CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: RETURNING THE LOST
SUNDAY, JULY 21st, 1996 – Potter Manor, Charenwell.
It seemed with each passing week Sunday brunch at Martha's was even more complicated than the week before, Harry thought. Then again, it seemed that each week his family grew. The first Sunday he was here was the only one to date he had not taken his ladies to brunch. Then again, he didn't know about Martha's then. The next weekend, the new Houses Potter and Black descended on the place as Harry brought Hermione, Dora, Mallory, Minerva, Daphne and Astoria with him. They had packed into one of Grandfather's Rolls Royce motorcars, the largest car he had. The next weekend, Luna had joined them and that was the last time he could fit everyone in that car at once. Last weekend, Ginny and Stacey were there as well. Now Tabatha, Fiona, Laura, Karen and Rhonda were with them as well. Martha's did not mind the business and it was a relaxing way to begin a Sunday, which had turned out to be a good thing as two of the Sunday brunches were followed by a command performance at Government House. While the plans for this Sunday were not so involved, he was still hosting a lunch back at the Manor for all the Harems and the families of the sixteen witches who had been returned to their homeland. Needless to say, this made him nervous.
True, he had met six of the families the week before. But those witches were all bound to the Weasleys, not him. This was the first time a girl's father would see him as the wizard his daughter was bound to. Needless to say, while he hoped it would go as well as last Sunday had – the incident with Cissy notwithstanding – this was a moment when his being fifteen came back with a vengeance. He knew he should go through with it and knew he would eventually have to meet the families of many more of his ladies. He wasn't nervous about some families like the Greengrasses who knew what was going on. It was the families of the Muggle Borns who scared him silly. How would they react? Which would be more difficult? Would it be families like Stacey's and Mallory's who had lost their daughter for years or the ones whose daughters had only been concubines a short while or all of them?
Fortunately, his girls were very good at distracting him from his worries, at least the ones who had been with him the longest were. Tabatha was also getting more relaxed about things, which was somewhat surprising given she had no clue this kind of thing could happen. The four newest girls were showing various signs of nervousness, which did not help Harry at all.
Laura Oliver had been the first of the repatriated witches who had bonded with Harry. She was twenty-one years old and her family lived in Pottersport. She was taken as a Concubine five years earlier when she was sixteen. It had been the summer following her O.W.L.s at Prince Edward's School of Magic in Yorkshire where her family had attended for ages. She was the oldest of three children. At the time, she had been in England visiting a friend for her birthday. She never saw her family again. Her brother Bobby (who hated that name) was an annoying fourteen year old then. Her sister Diane was twelve.
Laura was bought by a man named Terrance Flint, a low level Death Eater apparently. In a way this was a good thing. Flint was too low to be expected to entertain and had used her mainly as a compliant mistress as his wife was arguably very unattractive and had no other redeeming features. She did not like it in any event, especially as her Master's son did use her as well and was more than willing to share her with his friends. She had been allowed to keep her wand, although she could only use it to mend her few clothes which were always in need of mending as the men who used her enjoyed tearing them off of her as a prelude to worse. Until now, Laura's life as a concubine was not as horrible as Stacey's had been, but that was hardly saying anything.
She was bound into House Potter. As the four of them refused to volunteer – something most Concubines were conditioned into avoiding – their bonding order had been by lot. It was obvious that life here would be very different than her last five years. Decent clothing aside, she would be allowed to resume her education, something her former owner had stopped. She might have taken the love bond with Harry by now, but was waiting. The truth was she had not seen her family in five years and was worried sick about her younger sister Diane. She would not take the bond until she was sure Diane was safe and sound and had not become a whore like she had been. Diane would be seventeen now and could well have been a concubine for at least a year and maybe more.
Karen Green was the last of the four to bond with Harry and was bound to House Black. She was eighteen years old and from Charlestown. She was sixteen and in London to attend a concert with friends when she had been taken. She was bound to Harken Goyle who used her almost daily for his own perverse pleasures, ending her education after five years at Prince Edward's. She did not know which was worse, that bastard or his son and the vile boy's two friends. Okay, she did know which was worse. The older man only took her alone where as the son liked her with a group of boys over and over again.
Karen had feared her horrible life would never end and that she would never see her home or her family again. She was a middle child. Her sister Pattie was thirteen when Karen disappeared and Karen hoped the girl avoided her fate. Her brother Jeff had been nineteen at the time and was married to a younger witch named Jessica who was expecting later than summer. They had not told the family what they were having and it was something they all had been looking forward to. But Karen never found out for this hell had befallen her.
Perhaps there were advantages to being the last as it were, she thought. She had been bound to Harry on Friday and had almost three days to see what this life would and could be like. Given the hell she had been through, it was almost easy to Love Bond with Harry. She also felt it was necessary because if what she was told was true, and she hoped it was, there would be nothing like the Goyle's in her future for she would never be transferred or treated like a whore again. She hoped her parents would understand, but she was eighteen and it was her decision to bind herself to the young man who had given her another chance at life.
Rhonda Lester was the youngest of the four rescued witches who had bound to Harry the last week. She went third, becoming a Potter Girl the previous Thursday afternoon. She was seventeen years old and had only been a Concubine for a year. She had finished her O.W.L. year at St. David's when it happened. As with the others, she obviously picked the wrong summer to spend time in Britain. Her "owner" was named Theodore Nott, a Death Eater who bought her in celebration of the return of his Dark Lord. She was used jointly by him and his son, who was being "taught" the "proper way" to "deal with" Muggle Born "whores." Basically, she was to be used for group entertainments which she dreaded but could neither avoid nor learn to accept even if they did occur at least once a week and usually more often. The younger Nott had found a way to get her into his school, which was the worst as it meant hours and hours with a line of boys waiting for their turn with her.
