CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: THE NEXT "FLIGHT."
MONDAY, JULY 15th, 1996 – RAF Pottersport, West Farm Charenwell
Harry looked up from his newspaper as the drone of airplane engines became noticeable. He had gone up with the first Flight that morning. There were seven others who had taken up one of the Tiger Moths after getting their magical flight training from one of the Elves. In his Flight, this included Ginny, Stacey and Daphne; two of whom had a fair amount of flight experience, if one included brooms. The engines meant that the second flight was returning, completing their own first solos. This flight includes most of those who avoided magical flying almost altogether. Neville was with this group as were Hermione and Luna. Astoria, who was the youngest of the sixteen first time airplane pilots, was the only one in this flight who had flown a broom outside of First Year flying lessons at school.
He watched as one by one the planes came into the field and landed. None of them seemed to have any trouble at all and all eight planes were soon on the ground and taxiing back to the tarmac in from of Flight Operations. Eight Elves were waiting to direct the planes to their parking areas. The first plane got closer, but Harry could not see who the pilot was. He watched as the plane followed the Elf's signals, turned to its parking space and when signaled, shut down its engine. The pilot was soon out of the cockpit and walking towards him. She pulled off the leather flight cap and he could see who it was now. She was the first to take off, so naturally she'd be the first back. It was Astoria.
"Well?" he asked expectantly.
"That was wicked!" she said with a smile. "Almost as good as Harry Time, but not quite. We get to do that again?"
"If you want."
"Great!" she said before giving him a good kiss. "So is Daphne around?"
"Inside," Harry said.
"I'll just go and ditch the parachute," Astoria said with a smile.
Luna was the next one back. It was often hard to tell what she thought about anything just by looking.
"It's really peaceful up there," she said with a slight smile.
"And I sensed a shift."
"Oh?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely moves towards the light for all of us," she added before giving him a really good kiss. "I think this is a wonderful idea you've had."
"Thanks. I'm glad you like it."
Luna was already inside the building when Harry saw Hermione walking up the Flight Line from her plane. He was actually surprised to see a huge smile on her face. She didn't say a word until after she all but kissed him senseless.
"Okay," she said with a mischievous grin. "I suppose you can keep your little toys."
"Toys? I assure you they're quite real. So? What did you think?"
She smiled. "Definitely better than a broomstick! Honestly, I wish I had gone up earlier with you, Harry. But it was fun, I guess. Now mind you, I have no intention of flying upside down or something silly like that. But while you were up, we were shown some of the other planes and I definitely know I want to learn more."
"Any plane in particular?"
"When are you planning to send for my parents?" she asked.
"Er – what does that have to do with planes?"
"Well, if it's around my birthday, I figure I may well be qualified in more than the little Tiger Moth. I'd love to see the expression on Daddy's face to know I fly the biggest plane on the field!"
"You want to fly the Lancaster?"
Hermione nodded. "Little me the big, bad bomber pilot!"
"Good! I was hoping you'd want to be a part of this."
"How can I not be? I'm a part of everything that has to do with my Harry, aren't I? But what surprised me is that I really did like doing that! Now excuse me, but those itty bitty planes have no loo and I could use one right now."
She gave Harry a peck and headed into the Flight Operations building.
Twenty minutes later, the sixteen who had joined Harry for flying that morning were lined up outside of Flight Operations. They had all changed back into their regular clothes except that each of them was wearing their leather flight jackets. They stood in a single line and whether they planned it or not, they seemed to be organized along family lines. Hermione stood at the far right with Luna next to her and then the other four of Harry's Girls. Next to Ginny, who was the last in the line, stood Neville and his two Ladies, followed by the two newest members of Bill Weasley's House, then the three each from Fred and George's Houses.
Harry was facing them along with Mr. Jennings and Mr. Owens and he watched as each of them, beginning with Hermione was handed the photograph taken as they each stepped from their planes following their first flight and then had their wings pinned to their jackets. The final bit of the simple ceremony was each one being congratulated, addressed as Flying Officer and welcomed to the now growing ranks of the Royal Duchy of Charenwell Air Force.
MONDAY, JULY 15th 1996, Potter Manor, Charenwell.
A foreign looking gentleman appeared in the Conservatory dressed in a suit and carrying a brief case. Almost as soon as he appeared, he transformed; or at least his head did. The foreign, male façade melted away and the face and hair of Dora took over. She had a very self satisfied expression on her face as she headed for the main stairs and took them two at a time up to the second floor.
Several minutes later, all of Dora tried (and failed) to gracefully descend the stairs to the First Floor. She was wearing a simple yet flattering summer dress and the only clue as to her mission for the day was the brief case she still carried. She entered the Great Hall and saw that there was only one person present in the room. Even though she could not see the woman's face, she knew who it was from the hair. The woman was seated in a chair with her back to Dora and appeared to be reading a book. There was a chair opposite the woman, and Dora headed for it. She sat down and faced her Aunt.
"Afternoon Aunt Narcissa," Dora began.
Her aunt put down the book. "I'd prefer you wouldn't call me by that name, unless you would prefer Nymphadora," the former Mrs. Malfoy replied.
"Sorry Aunt Cissy," Dora said. Somewhere in there was a sense of humor. Both her Mum and Sirius had mentioned that about the younger Cissy. It was clearly repressed, but Dora was determined to find it. "So how has your day been?" she asked.
"H-Hermione gave me this book to look over," Cissy replied.
"I've been reading and making a few notes."
