changed his life again and forever.
It was Hermione. Seeing her there near death broke him. His shields he had raised to evade pain came crashing down around him. They had tried to kill her. They had tried to kill her because she stood with him in the line of battle. But Harry knew that they would sooner or later have done the same to her just because she was not one of them. He knew when he saw her in the Hospital Wing that he could not live without her in his life. He knew then that she had to know how he felt about her regardless. He knew then that her life was all that mattered to him. He would not die! He could not die! He had to live to ensure that she would live. If she died, then all worth fighting for was lost. Even if she did not love him as he loved her, she was a future.
Then she awoke and she loved him! Ron had freaked out. Harry did not care. She loved him too! Now there was a future worth fighting and living for, Harry knew. He wanted to live! He wanted to be there for her tomorrow, next week, and a hundred years from now! The dream that woke him up was one of a distant future where he and his Hermione were surrounded by children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. She was his home, she is his home. She was worth fighting for and she was worth dreaming for a true future beyond the nightmare than had been his life.
She was the only woman he had ever wanted. Woman, he thought. She was sixteen! Okay, almost seventeen … still! They were so young! It didn't matter. If she told him today she was pregnant, he would not be upset at all. He could only envision one mother of his children and she was it.
But then this Concubine thing smacked him in the face. She stunned him by being open to the idea! She, the champion of House Elves and such was all but begging him to accept other bound women in his life! He would never have guessed that. Moreover, he would never had bound with Tonks at all had not Hermione all but insisted upon it.
What had really shocked him was her sexual openness. He had not seen that coming at all. She was a sexy young woman, a fact that he came to realize for the first time at the Yule Ball nearly a year and a half ago. When he saw her, he was floored by her and totally captivated. Were it not for his fear of intimacy and fear of losing her as a friend…
She had all but jumped him a couple of days ago. She told him later that it had been her dream for some time and as soon as she was sure he was not just about getting in her knickers, as soon as she knew this was the real deal, she knew she would not wait long.
What further stunned him was that while he had fantasized about her, and while he used such fantasies for "wanking material" ever since the night of the Yule Ball, his sexual fantasies were tame as compared to her. Hers were far more erotic than anything he imagined. It was a few of her fantasies that had led him to where he was now. He know thought of the two women in bed with him as "babe blankets." He never thought Hermione would share him with anyone and never thought she would be the one to suggest it, but she did and she was. He was supposed to be the horny teen! She was the one with the imagination. How did he get to be so lucky?
This new phase once again meant the destruction of the life Harry had taken for granted before. Such destruction had its physical manifestations in the death of Sirius and his now very physical relationship with Hermione. But it was also defined by the death of any trust or respect for Dumbledore and Molly Weasley, two adults he had looked up to in the past, as well as serious questions about two he considered close if not best friends: Ron and Ginny Weasley. These events should have sent him into a funk, yet that had not happened. Instead, Hermione happened. Her admission that she loved him as much as he loved her erased whatever grief he was feeling about what had happened at the Department of Mysteries. Her arrival here barely two days ago erased his ability or need to sulk. Their relationship erased the hopelessness he had felt most of his life and replaced it with the opposite: dreams of a future together and a desire to see that future come into being. Add in the sex part, and Harry was in total heaven. Moreover, the nature of her bond to him, as well as the bond he now had with Tonks and would have with other women in the near future meant that the deceipt and guile that had been directed at him in his previous life would not exists, could not exist in this new one. Not with his girls at any rate. Trust and family were two things Harry had always wanted in life. He now had them.
Sirius had written that he should not place life on hold just because the times seem bleak. He would not. If Hermione or any of the other women wanted to start a family, he would not stop them absent a compelling reason. In Hermione's case, he could only think of one: school. But, he had a feeling that neither he nor Hermione would ever set foot in Hogwarts again as students. As long as their education could continued, why not start a family now? They were, after all, in the eyes of both magic and magical law married.
The truth was, Harry's only real worry right now was how were they going to explain all of this to Hermione's parents. Fortunately, that day was far off in a distant and murky future.
Pleasant thoughts of his new life filling his head, Harry gave the two women a gentle squeeze and was rewarded with a sigh from each just before falling back to sleep.
Harry and "his girls" as he now thought of them were in the private dining room having breakfast. The two women had their "just been shagged senseless" goofy grins on, although technically they had not really been shagged. They both woke up and complained of being a little sore, so Harry had to resort to alternative measures, which meant oral sex. Tonks had suggested a less time consuming way to accomplish this and demonstrated for Hermione to Harry's pleasure. Nothing like licking pussy while she blows me at the same time, he had thought. Hermione was now a huge fan of this method of early morning play time. Harry had allowed Tonks to speak freely and they were talking about their new game. Although Tonks did complain about having her bits bald. Harry had Hermione "fix" her after his morning game complaining that he really didn't enjoy picking her hairs out of his teeth. Hermione tried to reassure her that it wasn't so bad and mentioned she could now wear the barest of bikinis without waxing. All of this Harry found both somewhat erotic and definitely amusing.
"So Milord," Tonks began after a long conversation with Hermione about Harry's recently revealed talents, "why didn't you tell me you were a metamorphagus?"
"What?" Harry nearly chocked on his toast. "What're you on about, Dora?"
"A metamorphagus, Harry," Hermione said. "You know? Like Dora? Why'd you keep that a secret? I thought you were my friend," Hermione sounded hurt, but looked like she was messing with him.
"What makes you think I am one?" Harry asked.
"Couple of things," Tonks replied. "But first, let's rule out the more likely scenario, okay?"
"I guess," Harry said with caution.
"Can you do wandless, non-verbal magic?"
"Accidentally or on purpose?"
"Deliberately."
"No. Not that I am aware of."
"Then you must be like me," Tonks concluded.
"Why?"
"First off, you are either the most virile and horny fifteen year old wizard in history, or you must be like me."
"Why?"
"Turn around time, for one."
"Excuse me?"
"Hermione and I have both fucked or sucked you senseless, leaving you panting, spent and limp as a wet noodle. Yet again and again, within ten minutes you're ready for more. Either you're doing non-verbal wandless magic on your cock, or you're a metamorphagus and using that talent to reload your weapon quickly."
"Maybe I'm just eager."
"Harry," Hermione said, "the day we bonded, you had sex with me fourteen times! That is if you include your - er - accident and oral. Yesterday another fourteen between Dora and me, again including oral. By my reckoning, you managed that in eight hours or less per day. That means about two times an hour without much of a break!"
"That's serious staying power," Tonks said, "particularly since you never failed to get us to come and most often two for your one. Powerful orgasms, I might add. Wore us both out!"
"And this is relevant because?" Harry asked.
"I was tag teamed on more than one occasion by Sirius and Remus," Tonks said.
"Tag teamed?"
"They took turns with me until they couldn't keep going," Tonks said. "Best that they managed was seven times each in one day, and you equaled or exceeded both of them combined! The only reason I think it was not even more was you wore us out, not the other way around. That screams Metamorphagus!"
"Or horny, teenage bastard," Harry chided.
"Which brings us to point two," Dora said. "This one cannot be debated. You do things to us with that tongue of yours that is out of this world! No one has a tongue like that! I could feel it growing inside of me until it filled me! What made you do that?"