She found it highly ironic that she was the Muggle Born in that situation. There were no Muggles in her family on either side for at least six generations, meaning she was probably more "Pureblood" than most of the Purebloods who were raping her. Like a good Charenwell girl, she could trace her family line back to at least one Lord Potter, in her case is was Baron Stefan Potter who had owned the lands that would later become Charenwell and one of the Baron's ladies, most likely a concubine, not that it mattered as much on the Island of Shen. Since the Potter line went back at least as far as Camelot, her magical credentials were more impeccable than the bastards who treated her like an animal. The problem was that her bond prevented her from correcting their ignorance, not that they would believe her in any event.
Rhonda was from Port of Darby and also a middle child. Her older sister Valarie would now be twenty. Valarie had warned her not to go to Britain in the summers, but could not tell her why. Had Valarie not married a Charenwell wizard, Rhonda would have suspected now that she too was caught, raped and enslaved. Now she wondered what her sister knew and why she never told her. Still, she wanted to see Valerie and her parents and even her younger now fourteen year old brother Clarence again.
Rhonda knew this life would be different. Her Harry – for that's how she already saw him – was not like the Goyles in any way. Had she not known better, she would have sworn he had been raised here in Charenwell and not in Britain as he could care less about bloodlines in evaluating people. She could see this in the way he treated his girls. She also knew he would keep her for his own forever, as he promised. The boy might not yet be sixteen, but he seemed much older to her and far more mature in many ways. Each girl was treated slightly differently, she had seen. Not any better or worse than any of the others, but it was still different. Rhonda knew this was most likely because they were all different people as well. The boy knew how to make each and every one of them feel special, and that was a talent given their diverse backgrounds and ages. For Merlin's sake, her House Matron was fifty-two years older than the lad and he didn't seem to see that as an issue! It was easy Love Bonding with her rescuer. She hoped her parents would be happy for her as she was finally having a chance to be happy herself.
Fiona Simpson was the oldest of the witches who had involuntarily joined Harry's family that week. As different as this was from her prior experience, it was still not her choice that brought her here. Her free choice had ended seven years ago when she was fifteen and spending the summer with a friend of hers from St. George's school. Her friend was a Muggle Born British witch and had disappeared the night before, she remembered. The girl's family was frantic and Fiona had no idea what happened and could hardly help with the budding investigation. Then she was summoned.
Her first "Master" was a wandmaker in Wales named Cuthbert Shaw. He summoned her to him the very night after her friend had disappeared and raped her. There was no other way to describe it in her mind, the bond be damned! She was fifteen and a fifty something, over weight man took her against her will. She was basically his mistress for the next few years. True, she was allowed to complete her education, although she had been transferred to St. David's for her last three years and she did spend her weekends and Holidays working in his shop as his assistant, which was better than many girls in her position could expect, but she came to dread the night when he'd inevitably take her, or at least try to. Maybe it was his age or something, but he as often as not was not physically up for what his lust filled mind wanted. Eventually, he blamed her for his inadequacies and traded her to Horace Rosier in the spring of 1992 on the condition that the new bastard allowed her to sit for her N.E.W.T.s in exchange for a properly trained wench.
Her new Master was a brutal bastard and welcomed her to his then stable of four girls by brutally raping her while the others were forced to watch. She was allowed to sit her N.E.W.T.s, but once done, the man snapped her wand and she'd been a whore in his brothel ever since. The man eventually sold or lost his other three "bitches," but kept her because she was popular with his few customers because she was still a "defiant little Mudblood." Needless to say, her last seven years of life left her with a very low opinion of the male of the species and she was still trying to figure out whether Harry was the aberration, or whether the others were. This was the main reason why she had yet to Love Bond with him, although she also believed it was her defiant nature as well.
The truth was she liked it here. The truth was her bonding with Harry, which she was now resigned to, had been the first truly intimate experience of her life. The others had taken her innocence. Somehow, this young man was restoring her dignity and had made a woman and a witch out of her again. She knew this was why at least one of his other "Girls" had Love Bonded with him. She was also certain he had a certain "Knight in shining armor" charm going as well. She knew this life was going to be very different and all she needed to do was accept all he offered, which was more than she thought possible even a few days ago. Still, she was headstrong, which he didn't seem to mind. That was obvious as there were several witches in his family who could be called that. She was in Black House and Dora and Daphne clearly were like that. Potter House seemed to be filled with headstrong women. But it seemed she was one of the few who was holding back on the Bonding.
She didn't really know why, aside from a need to protest her past life. While she knew of Concubines before – after all she was born and raised in Port of Darby and had at least five Ducal Concubines in her ancestry – she really did not know much about the bond. She was quietly furious to learn her previous experiences were with men who chose to abuse the bond for their own base pleasures. It was clear this Harry was not like that. Since her bonding, she had been intimate with him almost every day, and all by her choice. She even volunteered to act as a cross bonder the very next day. But still she waited.
She was now pretty sure what she was waiting for. Fiona was the youngest daughter in a family of four children. She had not seen either her parents or siblings in seven long, terrible years. She had come to Britain that terrible summer in 1989 to go shopping with some friends. She should never have left Charenwell, but how could she have known this would happen? Charenwell witches had never been sold into bondage, or at least it had been several centuries since the last time. She had recently learned that one of the heads of the British Magical government had instituted this policy following the death of Duke Charles and she would have been one of the very first to suffer from his acts of international piracy.
In 1989, she was fifteen and her oldest sister Carol was twenty-three. Carol was married by then to a Robert Shaw and had two children at the time: Agnes, who was then three and Jack who had just had his first birthday. Her next oldest sister was Camille, then twenty and recently married to Jason Parks. They were expecting their first child any day. Fiona never even met this child. She had an older brother Michael, who was then seventeen and entering his final year in magical school. Seven years of her life had been taken from her. Seven years of her family. Today Harry was going to begin to end that as she was going to meet her family for the first time. She didn't know what to think about that. In one way, it was a dream come true and signaled the end of a long nightmare. On the other hand, would they accept her still knowing what she had become? It was not like she chose to become a concubine, but would they understand? Would they understand that Harry was the first man who had treated her like a human being? (Hard as that might seem seeing as he was not even sixteen!) Needless to say, she was nervous.