"Oh? What book is that?"
"She says it's one of the ones you and the others have been working on the past few weeks. It covers the history of this place and a lot about your bonds; although I would dare to say it seems … incomplete."
"It is a work in progress," Dora nodded. "We'd like to think it covers our full understanding as of today, but it'll be some time before it could be considered complete in any sense. Minnie knows more about the history than anyone, but she has other duties. She knows some of the others are good at research, so when she can't help, she gives them a list of books and journals here to look over. And the Elves Marta and William have been quite helpful as well."
"Actually, I am more interested in the Bonds," Cissy said.
"There's far more in here than I had ever heard of, but it's clear from reading that it seems to barely scratch the surface."
Dora nodded. "You would think that since these magical bonds have been around for over a thousand years someone would have studied them in detail. Only one book has ever been written about them at all. Apparently the author was one of Luna's ancestors and he was basing a fair bit of it upon legends and such. He did not have a witch bonded to him, it seems. A lot that he wrote is fairly accurate, but it was the wizard's perspective, not the witch's and he had little access to bonded witches in conducting his research. What you're reading includes the perspectives and is based upon the bonded experiences of several witches."
"It seems far more complicated then I had thought," Cissy said.
"It is," Dora replied. "If you look at just one witch, it can seem simple enough. But each bond is unique in its own way. In my case, I've had three bond mates. Each of my relationships was very different from the others.
"Mallory has had three as well and it's the same for her. Moreover, her bond with our Harry is still very new. Her bond with Sirius changed over time. The Sirius she first bonded to was younger than Harry and not nearly as serious as Harry is – pardon the pun. As Sirius Black grew into a man his relationships with others evolved. Mallory could never have love bonded with the boy Sirius Black, even if she developed feelings for him. He was not yet capable of the reciprocity required. He eventually matured.
"Then we also have Amber – that's Lord Neville Longbottom's Love Bound Concubine. Her first Binder was a right bastard, perhaps only marginally better than Lucius Malfoy. Her second was Neville's father whose interest in her was strictly limited to having a caretaker for his son so he and Alice could go off and fight in the last war. Finally there's Neville, who developed a strong attachment to her before he even knew her status. Of all of Amber's Binders, Neville is the only one whose relationship with her was mature enough to allow the Love Bond."
"And Lord Harry?"
"He may be barely sixteen," Dora said, "but he's had a very hard life despite what you may think or may have heard. He was never really a child. He's a lot older inside than most, so provided we have the feelings needed inside, he is quite easy to bond to."
"From what I've read, you all are saying that the two bonds are actually closely related," Cissy said. "I was never told that. I was told they are as different as night and day. How can they be almost the same thing?"
"The Consort Bond is a rare form of natural magic," Dora replied. "There are references to it going back as far as the magical historical record and legends about it from even earlier. The bond is created by both the right combination of emotions and magic and is sealed, for a lack of a better term, by an act of physical intimacy. In the cases of all three components, the key thing is that the witch and her bond mate enter into the bond as mutual, selfless acts. Their love for each other must be the selfless kind, the kind where each of them is willing to subordinate their needs in favor of their bond mate. Their sealing act of intimacy must also be the same; a sharing, an act for the other and not for themselves. There is some reason to believe that the need for selflessness is the reason why it is only a witch who can initiate the bonding. Even then and even if she initiates it under the right emotional frame of mind, if the man's feelings for her are not as mature or selfless, the bond will not form.
"The results of a successful bonding can be quite powerful and beneficial to both the witch and her bond mate. Each does sacrifice something for the bond; namely that portion of their free will which might adversely affect their bond mate. But for that sacrifice, they gain a relationship that is much greater than the mere sum of its parts. For a long time in our distant past, this was the preferred bond between a witch and her life mate. Oddly, it's the only one of the magical bonds known that can work with a Muggle, but that's not important here. As you might well imagine (and despite all evidence to the contrary around here), it takes two special people for this kind of bond to form. In the majority of situations, it will not happen.
"While in all probability, the Consort Bond has always existed, the Concubine Bond was created. What information we have found suggests it was created with the best of intentions. Finding that one person with whom a Consort Bond can form is a matter of luck really. While the bond is not so rare as to be truly exceptional, it is rare enough. Although there is no way of knowing, it is doubtful that Hermione could have become the Consort of anyone other than Harry. It's not impossible, but the likelihood is very remote."
"And yet he has two consorts," Cissy said.
"Now that is truly exceptional," Dora replied. "It can't happen at all unless Harry was the end of the line for two families. When Sirius disinherited Draco, he left the House of Black with but one wizard. Only Harry can keep the line going. As he is also the only wizard in House Potter, only he can keep that line going as well. So that condition was met. But even if that condition exists, there are so many other factors that suggest he would not get a second Consort.
"First of all, the emotional situation must be very much the same between the witch in question and Harry. That two witches might be able to love the same man is not unheard of, but for the second Consort, that selfless thing is harder. She must enter into the bonding knowing of the first and without any selfish motivations. In other words and among other things, she must not and cannot envy the other Consort. Likewise Harry must have entered the bonding not for himself but for BOTH Hermione and Luna. Furthermore, he could not even begin to bond without Hermione being selfless herself. She has to have approved of his bonding with Luna without any reservations whatsoever. What is the likelihood of that?"
"And yet they did?"
"You will find they are exceptional young people," Dora replied with a smile. "Perhaps they are the only ones like them we can ever hope to meet in our lifetimes.
