CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE: FAMILIES (PART II)
MONDAY, AUGUST 12th, 1996 – Black House Manor, Charenwell.
Harry was seated in his new office in Black House. This was actually the first Duke Day where he would use his office and in a way it was fortuitous. He was scheduled to have a meeting later that day with some people to discuss the Evacuation which had just began. He knew three flights were due in that day, two of which bringing some of the first families who would be living in the new city of Jamestown and the third – which was actually the first scheduled to arrive – bringing in nine families that would be living at The Manors. All nine of those were families of his ladies in other words his new in-laws. Fortunately for Harry, meeting them would not occur for him until the day after tomorrow his time so for now it was merely a fact and not an impending worry.
But these first flights were a part of this morning's focus for him. He poured over a stack of documents regarding the planned and now ongoing evacuation and he, like the people at the Charenwell Ministries of Public Works, Education, Heath and Public Welfare (which was not about passing out public funds to people but keeping track of population figures and other factors that might affect housing, transportation, schools, taxes and other things of such nature) was rapidly coming to the conclusion, for better or worse, that they had collectively underestimated the scope of the evacuation. Public Welfare also maintained all public records such as births, deaths, marriages and such and it was obvious that, while they had not done a census in years until just this past summer, they had a far better handle on their population than did their magical British counterparts, a point their memos made clear as they were highly critical of their British magical cousins record keeping abilities.
"It is a wonder that they even know who to tax, much less where they are and all that is necessary in determining and estimating current and future needs for government services," one memo politely complained. "The recent and foolhardy attempts against our sovereignty seemed the work of a madman. But if these records are indicative of the level of skill across the way, I would argue that they are not truly mad, rather they are idiots which may even be worse!" another memo less politely opined.
The estimates that led to the building of Jamestown were based upon population figures obtained from the British Ministry of Magic back in early July. The Charenwell government used those as a starting point, but requested, if possible, that the raw data be obtained rather than the final results they had received. Those final results indicated that magical Britain had a population of 65,232 witches and wizards. Naturally, this did not include Squibs nor the non-magical families of 'Muggle Borns." That same set of documents indicated that the total Muggle Born population was 21,467. Taking into account that not all Muggle Borns could be expected to relocated, the government of Charenwell estimated that there would be a need for housing for an additional population of around twenty to twenty-five thousand. Naturally, this assumed the British Ministry had accurate records and estimates and naturally, like all things this summer, any assumptions proved wrong.
The last accurate census in magical Britain (assuming it was accurate) was in 1982 just after the War. It was ordered to determined the true scope of the War that had just ended. There had been no attempt at a census since then and all the numbers the Brits were using were based upon that census and assumptions as to population growth. The first flaw was the census itself. While the Charenwell Ministries were willing to believe it was accurate to a point, the memos concluded that it had utterly failed to count everyone. Specifically, in addition to not counting Squibs, the population numbers did not include any Muggle Borns who had not started magical school as of September 1st, 1981. Basically, this omission meant almost all of the Muggle Born Concubines who had or would be arriving in Charenwell did not exist as far as the Ministry census was concerned even if they were already born.
As misleading as that omission could be, if the Brits had used an accurate means of estimating population changes going forward, which their numbers might not be accurate, they would at least have been close enough. Except this did not appear to be what had happened. For estimation purposes, the Ministry had based population changes on historical trends. Such things were not uncommon but were only as accurate as the trend data applied. They had used the birth rates and such from the preceding five years and this meant their numbers were way off. The Brits had also used the death rate for the same period of time.
Their methodology, while not ideal in any event and particularly where they have failed to follow up with a more recent census, would be marginally adequate provided that the change in population over the historical period was representative of an overall, long term trend. But, in choosing population data from the period of 1976 through 1981, they selected data that was not representative. This period was at the height of their recent war, a period of great dislocation, economic upheaval and other factors. The death rate, naturally, would have been representative of a population embroiled in a bloody civil war and not a population at peace or one with a naturally declining life expectancy. It was also a period of record low birth rates both in relation to the size of the existing population and in real numbers. Given the increasing uncertainties, fewer and fewer couples were having fewer and fewer children. While similar trends have been seen in the non-magical populations in the developed world, those trends are generally attributed to significant decreases in infant mortality and increases in life expectancy coupled with sociological trends towards smaller families. The trends the British used were based upon artificial factors, namely a war and economic uncertainty, which were unique to the time and not reflective of a long term sociologic change.