The brunch surprised the four witches from Charenwell. Apparently Harry had done this every week since he arrived and the regulars were used to seeing him and his ladies here. The other new witch, Tabatha, seemed to be unsurprised by it, not realizing that most concubines are not seen in public as such, at least not in Britain. Here, however, they were welcomed. The four repatriated witches were stunned by the reception they received and the praise lavished upon Harry for finding a way to bring them home. Harry seemed to know all the regulars here and the five new witches were surprised in their own way that the Duke was just Harry to this crowd. He was not the Head of State, but a neighbor and they were not concubines or slaves, but his ladies and his family and were treated as such.
It was almost disappointing for the Charenwell witches that the brunch had to end. Karen and Laura both remembered coming to Martha's with their family on special occasions like birthdays and it felt almost normal to them. They even recognized some of the patrons who remembered them and their families and welcomed them back most profusely. The people here welcomed them home and did not seem to care the manner of their return, although a few of the younger witches did tease them a little about finding their handsome prince. For all four, it was almost normal.
SUNDAY, JULY 21st, 1996 – Potter Manor, Charenwell.
Dudley and Clara sat in the back of what looked like a London cab. It had picked them up at Clara's home. Dudley had been there the day before when she received her invite to Harry's lunch. He, of course, agreed to go with her. His father was not happy about it to say the least and it was clear to Dudley he had received an invitation too, but his father had hoped by not telling him, Dudley would be none the wiser. Dudley again reminded his father who would be put out on the street and it was not Dudley. He saw hide nor hair of the man the next morning when he dressed to leave for Clara's. This was a good thing because he did not want to be in a mood.
The trip had taken them far beyond Pottersport and well inland from the sea it seemed. They passed through fields and farms that reminded Dudley a lot of rural England and through a town by a river Clara told him was called Potter's Vineyard. After about a half an hour, the car turned onto a lane that disappeared into a forest. They passed through an open gate and past two large houses, one on either side of the road and a new looking road that led off to the right into the woods. It was not too long before the cab left the trees and turned right at a huge expanse of open lawn. At the far end was what had to be the largest house Dudley had ever seen. He wondered if it was larger than Buckingham Palace (it wasn't.) The huge house was at the far end of the lawn. On either side two huge buildings were well under construction. He could see what looked like steel frames providing the outline of what looked like two more huge mansions and stone work on the exterior of each that already reached well about what was probably the ground floor.
The car soon pulled up to the huge finished Manor, right at a large open entryway that Dudley could swear might have swallowed his old home in Surry (it was not really that big.)
"Well," the driver said, "this is it, you two. Potter Manor."
"Bloody hell," Dudley thought. It sure was a long way from a cupboard under the stairs, although he would never say that to Harry. He and Clara got out and stared at the huge building that seemed to soar overhead.
"I guess this is what they call seeing how the other half lives," Clara chuckled.
"Bit much, if you ask me," Dudley said.
"Shall we go in?"
Dudley nodded.
They passed through the huge, open doorway into a large room filled with potted plants and comfortable looking furniture. It seemed there was a short person in a formal dinner jacket waiting. As they drew closer, Dudley noticed the short person could not be human. The features were off and the pointed ears…
"Master Dursley and Miss Jasper, I presume?" the creature said with a bow. "I am Darda, Head Elf of the House staff. The guests are meeting on the veranda which is straight back."
"Thank you, Darda," Clara said. She took Dudley's hand and led him towards the back of the house which seemed like it was a long way away. There was another set of double doors, these smaller than the main entry, that opened onto a huge patio which they guessed was the veranda. There were already several people present and Dudley looked for Harry. He saw Harry with a group of people at what looked like several yards away and led Clara towards the group. Dudley was pleased that Harry was in just a collared shirt and slacks. He was worried he was underdressed wearing the same.
"Ah Big-D!" Harry said with a smile. "And Clara! Welcome!"
Dudley saw that Harry was talking to a pretty young woman he had not seen before.
"Clarice?" Harry said to the young woman, "this is Dudley Dursley and Clara Jasper. Dudley? This is Clarice Jamison."
"Pleased to meet you," Dudley and Clara said before they each shook Clarice's hand.
"She's not one of your…" Dudley began.
"Nope," Harry said. "There are laws against that."
"What laws?" Dudley asked confused.
"It seems even dating your sister is frowned upon," Harry said with a chuckle. "Bonding with one is right out!"
"And creepy," Clarice added.
"Sister?" Dudley asked in shock.
Harry nodded and proceeded to tell Dudley all about his younger sister and Dudley's new cousin.
"It's nice to know I'm not your only relative here, isn't it?" Harry said when he finished.
"I – I guess. Mum never said anything about a sister."
"My guess is she didn't know. We're not twins."
"I'm thirteen months younger," Clarice said. "I wasn't even two months old when our parents were killed."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Clarice said. "Until a few weeks ago all I knew was that I was adopted by my folks here. Didn't know I had a brother."
"And our guess is one of my enemies wanted it that way," Harry added.
"That Dumbledore guy?" Dudley asked.
"How'd…" Harry began.
"Clara's granddad told me 'bout him. He's the one who sent you to us when you weren't supposed to be sent and the one who kept you away from all this. Makes sense, since that Voldemort guy doesn't seem that nice."
"Dumbledore's not too nice either," Harry said darkly.
"So I gather. Then again, all this is a bit much."
Harry looked at him confused.
"Long way from Privet Drive," Dudley said deciding not to mention the cupboard.