"Just wanted to feel what was inside," Harry confessed, "as much of it as I could."
"Well, it was no engorgio spell, I can tell you that," Tonks said. "You have the makings of a metamorphagus. We'll have to factor that into to our training program."
"Training program?" the two teens asked.
Tonks nodded. "Remus should be here in a bit. He's going to go over that and a few other things as well."
"Does he still have permissions to you," Harry asked with suspicion.
Tonks shook her head. "The permission to me was from my former Master. It died with him."
Harry nodded.
"Are you going to restore them?" Hermione asked.
"No," Harry said. "Not unless Dora wants me to." Harry looked at Tonks. She shook her head. "No then."
Harry and Hermione were sitting in the library fully clothed for once. Harry found the thought amusing. He had spent more time getting shagged senseless in this room then in his own bed! Then again, Hermione was his Consort and she was turned on by books and such. They were both reading a book on the history of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter and Harry was doing his best to keep his composure. He found it difficult as Hermione was an exciting woman in his eyes and she was all cuddled up with him and…
"Down Harry," Hermione scolded! "Later," she whispered as Harry had attempted a gentle grope. "Remus does not get to see the show," she whispered.
"Ah," Harry whispered back, "so the 'I'll shag you in public Hermione' is really the 'I'll shag you in front of women Hermione'?"
"That's right! There is only one man for me! Only one who can see that!"
"And who would that be?" Harry said as he began kissing her neck.
"Harry stop!" Hermione protested. "You're driving me to distraction."
"That was the idea."
"And I'm getting tempted to jump you!"
"That was definitely the idea."
"And we can't - yet. You will need to learn a little self-control, Love."
"Pity." But deep down, Harry knew she was right. He was not sure he wanted another guy to see Hermione naked. No, he was sure he didn't. She was his and his alone!
"Morning you two," a gentle baritone voice called.
The two teens looked up and saw a tall and very familiar sandy haired man approaching.
"Remus!" Harry called out, but unlike so many times before made no effort to get up. He was not going to leave Hermione's side. It wasn't a protective thing, just an 'I'm too comfortable here' thing.
"Well," Remus said eyeing the obviously close couple, "Tonks did say you two have become and item." he chuckled. "Boyfriend and girlfriend. And about bloody time too!"
"Excuse me," Hermione began.
"It's been obvious to many for a while that you two were - ah - together even if you didn't know it or want it to be known."
"Actually, there's more than just that," Hermione said.
"Shagging her already?" Remus teased.
"I beg your pardon," Harry feigned being insulted. "Hermione and I have never 'shagged!' Made love, yes. Shagged? No."
"Ah, and the difference is?"
"Attitude!"
"Ah! Well, that should make things easier. Tonks tell you 'bout the Old Man' plans for you?"
The two teens nodded.
"Well, you'll need to bond to avoid it."
"Bit late," Harry said. "Remus, meet my Consort: The Lady Hermione Potter."
"Bugger! You already did it?"
"Well, it wasn't exactly the kind of ceremony one invites guests to attend," Hermione said returning to her former haughtiness for a moment.
"No, I guess not," Remus chuckled. "So, when did this happen?"
"Few hours after she arrived," Harry said. "She jumped me! What's a poor, hard up teenage boy in love supposed to do?"
Remus chuckled. "Yes, I can just imagine how horrified you were."
"I wouldn't say that," Harry started.
"The words eager and insatiable come to mind," Hermione began, "and mind blowing orgasms."
"You have no shame, woman," Harry mocked.
"I have you! No shame in that. You have the mighty sword and know how to use it!"
"Right," Remus laughed, "and now we venture into the realm of too much information!"
Harry and Hermione both laughed.
"So," Remus said, "was your bonding before or after you found out about the Old Man plans for you?"
"Oh, before," Hermione said. "Well before. Dora saw the final bit just as she got back from her errands. Honestly, I didn't know that the oath I gave Harry would wind up binding me to him. It was just a silly thing I read in a Wizarding romance novel, or so I thought."
"Hold on," Remus said, "you recited an oath from a novel?"
Hermione nodded. "Dora said it was THE oath. She also said and the books I've read confirmed that, although I did not - er - intend to become Harry's Consort and Wife at that time, we both intended it to happen sometime. That we both wanted it was all it took for the bonding to complete it seems."
"Smartest witch of her age," Remus said, "even if by accident."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked insulted.
"It means we were so worried you might resist taking the Consort Bond with Harry. It means we were worried you would have to be a Concubine. You are in a far better position to use that keen intellect of yours to help Harry as a Consort than as a Concubine. Harry can ignore the latter, he cannot ignore you."
"I couldn't ignore her before neither," Harry said, earning him an eager kiss from Hermione.
"And you were told of concubines?" Remus asked.
"Yes," Harry said.
"And what are your opinions as to that?"
"Hermione's opinion is all that matters," Harry said. "I will do what she wants in that regard."
"And what do you want, Hermione?"
"I'd prefer there was no such thing. I'd prefer a more egalitarian society. But these are the cards that are dealt. Dora and Mallory are House Black Concubines and I will not allow them sold or used. Harry has already bonded with Dora. I am okay with that. It's not my idea of perfect as I'd rather have my Love all to myself, but we learned a few things recently and I need help. Try as I might, Harry can run me into the ground sexually. He ran Dora and I into the ground yesterday. We should summon the others today, don't you think, Love?"
"Er," Harry began.
"Others?" Remus asked.
"Mallory and whoever 'MGM' is," Hermione said. "It seems there's a House Potter Concubine as well."
"Really? Never knew Charles had a concubine," Remus stated. "Any others I should know about?"
"I've asked him to consider some purchases," Hermione said. "We have friends who are in that catalog we were shown."
"You're okay with this?" Remus asked.
"No," Hermione said. "I find it all fairly barbaric. But it is the system we live in and I want to help people I consider our friends and allies. If there was another way, I would choose it. But from what I've read, they will be sold regardless and I'd prefer them to be part of Harry's family than part of any other I can think of. He will treat them well. Others might, he will."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, including me, there are two witches in House Potter and two in House Black, although Mallory and "MGM" are not yet bound. The Hogwarts witches we know who are up for sale are: Hannah Abbott, Katie Bell, Lavender Brown, Cho Chang, Padma and Parvati Patil, Sally-Anne Perks and Leanne Tinker. Of course, Sally-Anne did not return to Hogwarts for her Fifth Year and the catalog says she's now a student at St. Georges in London, still I knew her so she's on the list."
"That's twelve," Harry gasped in shock.
"That's only a start. The way I see it, ideally you should have one consort per house, one Matron and eight concubines."
"What? Why? And what's a Matron?"
"A Matron is an older concubine who acts as a sort of mother or big sister to all the other concubines in a house," Hermione exclaimed. "It's always the oldest or longest tenured concubine in a house. In House Black, this would probably be Mallory. In House Potter it would probably be this 'MGM'. Arguably, finding a Consort for House Black might be a bit problematic, but you should at least consider it."
"Why so many?"
"The total number of witches would be twenty. Including yourself, that's twenty-one bound members of Houses Potter-Black. That's a powerful magical number, Harry."
"But what about you?"