Based upon the school enrollment data we have obtained, which includes all enrollments beginning with the class entering in 1981 through the class that will enter in 2006, it is fair to say their estimating factors are far off the mark. The birth rate in magical Britain between 1970 (the class that entered in 1981) and 1975 was fairly constant. For Hogwarts (which we use since His Highness is familiar with that school) the resulting classes had between 57 and 63 students of which between 18 and 21 were "Muggle Borns." The variation did not trend either up or down, at least not in a manner from which we could confidently say there was a long term trend one way or the other. From 1976 through the fall of 1981 the birthrate was in a constant state of decline. The class entering in 1987 (born 1975 – 1976) had 59 students and then as follows:
1988 – 51
1989 – 47
1990 – 43
1991 – 39 (His Highness's year)
1992 – 41
The proportion of Muggle Borns to those of other parental status oddly remained about the same throughout the general population at approximately 30 to 34 percent. But as those numbers note, there was a significant decline in class size and this decline was across all six of the schools for the same years. We believe that untimely death in war, emigration abroad, coupled with a general sense of hopelessness were factors in the sharp drop within the magical community but there was a corresponding proportionate drop in Muggle Born births as well which defies any simple or known explanation. It should be noted that these were the lowest class sizes in the last century or more. In forming their ongoing population estimates, the British Magicals assumed that these numbers represented the long term rate and estimated, in the case of Hogwarts, class sizes between 43 and 47 would be the norm. As they are arguably now learning, this was not the case. The following are the Hogwarts numbers for the next four years:
1993 – 48
1994 – 71
1995 – 78
1996 – 82 (based upon numbers from M. McGonagall regarding the class scheduled to start in September 1996).
Moreover, it should also be noted that while class size at Hogwarts has more than doubled between 1991 and now, its growth does not reflect the growth at the other five schools:
Hogwarts: 1991 (39); 1996 (82); growth: 110%.
St. Georges: 1991 (62); 1996 (148); growth: 139%.
Prince Edward: 1991 (65); 1996 (153); growth: 135%.
St. David: 1991 (59); 1996 (133); growth: 125%
St. Andrew: 1991 (64); 1996 (161); growth: 151%.
St. Patrick: 1991 (66); 1996 (172); growth: 161%.
Many factors may explain this growth although it should be noted that the 1996 figures exceed the largest class sizes previously experienced and cannot be attributed to a corresponding increase in the overall magical population during the same period. One factor is what might be called a post war Baby Boom for which there is historical precedent. But one would expect that such a boom would fall mainly within the magical families and we would see no such degree of increase in the Muggle Born numbers given that as a group and by definition they would have been unaware of the conditions in the magical world in the 1970's and 1980's. As one would anticipate that the events affecting birthrates in the magical world would have no effect upon Muggle Born birthdates, one would expect their aggregate numbers to reflect birthrates in their world which were comparatively constant and therefore a decrease in their proportion of the total class. But, while there has in fact been an increase in the per capita birth rate since 1982 in the magical population, it falls far short of these numbers. Some of the increase can also be attributed to increases in magical immigration to Britain as well as the return of families that left Britain during the war. However, what has also occurred and what we cannot explain is both the increase in Muggle Borns in terms of their numbers and their proportion to the overall new student population. As previously stated, historically the percentage of such Muggle Borns to the magical population at large has been on average 32%. However, class years 1995 and 1996 at the National Schools have jumped from that historic average to about 41%. (Hogwarts is steady at 32%, but their admissions of Muggle Borns is by lottery and not by population demographics. In other words, it is arbitrarily fixed at about that rate regardless of the real proportions for that year.)
It should be noted that 1996 is not the highest year. The class sizes will peak in 1999 and then begin a slow decline through 2006. However, the 2006 class year will still be larger than any class prior to 1995 and the proportion of Muggle Borns will remain above historic levels.
The reason for the increase in Muggle Borns is not known nor do we speculate upon its cause. Our study was directed at providing a rough estimate in terms of our needs to support the relocation of the "at risk" population from Britain to Charenwell and, in particular, with an eye towards permanent resettlement for the vast majority of them. As His Highness is aware, Jamestown was planned and built upon the estimate that the number of "at risk" immigrants would be around 25,000 based upon an estimate of some 21,000 Muggle Borns total. We now believe these numbers fall far below reality. This is particularly true since the responses we have received to date requesting relocation include not just the Muggle Borns we have contacted and their non-magical immediate family, but extended family as well (Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, cousins and so on.) The responses we have received tend to show that despite the British Magicals efforts, Muggle parents have not kept their magical child's status secret from their extended family, at least those they could trust. (It is also possible that economic factors in non-magical Britain might be a factor.) We now estimate that a conservative estimate of the total number of "Evacuees" may exceed 50,000. This does not include families associated with the British Military Advisory Group (3,500), or the fact that both the Educational Development Board and our Health Service will be seeking teachers, Healers and others from abroad to meet their anticipated needs.
Harry put the report down and rubbed his eyes just as the door to the office opened. He looked up and saw Cissy standing there.
"The average age for becoming a Duke is around seventy," he moaned. "And I can see why. Have you read this?" he added indicating the report.
"I have," Cissy said.
"I barely understand a word of it," Harry complained. "Okay, that's not true. I understand the words, but what does it mean?"
"It means we should expect at least twice as many new residents," Cissy began.
"50,000 and more, I got that bit finally," Harry agreed, "but the rest of it?"
"They basically said two things," Cissy replied. "First of all, the population numbers the Ministry is using are all wrong and would be regardless. We assumed they were right and that there are about 65,000 magicals in Britain. So this says it's probably more. Moreover, since we are not limiting this to magical, this says two things. First, there are far more children in Britain than they think and we were led to believe and second far more Muggle Born children. Also, as to the Muggle Borns, there are far more new families than we anticipated, hence the revised estimates."