"Indeed it is," Harry replied. "To be honest, I've been here a month and haven't even seen all of it yet."
"You could get lost in there, couldn't you?"
"I try not to," Harry said.
"And what's up with out front?"
"Need more space."
"Really? For what?"
"When all's said and done, there'll be thirty-nine families living here between me and my ladies and the Longbottoms and theirs."
Dudley blinked. "Er … bit much, don't you think?"
Harry shrugged. "Can you think of anything about my life that's ever been normal?"
"Not without hurting myself," Dudley chuckled. "If you ask me that flat in Pottersport and Clara here are plenty."
"Thanks Dudley," Clara said.
"Glad you like the place," Harry said.
"I like the town," Dudley chuckled. "Dad hates it. No surprise there. Mum's terrified to leave to do the shopping, again no surprise. Never really saw how stupid they are 'til coming here. So, aside from showing me your place, what's this really about?"
"Family," Harry said. "My girls have been on me about not getting to know Clarice here. You're her Cousin, so that's why you're here. We've got cousins from the Potter side around somewhere. But the real reason is we managed to – er – repatriate ten girls from Britain."
"Ten more?" Dudley asked. "Weren't there five or six last weekend?"
Harry nodded. "They're going to be reunited with their families. The other six families will be here as well. And for once, I am not the center of attention!"
"Er – and these girls were …?"
"Still are," Harry said with a slight frown. "Bloody thing about those bonds are they are permanent. While the Consort Bond is no problem that way, Concubines can be and usually are. Once a girl's a Concubine, she's one for life. She has to be bound to a wizard or …"
"Or it will be bad for her," Clara said. "In most cases they die, I'm told. That's why it's illegal to sell them here."
"Then how'd you get…?"
"From Britain," Harry said.
"Excuse me?" an older man said to Harry, "are you Lord Potter?"
Harry nodded nervously.
"Joshua Simpson and this is my wife Anne," the man said with a nervous smile. "Fiona is our daughter and we wanted to thank you for what you did bringing her back and all."
"I wish I could have done more," Harry said earnestly. "All I did was bring them home. I couldn't break their bonds."
"We know, Milord," Anne said. She had tears in her eyes. "We know she still has to be bound, but she's home and for now that's all that matters. Thank you for saving her."
"My pleasure," Harry said politely. "And what do you do, if I may ask? Fiona hasn't told me and I'm afraid I forgot to ask."
"Retired," Joshua said. "Worked the merchant fleet for over thirty years. Now, I'm writing. We eventually learned from the Lord Mayor's office what happened to Fiona and … well, someone's got to do something, right?"
Harry nodded. "The whole thing's wrong."
"Did you know you might be saving her when you bankrupted the Death Eaters?" Joshua asked.
"Should have thought of it," Harry said. "But no. It never crossed my mind, to be honest. Where is she?"
"With her brother and sisters," Anne said, "meeting all her nieces and nephews. Fiona was our youngest and …" the woman sniffled … "we feared she had died. She never met most of our grandchildren. Thank you for bringing her back to us."
"You do know…" Harry began.
"We know you had to bind her to someone and we are proud that you found room for her here," Joshua said. "It's a bit flashy, but…"
"Not really my style either," Harry admitted. "Turns out I needed the space though."
"How many does this make it?" Dudley asked.
"Fourteen so far," Harry admitted. "Twelve Concubines as of now."
"Now?" Anne asked.
"I bought several at this year's Auction in London," Harry replied. "Many of them my wife Hermione and I knew and consider friends. The others? Well, I decided it was time someone did something so I bought all first time lots for ten times the market price. At least that was my opening bid. Some cost a bit more."
"How many? How much?" Joshua asked.
"Fifty-one," Harry replied. "Over a hundred and twenty-thousand Galleons. Would have paid whatever it took. I regret, none of those girls were from here, sorry."
"Hmph!" Joshua said, "over six hundred thousand quid? That should do a number on their Concubine trade. Might well end it. Cornered the bloody market, did you?"
"In first time sales," Harry nodded. "I hoped by doing that and something else I had planned, that would be the end of it."
"And what else do you have planned?"
"In that regard? I hope to convince most if not all the British Muggle Borns and their families to move here."
"Explains that construction on the South Coast," Joshua said. "How many?"
"Twenty thousand," Harry said. "Maybe more. But seeing as Muggle Born witches make up at least eighty percent of the supply, getting them out…"
"Will be the end of it," Joshua said.
"I don't understand," Dudley said. "That doesn't make sense. If you corner the market on this year's concubines and effectively eliminate next year's supply, how does that destroy the market? Doesn't that mean next year's witches will come from other sources because prices are higher? That's what market economy is about right? If the demand for goods suddenly far exceeds the supply, that either drives up prices or encourages new sources of supply or both, but the market for the goods remains."
"If we were talking about video games or other widgets, you would be right," Mr. Simpson said. "But do not confuse a slave economy – which is what the concubine trade is – with a market economy. They are totally different animals and historically slave economies are doomed to failure because by their very nature they are an economic fiction.
"A slave economy requires three things to survive. Eliminate or even damage any one of them, the whole mess collapses. First, it requires an amoral society or class that believes in its superiority over all things and all people. But, even with that, the slave economy requires a constant demand for cheap labor and a constant supply of cheap labor. Short of a slave revolt, which is always a concern in such cultures, any change in the artificial balance is fatal to the whole system.
"In recent history, Europe and non-magical Britain went through two slave holding periods. The first was what is commonly known as the feudal period and the slaves were known as serfs. Serfdom survived because cheap or free labor for the Lord's fields and lands was abundant due to a large population in a predominantly agrarian society. It died to a significant degree following the Black Death in the late 1340's. Labor now had value because it was not abundant and the Lord now had to pay for labor or lose it altogether, and labor knew it could simply walk to the next manor should it's Lord not treat it well.