"But, the one truth from the old magic which remains to this day is that the best life for a witch is as a Consort. In addition to the fact her Husband will become a good one; it helps her magic as well. She'll never have a Squib for a child. Her children will be more magical than they could have been in any other pairing, thus increasing the possibility of future generations of magic. Long ago this was the preferred bond. Pureblood did not matter. It could not and has never produced more powerful magical lines. Only the Consort Bond or an equivalent has and will."
"So this Pureblood Supremacy I've been hearing all my life…" Cissy began.
"Is a load of dragon dung," Dora finished. "It is a love bonding that makes for powerful magic, not blood. Most all of the Squibs known came from Pureblood pairings. But a Pureblood Consort bond will never produce a Squib because that bond is love based, not blood based."
"Then where do you fit in?" Cissy asked. "Where do I, for that matter?"
"The Concubine Bond was invented over a thousand years ago for two reasons," Dora said. "First of all, it was done so that more couples could one day enjoy the benefits of a love based magical bond, to include the stability, the mutuality, the strength of magic and healthy, magical progeny. It was also created during a time when there were far more young witches than wizards in the world. (A situation, by the way, that has remained virtually unchanged back in Britain.) The bond was also created with that problem in mind. That way, most witches could enjoy the benefits of the bond regardless of whether or not they were fortunate enough to find their natural bond mate.
"As you probably know, magic cannot force two people to love each other. But magic can inhibit free will. The Concubine Bond was invented so two people could be bonded in the hopes that love would come later. As it inhibited the witch, it could also allow her to accept being part of a harem, for lack of a better term. When the bond fully matures, which it can, there really is little distinction between the bond of a Consort and her Husband and the Concubine and hers. The fully mature bond is just as reciprocal in nature and just as beneficial to the parties."
"Then why is it so horrible?"
"Because it is too easy for the wizard to abuse it," Dora said. "It is designed to bind the witch to him against her will if necessary. It is based upon the magic of contracts and oaths, not love, and thus it does not require any emotional commitment by either party to begin to work. It does not require any selflessness on the part of either party and it has no effect whatsoever on the free will of the wizard when it first forms. He can choose to move forward and allow the bond to mature to its final, permanent state, or he can choose not to. If he chooses not to, he can do as he pleases without regard for her.
"The reason the Bond is considered horrible is that any wizard can get into one. Rather than a path to love, it can all too easily be used to enslave and solely for the selfish needs of the wizard. And later, as the Pureblood notions began to become popular, it was used to debase witches of what they considered inferior status, which in turn led to the true inferior status the witches now suffer in Britain today.
"And there is the added problem of the modern approach to the Bond. We usually don't see it coming. We also get bound at far too young an age. Even if the wizard was not a selfish bastard who only took us for his own base pleasures, there is always the issue that he took us against our will. Our loss of innocence may be suppressed, but it is always there and makes it much harder for us to reach the emotional state necessary to begin the maturation of the Bond; assuming the wizard wants to go in that direction.
"Of the Concubines you have met here, only Minerva, Daphne, Astoria and Ginny managed to Love Bond with their first Binder. The younger ones knew Harry at least a little before he bound them. They knew enough about him to know he was not the type who would abuse them, so they were open to the Bond from the beginning. And he showed them practically from the start that he was concerned for them and thus could have feelings for them beyond the normal teenage male reactions in their pants. It took Minerva almost three years to open to the Bond with her first Love Bond. I never did, even though Sirius was never mean to me and never treated me like a whore."
"And yet you are bound that way to Harry?"
Dora nodded. "In a way, Sirius was tainted with my original bonding and a part of me could not forgive him for that. It was Sirius's friend who 'broke' me. He could because Sirius gave him that authority around the time I was born. He did because Sirius told him that there was another girl out there after he cut off permissions to Mallory. I was bound because Sirius was in prison and his friend knew where my contract was and took me the moment I was old enough practically. That was the way I saw him until very, very recently. It wasn't until after I became Harry's that I learned there was more to the story. He was never mean or cruel to me. I did come to enjoy the sex. But emotionally, he ruined my life in many ways and the fact he waited for me to be old enough made it even worse for me. I don't hate him. I don't think I ever really have. But I could never love a man that selfish – and he was in a way – and I could never love the man who allowed it to happen."
"And Harry?"
"Harry is a very different person. While he's not much older than Sirius was when Sirius took his first Bond, in many ways he's far older.
"To young Sirius Black, Mallory was fun. She was a hormonal teen boy's fantasy: a girl who never complained and was always ready. Moreover, as she had prior experience, she knew things of a sexual nature that he could not possibly have imagined then and was more than willing (or so it would appear) to play show and tell with him and his friends.
"While it might appear to be otherwise, Harry does not see us as playthings and never has. He had no need for any of us in that regard. He has never asked for or demanded sex from us after we were initially bound. As far as I know, he has never even initiated it really. But we all had a need for him in a way. We all knew what kind of life we could have faced if Harry let us go. Harry knew that too. His only concern was our welfare, not his libido and even then, he never would have done a thing if Hermione had not convinced him that by taking us in as his bound Concubines he could actually help us and keep us safe.
"He took us not out of his needs, but for ours. And by our needs, I don't mean the sex, although it is a wonderful side benefit. He showed us he truly could and would care for and about us without question or condition. Thus, when Daphne took her leap of faith mere moments after he took her virtue and succeeded becoming Love Bound to Harry, we all did moments later.