"But why?"
"They don't know and I'm not about to guess. You already suspected something like this might happen when you started planning for the possibility of a second new city on the North Coast between North and East Farm."
"Just didn't think we'd need to build it this soon. And Jamestown was planned with an eye towards full employment for its residents – at least those over the age of 22 or so. If we double the population, we double the need for jobs and… Well, at least food won't be a problem as we already produce about five or six times what our current population consumes."
"There is a bit of a bright side to this."
"Oh?"
"With the original plan, we would be hard pressed to field a large army, at least that's what the MAG officers are saying. Most the recruits would have to come from young people such as yourself who otherwise were supposed to still be in school. This would give us a labor surplus as in more people than we can easily employ. That means we can have a fully manned Air Force and a much larger Army without adversely affecting our job market, yes? And, as many more will be in the services and will be until the crisis is over, certainly for the next two years or so, that gives you two years to figure out how to employ them when it's all over, yes?"
Harry nodded. "Okay. That makes some sense. Is there a reason why you entered? A meeting I've forgotten about?"
Cissy shook her head, walked over and gently sat in Harry's lap. "I just sensed you needed a little break. Was I wrong?" she added before kissing him.
"Er, no," Harry said as the kiss broke. "But this kind of break may have to wait until this afternoon. Ginny wore me out last night."
"I thought she was the night before for you." Cissy pouted.
"Then Connie and Sally-Anne are guilty as well," Harry said.
"I can wait," Cissy said, "so long as it's this afternoon."
"It will be."
"Guess it's a good thing Ginny has flight training," Cissy giggled. "With the news she got this morning, I swear she would have tried to wear you out again!"
Harry chuckled. "Probably. I'm just thankful there're no bondings in my near future…"
"There are the parents…"
"Which may well be more dangerous than the bondings…"
"The Greengrasses are already on your side in this," Cissy said. "My guess is Eleanor's family will be as well. The Grangers won't be surprised about you and Hermione…"
"Although the rest will shock them. They gave us their blessing but I don't think it covered all the rest of this."
"Hermione has been – er – conditioning them for the shock."
"Oh?"
"She sent them a self updating copy of our bonding book so they probably have an idea about what's coming. I won't say they'll be thrilled but…"
"The others?"
"The Patils come from a culture where this sort of relationship is not offensive so they may not be an issue. I think the Campbells and Grants may overlook it to an extent given that they have their daughters back…"
"Which leaves our remaining three Muggle Borns: the Bells, Perks and Plumbers."
"Hopefully the others will help with them."
"I hope so. I'd hate to be the shortest tenured Duke in Charenwell history. It's bad enough I'm the youngest."
"You'll do fine. Besides, for you that's the day after tomorrow."
"Which means by this evening, I'll know if I'm dead or not."
"Do you always have to be so gloomy?"
"Given my life before Charenwell? It's force of habit."
Cissy nodded. She understood that point of view thoroughly.
There was a knock at the door and it flew open. "Little" Laura was standing there panting.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," she began. "Um … actually I did. There's a problem outside!"
"Problem?" Harry asked.
"Dragons! Lots of them on the Pitch!"
"We know about them…"
"They're new ones too and I think they mean to fight each other or something!"
"Oh bugger!" Harry ignored Cissy's comment about maybe later and the three of them headed out of the office and towards the Pitch. There were indeed a lot of dragons, perhaps twenty in all. Half were the black Horntails and they seemed to be protecting the three houses. The other half were smaller and red. Two were in the middle of the Pitch snorting at each other while the rest were behind their respective "leader."
"This is OUR land!" Harry heard the red leader say. "It's always been our land! You're not welcome here!"
"We were given leave by our friend and ally, the Duke of the humans!"
"He speaks for humans! Not us! We don't give you leave!"
"Excuse me?" Harry said from what he hoped was a safe distance, "Is there a problem here?"
"This is none of your business, Human!" the red said.
"This is my Pitch, my home and the Horntails are my friends, so that makes this my business. And you are?"
"Humans have no say in the affairs of Dragons!" the red shot back.
"My Queen! My Queen!" another red dragon said. It had apparently walked forward. "The Human is talking to you!"
"I am aware of that! I can hear!"
"No, my Queen! He's talking to you in OUR tongue! The Oath, my Queen! The Oath must be honored!"
The Queen Red seemed to calm down and looked at Harry. "You speak our tongue?"
"I do. What's this oath?"
"What does it matter? My people took an oath to defend this land and protect the Humans of the Speaker – which you apparently are – but that was against other humans. The oath says nothing about other dragons! These dragons are foreign! They don't belong here!"
"They asked me if they could live here to escape others who wish them harm. They don't harm us and we won't harm them. They are my friends and allies. I don't see this as a problem."
"This is OUR land!" the Queen Red retorted.
"Indeed, I understand that. The Reds have lived here since before my people came to these shores and we have always respected that, have we not?"
"You humans have." The Queen Red agreed. "But are we to share…?"