"As your Consort, I am above all of the others. I also am the one bound to you through love, so I will always be first in your heart."
"And my bed," Harry added earning a blush from Hermione. "Still, I am expected to have sex with all of these women, right?"
"And sleep with them from time to time."
"How the bloody hell can I do that?"
"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione cooed. "I will have a schedule drawn up."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Should have seen that coming."
"You may also want to factor in Ginny Weasley," Remus said.
"Why? She's part of a plot to do me in."
"Precisely! The plot has already failed now that you two are here and bound to each other. Still, the enemy does not know that yet and is moving forward as if nothing has happened. There will still be an attempt made against you. It will fail, but that's not the point. Under Wizarding law, an attempt against the Head of and Ancient and Noble House by another house creates a Debt of Honor when the attempt fails. The victim can claim spoils from the other house to erase the debt. It is one of two ways of obtaining a concubine without the permission of the guardian. The other is if the witch owes you a life debt."
"Ginny owes you a life debt, Milord," Hermione said softly.
"That's right, she does. Still, why would I want that bitch in my family?"
"Revenge," Remus said. "As your concubine, she is no threat to you and you can do with her as you please. About the only thing you cannot legally do to her is kill her. But, you can also get even with your real enemy, Molly."
"How?"
"Since Ginny owes you a life debt, you can take her at any time. You can either do it in secret, abduct her, or publicly claim her. Abduction would cause Molly more than a fair amount of pain. It's doubtful she would take losing her only daughter well. But if the bitches do go forward with their plan to try and potion you, it might be better to claim her publicly. That would require publication of the whole sordid affair in the papers, humiliating Molly, implicating Dumbledore and forever blackening the name Weasley. Ginny, of course, would be known as a concubine and would be looked down on as little better than a House Elf. She would bear that burden for the rest of her life. Throw in the fact that Molly and Arthur are not bound, rather they are married and given Arthur's honestly and integrity, he would probably have no choice than to divorce, leaving Molly with little or nothing."
"Sounds cruel," Hermione said.
"It is. But Bill thinks it is the most effective way short of murder to destroy Molly and seriously damage Dumbledore."
"That's Bill's idea?" Harry asked.
"You can't tell when he's around them, but he is seriously pissed at his Mum and sister. It's the reason why he and Fleur are part of our little group."
"Remind me again who's in this group?"
"It was Minerva McGonagall, Mallory Grant, Nymphadora Tonks, Fleur Delacour, Bill Weasley, Kingsley Shackelbolt, Sirius and myself. Arabella Figg and Amelia Bones are also considered members, but they don't attend all of the meetings. Now that Sirius is gone, we've invited Alastor Moody to join and he has. He hates the Old Man as much as anyone now. Can't forgive the bastard for the months he spent locked up in that trunk.
"All of us have our reasons for doing this. McGonagall has been trying to get you away from the Dursleys since the night you were left there. the Old Man thwarted every attempt and she lost all respect for the man years ago. I have been looking for you and your sister from that night onwards. When you first went to Hogwarts, I then began trying to find a way to restore you to your birthright. Sirius has been doing the same thing practically from the day he escaped from Azkaban. Mallory and Nymphadora have been helping in part because they had no choice being bound concubines. But the more they learned, the more they are doing this because they want to. Kinglsey has never trusted the Old Man and was eager to take part in any scheme to bring the man down. Arabella knows how you were treated at the Dursleys and blames the Old Man. Amelia also knows more about the bastard and wants to see him meet justice, but he's too slippery. Bill and Fleur are our most recent recruits. They both joined because of what Molly is up to, although Fleur may have joined anyway. She considers you a good friend and says her honor requires it as you had saved her sister's life once."
"So what are your plans for me?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"To restore you to your birthright and to train you so that you can, if you so desire, take on your enemies and win. You are potentially the most powerful wizard alive. We intend to see to it that it's more than potential. What you do is up to you. We are here to help you, teach you and advise you, but not to control you. It's your life to live, not ours."
"So what is the plan now?"
"The immediate plan is to find you sister and keep the Old Man from learning you are no longer under his control. Nymphadora, Moody and I are assigned as your minder by the Order. We are supposedly watching you have yet another horrible summer at the Dursleys. In reality, we are looking for your sister and attending to the administration of the Black and Potter Estates.
"As for your sister, we are ninety percent sure of who she is, we just don't know where she is at the moment." Moody opened the auction catalog and turned to page 47. There was a picture of a young woman with long, black hair and green eyes. Beside the picture it read:
CLARICE ANNE JAMESON
Born September 5, 1981. MUGGLE BORN. Completed 3rd Year St. George's School of Magic. Stands at top of her year. Vitals: 5'6". Black hair, green eyes, 35-23-34, 118 lbs. Bra size - B cup. Believed to be unspoiled. Wand: Holly w/ unicorn hair.
Initial asking price: 200G
Seller 1276 (Dumbledore was written beside the number in pen)
Pre-Auction Bidding Interest Expressed:
Buyer 32168 (Us)
"That bastard!" Harry growled. "Why? Why's he doing this?"
"Tying up loose ends," Remus shrugged. "If she were to marry or become a consort and give birth to a son, he would have the ability to dispute any claims of inheritance. As a concubine, her womb is not a threat to the Old Man plans."
"Can we stop this?"
Remus shrugged. "We hope so. This Clarice was adopted by Michael and Margaret Jameson in November 1981 through an agency in London. We've known that much for a couple of years. Unfortunately, the Jameson's address is sealed and until this catalog entry, we had no clue as to where to look."
"But this doesn't say where she lives," Harry pointed out.
"Ah," Remus smiled, "but it does say where she goes to school. Her school will have a record of where she is currently living. McGonagall will be meeting with the Headmaster next week about a student transfer request. It's a forgery of course. She should be able to find out where your sister is.
"Once we know that, you'll have to meet with her and her parents, explain the girl's predicament and offer her the protection of your House. If she accepts such protection, you become her magical guardian and can withdraw her from the auction. Worse case scenario is that you buy her."
"I'd rather not."
"You don't have to bond with her, Harry. As long as you own the paper, you control whether she can be bought or sold. She never has to be bound. Once you control her paper, you can then offer her the protection of your House in lieu of bonding with her."
"So I really don't have to take on concubines?"
"This is a special situation, Harry," Hermione said. "Because she's your sister, you can choose not to bond with her. The others are not your immediate family. If you acquire them, you do have to bond with them and make them concubines."
"Aside from my sister, what else?"
"Well, we wait and see to a large extent," Remus said. "We believe Voldie and his minions might make a go at some of your friends. We know the Old Man and Molly are going forward with their potion plan. Aside from that, both sides are doing little or nothing. The Old Man and Voldie each seem to have things going on that will absent them from their lairs for most of the summer if not longer. Voldie is recruiting, as is the Old Man. The Ministry is in a shambles. We do not believe anything major will happen for at least a year, maybe longer. That gives us an advantage. We have time.