"Harry promised us all before we even bound to him to treat us as part of his family and allow us to be women in every sense of the word. That he would do that speaks to his maturity and the enormity of his heart, which again makes the maturation of the bond not just possible, but probable. Since then, with Ginny and Stacey, they knew going in what he was willing to offer them and they were Love Bound in short order as well. We didn't know it until recently after a lot of research, but Harry has promised all of us the right to a fully mature bond with him. It is our choice to take him up on that wonderful offer and so far he's eight for eight."
"So you're okay with this?" Cissy said in surprise.
Dora nodded. "I'm okay with this because I will achieve the full bond with Harry. Mallory and Minerva were part way there with another wizard before Harry. But they were not all the way there and when their wizard died, they were arguably back to square one. But they too will complete the bond and when that occurs, it is permanent, just like the Consort Bond is permanent. Harry is and will always be our last wizard."
"What makes it permanent?"
"A child born of our love for each other," Dora said. "The Consort Bond is permanent at its inception. The intended Concubine Bond is permanent upon conception and birth. Somehow Harry knew this instinctively. Or Hermione did. Or maybe they both did. But, you may read in that book you have about Harry's ancestors. They were taught this from an early age. Most all of them had Concubines because they were taught with their wealth comes a duty to see to the welfare of others. They took in Concubines in part to give those women the life they deserved."
"In part?"
"The Potter line is one of the oldest lines in Europe by design in a way," Dora replied. "Should the primary wife or Consort fail to produce an heir … well, that has happened, and yet there's always an heir. Likewise, there have been primary sons who refused to become the Duke or died before they could. But there has always been a son of the Duke as our Head of State."
"The concubines?" Cissy asked.
Dora nodded. "Mallory shall have a son. We learned that this morning. Should Luna fail to have one, Mallory's son will be the next Lord Black. Should Hermione not have a son, then the next Duke will be the son of one of Harry's Potter Concubines."
"And if not? What becomes of them if they do not become the heir? What becomes of the daughters?"
"It is illegal to sell women into bondage in this Country," Dora said. "All of the children will be Harry's children. He will see to them all. Aside from that Heir of the Line, there will be no distinction between any of them based upon their parentage either."
"So the Dukes brought in breeding stock?"
"All were brought in with the hope they would achieve the full bond with their Duke. Most all achieved the full bond in time, which is why almost all of the 40,000 or so witches and wizards born in this Country are related to Harry. They are the distant sons and daughters of a Duke, either through his Consort or wife, but mostly through his concubines."
"So this is a Pureblood culture of a sort?"
"I doubt if any who were raised here could tell you that even if it were the case. Many meet their mates abroad and they do not come from a culture that cares about 'breeding.' This culture marries and bonds for love only. We have a fair few Muggles here, all married into magical families. For the people in this country, magical heritage is the country, not the person. Your parents do not matter here. You rise or fail on your own.
"Harry's Great-grandfather is the only recorded arranged marriage in centuries, and that was made because of issues at the time in Britain, not here. Harry's Great-grandmother – a Black from our line by the way – hated this place. She hated it because the people did not consider her breeding of any import."
"If what you're telling me is true…" Cissy began after a pause, "then my whole life has been a lie!"
"In many ways, all of our lives in Britain were lies," Dora said. "Pureblood culture is slow suicide, not a path to greatness as many believe. The Purebloods are dying off or losing magic altogether. In Britain, we're told they teach all the magic that is fit to teach. The reality is they teach all the magic that the average, magically weak pureblood can be expected to handle. The average Muggle Born is more powerful magically than the average Pureblood. There are exceptions. There are lines such as the Longbottoms, Lovegoods, and Weasleys which were not horribly inbred and are Pureblood only in the most legal sense of the term. Moreover, those lines usually sought Consort Bonds, which strengthens magic."
"Then why is that bond scorned back in Britain?" Cissy asked.
"Two reasons that we can think of. First, for the Pureblood Elites, you cannot arrange the bond. If the bond must be with a Muggle Born or a Muggle, that is the only option. Second, for the wizards you are not truly in charge. Your Consort has an equal voice in all things because that is the relationship the Bond creates. Do you think someone like your father or Lucius Malfoy would want a relationship where he was not in total charge of his family?"
"No." Cissy admitted. "They were all about control."
"Which is a sacrifice they would have to make to bond with a Consort. She would be his equal, not his vassal."
"And where do you stand with regard to Harry?"
"There is a slight hierarchy at work," Dora admitted. "As between his Consorts, Hermione is slightly higher than Luna. Within House Black, I and my Black sisters are slightly lower than Luna. But the reality is that the differences are so slight as to be unnoticeable now that our bonds have begun to mature. Harry is arguably at the top. But while he might make decisions, he expects input from all of us who have something to offer. In reality, we are becoming a team with each of us a contributing member and each as important as the others."
"You don't mind being but one of many?"
Dora shook her head slowly. "We can do far more together than as individuals. Of that we are all certain. I am happy, we all are. I think what Stacey told me recently might be true. She said if the three years in hell as the Bound Concubine and whore of Lucius Malfoy is what brought her here to Harry, then those years might have been worth it in the end."
"I guess you've given me a lot to think about," Cissy said, just as the voices of others could be heard coming up the main stair. Cissy watched as two young men and eight women arrived all wearing strange jackets over their clothes.
"How'd it go, Dora?" Harry asked.