"Share what?" Harry replied. "Do my new friends seek to nest at your rookeries?"
"Well, no. At least they haven't"
"Please!" the Horntail Queen complained. "You're people nest on rocks in the sea exposed to the elements! We prefer caves in the mountains…"
"And not be able to see the sun or breath the sea air?" the Red said. "It's unhealthy, especially for the Younglings!"
"For your people maybe. For my people and especially our young, we prefer caves."
"So neither of your people have any interest in the other's nesting sites," Harry observed. "As I understand it your people hunt at sea far from shore," Harry added speaking to the Red Queen.
"We do. We always have."
"And the closest the Horntails come to your feeding grounds might be the beaches where the seals gather."
"Seals! Nasty things!" the Red Queen added in disgust. "We will eat them, but only if we're starving!"
"As for us," the Horntail said, "fish is hardly a meal and too hard to catch. Seal, while tasty is too rich to eat all the time. More than one or two a year for us adults is just gluttony. We prefer lean, landed game and the Duke here is providing us with more than enough for our needs."
"So your people are also not competing for food," Harry said. "I see no reason why both clans cannot live here as your needs are so different."
"It's still not the point," the Red Queen protested. "We took the Oath! Ages ago we took the Oath to be the protectors of your people, Speaker! And they're telling us they are too?"
"Why is this a problem? Can't both Clans protect us as we have agreed to protect you?"
"But you allow them to be your guard!"
"Have I forbidden your people from any similar honor?"
"Er … no. But no Speaker before has asked for such."
"I didn't ask this of my Horntail friends either."
"He did not," the Horntail Queen agreed. "We offered it to him. Our sentry is here as a guard and a messenger between the Duke and my people."
"And, while I will not ask this of the Reds," Harry added, "I am sure if the Reds honor requires a similar arrangement, I would have no objection provided the Reds and the Horntails respect each others' rights and such."
"The Horntails have no objections provided the honors are equal," the Horntail Queen said.
"And I have no objection provided the Reds understand that as Sentry you watch. Many humans come and go and many live here and they are neither food nor threat and I expect them to be ignored unless they are obviously a threat. As no threat can pass through our wards, I expect them to be ignored by the sentry."
"Then what is the sentry for?" the Red asked.
"To impress the humans," the Horntail replied. "Mostly as messenger to the Duke. We may not hunt at sea, but we do fly about and watch for humans who may seek to come here without leave and should we see them, we tell the Duke about them and should the Duke ask it of us, we would deal with them as enemies of the Duke and enemies of our Clan. Bad magical humans live in the Islands to the North so we watch for them should they come. There are also magical humans in the great land to the east and southeast and we watch for them as well. But the ones to the North are the threat."
The Red Queen nodded and was silent for a time. "There are more of us than there are of them," she said referring to the Horntails, "and we are at sea all the time. More eyes would mean less chance that something is missed. We are aware of the North and that the magical Humans there would hunt us and kill us given a chance. This land is our home and we do not wish that. We offer you Sentry as well. But even with one, how would you know if we need to speak?"
The Horntail roared. A jet of fire shot into the sky and all of the windows facing the Pitch rattled.
"They're very quiet otherwise," Harry said. "But that would wake the whole area! And there are people who will find me should any dragon sentry roar."
Cissy and "Little" Laura had now been joined by others as they watched the dragons and Harry. They could not understand what was being said yet as this talent took longer to learn, assuming it could be learned. They were all nervous watching Harry as he seemed to be standing between all of the dragons. But the two Hippogriffs seemed unconcerned with the proceeding and they figured if the dragons were really about to cause problems, the Hippogriffs might appear more nervous, assuming they did not just fly off to get out of the way. When the Horntail roared, they were all momentarily concerned that Harry was about to become an appetizer, but that did not happen. After several minutes, things seemed to calm down. Then, the two largest dragons and most of the others flew off with their clans in different directions. Two dragons remained: a Horntail and a Charenwell Red. Each took a position on opposite sides of the pitch from one another and seemed to lay down and go to sleep. Harry, meanwhile, walked back towards Black House.
"What was that about?" Cissy asked trying to remain calm. After all, watching her "husband" mingle with dragons was not something she had ever wanted to see again and she had not seen the First Task of the Tournament. Some of the others had.
"The Charenwell Reds were a little miffed that the Horntails chose to settle here," Harry said. "Once I explained that the Horntails and the Reds have very different needs for nesting and food, they seemed okay with that. But apparently an ancestor of mine made a deal with the Reds allowing the Reds to be our protectors in exchange for protecting them from humans who might hunt them and they felt I had gone back on the deal. I explained that was not the case. I had only made a similar deal with the Horntails. Then they were miffed about the Horntail Sentry. But we sorted that out. The Reds will have one here as well."
"Why did the Horntail roar like that?" "Little" Laura asked.
"To demonstrate how to call me if there's an immediate need to tell me something."
"Oh."
"Hagrid would be so jealous," Parvati said. She and Padma were among those who had come out to see what was going on.
"And Hermione would have had a heart attack," Padma added. "Merlin knows I almost did!"