"Beginning sometime in August, you and anyone you invite are going to begin intensive study and training to prepare you for whatever the future has to offer. If you have not figured it out, you will not be returning to Hogwarts. Our Order has three Aurors, a Healer, a top notch Curse Breaker, two current or former professors, more than enough to provide you with an education that would make Hogwarts seem useless. You will study Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Healing, Defense, Arthirmancy, Runes, Curse Breaking, Combat Tactics and you will also be trained in Muggle Combat. Marta your House Historian hopes to undo the damage you suffered as a student in Magical History. Basically, you will be tutored with the goal of having you at or beyond N.E.W.T. levels by this time next year.
"Between now and then we will try and let you have a nice holiday. But there are still things we hope you will agree to do."
"Such as?" Harry asked.
"As Head of two Ancient and Noble Houses, you are required to go over the status of your estates before the reading of Sirius's will. Both estates are large and this will take time. I recommend we go over the basics the next few days and then we can hit the details at the Gringotts branch in Pottersport.
"Also, you are going to undergo treatment for that binding on your magic. That might take a couple of weeks, during which time you will not be allowed to use your wand without supervision."
"Why not?"
"You will need to learn to control the increases in your magical power, Harry. Without learning such control, you could be dangerous. Even a stunning spell can be lethal if there's enough magic behind it. So you will train for about an hour a day to learn to control you magic and later how to use it at full force.
"We also recommend you get some exercise. Running, swimming and the like. Many witches and wizards don't bother. They either don't know or care that physical fitness enhances ones magic."
"I - I don't know how to swim," Harry confessed.
"I can teach you," Hermione suggested.
"I'd like that. Anything else?"
"We intend that the mornings will be dedicated to your training and fitness. At least until August, the afternoons and evenings will be yours to do with as you please. Go out and explore the estate. Spend time with Hermione. Whatever."
"Oh good," Harry exclaimed! "I like spending time with Hermione!"
"I think he means that at least some of that time should be spent with our clothes on, Harry," Hermione teased.
"Ahhh! That's no fun."
"I'll be sure to make it up to you."
"Looking forward to it."
"I'm sure you are."
"Sure is shaping up to be the best summer I've ever had."
Hermione smiled knowing she was a major reason why.
"Now," Remus said, "Tonks seems to have left out the bit about you two being bound. She did tell me something - er - unexpected happened to Harry. Mind explaining that?"
"It was when we bound," Hermione said. "We were making love and when we finished, it happened." She then described the event: Harry screaming in pain and passing out, the flash of magic, the other scream, the puff of smoke and the fact that he no longer had his scar.
"You were only having sex?" Remus asked.
"What do you mean?"
Remus explained what he thought had happened. "But, I'll need so see your memory of the event - all of it - to be sure."
A/N: RELATIONSHIP SCORECARD:
If you didn't read the Intro, you missed that. This is so you can keep up with who's with who and how.
Lord Harry James Potter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, age 15 (born 7/31/80)
Lady Hermione Jane (Granger) Potter, age 16 (9/19/79). Girlfriend/fiancé as of 6/18/96; CONSORT, HOUSE OF POTTER 6/23/96.
Nymphadora (Dora) Tonks, age 21 (7/12/74); Title of Interest to Sirius Black 3/18/74; Concubine By Proxy (Remus Lupon) to Sirius Black 6/20/87; Bound to Sirius Black, 7/22/93; CONCUBINE, HOUSE OF BLACK 6/24/96.
CHAPTER TWELVE: A DISTANT MEMORY
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1996. Potter Manor.
"William?" Harry called.
An older Elf soon appeared. He was dressed in Potter robes and wore glasses. "How may I help you this morning, Milord?"
"Hermione? Remus? This is William. He's the head librarian here at the Manor and, as I understand, was named after William Shakespeare."
"Indeed I am," William said with a grin.
"William, this his Hermione, my Consort. She's a huge fan of books and libraries."
"It is indeed an honor, Milady. And Remus. It's been a while."
"Indeed it has William," Remus said. "I used to spend a lot of time here years ago," Remus explained to the others. "How are Tasha and your children?"
"Tasha is fine. She works keeping the various guest houses ready. My son Arna is working with me. He's currently working on the collection you sent over from the Black Estate. A lot of those books are in need of new bindings and preservation. My daughter Arla works in the town. She's married now and has two young ones of her own. Petra is also married and works in a dress shop. Our youngest Mika is with the fishing fleet. He's still not married and has a reputation of being a bit of a skirt chaser."
"It is good to see you, old friend."
"And you as well, Remus. Now, how may I help?"
"Do we have any pensieves?" Harry asked.
"Indeed we do, Milord. There are two here in the Library. One your grandparents left for you and there is another that is unoccupied."
"Unoccupied?" Hermione asked.
"It means it doesn't contain any memories," Harry explained. "Could you bring both of them, William?"
"No problem." Two pensieves appeared on the table. One had the misty and cloudy appearance in its fluid Harry recognized. The other was clear, obviously it was the empty one. Harry half listened as Remus explained to Hermione what he wanted to do. He was going to copy her memory of the bonding event so that he could see what happened. Harry did note he wanted to see the whole thing as the triggering event may not have occurred with their final bonding, rather it may actually have happened earlier. Hermione was blushing furiously the moment the long, silvery tendrils of thought had been extracted from her and were dropped into the unused pensieve. Remus winked at the two of them and soon disappeared into the pensieve.
Harry noticed Hermione was still blushing and chewing her lip. "Uh," he started, "what's wrong, Love?"
"Um," she began.
"How much did you give him?"
"All of it."
"All? From when?"
"From when we first began kissing until what happened to you."
"Oh. Why?"
"Because I don't know what happened and what caused it," Hermione said with tears in her voice. "It could have been anything. I need to know what happened to you, Harry."
"Then why are you upset?"
"He's going to see everything!" she whimpered as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "It was our first time, and he'll see it all! It was supposed to be special."
"It was, dear," Harry said quietly. "And look on the bright side."
"What bright side?"
"Now we can go back and see it too!"
"Oh. I hadn't thought about that."
"Come with me," Harry said gently.
"Wh-where?"
"My grandfather left me this pensieve," he said indicating the one Remus was not in. "I want to see what he left. I want you to be with me."
"Okay," she sniffed.
They soon found themselves in what looked like the music room on the First Floor. It looked far too real to be a pensieve memory to Harry. He told Hermione so, saying the memories were never in such vivid color as he had experienced this twice before and she never had.
"They're here!" a voice called. Harry looked in the direction of the voice and saw an older man who looked remarkably like the portrait of Charles Potter from the Banquette Hall. "Charles" was soon joined by an older woman who looked like his grandmother Samantha and a younger couple. Harry's jaw dropped and he paled as if seeing a ghost for the first time.
"Harry?" Hermione asked.
"M-my p-parents," Harry whispered with tears in his voice. "Th-this isn't a memory."
"He's so big," the younger woman with red hair cried. She almost ran to Harry and took him in his arms. Harry was stunned. He could feel the woman and she felt real. He could feel the warmth of her body and smell her scent in the air. This was no memory.
"Mum?" he asked.
She broke the hug and looked at him. She then nodded. Harry knew this was not real but could not help it. He was in his mother's arms for the first time that he could remember. He could not stop the tears that came. For a long while, no one said anything. They all waited for Harry to calm down.
"You've definitely sprouted a bit," said the young man with dark hair and glasses. "Don't think I can throw you up in the air anymore."