"First twenty were no trouble," she replied. "No one even thought to bid against us. Apparently some idiot tried to in the next round. We got most of that lot for between twenty-five hundred and three thousand. But the last two, the bastard ran up the price on me. Those Patil twins cost close to fifteen thousand."
"We got them, didn't we?" Harry asked.
"Yep, but I was getting ready to hex the wanker bidding against me. After that, no one bothered us again." She opened her brief case. "Fifty-one titles, bought and paid for. I've organized them by House. Here's your eleven," she added handing Harry a small stack of papers. "And thirteen for you, Neville. Clearwater's on top."
"Thanks," Neville said.
"Has he paid?" Ginny asked.
"He gave me twenty for the lot this morning," Harry said.
"What's this?" Cissy asked.
"Titles," Hermione said. "The Concubine Auction was this morning. Mr. Alfonso Rahel of Tindukai here," she said indicating Dora, "was our purchasing agent. We bought fifty-one girls."
"Merlin's Beard," Cissy replied.
The others would be arriving in about an hour and Harry looked surprisingly nervous.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"This one's gonna be different, isn't it?" he said.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Harry," Daphne added, "you've bound before. You've even been a first time before."
"Five first times," Ginny said, "counting me."
"Five wonderfully magical first times," Astoria added.
"It's not that," Harry said. "In a way, the only ones here who had no idea what was going on when it happened were Hermione and me. You and Daphne knew. Ginny knew. Luna knew. You all knew you would be bound to me and what that might mean. This is going to be the first one who will have no clue about what it all means. She won't know what could have happened. She'll show up here not even knowing why she's here or how it could have happened. It's going to be different."
"You have a point," Dora said. "It will be different for her."
"We are going to do our best, Harry," Hermione said. "They are going to know why they are here. They are going to be told what could have happened and why this was the only way."
"You mean why we think it was the only way," Harry said sadly. "But I really don't think this one will be nearly as accepting of this as the rest of you have been."
"You can't know that," Hermione said. "But it's good you're thinking that way. It means you do care."
"Of course I care," Harry said. "That's part of the problem. I want them to become a full part of this, but I'm not going to make them. She's going to be terrified, isn't she?"
"Will all those present who were not terrified with Harry their first time please raise their hands?" Hermione asked.
Dora, Mallory and Minerva were the only ones with hands in the air.
"I was terrified on so many levels," Hermione said. "True, I didn't know I was going to be your Consort. I didn't know about any of these bonds. But I was afraid you might reject me. I might not be good enough for you. You might not find me attractive that way. I opened up to you a lot and was still afraid you might think I was loose or something."
"I didn't," Harry protested.
"I know," Hermione said softly. "But I was still scared you might."
"I was afraid of the sex bit," Luna said. "You were pretty experienced by then. I was afraid I would disappoint you that way."
"Says the girl who gave us girl sex," Harry chuckled. "You are wonderful, Luna."
"I was there too," Hermione said with a pout.
"She's the one who started it," Harry said.
"True, but I would have."
"Point taken. Then again, you two chose this."
"They both wanted to be with you," Daphne said.
"Oh it was a little different," Luna replied. "Hermione wanted to be with Harry. I knew I would wind up with someone once I lost my Daddy and hoped it would be Harry 'cause I was already here. I probably would not have been so … forward … otherwise. That and I wouldn't have been if Hermione hadn't convinced me to try."
"You did?" Harry asked Hermione.
She nodded. "She was resigned to becoming a concubine. She wanted me to convince you to buy her."
"I would have been content as your Concubine, Harry," Luna said. "I was actually less afraid of that. You would make me do what was necessary. I wouldn't have to be the one to initiate it all. I'm happy with how it worked out, but the one thing I was truly afraid of was that you wouldn't want me at all."
"I was terrified that you hated me," Ginny said. "That scared me more than anything. I was willing to do anything to convince you I was still your friend; that I had never betrayed your trust. I would have let you shag me in front of everyone to do that. I would have lost my virginity in front of my family without shame if that's what it took. But I was afraid that you'd never like me again. I was afraid I'd really be nothing more than a … a piece of meat to you."
"We didn't know you really," Daphne said. "We were relieved it was not Malfoy, but still we could not know what would happen; except you would take us. Even after you explained things, we couldn't be sure where we stood. Our experience was that wizards don't care about witches and are only interested in heirs or their own sexual gratification. I was terrified it would be no different and worse, that Story would have to suffer too."
"We hoped it would be different with you, Harry," Astoria said. "But there was no way of telling until it was. In my case, I guess you could throw in that I had to lose it first. That and you looked scary big."
"I had no reason to hope," Stacey said. "I spent three years in hell. My fear was despite appearances it could get worse."
Harry nodded. "You were all terrified of known possibilities," he said. "The girl today is a Muggle Born. She probably has no idea anything like this could happen in our world. I really don't want to be the one to show her just how sick this world is."
"You also didn't want to be the one to show that to us," Daphne said nodding to Astoria. "Just be yourself, Harry. Be the same person who saved us that day. In the end, that's what passed between us. You didn't shag us, you saved us."
"But we do like the shagging bits," Astoria added with a smile.
"Harry?" Minerva asked.
Harry nodded.
"We're going to work with them, you know. Just don't expect them to reach the Love Bond stage as fast as we did. Some might. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Katie Bell did. The others may take time. Daphne is right, though. Just be yourself and they will see what can be in time."