MONDAY, AUGUST 12th, 1996 – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office contemplating the disaster the summer had become. His whole life and been dedicated to his "Greater Good" and nothing had occurred to challenge his ideas. If anything, the unfolding of events over the last century had reinforced his views. The Magical world, the one he was born to, had fallen into decadence and decay and, left to its own irrational and self serving devices, would die out in a few centuries at the longest. Left to its own devices, all that would be left would be the Muggle Borns, untrained and unprepared for Magic and wholly ignorant of Magic's place in the natural order. If anything, the world into which they were born was worse, set on a destructive course and now possessing the means to destroy everything. Left to their own devices, the Muggles would be the end of the human race, Magical and Muggle and this could not be allowed to happen. The "Greater Good" would see the rise of a ruling elite over the Magicals, born from the most venerable of families with centuries of tradition in their families. This Elite need not be Pureblood, although for now many of the cadre that would one day rule were, but it had to have deep and ancient roots and an undying respect for the natural order. Muggle Borns by nature had no such respect and had proven over time unwilling or unable to learn. They were necessary for the long term viability of magic, but their backgrounds meant they were only useful as breeding stock, hence the need to control them.
The ruling Elites would have their pick of Muggle Born mates. Their healers would set up breeding programs to strengthen magic and wizards would sire scores upon scores of these more magical children in their lifetimes; children who would be removed from their Muggle Born mothers and raised to join the Elite in time. As for Muggle Born wizards, there always would be a need for a working class.
In addition to ruling over the magical world, the Elite would control the Muggle World as well. It was on this point that Dumbledore had his falling out with some of his most promising followers. Both Grindelwald and the young Tom Riddle believed that the Elite could rule directly and could take over by force. Neither saw what Dumbledore did or, if they did, they placed far too much faith in the power of magic. They failed to appreciate the combination that weight in numbers and technology had. Magicals were outnumbered a thousand to one and Muggle technology had always been lethal. A knife or sword or arrow could kill an unsuspecting wizard. Modern weapons in numbers could kill even the best prepared wizard. Rule by conquest would be suicidal. For almost every revolution, there had been at least as bloody a counter-revolution or corresponding repression of such. The Magical World would not survive a counter-revolution aimed against it. Patience was key. Dumbledore did not expect to achieve his utopia in his lifetime. This is what separated him from the other two for, while they were patient in their own way, they expected to rule over all within their time.
Both had made attempts and Dumbledore had opposed both. He felt their ideas were flawed. Only his Greater Good would work. But to achieve his ends, he needed to be trusted and followed by the masses and those two proved to be the perfect foils. In defeating them or holding them back, he gained greater and greater control over their world and, until very recently, was close to having enough such control to begin his plans for its reorganization.
While Riddle and Gridelwald had been his unwitting foils, House Potter and its allies had been his most disconcerting adversaries. Of all the lines in magical Britain, House Potter was among the oldest and, therefore, an ideal House to become a key part of his ruling Elite. Yet the Lords Potter he had dealt with had little interest in such things and, more infuriatingly, actively opposed his every move towards the Greater Good in the Wizengamot. Dumbledore was convinced they were acting not out of enlightened self-interest, but out of a grudge between his family and theirs dating back centuries. Since they stood in his way, they had to be removed although that was easier said than done.
In 1979, Dumbledore had gotten lucky. Once of his operatives had managed to kill Lord Charlus and his wife in Diagon Alley and succeeded in making it look like the work of Riddle and his band of brain dead sheep. Dumbledore knew the line was ripe for termination. Charles Potter had but one son – James and James had recently married a Muggle Born, one whom Dumbledore had conditioned for just such a role although the girl had resisted his subtle efforts for years. She thought the world of Dumbledore and trusted him implicitly, but she had little regard for the future Lord Potter Dumbledore believed she should marry. It had been simple enough. Dumbledore placed her on the Auction Block and made sure she knew about it by leaving a copy of the catalog where the curious teenaged girl would find it and then ensuring she would find out about Consorts and the potential value of marrying into an Ancient and Noble House. He knew the girl had real feelings for the future Lord, but was too prideful to give in to her feelings absent a little push.
The rest of his plan for House Potter seemed to fall into place. Charles Potter was far less active then his father had been and it did not take much for Dumbledore to convince Lily that she, her new husband and their unborn child were in danger and only he, the Great Albus Dumbledore could keep them safe. He placed the future of House Potter into what was really and exposed location, lulled them into a false sense of security, and then pointed Riddle at them. Riddle might be a genius about magic, but he was easy to manipulate. It should have been over that night. House Potter should have been destroyed for good, or at least it would be once Charles Potter passed on in time, after all Charles's wife was beyond child bearing age and as she was a Consort, it was inconceivable that Charles might sire another child by another woman. To this day, Dumbledore was not certain exactly what had gone wrong. The boy had lived. True, the toddler was far more magically powerful than average. But no one had survived the Killing Curse. More disconcerting was the discovery that the Potters had another child.