"Dad?"
"Doesn't miss a thing," the young man said.
"But this is not possible!" Harry protested. "This is no memory! Where are we?"
"Need to ask Dad that one, Son," the young man said. "This is his invention."
Harry turned to the older man. "You're my grandfather, Charles Potter, right?"
The old man nodded. "And this is your grandmother Sam," he added. "We looked for you for a long time and never found you. If I were still alive, I'd kill that bastard for stealing you from us."
"I don't understand? This is not a memory?"
"I figured that these pensieves can have other uses. What you are seeing is almost real. We are projections of ourselves from the past. We can interact with you, talk to you. We have all the memories we had when the projection was cast. In the case of James and Lily, they are as they were on October 1st, 1980. In the case of Sam an I, we are as we were on July 5th, 1987. Since we are here with you in this projected reality, I assume it is safe to say we're dead?"
Harry nodded. "Learned that only a couple of days ago. You and Grandmother died in 1988. There was an outbreak of dragon pox and it claimed you."
The old man actually laughed. "Oh it's a good thing we have no memory of that! That's one nasty illness!"
"Are we dead?" Lily asked.
Harry nodded. "The two of you were murdered by Voldemort on October 31st, 1981. He tried to kill me but failed for some reason. You were murdered because your Secret Keeper was or became a Death Eater and betrayed you."
"I told Sirius that Peter was a bad idea!" James said angrily.
"Peter?" Charles Potter asked. "But the whole world thought Sirius was the one! He's rotting in Azkaban for betraying you to Him!"
"Sirius is in Azkaban?" Lily cried. "That's horrible!"
"Hold on," Harry called out. "Let's all get a grip! Mum? Dad? Your projection is from 1980. Granddad and Grandmum's is from 1987. Today is June 25th, 1996. Obviously a lot has happened since your projections were created."
The projections of his relations looked at him in interest.
"Peter Pettigrew was your Secret Keeper," Harry continued looking at the projections of his parents. "He was a Death Eater and betrayed you to Voldemort and you were killed although I was the target of the attack. Only the two of you, Pettigrew, Sirius and Dumbledore knew who the Secret Keeper was. After you died, Sirius tracked the rat down and cornered him. Pettigrew escaped by transforming into his rat animagus form, but not before blowing up the place and killing a dozen or more muggles in the process. Sirius was accused of the offense and sent off to Azkaban without trial. Dumbledore knew of his innocence and did nothing!"
"Always said that man was a bigger menace than Voldemort," Charles Potter commented.
"Sirius escaped from Azkaban three years ago," Harry went on. "Everyone thought he was hunting me down. He was to an extent. He wanted to find me. But his real mission was to find Pettigrew who had been living as a rat - a family pet for all those years. It was my Third Year at Hogwarts. Remus Lupin was my Professor in Defense Against the Dark Arts and the best we ever had in that subject. Towards the end of the year, the truth came out. I met Sirius. We uncovered Pettigrew. But he escaped and we were not able to clear Sirius's name. Sirius had to go into hiding, but we remained close hoping for a day when he could fully be the guardian he had not been.
"Sirius Black was my friend. I do miss him so."
"Was?" James asked.
"There was a battle a little over a week ago in the Department of Mysteries. I and five of my friends fought against twelve Death Eaters. We held them at bay but could not beat them. Sirius was one of the members of the Order who turned the tide of battle. But he was killed. He was our only fatality. I took off after Bellatrix LeStrange, his murderer and caught her briefly. Had Voldemort not arrived, I would have killed her."
"You fought Voldemort?" James asked.
Harry shrugged. "He's not that tough really. Excluding the night you died, I've fought him four times. Just can't seem kill the bastard."
"You've fought him four times?" Lily asked in horror.
Harry nodded. "The first two times he was trying to return to a physical form. When he tried to kill me as a baby, something happened and he was destroyed, but not killed. I killed a professor of mine whom he had possessed when I was eleven. I destroyed another version of him when I was twelve. Last year he was able to regain a physical form, although I doubt you would call it truly human. I fought him moments later. It was a draw and I was able to escape him and the scores of Death Eaters who had rallied to him. Not without cost, though. A friend of mine died in that encounter."
His mother wrapped him in her arms. "No one should have had to experience that!" she cried. "I never wanted that for you, Harry."
"It's okay - er - Mum," Harry said. "Compared to the Dursleys, Voldemort is a welcome change of pace."
"The Dursleys!" Lily practically shrieked. "Please don't tell me you were living with them!"
"Okay, I won't." Harry snarked.
"You were, weren't you?"
Harry nodded.
"I should never have trusted that bastard," Lily screamed. "I don't know why I ever did!"
"You're a Consort, right Mum?" Harry asked, hoping to change the topic.
She nodded.
"Why?"
"Aside from the fact I could not help but fall in love with your father, I found out about the Concubine Auction. Professor McGonagall told me about it, what it meant and that I was scheduled to be sold. I went to James and asked him to accept me as Consort as that would prevent the sale, and he accepted. I learned that I had a magical guardian and he had the right to sell me. Never learned who he was."
"It was Dumbledore," Harry said. "He tried the same thing with my Hermione."
"Hermione?"
Hermione had been largely ignored up to this point. Harry walked over to her and pulled her close to him. "This is my Hermione," he said. "My Consort, the Lady Potter."
Hermione was suddenly overwhelmed by Harry's projected parents and grandparents. She was hugged and kissed by the women and hugged by the men, each of them welcoming her to the family. She expected some complaint from them. She was only sixteen and Harry fifteen. Yet they seemed to ignore the youth of her and Harry.
"Let me guess," Charles Potter said. "You're Muggle Born, right?"
Hermione nodded.
"And probably smart as a whip," Samantha added.
"She's the brightest witch of our age," Harry said proudly.
"Typical," Charles said. "Typical Potter! Harry here has found a fetching young lass who's smart to boot. Must be genetic."
"How so?" Harry asked.
"Aside from my father, who was forced into an arranged marriage, we Potters have always married bight and fetching Muggle Borns. And my father made up for it. While my Mum was a Pureblood, once I was born and she had done her duty as a wife of producing and heir, he took a concubine. She was named Nellie. She was a smart, very attractive Muggle Born witch. She was killed in the War in 1941. She was visiting her family and the Gerries bombed London that night. He loved her. His wife he was stuck with. He never loved my Mum. But Nellie? He did love her.
"For all practical purposes, Nellie was my Mum. My real mother, Dorea, took little interest in either me or my older sisters. Nellie did. She and Dad were together for almost twenty-five years. When she died, I was already bound to my Sammy and was a Squadron Leader in the RAF and had fought in the Battle of Britain.
"I had trained in Hurricanes and flew them in France before Dunkirk. I transitioned to Spitfires after that. Dad was a patriot and donated part of this Estate to the RAF for a training base. The base is still here, or at least it was when I made this projection. It reverted to my father not long after the War and we've kept it operational.
"Anyway, Nellie was killed in the Blitz and Dad was devastated. Took him years to get over her death, assuming he ever did. In '43, he bought another concubine named Minnie. Dad came to love her very much as well. His only regret about the two women was that he was not able to give them the one thing he wanted to: children. Dorea would not have it.