Tabatha Collins was a sixteen year old witch. That had come as a shock to her and her family when they were told that five summers ago. A man had come to her home in Aberdeen saying he was from an elite school and she had earned an admission. This was a shock in and of itself as she and her parents never applied to any schools. She was set to go to the local Comprehensive. Her family, while not poor, was in no way comfortable enough to send her off to an elite school. But this school had apparently been 'watching' her over the years. She had special gifts that set her apart from most children her age, they were told. They couldn't think of any. She was a good student, but by no means extraordinary. She took piano lessons but was not some prodigy. She was boringly normal, really.
She was a boringly normal "Muggle Born" witch. The man was kind enough not to use that word. She was magical. That's what the man said. Her Daddy had said that too, but he meant it as a loving father, not as a statement of some unknown talent. The man "proved" magic was real and managed to convince them that she was a budding magical herself. It was a gift, he said, and his school was one that nurtured the gift and taught the student how to control it, for without control it could be dangerous to her and to others. Her odd little incidents that had went unexplained for years would only get worse without proper training.
Fortunately, St. Andrews was not a boarding school. She could be boarded, if her family wanted her to, but it was not required. She would be given a special magic device that would take her to school at precisely 7:45 each morning and could be "programmed" to return her when her day was finished. That could vary as there were all sorts of magical activities (and some not so magical ones) that took place after classes. For five years, she had lived at home and went to her "Magic School." Her younger brother Ian followed three years later and her sister Mia looked like she would probably follow when she turned eleven next summer.
Tabatha found that magic was confusing, interesting, fun, scary, easy and really hard all at the same time. She drove herself to learn as much as she could and generally enjoyed her classes and classmates. Some came from magical families. Many did not. After a couple of years, she noticed that many girls finished after taking their O.W.L.s. She wondered about that, but her Dad said it was similar in the normal world. If a student didn't do well on the Muggle equivalent, some would simply leave school and begin working. Perhaps that's what happened to her friend Stacey. The girl was a year ahead of her and started when Tabatha started her Third Year. But Stacey never came back after her O.W.L.s Tabatha wanted to learn as much as she could and wanted to go as far as she could. She had just received the results of her examinations and realized that she had done really well.
She was in her room reading a book when for no apparent reason she felt the need to stand up. As soon as she did, it was as if the whole world dissolved and reformed itself into something completely different. Her small room was gone and she was standing in a huge room filled with plants and fancy chairs and couches. Were she to guess, she would say this was some lobby in a fancy hotel. But she was not about to guess. She was either dreaming or there was some kind of magic at work. She realized she was not alone when a female voice said: "What is going on?"
There were six other young women nearby, all standing around with a confused look on their faces. If Tabatha was to guess, whatever it was that had just happened to her had happened to them. And apparently, whatever this magic was did not have a dress code. Two of the girls were in bathing suits, bikinis to be exact and one was just in her knickers. "Guess I picked the wrong time for a shower," she said. Her voice told more than the words. The girl was bewildered and probably scared.
"Good afternoon," a woman's voice said.
Tabatha looked and saw an older woman with light brown hair and a bundle of something in her arms. The woman had a black ribbon around her neck and Tabatha could see an engagement ring and wedding band on her left hand.
"My name is Dora," she said. "And I guess these robes were a good idea," she added indicating her bundle. "I got a set for each of you and ask that you put it on. It'll help us figure out who you are and where you go."
"Where are we?" the topless young woman asked.
"We'll get to that," Dora said. "Now, which of you is Penelope Clearwater?"
"I am," a voice said and Tabatha saw a tall young woman raise her hand. This Dora person handed her a robe that had the letter "N" on it for some reason.
"Tabatha Collins?"
She raised her hand and was handed her own robe. It had the letter "H."
"Anna Jenkins?" Soon the topless girl was covered in a robe with the letter "G" emblazoned on it.
"Peggy and Elizabeth Nolan?" One was about Tabatha's age and the other was clearly younger. They were the two dressed in bikinis. They soon had covered up with robes with the letter "B" on them.
"And that means you two are Victoria and Rachel Peters," the woman finished handing the last set of robes with a large "F" on them. "Right then, follow me."
No one had really said anything. Tabatha was still trying to process what was going on. It did not seem threatening, which was a good thing as her wand was in a drawer in her dresser. She wondered whether any of the others had wands on them as they were led into a very fancy parlor, like something out of a picture book of Buckingham Palace, she thought. There were four older women waiting for them as they entered. Tabatha assumed they were witches. Still, she did not recognize any of them.
Apparently, at least one of the others did. "Professor McGonagall?" a voice asked and the oldest "hostess" nodded.
"Please have a seat," the woman said. The seven young witches sat in very fancy chairs that had been arranged as a semi-circle. "To my students, I'd like to say hello again and welcome. To Miss Collins, it is a pleasure to meet you, and welcome."
"What's going on Professor?" a voice asked. "Where are we? Why are we here?"
"Is this school related?" another asked.
"For the benefit of Ms. Collins, who did not attend Hogwarts," Minerva said, "until recently I was Professor Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I understand, Miss Collins you attended St. Andrews?"
Tabatha nodded.
"Then we were practically neighbors as your school is near Edinburgh and ours is northwest of Inverness. That being said, I retired from my position last week. Given the nature of that event, I'm sure it was in the papers."
"Don't get the papers at home," a voice said.
"Hence the reason why many of you are here," Minerva said, "at least in part. All of you are called Muggle Borns back in Britain."
"Or worse," a girl said.