Getting rid of the girl had proven easy. She was placed for adoption with Dumbledore as her magical guardian and when the time came he would sell her off as a Concubine destroying her connection with House Potter forever. The boy's survival, while a setback, was turned into an opportunity. Dumbledore knew that his Greater Good would not survive him without an heir and he was not about to sully himself with rutting like an animal to sire one. But the boy? He knew naming the boy as his heir would cause problems, but should he control the boy, he could control who the boy mated with and should the boy's mate come from an inner circle member, then the boy's son could be raised to become the rightful heir to the Greater Good. That son would have the heritage of House Potter needed to rule under this system and the upbringing to rule, especially if the father was dead.
Everything was moving slowly but steadily towards this end until just a few months ago. Now the plans for House Potter were well and truly shattered. The bride of choice was now the boy's slave. The boy had married a head strong Muggle Born and was arguably being corrupted by her ideas. But the boy was never integral to Dumbledore's plans, just an opportunity which had presented itself. Then the boy began to act. In two short months, he had crippled magical Britain and set the Greater Good back decades or more. The Ministry and Wizengamot were paralyzed by the lack of quorum. Riddle and his followers had been decimated and bankrupted meaning it might be years before that threat could galvanize their world and bring them rallying to Dumbledore. A rogue in the Ministry had attempted to end it and that had proven a political disaster for the Ministry. It was still too early to foresee the full extent of the disaster and what was worse there was nothing Dumbledore could really do about it. Dumbledore had hoped that the fact that the boy had gunned down the rogue and two of her Death Eater contacts in front of a witness and just a few yards from the office of the Minister of Magic would galvanize the public. So far that had not happened. Quite the opposite as, despite the condemnation for the actions in the press, it seemed the general public supported the action regardless of the fact that it would lead anyone else to a dementor's kiss.
But the Greater Good did not come into being overnight. Dumbledore had spent years developing his ideas, then his strategies, then his tactics and it would not do to act rashly for what seemed to be a minor setback in the grand scheme of things. Time was something he had. Riddle had his crude horcuxes, an inefficient and almost always ineffective means of delaying the inevitable. There were other ways to extend a lifetime if such extension was necessary for the Greater Good and ways that would not ruin the wizard who employed them. For now, the demands of the mundane demanded the man's attention.
Dumbledore and come to Hogwarts as a professor to begin the long process of building a ruling elite. He had risen to Headmaster and had held that post longer than anyone in recent memory to continue that process. But as Headmaster, he still had a school to run. Most of the students who passed through would never be a part of his planned elite, but they all had to be educated anyway. As strictly the Headmaster, Dumbledore had staffing issues that needed to be addressed. After all, he was about three weeks away from the start of the next term.
That he had lost his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was no surprise. For over thirty years this had proven to be a temporary position. The rumor was it was cursed. Perhaps, but if it was Dumbledore made no effort to break the curse. There were advantages to the revolving door that was this position. He had already decided to allow Severus Snape to finally take this position, one the man had coveted ever since Dumbledore had first hired him. That decision had been made last year as both yet another means of controlling the boy and raising his pet Death Eater in the eyes of Riddle and he could not change that now. He had managed to coerce Horace Slughorn out of retirement to take over Potions and had assumed that would be the end of his staffing problems.
Then McGonagall retired. She had threatened to each of the last five years, but he had always managed to magically alter her mind to keep her where she was. This year, she retired and left before he could stop her and he was now in need of a new Transfiguration Professor, a new Head of Gryffindor House and a Deputy Headmaster or Headmistress. For his Deputy, Snape was not an option. Dumbledore had called in too many favors to keep the man out of Azkaban and keep him at Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew what happened in Slytherin House and knew Snape would not last a day without protection. Were he to try to elevate Snape to Deputy Headmaster, whatever benefits to his struggle against Riddle would be short lived. Snape would be dead within weeks. Before McGonagall, Slughorn had been Deputy which was among the reasons why he retired and he refused to come back if that job was in his future.
By seniority, Flitwick was the obvious choice. However Flitwick's heritage was against him. Moreover, he had just retired as well only days ago. That Flitwick had retired was hardly a surprise. He had been on staff for nearly sixty years and had risen as far as he could hope to within the educational community. That he had not told Albus of his plans well in advance as most did had been a surprise. By custom, retiring staff informed the Headmaster months in advance so that he would have time to hire a competent replacement. Two of his senior staff had left without notice to him and at a time when he would be hard pressed to find a suitable, long term replacement.
True, he could return to teaching Transfiguration. But unless he had a Deputy as adept at administration as Minerva had been, he could not afford to teach, run the school, deal with the Board of Governors and his remaining responsibilities within the magical government, much less make any advances on his Greater Good. Despite his frequent arguments with Minerva over the years (almost always about Severus and, more recently about the Potter boy) she freed him up to pursue his other responsibilities. It had incensed him to no end to learn in the end and for all of this time that she had been a spy for House Potter and probably had a hand in getting the boy out from under his control. But even as a spy, she had been irreplaceable as his Deputy.