"That society is not directly relevant as it was not a slave market where human beings were truly bought and sold. But the same demands created the later slave market and same flaws destroyed it. That later slave market was a product of colonial expansion. Vast new territories were conquered throughout the world, and for our purposes mainly in the Americas. Those territories could be exploited, but that required labor and, more important, cheap labor. The great political upheavals that would one day compel millions to leave Europe had not yet occurred, so there was not a large supply of surplus labor from Europe. There was, however, a market for slaves in West Africa and the Europeans paid well by African standards even if it was next to nothing for the Europeans.
"For well over a century, there was a constant demand for more slaves as more lands needed cheap and abundant labor. Crops such as sugar cane, cotton and tobacco were highly profitable, but highly labor intensive at the time and required huge farms where "free" labor was more cost effective than paying for labor. When the European nations outlawed the international slave trade and the Royal Navy enforced the ban, it did not mean the immediate end of slavery, but effectively ended the slavers in Africa. What kept the trade going in the Americas was the continued need for "free" labor in the fields and the supply generated by breeding.
"This economy was only profitable for slave holders in certain crops, namely cotton, sugar and tobacco. Slave holding died out elsewhere either because there was not the need for labor, or the crops or business were not profitable enough to sustain the fiction. Slaves are not free. They cost money. They cost money to buy, house, clothe and feed. By the nineteenth century, paid labor was even cheaper and more abundant. It was cheaper to pay a white immigrant to work horrendous hours in horrible conditions in a mine or factory than it would have cost to have a slave in the same job, for the factory owner did not have to care about housing, clothing or feeding his workers. The factory owners lost nothing if the laborer quit or was killed or crippled as there was another person he could hire at no cost. Slave owners had no such luxury, for lack of a better word. They had to pay for their labor up front and over time.
"The system could only survive by expanding and it could only expand by placing more and more land under the till for the crops that could sustain the system. What happens when you run out of land? The system fails. The biggest problem was the crops themselves. They depleted the soil rapidly and eventually the land was worthless and the slaves were now a financial black hole for their owners as they still cost money to maintain. Arguably, that would be the point where you let them go. That's what factories did. Unemployed workers went elsewhere for work in general. But to release a slave? Throughout history slaves have had a nasty habit of turning on their masters given a chance.
"The bottom line is, no one will buy a slave if there is a cheaper alternative, be it labor or machine or both. No one will pay for a slave and pay for the slave's maintenance unless they are likely to make far more from the slave than the cost. If you eliminate the supply, the purchase price certainly goes up and almost always to a point where the demand crashes because the whole notion of a slave economy is cheap labor. Demand and supply go hand-in- hand in order to keep labor cheap for the buyer and profitable to the seller (for the seller cannot just store his product in a warehouse until the market turns around. His product still costs money to feed, house and keep healthy.)"
"Is it really like the non-magical slave trade," Dudley asked, "this concubine thing?"
"In many ways, it's more specialized," Joshua replied. "The non-magical trade, at least in its last several centuries in the West, focused mainly on minimal skill or unskilled labor. Yes there were slaves who were craftsmen, but they were few and far between mainly because the free craftsmen were not about to put up with that competition in the marketplace.
"The British Concubine practice, well, the women are bought when they are fairly young for the most part. Why would older men – and it is always wizards – why would they want young women, most of whom have not finished school?"
"Sex?" Dudley asked.
Joshua nodded. "Basically. They may have other skills, they may provide other services, but the primary service is sexual in nature. Some are bought as mistresses. Most are bought with the intent of using that – er – talent for the buyer's benefit in other ways as well such as getting political or other kinds of favor or for money plain and simple. For lack of a better word, the primary market we are dealing with is a sex trade. The overwhelming majority of young women bound as concubines in Britain and practically all initial bondings are for the sexual allure and favors that the young witch can provide, whether it's just for the buyer alone or not.
"Now, some of the new Concubines might be allowed to learn skills or trades and develop in those as well. Many are not bought with that intent and their skill development of a non-sexual nature pretty much ends as soon as the law allows."
"When's that?"
"By the time they take their O.W.L.s," Harry said. "That's like the GCSE's and we take them after Fifth Year. For most, that means their education ends when they are about sixteen."
"Meaning," Joshua said, "regardless of ability, they are relegated to unskilled or marginally skilled labor. Their primary value is sexual. While some are used in other roles, such as shop girls, barmaids and the like, they are more valuable economically sexually.
"Now the problem is their value as such is limited in time. The market prefers young witches. Sooner or later, a witch will lose value to her Master because we all age. If you figure the witch is bound at fifteen for sexual purposes, her 'career' in that field might last a dozen years and usually less. And, as she usually has not developed other skills, what happens when she is no longer marketable as a sex toy?
"There is an aftermarket. Older witches are routinely offered for sale and are usually acquired as domestics, although don't think servants per se. Most of those likely to buy have House Elves which are even cheaper. No, the witches are bought as wet nurses, nannies, child teachers and if they have some magical skills, maybe as tutors for rich magical families."
"Don't they have to get pregnant to be wet nurses?" a new voice asked and Dudley saw a new young woman who was introduced as Tabatha, another of Harry's recent additions.
"There're spells and potions that can get around that," Anne Simpson said.
"Now, this after market life can last for decades," Mr. Simpson continued. "A concubine with a talent for child rearing is a valuable commodity. But it does not follow that every witch bound as a young woman ends up that way when her tenure as a sexual commodity is over. What I have not figured out is what happens to perhaps the majority if not the vast majority of concubines in Britain once they've ceased to be valuable as young, attractive women. Even if we assume that many are sold to overseas buyers for whatever reason, I am forced to wonder what happens when they are sixty or older. That's middle age for a witch," he added for Dudley's benefit, "as she can expect to live beyond one hundred normally."