"Minnie almost got a chance. My wife and I were having a hell of a time trying to have a child. She suffered through four miscarriages. We tried everything to conceive and keep a child, but nothing seemed to work. In 1959, we tried one last time. If we failed again, Dad was going to give Minnie to me in the hopes that she would bear my children and, hopefully, my heir. Ah, but fate is unpredictable. Sam did get pregnant again and eventually bore me a son, James.
"For reasons best left unsaid, James never saw much of Minnie and certainly not after he turned five. He never knew much about her except that she was a 'friend of the family.' My wife and I lived in one of the large guest houses, Dad lived in the Manor so it was not like they would cross paths too often.
"When Dad passed away in '78, Minnie passed to me. Sam was okay with that as she liked Minnie a lot. True, my relationship with Minnie was not the same as Dad. I liked her, I certainly admired her, but I did not love her the way Dad had. Now that I find I've been dead a while, I do hope she's okay."
"She seems to be," Harry said.
"You've met her?"
"No. Not yet. But there is an 'MGM' on my Potter Ring. Obviously, that's not Hermione. Hers is 'HJP'."
"So it seems she's still around. Good. She might be a bit old for you, Harry, but she is a wonderful woman. Treat her nice."
"I will."
"So Son," James said, "What have you been doing with yourself?"
Harry told them. He told them a little about life at the Dursleys, but left out the really bad parts. He was not ready to reveal those, although he knew he would soon. He would tell Hermione soon, but no others until she had been told.
Most of Harry's tale centered on Hogwarts. He told his parents how he knew nothing about magic until Hagrid came to deliver his Hogwarts letters. He described the letter chase and Hagrids grand entrance, getting laughs from all. He told them of his first trip to Diagon Alley and his first ride on the Hogwarts express where he met Hermione. He told them of what he thought of the young girl at the time. He thought she was a little bossy and loved to show off all she knew, but she was also kind and caring, at least to him, so whatever flaws she had paled in comparison to her. He wanted to be her friend, but he was eleven and she was a girl and his other friend didn't like her at all.
He told them of his sorting and how the hat wanted to place him in Slytherin but that he wanted nothing to do with any house that claimed one Draco Malfoy as a member. He told them he managed to convince the hat not to send him into that house and how he was then sorted into Gryffindor.
He told them of the Troll and how that incident convinced him to be her friend no matter what anyone else thought. He told them about the rest of his First Year culminating with his fight with Professor Quirrell who was then possessed by Voldemort.
He told them of his first summer as a wizard. He started with an incident at Privet Drive and the House Elf Dobby, and followed with his imprisonment and his ultimate escape in the back of a flying car. He told them about his time at the Burrow. He told them how Dobby had tried to keep him from returning to school and how he and Ron stole Ron's Dad's flying car and chased after the Hogwarts Express and how they crashed into the Whomping Willow.
He told them of Second Year and the mysterious petrifactions. He told them he discovered he was a parsletongue, which it was believed was a result of Voldemort's failed attempt to murder him as a baby. He told them about how Hermione, Ron and he tried to figure out what was going on and how Hermione found out, but got petrified by whatever was roaming the school. He told them of the hours he sat beside her in the hospital wing and how Madam Pomphrey ignored the rules to allow him to stay with her. He admitted that had he had a clue, he would have known then that he loved her.
He told them about the Chamber of Secrets and his confrontation with a reforming Voldemort and the huge Basilisk. Some of the things he said he hadn't even told Hermione. He then told them about how he tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing his Elf Dobby.
His tale of Third Year centered on Quidditch, Dementors and meeting James' old friend Remus and Sirius. He told them that Remus was one of the best professors he ever had, McGonagall being the other. He told them how Remus had taught him the Patronus Charm and how he ultimately used it against hundreds of Dementors to save Sirius's life. He told them also how he and Hermione helped Sirius escape after he had been captured and sentenced to death.
Fourth Year was all about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He began with the Quidditch World Cup, as it fit into the story at some point. He told them about the tournament, the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and how his named appeared from the Goblet of Fire as a Fourth Champion. He told them he had nothing to do with that and told everyone, but the only one who would listen was Hermione. She helped him prepare for all of the challenges he faced that year and Harry could not stop praising her despite her blushing and attempts at modesty.
He told them about the First Challenge and how that went. He also told them of his first of several brushes with the Press that year and the scandalous articles they wrote about him and Hermione. Of course, he conceded, it should have been obvious to him that there was more truth in those articles than he and Hermione were willing to admit at the time.
He told them about the Yule Ball and how stupid he now feels about not having asked Hermione to go with him then. He told them in great detail how beautiful she looked that night and how that night was the first time he saw her as more than just a friend. He now saw her as a beautiful young woman. He told them about the Second Task that soon followed and how he tried to rescue all the captives and did rescue two of them.
He did not tell them much about the Third Task. He merely stated that he and Cedric Diggory got to the center of the maze at the same time and agreed to take the Cup together. He told them it was a portkey and it brought them to Voldemort. He told them how Cedric died and then about the terrifying ritual that brought Voldemort back to life. He then told them about the duel he had with Voldemort and how it ended with him escaping back to Hogwarts with Cedric's body. He then told them how everything happened. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was supposed to be Alastor Moody. It was really an escaped Death Eater named Barty Crouch, Jr. under polyjuice potion for the entire year. He then told them about how Crouch was executed before he could be properly questioned and the Ministries attempts from that point on to cover up the truth, including the Demetor attack on him and Dudley and the trial before the whole Wizengamot.
In addition to his encounter with the dementors, Harry told them about the summer before his Fifth Year. He told them about how he had been deliberately kept in the dark and how his friends and been told to avoid answering his questions. He told them about his stay at Grimmauld Place and how Sirius was for all practical purposes imprisoned in that terrible place. He told them about how angry he was at just about everyone for just about everything and how hard it was for him to realize that not everyone was conspiring against him.
His tale of Fifth Year was the most complex yet. It was, in essence, three stories in one. The first was the story about the Ministry and its attempt to discredit both Harry and Dumbledore and hide the fact that Voldemort had returned and the Death Eaters were active again. This tale included the insertion of Dolores Umbridge into the staff at Hogwarts, her schemes and machinations and her torture of Harry and other students who did not spout the Ministry's line.
The second tale was about Voldemort himself and the link that had developed between Harry and Voldemort. Harry recounted all of his dreams and visions, and in particular the vision of the attack on Arthur Weasley and how that led to the nightmare that was occlumency lessons with Professor Snape. He recounted how those lessons didn't seem to work and how they ended when Snape caught Harry sneaking a peak into his personal pensieve. Harry left out what he saw for the time being.
The third tale was about the formation of Dumbledore's Army. Harry gave Hermione a lot of credit for both the formation and the success of the club and praised its members for the progress they all made over the year. It was during the tale of the D.A. that Harry also told of his first foray into the world of romance and the utter disaster that his relationship with Cho Chang had been. As he had told Hermione earlier, he suspected the reason that relationship never worked out was that deep down he felt disloyal to Hermione. Yet another missed clue as to how he really felt about her.