"And it is the 'worse' which brings you here. Britain is no longer safe for you."
"What's that mean?" Tabatha asked. "You're saying we're no longer in Britain?"
"That is indeed what I am saying," Minerva said. "You are aware, are you not, that the British Ministry has finally decided to admit that Voldemort is back and his Death Eaters are at large again?"
Tabatha nodded.
"While the Ministry might seem to appear to consider his a threat to the entire Wizarding World – and he is – what they have intentionally omitted in their recent announcements is that it is the Muggle Borns such as you who are at greatest risk. Voldemort and his Death Eaters consider Muggle Borns abominations and kill them for not better reason then that they exist. They did this during the last War and our government here has no reason to believe they will not resume their predations in this one. And herein lies the problem. The British Ministry lacks the resources to protect everyone. It is our belief they will make an effort this time to protect some, but that will not include the Muggle Borns. The Aurors will not, in all likelihood, respond to such threats, particularly if the Death Eaters are active against families the Ministry considers important."
"What government are you talking about?" Tabatha asked. She wondered if the others were thinking along similar lines or not, but figured they were being respectful to their Professor. But this witch was not her Professor.
"You are currently in the Duchy of Charenwell…"
"A Duchy? You expect a tiny country to protect us?"
"A tiny magical country," Minerva replied. "There are around forty-thousand witches and wizards in this country. That's more than half the population in Britain and Ireland and unlike there, there are no laws restricting the use of magic here. While we have non-magical folk, they are a minority and they all know about magic. There is no secret to hide. In Britain you are not allowed to do magic where you live for fear of the Muggles learning about it. Your magical government will not allocate assets to defend you or your families and you are not allowed to use the means to defend them yourselves. That is the current state of things."
"Why only us?" Tabatha asked. "My younger brother's a wizard. If my family is in danger, why is it I'm the only one here?"
"Because the risk to you is immediate," Minerva said. "Your families will be offered evacuation to this country in the next few months. Recent actions by our government have given us time. Unfortunately, those actions were unable to keep you safe."
"Safe from what?"
"From becoming a concubine," Minerva said.
Tabatha could barely see the new room she was in. She had been told it was a Library and told she was to wait there, but she barely remembered that. For two hours or so that Professor McGonagall talked about what had happened to her and the others. She learned a little about magical bonds and more than she ever wanted to about the Concubine Bond. She didn't care that it had been invented with the best intentions. For hundreds of years, girls like her were ensnared by it, taken from their families, and sent to live as slaves! For the first time in five years, she wished she had never been a witch.
That Professor McGonagall had lived a respectable life for fifty-three years meant nothing. This was not the life she had wanted or even imagined possible. It didn't help that one of the seven witches – a girl named Penelope – had been one for five years. So what if she had been Head Girl at her school while being a Concubine? She was still little more than a sex toy. That Penelope girl had been bound at age 15 and had spent her weekends and holidays having sex with a much older man. A year later, that man had lost a card game and she wound up with a boy her own age who wasn't much better at first and worse later on. The boy had loaned Penelope out in exchange for political favors that would help his career in the Ministry!
Is this the kind of life she could expect from now on?
What were these people talking about? How could this even possibly be a decent life? A slave was a slave! Didn't they see that? And they must be delusional to believe that whoever did this would actual do anything to help her family. She was certain she would never see them again and felt guilty for not saying anything nice to them at breakfast that morning. Then again, it's not as if she knew this was going to happen! What kind of mad world was this?
"Tabatha?" a voice asked softly.
She wanted to yell, but did not for some reason. She opened her eyes and saw a familiar face. "Stacey?" she asked.
The young woman nodded.
"What are you doing here?" Tabatha asked. "You're one of them, aren't you?" she added noting that Stacey was wearing a short silk robe and slippers and apparently nothing else.
"One of them?" Stacey replied.
"Those slaves!"
"I was," Stacey said. "I was one of those for three horrible years. As you've been told, the Bond can be abused and it was abused horribly in my case."
"Th-three years! But you only disappeared a year ago and…"
"And I first came to St. Andrew's three years ago," Stacey nodded. "My Master sent me there. I went to school during the day and serviced him and his friends during the evenings. I was too young to keep out of school, but he sent me to St. Andrew's so that no one would ask questions I was forbidden to answer and expect a response I could not provide."
"And now your Master wants me too?"
"I'm no longer with him, Tabatha. I was sold for all practical purposes to pay off a debt."
"So now you do that for someone else here? Why are you here? Why are you trying to act like my friend? Do you think I might want this? Are you trying to make me feel better about becoming a whore? Did your Master tell you to torture me like this?"
"I don't have a Master, Tabatha."
"So you're no longer a concubine?"
"Not as I once was," Stacey said. "My husband allowed our bond to mature and I knew I wanted that."
"H-Husband?"
"The mature bond is that of a husband and wife, Tabatha; not a slave and master. The bond can result in that vile relationship. My former Master would have never let the bond mature. He had a wife and I don't think he knows what love is or cares. I was just a thing to him, not even a person. For three years, I had no name outside of my cell or school.
"But a few days ago, I was released from that hell and brought here. Like you, I thought the same thing. This place looked nicer, but after three years on my back naked with ugly old men humping me, I really did not expect anything better. I was told that's why I was born a Muggle Born. I was born to shag eight to ten men a day for their amusement. I never believed that, but that was the life I found myself in and the bond kept me in it.