"We don't know what happens," a new voice said. Dudley looked and saw a lovely blonde whom he knew was one of Harry's. He remembered her name was Daphne. "We can only guess and then only generally," she continued.
"One thing we do know with some certainty is that British concubines generally are stunted," she continued. "By that I mean their bonds are never allowed to mature which is why they must always be bound to a wizard. The immature bond is permanent in character and can only be transferred. But the mature bond, while also permanent, can never be transferred. The mature bond binds witch and wizard for life. She can never be sold, shared, prostituted or abused in any other way for she is magically his wife and he's her husband.
"But the initial bond is not that way at all and can be used for immoral purposes. The origins of the bond are not truly known, or at least the old authorities are contradictory. Some of the journals we've read over the past few weeks suggest it was invented in Britain while others say it came to Britain from outside. What is certain is that it came into use over a thousand years ago when there was a gross disparity between the number of witches and wizards; a disparity that remains two witches per wizard even today, which no one was bothered to study or explain, by the way. There is the supply side of the equation Mr. Simpson mentioned. There are too many witches.
"This gave rise to the bond which at first was used to ensure every witch had a magical 'husband' even if it was not one of her choosing and even if the wizard had more than one 'wife.' The initial bond suppresses free will and expression so the two can live peaceably in the hopes that the bond would mature in time. The problem is that the next stage of maturation is the Love Bond. This is probably an inexact description of what it is, but it requires the witch to choose to remain bound to her wizard of her own free will and for him to accept it. Obviously, if the wizard is a right bastard to her, even assuming he allows her the 'free will' to choose, she would not, leaving her in a subservient state.
"The social mind set giving rise to the modern state of British Concubines came later. At first it was the rise in stature of the old families, basically the magical aristocracy. Later, the Pureblood philosophy was heaped on top, creating a ruling class with wizards who believe they are all powerful and, given our own self imposed ostracism from the rest of humanity, a belief they were better than other mere mortals, such as Muggles and Muggle Borns. This is the class side of Mr. Simpson's equation and it leads into the demand side.
"If you are of this aristocracy and hold to its self image of superiority, you might as many before you had believe in the need to subjugate the lower classes to the will and domination of your class. The easiest way to do this where there is a glut of witches, themselves a lower class by now in British Magical society, is to enslave 'undesirable' witches. This usually meant Muggle Borns, but included outcasts and those who were deemed either by their families as socially unacceptable and inferior. Clearly, allowing a witch to modify her bond so that she can no longer be your slave would be counter to this philosophy. Some of the old Potter journals suggest there was a deliberate effort by the 'ruling class' to suppress knowledge of the full nature of the bond so that even if a wizard were inclined to elevate his concubines, he would never know it was possible or how to allow it to occur. This is part of the demand side of the equation."
"But that did not happen here," Anne Simpson said.
"No, it did not," a new voice said. It was Astoria. "First of all, there has never been the glut of witches here as in Britain. What records I've read over the last few weeks suggest that aside from importation of concubines - mostly from Britain - there's been near parity. House Potter outlawed the internal trade in witches centuries ago as it was deemed counterproductive and a violation of family, as those who are born here are all ultimately related. But because of 'our' isolation from both Britain and the rest of Europe, new – er – blood and ideas were desirable, hence the importation of concubines not as a slave class, but as a class of mothers and teachers. The polygamy that exists in magical Britain today is mainly for subjugation. To the extent it has existed here it is for the enhancement and enrichment of society if not through the wives, then through their children.
"The Duke has always had the right to take on concubines and most have. But here, the law has been that one must do so with the hope and intent of achieving the full bond with each woman. In the past, the Duke has also allowed other wizards the same right, subject to the same responsibilities to those women. Often the right was extended to his younger brothers or sons, but occasionally it was extended to others deemed trustworthy and morally upstanding. A concubine was not just an honored member of Charenwell society. If she was bound to a wizard other than the Duke, it was an honor to that wizard as well: an honor and a responsibility, not as in Britain a perceived right. Moreover, while 'foreign' concubines were allowed, 'domestic' ones were not. Not even the Dukes had the right to sell off their daughters or female wards. To paraphrase one of Lord Harry's ancestors: if the British feel the need to sell their best and brightest as concubines, who are we not to take advantage for the benefit of our families and country?"
"So," another said. Dudley saw that this was Hermione and now a large number had gathered to listen, "one might argue our Dukes are a part of the demand side of the equation? We are a part of the Concubine Problem in Britain as much as the bigoted pureblood and aristocratic elite?"
"Not really," Astoria said. "Prior to Harry, in the last ninety years a total of four concubines have come to this country. Duke Charlus bought Nellie around 1917 and after she died in London during the Muggle War, Minerva in 1943. Duke Charles's only concubine was Minerva, whom he inherited from Charlus. The other two, Mallory and later Dora, came here with the permission of Duke Charlus when Lord Black was allowed to move here in 1976. In the past, the numbers were greater, but even at a period of what I'd call high importation; at most we were talking a handful per year."
"Given what we do know of the British trade," Daphne added, "that's not even worth mentioning. This year is unlike any in the last five centuries or more. And given that our Harry's motives are arguably very different than any of his ancestors, this year marks a first in our history."
"And what are your motives, if I might ask?" Mr. Simpson asked Harry.
"A saving people thing," Harry shrugged, "that's what Hermione calls it."
"When we learned of Dora, Mallory and Minerva," Hermione said, "and of what could happen if Harry did not take them after inheriting them, we couldn't very well let them go. With Daphne and Astoria, we were faced with buying them or allowing those who wished them slaves to do so. With the Auction, at first many were our friends, but then Harry came to the opinion that no first time witch was unworthy of rescue. The same thoughts and concerns brought thirty-three witches to us when their owner's fell into debt, including sixteen wrongfully enslaved by the criminal organization that is the British Magical government."