The tale of Dumbledore's Army allowed Harry to weave all three stories together as they moved inexorably towards the climax at the Department of Mysteries. From the moment he experienced the vision of Sirius being tortured, he told the story in excruciating detail. He told of his near panic and how Hermione had convinced him to try and contact Sirius first to make sure it was not a trick. He told of his later guilt at forgetting about the two-way communication mirror Sirius had given him that past Christmas and how he was tricked by the House Elf Kreature. He told of his capture by Umbridge and the clever trick Hermione had played on the paranoid and gullible witch that left her at the mercy of the Centaurs and facilitated Harry and Hermione's escape. He told them of the four others who insisted upon helping him even though he really did not any one of them at risk.
He told them of the flight on the Thestrals and their search of the Department of Mysteries that led them to the Hall of Prophesies where Sirius was supposed to be and how he was not there at all - but a prophesy about Harry was there. He told them of the arrival of the Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LaStrange and how he and his five comrades, the oldest of which were only sixteen, fought twice their number in a running battle for ages. He then reached the hardest parts of the fight and fought not to lose control. He told them of the curse that had taken Hermione down and how he was sure for a moment that she was dead and how he had given up all hope until Neville told him she was still alive. He told them of the two Death Eaters who paid for that with their lives. He then told him about the climax of the fight, Neville and he were cornered in the Death Chamber when the Order finally showed up. He told them how Sirius died.
He told them how he chased Bellatrix, Sirius's murderer and hit her with the Crutiatus Curse. He knew it had worked as he saw her eyes roll back in excruciating pain. He just was unable to sustain the curse long enough to totally incapacitate her. He told them of Voldemort's arrival and the subsequent fight with him and then Dumbledore leading to Voldemort's attempt at possessing him and how he was able to drive the person out. Hermione! It was thoughts of her that had driven Voldemort out and, he knew, caused the evil git far more pain that he had caused to Bellatrix.
He told them of the fight with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's Office following their return to Hogwarts and of the Prophesy that had cost him so much over the course of his life. He told them that while Dumbledore answered many questions that night, each answer generated even more questions and how he began to question everything that had happened to him since that horrible Halloween night so many years ago.
He told them how none of it mattered when he saw Hermione in the Hospital Wing and was told that no one knew if she would survive. He told them how he never left her side, except for certain functions that required a momentary absence and how that by seeing her there and realizing she might not come back to him, he realized what he should have known for ages. He knew that he loved her and he knew that he had to tell her regardless of what she felt for him. If she came back, he would tell her immediately.
He told them of when she finally woke up and that he told her all he had been keeping inside of him for so long. He told them of her response and both how relieved and stupid he felt. He was relieved she felt the same way about him and stupid that he had waited so long and that it took nearly losing her for him to finally open up to the only person he ever truly trusted with his heart. He also made sure they knew of the reaction of his other "best friend."
He then told them of the last couple of days. He told them of his "talk" with Hermione's father and his statement that he would not marry her "tomorrow" and then how that's exactly what happened as they bonded less than twenty-four hours later. He told them of his "final escape" from the Dursleys and his feelings when he saw Hermione had been brought to the Manor as well. He told them of all that Tonks had told Hermione and him about Dumbledore and the real plans the Old Man had for him. He told them of the plot to see him killed and see Dumbledore acquire control over the Potter Estate and the part the Weasleys were to play in that plot. He told them of the suspected complicity of the two he considered friends and wondered openly if they would have gone forward knowing the fate that awaited them both at Dumbledore's and their Mother's hands. He told them of how Sirius and the others had uncovered the plot and planned to thwart it and how he now had come into his inheritance and the Black Estate as well.
By the time Harry had finished, Hermione was sitting in his lap and silently crying into his shoulder. Harry's mother was crying more opening into his other shoulder telling him how she never wanted any of this for her son nor that any person should have had to endure what he had to. His grandmother was also with him, also silently weeping. His father and grandfather, however, looked like they were ready to kill. For Harry, however, the fact that he had let it all out actually had been a cathartic experience and he actually felt better than he had in ages, if ever.
"If only I were real!" James Potter growled. "They would all pay!"
"What do you intend to do, Harry?" Charles Potter asked.
"The specific tactics? I don't know yet," Harry admitted. "I've got a lot to learn before I can set forth on details. Generally, I know one thing: neither Dumbledore and his Order nor Voldemort and his Death Eaters can be allowed to win in the end. They both must be defeated utterly. In the latter case, they need to be wiped from the face of the earth. When the time comes, the Death Eaters and their lines will be extinguished. For those who took the Mark, there will be no mercy, no quarter and no exceptions.
"However, more important is the total defeat of this Pureblood nonsense. Unless that way of thinking is even deader than you are, we merely postpone the fight until the next Dark Lord arises. The Pureblood agenda must be extinguished before there can be any hope for us at all. That means it has to be exposed for what it is and the rest of our society must rise up in righteous indignation and wipe it from the face of the Earth.
"Consequently, the initial primary target will be Dumbledore and the Order. I do not plan open combat, but subtlety. I want them disorganized and divided such that they cannot operated effectively. How? I don't know yet. Why? To stoke the flames of revolution, the Wizarding World needs to see what Pureblood control really means, if only for a moment. Dumbledore is too sly to show his hand until all is within his control. Voldemort, on the other hand, is not. By undermining the Order, I will ensure Voldemort's success for a time. His depredations and those of his loyal minions should open eyes and provide me with a recruiting base. I will try and damage his side as well so that he lacks the ability to entrench, but he must be allowed a modicum of success as I see it. Once his side gains control, all hell will break loose and from that hell I can recruit a very pissed off army with which to strike back.
"That will take some time," Charles noted.
"I have been brought to the Estate because it is as safe a place as there is for me. I cannot be attacked here and even if all Britain falls to Voldemort, I remain safe and secure here. Time is something I now have. I intend to move as quickly as possible, but that will still be slowly and carefully.
"But that's for later. In the interim, I learn and train so that when I decide to enter the fray, I am ready. Of most immediate concern is my sister…"
"S-sister?" Lily asked.
"What sister?" Charles added.
"Clarice Anne Potter," Harry said. "She was born in September 1981. She was sent up for adoption less than a month after Voldemort tried to kill me. Dumbledore somehow retained his guardianship over her and now is trying to sell her as a concubine. If I have to, I will buy her. I prefer finding her first and bringing her under the protection of my House."
"We had a daughter, James," Lily hitched.
"S-so it would seem," he replied. "You will find her, won't you son?"
"Hopefully within a week or so," Harry said.
"If y-you do," Lily asked, "could you bring her to m-meet us?"
"I will, Mum."
"Thank you, Harry!" she said hugging her son tightly.
The conversation moved to less heavy subjects. Lily and Samantha gathered Hermione off in one corner to grill her about children, practically begging her for a child in the near future and embarrassing poor Hermione to no end. Hermione knew it was not out of spite but just good natured teasing. Still, as they were asking very intimate questions and revealing more than she wanted to know about their own husbands' abilities in regards to sex, she was more than a little put off.
The elder Potters dragged their heir off and after a brief grilling about Hermione, the conversation drifted first to Quidditch and then to the Estate. Harry had to put up with his own Dad accusing him of moving from first kiss to married in under a week that was until his own father reminded him that he went from first kiss to married in under two hours.