The next in line for the position was Pamona Sprout. She was the next most senior with thirty-five years on staff and was a Pureblood who had served as Head of Hufflepuff House for years. With Snape not an option and his other two heads gone, she was his only choice. He knew it would not be like before. Sprout was far more vocal about Snape than Minerva had been and she was public about it. Should she learn about the man's predations and what went on in that house, there would be no telling how disruptive that would be. That and Dumbledore did not think she had a fraction of the administrative skills of her predecessor, but there was little choice. The Deputy post would fall to her. Head of Gryffindor would fall to Professor Vector who taught Runes. He would have preferred a professor in one of the core courses, but the Head had to be from that House and the Astronomy Professor was a Slytherin. Hagrid had seniority, but Dumbledore was reluctant to name him as Head. After all, many of the current students were here when he was still just a games keeper and most knew of his half-giant heritage.
His best leads on potential Charms Professors were former Hufflepuffs. This meant he had no choice but to name the Arithmancy professor as Head of Ravenclaw and this was another professor who he was reluctant to elevate as she was also a vocal critic of both Snape and many of Dumbledore's decisions. But it couldn't be helped.
Finally, there was one last position suddenly vacated. He needed a new Matron. Poppy had left without so much as a goodbye just days ago as well. Dumbledore was convinced that the Ministry's botched attack against Potter was a factor in Flitwick and Pomfrey's sudden departures and was incensed that the boy had managed to accumulate such a loyal following, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Fortunately, there were several young Healers who might jump at the chance and the salary.
There was a knock at the door to the office. This was the summer so the gargoyle that sealed the access to the stairs to the office was absent. That particular barrier was designed to keep students out, not staff.
"Enter," Dumbledore said.
Hagird entered and appeared to be crying. For a moment Dumbledore wondered if the recent resignations were the cause. While Hagrid had proven exceedingly and almost annoyingly loyal to Dumbledore over the years, no doubt for a small kindness when the lad had been expelled that Dumbledore still viewed as a moment of unnecessary weakness on his part, the half-giant considered McGonagall, Flitwick and Pompfrey his friends, something that was not the case between him and the revered and almost worshiped Headmaster.
"Something seems to be bothering you Hagrid?"
The gentle giant of a man nodded. "'t's Grawp."
"Excuse me?"
"Grawp! E's me brother. Jus' a lad 'e is fer 'is kind. Brought 'im back with me from the east when you sent us to parlay wi' 'is kind. 'Is mum an' my Mum was the same."
"I see," which explained the cryptic complaints he had heard from the Centaurs in the forest. "And what is the matter with him?" Dumbledore tried to hide his annoyance. Only Hagrid could be foolish enough to bring a Giant to a place populated with children ten months out of the year. And Hagrid, as loyal as he may be, never told Dumbledore about some of his more questionable pets such as Acromantulas, his illegal breeding experiment that produced the one of a kind and now fortunately extinct Blast Ended Screwt, Fluffy or his dragon until they proved to be a problem. Why would Hagrid bother to tell him about a Giant until now?
"'E's gone! Run off! 'E says there be evil 'ere and wants nothing ter do with it an' his people call to arms to fight an' e's off!"
"I see. Well, one lone giant should not give the folks at Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures too much difficulty, although it does suggest Voldemort has turned them against us…"
"You wouldn'!"
"Excuse me?"
"You wouldn' set them butchers after 'im! 'E's my brother!"
"Hagird, if he's gone rogue it's out of my hands."
"'E's no rogue! I've been trainin' 'im up! He talks an' all that! Well, he's beginin' t' at least."
"Hagrid, we cannot have a giant walking about…"
"'E's all th' family I got, Sir! You can't set them murders after 'im! You can't!"
"Hagrid…"
"I'll find 'im! I'll find 'im, keep 'im outa trouble! 'E was no trouble t'all comin' 'ere. I'll find 'im! Jus' keep 'em butchers away!"
"Hagrid, with the staff changes I need you here. The students need you."
"Nah! Mos' don't like me much. I won' be missed now that 'Arry's gone. Tis a family matter, Sir. If you won't grant me leave to find 'im, then I 'ave no choice but to resign!"
There was nothing Dumbledore could do. Had it been any other member of the faculty aside from the ghost who taught history, he would simply modify the man's memory and motivations. Not even Severus could withstand such a modification. But Hagrid's half giant blood rendered him immune to such subtle magic.
"Very well then. You are on indefinite leave of absence effective immediately."
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, Sir!" Hagrid smiled and left the office.
Of all the staff losses, Hagrid was the most replaceable. Professor Grubby-Plank was more than willing to teach the class and, to be honest, was better at it. The only reason Hagrid had the job in the first place was because of the man's relationship with the now absent Potter boy. Were it not for the fact that Hagrid had other uses and was loyal to Dumbledore to a fault, he would have accepted the man's resignation. But the half giant had such other values, or so he thought, hence the leave of absence and keeping the man on Dumbledore's leash.
MONDAY, AUGUST 12th, 1996 – Potter Manor, Charenwell.