"He did it to save us from a hell on this earth," Daphne said.
"And to punish those who would make that hell possible," Astoria added.
"How many?" Dudley asked.
"Excuse me?" Astoria replied.
"How many did Harry save? Has he or will be bond with all of them?"
"Thank goodness no," Harry replied. "Including my consorts, when this summer is over, my family shall have twenty-four witches bound to me. I have twelve concubines right now. I inherited three, got five from confiscations for unpaid rents, bought three and got another through what's called an honor debt. The ten still to come were all bought at auction last Monday. All told, however, ninety-five concubines either are or will be here by the end of the summer. Lord Longbottom currently has six: one he inherited, one was bought at the Auction and four were a part of the confiscation. He will have eighteen when all is said and done, not including his Consort Susan. Bill Weasley has eight. Two came by way of the Auction and six were part of the confiscations. He will have fifteen all told, plus his Consort Fleur. Bill's brother Fred has eight as well. Two he got when he bought a store in Diagon Alley in London, four were part of the confiscation and two were bought at the Auction. He too will have fifteen, plus his Consort Alicia. Their brother George has seven. He also got two from that store in Diagon Alley; four were from the confiscations and one so far from the Auction. He too will have fifteen and his Consort Angelina. Frank Longbottom and Lord Mayor Lupin each agreed to take in five from the confiscations."
"How many were auctioned?" Anne Simpson asked. "How many were confiscated? How many were Charenwell?"
"All the Charenwell witches save three were confiscations," Harry replied. "The three were with the shop in Diagon Alley. Fifty new witches were at the Auction. I don't know how many – er – used ones."
"About the same," Dora said.
"I don't understand it," Harry said suddenly. "I mean of the fifty, forty-five were Hogwarts students. The other five were from St. George's, St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's. Not one from the other two schools."
"And don't forget, Harry," Hermione added, "when we first learned of it, there weren't nearly that many. Twenty-seven or so were added from Hogwarts after you hit Dumbledore with your demands at the Will reading."
"We can't say if this year's auction was typical or not," Daphne said. "We have no information on past ones. We don't even know for certain how many new witches are typically sold or by whom. We know the Auction of new witches sells mostly Muggle Borns, but this year seems off for some reason if you assume there's any kind of logic to it. Logically, there should be numbers from each magical guardian with Muggle Born wards in proportion to their totals. We know St. David's and Prince Edward's school are about one third Muggle Born as are the others, yet none were for sale. We know Hogwarts had about half the number of witches regardless of status of the other schools, yet they supplied ninety percent of this year's market. I can't tell you why. I can't even tell you why all of the witches were still in school. Logically, as a magical guardian has an obligation to bind his witches by age twenty-five, there should have been at least some who were finished and had not become Consorts or Wives in Law. Some of those may have had talents from further education beyond what any woman could – er – offer in the bedroom which would have made them more marketable. Instead, we have fifty witches, thirty of whom haven't even taken their O.W.L.s yet and not one who's taken their N.E.W.T.s. We don't know if this year is normal, rare or a first. We can't even say if fifty is a lot or not."
"It's something we want to find out, if we can," Astoria said.
"The more we know, the more damaging the truth will be," Luna added.
"As it is, we're going to realize the largest influx of concubines into Charenwell in over eight hundred years," Daphne added. "I'd say that's a blow to Britain, but that assumes they really care. Well, the girls' families probably do, but not those who sold them and who are part of the system that allows girls like them to be enslaved."
"Where will they all live?" Mr. Simpson asked.
"My family will live here at the Manor," Harry replied. "One of the construction projects will be the addition because of the size of the family as we do anticipate children. Lord Longbottom's family will soon move into the other Manor under construction out front. There's a lake about a mile from here around which five more Manors will be built for the other five families. Right now, I am also considering a lot more as I will invite the families of all the women from Britain to live nearby."
"And not us?" a voice asked. "We're from Port of Darby and it's a bit of a trip, you know."
Harry sighed. "I suppose it would only be right if I extend the invitation to all families. Please let Cissy know if you're interested so we can plan accordingly."
"How soon?" another voice asked.
"Well, I suppose today," Harry replied, "I mean if you're interested. If you will move, that's up to you."
"That's not what I meant, sorry," the voice replied. "I'm Rachel Peters. My sister and I were bought at that Auction thing and are with Bill now. How soon before you can reunite us with our families like you did these others?"
"Hopefully not later than mid-September," Harry said. "And that would include how soon they could move here as the availability of housing is a factor and right now it doesn't exist."
"If they're moving near here," another voice asked, "what's all that then on the south coast."
"Well, as I deplore what Magical Britain has done to their Muggle Borns and as they are the primary supply for concubines, I intend to allow any family with a Muggle Born witch or wizard to relocate here if they want," Harry replied. "The project on the South Coast is where they will live, although it's not an exclusive enclave and will be open to anyone. We're also starting up businesses to generate jobs and such as that city is not intended to be a refugee camp, but a contributing part of this country and our economy. Again, that'll take time. The moves probably won't begin until around the same time and will probably go on for some months."
"Ambitious," Dudley chuckled. "This and schools too?"
"And much more, Dud," Harry said. "Her Majesty has asked us to help with the situation in Britain. We've already taken and will be taking steps, but a major change in that magical world is necessary and cannot in all probability be brought about soon enough by either financial, political or diplomatic processes. The government and elites that the government protects must be broken and replaced."
"War?"
Harry nodded. "I'm afraid it will come to that. But that's much further down the road. As it stands, we need a military and we don't have one."
"But you're planning to get one or make one, right?"
Harry nodded.
"Is it just for magicals, or can anyone serve?"
"This country does not distinguish between magical and not, Big-D," Harry said. "Should we have an army and such, it should do likewise."
Dudley nodded. "Tell me when and where to sign up."
"What?"