"At least Harry here made some effort to court the young lady," Charles scolded.
"Oi!," James protested. "I made an effort! Lily just shot me down over and over again!"
"Had Hermione shot me down," Harry admitted, "I would have taken it as final."
"Why?" James asked.
"One, because that's the way she is. Two, because she says I'm too bloody noble for my own good. She loves and hates that about me as that term also includes what she calls my 'saving people thing' which always leads me into trouble and life and death stuff. She loves that about me as well, but it also bothers the hell out of her. I can't help it and she knows it. She puts up with it and tries to reign it in which is one of the many things I love about her."
"Damn you're whipped," James quipped.
"Bloody hell!" a new voice called out. "This is not bloody pensieve memory!"
Harry and the other turned and saw Remus.
"Moony!" James exclaimed.
"Prongs?" Remus said misty eyed. "Is that really you?"
"It's a projection of all I was when this was made, Mate," James said. "You'll need to ask Dad about it. Apparently the real me is toes up, pushing up daisies, food for maggots and weevils, six feet under and all of that. My last memory was fall 1980 and for me I last saw you about a week or two ago. 'Though Harry here tells me it's been almost fifteen years."
"Remus," Charles said, "it's good to see you. Harry here tells us you're helping him?"
Remus nodded.
"Moony!" Lily shrieked and ran up to hug her friend. "It's so good of you to drop by!"
"Th-this is unreal," Remus said as he looked at his old and long dead friends.
"Not that I'm complaining," Harry said, "but what brought you here, Professor?"
"Harry, I'm not your professor anymore," Remus complained.
"From what you told us earlier, that's about to change."
Remus nodded. "Still, I would prefer you call me Moony."
"Fine."
"And I'll call you either the Hermione Pleaser or Sex Machine."
"What?" Harry and others called out.
"Something happened when Hermione and Harry bonded," Remus explained. "They did not know what so I reviewed Hermione's memories of the whole event. Damn Cub! Eight times in under six hours? And it was both of your first times? That's not normal."
"Tonks believes it has something to do with the fact that he is a metamorphagus," Hermione explained.
"Really?" James asked. "Any other hidden talents?"
"I'm an excellent cook and can play piano," Harry said.
"I've heard him play," Hermione said. "As for cooking?"
"Breakfast tomorrow," Harry said. "I'd do dinner tonight, but Elda might be upset by that."
"You're on!"
"Okay," James said, "why were you watching memories of my son and his Consort getting it on?"
"As I said, something strange happened when they finally bonded," Remus said. "I needed to find out what and why. Hermione? Do you recognize this symbol?" Remus held up a piece of parchment with an odd symbol on it.
Hermione nodded. "It's a rune. Druidic in origin. It's called 'Alara' and is the symbol for love and purity."
"Just before your last time in the memory, the time where you recited the oath and bound to him, you traced this on his chest three times. Why?"
"I was thinking about what he meant to me," she replied. "This rune defined all he means to me and more. So I did that as a sign of what I was thinking, even if he didn't know. It meant something to me."
"Whether you intended to or not, by doing that and then - er - shagging him senseless, you performed an ancient druidic purification rite. It had many uses, but it was considered particularly effective at driving out evil spirits. That, in essence, is what happened. You confirmed some suspicions Dumbledore had regarding Voldemort and the main reason the Old Man believes Harry must die."
"I d-did?"
Remus nodded. "Do any of you know what a horcrux is?"
"A right nasty piece of work that," Charles Potter began. "Simply put, it is an enchanted object created by the darkest of magic. It is a physical container designed to hold a piece of its creator's soul. So long as it holds that piece and remains intact, the soul fragment anchors the rest of the person's soul to this earth. His body can be destroyed, but the soul cannot escape so he can come back from the dead under the right circumstances.
"The spell that prepares the Horcrux itself is fairly benign. But to rent one's soul requires a brutal, self-inflicted spell after the creator has committed a most evil act of cruelty, one which would break the heart of most. Cold blooded murder, killing a family member, rape of one who trusted you, any of these can rent a soul and allow for the creation of one of those abominations. Supposedly, it made the evil bastard immortal.
"The problem was coming back. The easiest way was to allow another to take possession of the horcrux. If they placed too much desire into its use or possession, the soul fragment could take possession of the person. It could then use that person's life force to draw the rest of its soul into it and recreate it's lost body from the magic. The downside to this method would be the destruction of the horcux itself as the soul would be fully reunited.
"The preferred way was to create a wholly new body without using the horcrux itself. This would not reunite the soul, but it would preserve the horcrux. There was a downside to this method as well as the evil one had to have outside help to perform the necessary ritual."
"That's what happened in the Chamber," Harry exclaimed! "And in the graveyard!"
Remus nodded. "Dumbledore suspects as much. He figures Voldemort made more than one Horcrux. More than one would allow the bastard to use either method to come back. He could afford to lose one without losing the protections."
"Tom Riddle's Diary was one, wasn't it?"
"Fair bet."
"How many did the bastard make?" Charles Potter asked.
"The Old Man suspects six," Remus said. "Including what remains, that gives him seven soul bits. Powerful magic in that number."
"And Harry was one of those bits?" Hermione asked.
"I suspect and I believe the Old Man suspects he is the eighth bit. Big reason why he wants Harry dead. No one has ever made more than one of those vile things that we know of. Moreover, no one has ever used a living thing as one as the death of the thing would break the charm. The Old Man suspects that Harry was an accident. Therein lies the key.
"The purification ritual resulted in the destruction of a soul fragment. The sources I read confirmed the effect. There is a theory in the main source that should some idiot make more than one of those vile things, they are connected to each other somehow. Should one be destroyed by love magic such as the purification ritual, it would set off a chain reaction that would destroy all horcruxes and prevent the creation of a new one. The purification ritual is just such a form of magic. Mind you, this is only a theory as no one is known to have made more than one of those things. Still, it is possible that you two accidentally made Voldie mortal again and there's now not a damn thing he can do to change that."
"So Voldemort's mortal now?" Harry asked.
"It's just a theory, Harry. What happened to you suggests a basis, but there is no known precedent for multiple Horcrux's. Still, there is hope that it's more than a theory. As we speak, the Old Man is out hunting for at least one of them and trying to gather information about the others. If the one he seeks proves to have been destroyed, then it is possible that Voldie is exposed."
Harry grunted. "Mortal does not equal exposed. Not yet. His soul may no longer be anchored, but he still has Death Eaters. He will not be truly vulnerable until they are whittled down to a manageable size."
"Good point," Remus agreed.
A/N: RELATIONSHIP SCORECARD:
If you didn't read the Intro, you missed that. This is so you can keep up with who's with who and how.
Lord Harry James Potter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, age 15 (born 7/31/80)
Lady Hermione Jane (Granger) Potter, age 16 (9/19/79). Girlfriend/fiancé as of 6/18/96; CONSORT, HOUSE OF POTTER 6/23/96.
Nymphadora (Dora) Tonks, age 21 (7/12/74); Title of Interest to Sirius Black 3/18/74; Concubine By Proxy (Remus Lupon) to Sirius Black 6/20/87; Bound to Sirius Black, 7/22/93; CONCUBINE, HOUSE OF BLACK 6/24/96.