"But this life is not that life at all. I am a person here. I am a woman here. I am a witch here. And, I am a wife here. He will offer you all of that, Tabatha. The offer stands forever. All you have to do is accept it."
"And if I don't?"
"He will not bother you after the Bonding. You will attend school here. But unless you let the bond mature, you can never be truly free."
"And how are you free? You were forced into marriage…"
"I was not forced. I chose it."
"A couple of days?"
"Unlike the Consort Bond, to move this one forward I don't have to love him more than anything. I just have to find that I can love him, even if it's only just a little. It will grow in time. It is growing. It's how the bond was meant to work and it may be better than I could have done on my own."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"The bond began when you were sold, Tabatha. Once that happened, there's no stopping it and it cannot be broken, only transferred. You will not be transferred. But you can have a life here. All you have to do now is be willing to accept that. All you have to do now is be willing to believe you can be happy and you will be able to live a full life as a woman, a wife, a mother. Just promise me you'll keep your mind and heart open, even just a little. Be willing to accept this life, Tabatha. You don't have to, but be willing to."
"I want to hate this! I want to hate him!"
"He is not the reason you are here, Tabatha."
"What? What do you mean? If he hadn't 'bought' me I might still be at home…"
"If he hadn't bought you, someone else would have. Believe me, Tabatha, he was your only option. The person you should hate is whoever sold you in the first place. My husband bought you to save you from a terrible fate and give you a chance at the life that would have been stolen from you otherwise. You can have almost everything here."
"Not everything, though."
Stacey shook her head. "You can have love, life, happiness, a family even a career here. In that regard the sky and your desires and abilities are the only limits. But after today there is one thing you will never have again."
"What's that?"
"Once you bond with Harry, you will never have another man again."
"I'm not sure I want him either!"
Stacey nodded. "I guess that's understandable. I envy you."
"Why?"
"He will allow you to think for yourself, Tabatha. You will be able to think that if it's true. I didn't have that my first time. I haven't had that until I came here. I can't tell you if this way is better at first or not. I know it's better for me, but after three years whoring on my back against my, that was not a real decision. Do you know where you are?"
"Charenwell, she said," Tabatha replied.
Stacey smiled. "You're there as well. I mean do you know where you are sitting?"
"A couch in a library. A bloody big library."
"It's more than that," and Stacey explained the significance of the couch and the particular place where Tabatha was seated. "You will become part of our family, Tabatha," she said. "It's up to you if you want all the way in. Try and be open to the idea?"
Tabatha did not know what to say. She knew now that she and Stacey were no longer alone in the huge room. Two women from before were there, dressed now as Stacey was. There were six others women, at least two or three were younger than her. And there was a young man. She recognized him from the papers.
"You're the Boy-Who-Lived," she gasped.
The young man rolled his eyes.
"He hates that name," Stacey said.
"Sorry," Tabatha replied.
"I'm Harry Potter," the young man said with an almost shy smile.
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 = OC
Gr – 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; CONSORT (POTTER).*
2. Luna Celeste (Lovegood) Black, age 15; CONSORT (BLACK).*
3. Dora (Tonks) Black-Potter, age 22; CONCUBINE (BLACK).P
4. Minerva Grace (McGonagall) Potter-Black, age 68; CONCUBINE (POTTER).P
5. Mallory Michelle (Grant) Black Potter, age 39; CONCUBINE (BLACK).P - boy.
6. Daphne Renee (Greengrass) Black-Potter, age 16; CONCUBINE (BLACK).*
7. Astoria Lynn (Greengrass) Potter-Black, age 14; CONCUBINE (POTTER).*
8. Ginevra Molly (Weasley) Potter-Black, age 14); CONCUBINE (POTTER).*
9. Stacey Marie (Campbell) Potter-Black, age 17 (SA-5); CONCUBINE BLACK).*
10. Tabatha Simone Collins, age 16 (3/11/30) (SA-5). Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE, HOUSE OF BLACK 7/15/96.
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); CONCUBINE BILL WEASLEY).*
4. Peggy Louise Nolan, age 17 (9/6/78) (Hu-6). Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY) 7/15/96.
5. Elizabeth Olive Nolan, age 14 (7/1/82) (Gr-3). Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE (BILL WEASLEY) 7/15/96.
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, age 20 (2/20/76) (Ra); Sold to Devon Caster (7/20/91); Won by Percy Weasley in card game (7/3/92); Sold at Auction (7/15/96); CONCUBINE (NEVILLE) 7/15/96.
Fred Weasley, age 18.
1. Alicia May Spinet, age 18; CONSORT (FRED).*
2. Verity Nicole (Smith) Weasley, age 21; CONCUBINE (FRED).*P
3. Danielle Louise (Carter) Weasley, age 20; CONCUBINE (FRED).*
4. Victoria (Vicki) Peters, age 17 (7/10/79) (Ra-6); Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE (FRED) 7/15/96.
5. Rachel Francine Peters, age 15 (2/26/81) (Ra-4). Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE (FRED) 7/15/96.
George Weasley, age 18.
1. Angelina Olivia (Johnson) Weasley, age 18; CONSORT (GEORGE).*P
2. Shelly Ann (Parker) Weasley, age 22; CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*
3. Ellen Suzanne (North) Weasley, age 20; CONCUBINE (GEORGE).*
4. Anna Melissa Jenkins, age 17 (5/30/79) (Hu-6). Sold at Auction 7/15/96; CONCUBINE (GEORGE).
* - Indicates in flight training RDCAF.