"Harry, I owe you more than I can possibly fathom. There's that and I'm old enough to join the British Army right now, which is about all I can do in all probability as there's no school coming up and even if there was, I'm not sure my GCSE's are going to be good enough for prep school. I mean it Harry. I like it here and want to belong."
"Thanks Dud," Harry said. "We're a bit away from that, but you'll know not long after I do."
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.
Key:
Names in Italics = OCGr – Gryffindor, Hu – Hufflepuff, Ra – Ravenclaw, Sl – Slytherin. SG – St. George's School, PE – Prince Edward School, SA – St. Andrew's, SP – St. Patrick's, SD – St. David's.(Number indicates last year completed. No number means they finished all seven years.)
P = pregnant.
Harry James Potter, age 15.*
1. Hermione Jane (Granger) Potter, age 16 (Gr-5); CONSORT (POTTER).*
2. Luna Celeste (Lovegood) Black, age 15 (Ra-4); CONSORT (BLACK).*
3. Dora (Tonks) Black-Potter, age 22 (Hu); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*P
4. Minerva Grace (McGonagall) Potter-Black, age 68 (Gr); CONCUBINE (POTTER).P
5. Mallory Michelle (Grant) Black-Potter, age 39 (Hu); CONCUBINE (BLACK).P - boy.
6. Daphne Renee (Greengrass) Black-Potter, age 16 (Sl-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*
7. Astoria Lynn (Greengrass) Potter-Black, age 14 (Sl-3); CONCUBINE (POTTER).*
8. Ginevra Molly (Weasley) Potter-Black, age 14 (Gr-4); CONCUBINE (POTTER).*
9. Stacey Marie (Campbell) Potter-Black, age 17 (SA-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).*
10. Tabatha Simone (Collins) Black-Potter, age 16 (SA-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).
11. Laura Teresa Oliver, age 21 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (POTTER).
12. Fiona Michelle Simpson, age 22 (SD); CONCUBINE (BLACK).
13. Rhonda Kaye (Lester) Potter-Black, age 17 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (POTTER).
14. Karen Maria (Green) Black-Potter, age 18 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BLACK).
Bill Weasley, age 25.
1. Fleur Patrice (Delacour) Weasley, age 19; CONSORT (BILL WEASLEY).P
2. Mary Ellen (Howard) Weasley, age 18 (Hu-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).*
3. Samantha Christine (Johnson) Weasley, age 17 (SG-5); CONCUBINE BILL WEASLEY).*
4. Peggy Louise Nolan, age 17 (9/6/78) (Hu-6); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
5. Elizabeth Olive Nolan, age 14 (Gr-3); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
6. Lana Catherine Powell, age 22 (SA); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
7. Carla (Masterson) Weasley, age 20 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
8. Donna Lynn (Roselle) Weasley, age 19 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
9. Christine Celine Paulson, age 17 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY).
Neville Algicyrus Longbottom, age 15.*
1. Susan Marie (Bones) Longbottom, age 16 (Hu-5); CONSORT (NEVILLE).*P
2. Amber Selma (Harker) Longbottom, age 33 (Sl-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).*P
3. Penelope Ann (Clearwater) Longbottom, age 20 (Ra); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).
4. Annette Lucille Harper, age 24 (SD); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).
5. Deborah Leigh McLean, age 20 (SA); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).
6. Miriam Olivia (Riley) Longbottom, age 18 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).
7. Amanda Kennedy, age 16 (SP-5); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE).
Fred Weasley, age 18.
1. Alicia May (Spinet) Weasley, age 18 (Gr); CONSORT (FRED).*
2. Verity Nicole (Smith) Weasley, age 21 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).*P
3. Danielle Louise (Carter) Weasley, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).*
4. Victoria (Vicki) Peters, age 17 (Ra-6); CONCUBINE (FRED).
5. Rachel Francine Peters, age 15 (Ra-4); CONCUBINE (FRED).
6. Coleen Harrington, age 23 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRED).
7. Elisha Susan (Stout) Weasley, age 21 (SD); CONCUBINE (FRED).
8. Helen May (Ivey) Weasley, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).
9. Caroline Folsom, age 18 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (FRED).
George Weasley, age 18.
1. Angelina Olivia (Johnson) Weasley, age 18 (Gr); CONSORT (GEORGE).*P
2. Shelly Ann (Parker) Weasley, age 22 (SG); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*
3. Ellen Suzanne (North) Weasley, age 20 (SD); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*
4. Anna Melissa Jenkins, age 17 (Hu-6); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
5. Roberta Elaine (Larson) Weasley, age 25 (PE); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
6. Georgina Emma (Parker) Weasley, age 22 (SG); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
7. Eileen O'Malley, age 21 (SP-5); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
8. Isabel (Tate) Weasley, age 19 (SA); CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
Lord Mayor Remus John Lupin, age 36.
1. Sarah Michelle Hanson, age 21 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).
2. Amelia Renee Carpenter, age 21 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).
3. Tara Frances (Marks) Lupin, age 20 (SG-5); CONCUBINE (REMUS).
4. Christy Matthews, age 19 (SG); CONCUBINE (REMUS).
5. Ellie Beth Mitchell, age 18 (PE-5); CONCUBINE (REMUS).
Frank Longbottom, age 41.
1. Alice Maria (Pierson) Longbottom, age 40 (Ra); CONSORT (FRANK).
2. Sandra Ellen Butler, age 24 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRANK).
3. Veronica Helen (Riordan) Longbottom, age 23 (SP); CONCUBINE (FRANK).
4. Gretchen Lee (St. James) Longbottom, age 21 (PE); CONCUBINE (FRANK).
5. Marie White, age 19 (SD); CONCUBINE (FRANK).
6. Carol Matilda Timmerman, age 17 (SD-5); CONCUBINE (FRANK).
* - Indicates in flight training RDCAF.