For Robert Granger, thus far his introduction to the "most magical country on Earth" had been a bit of a disappointment. When such words were used, he almost expected an exaggerated version of Diagon Alley; a place filled with oddly dressed people brandishing magic as if it were an everyday happening which, in such place as Diagon Alley it was. If the whole country was supposed to be like that and was also supposed to be open about it without fear or concern about Muggle like him knowing, he expected broomsticks and goodness knows what all. Instead, he had flown on a very normal looking and behaving commuter plane, arrived at an almost normal looking airport, traveled on a very normal looking and behaving bus through a modern, if empty small city and an older city that reminded him of places he and his family had visited in France, driven through fields, pastures and vineyards, all with barely a hint of any magic at all. There were no oddly dressed people in the streets or wands waving about or brooms flying in the air, at least none that he could see. The only hint of magic were a few of the shops they passed on High Street in Pottersport and a couple of others in Potters Vineyard that looked like they sold magical stuff. But compared to Diagon Alley, they seemed subdued. People here rode bicycles and drove cars. They passed lorries and saw tractors in some of the fields. They arrived at a Hotel that any Muggle would feel comfortable with. It had electricity, telephones, television and other conveniences that according to his daughter did not exist in Magical Britain. The only clue that this place was magical was that magic was talked about openly.
That is until now. Once again they were on the bus, this time travelling a much shorter distance from their hotel to where their daughter was living. Along the way they again passed through The Manors, this time their "tour guide" pointed out the houses where the passengers would live once their household goods arrived from Britain. The Bells, Perks and the Plumbers were on the bus and were told they could expect their belongings to arrive within a week, ten days at the most. For Robert and Rose, the Greengrasses and the Patils, their stuff was already here and they could move in at their leisure. The house set aside from Robert and Rose was even larger than the one they had left back in Britain and they were told that until recently it had been one of the "Estate" guest houses.
It was when the bus reached the large elliptical lawn bordered by the wide drive with what looked like a palace at the far end and extending along either side that the magic of this place became obvious.
"Bloody hell!" a voice said. "That's a dragon, that is!"
Robert looked and saw a large, red, lizard looking thing lying on the lawn stretching immense, bat like wings. It certainly looked like what he imagined a dragon to look like.
"I'll have to ask about that," Katie Bell said. "The Manors is watched over by Hungarian Horntails and, unless I am mistaken, that's one of our Charenwell Reds. Never seen one this far from the sea before. Perhaps it's just resting. No worries. So long as you mean them no harm and are not near their nests, they're said to be fairly docile. That's not to say tame. They're not. But at least they don't see humans as a meal or snack.
"On the left is Longbottom House," she continued as if a dragon up close was nothing. "It is the home for House Longbottom, hence the name. The House relocated here from their ancestral estate in Lancashire due to the Troubles. Across the way is House Black, which is an extension of the primary Manor House and is where Sally-Anne and Connie live. Aside from Hermione, the rest of us live there for now as well while the upper floors of Potter Manor are being renovated.
"Another dragon?" a voice asked.
Robert now saw a much larger, black dragon sleeping on the lawn.
"That's our Horntail Sentry," Katie said. "The Duke has an understanding with the Horntail Flock or Clan which has recently settled in our mountains to the east of here. The dragon watches over us and serves as a messenger between the Duke and the Queen of their clan."
"They can talk?" Robert asked.
"In their own fashion," Katie replied. "The Duke understands them and they the Duke. To me, it's all a bunch of hissing noises. But make no mistake. Dragons are highly intelligent and, at least according to the Duke, can be quite the chatterboxes when they choose to be. The Duke is hoping a few of us will learn their language so that when they decide to chat our ears off, one of us will have the time to listen. We will be disembarking here and entering the manor proper where you will be taken to meet with your family members. For you youngsters, while our dragon friends and the Hippogriffs are not about to eat you, they are not tame so don't think they will let you pet them without taking offense."
Robert looked over the other side and saw what looked like two huge birds of prey with the hind end of a horse rather than tail feathers. They looked regal and predatory at the same time. He reached a conclusion. Charenwell did not flaunt magic like he remembered they did in Diagon Alley, but when they did display it, it was impressive and indisputable. Any lingering doubt was dispelled when they passed through the huge doors to the Manor into the entry foyer that was larger than many small homes and, through a glass panned wall, looked into the tropical Conservatory beyond. Waiting for them were eight beings the likes of which not even the magicals seemed to have known. Katie Bell led her family into the rest of the manor after explaining.
"These are High Elves or Eldar," she said. "They are as elves were truly meant to be and not the simpering abominations our magical cousins made them become. They are employees of the Manor and in all respects considered family by all of us and will be treated accordingly. Any disrespect to them is considered disrespect of their families. They will escort you to where you will meet your daughters." The term daughters had been used for simplicity. After all, for a family like the Grants, Mallory was a daughter, sister, sister-in-law and aunt. It was just easier to refer to them all as daughters.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" a voice asked. Robert looked and saw a female elf before them. She was shorter than they were but not by much. She had large eyes when compared with a human but not overly so and delicately pointed ears poked out slightly from her golden hair. If she was an employee or servant, she could only be described as elegant. "My name is Winky and I am your Hermione's handmaiden and assistant. If you'll follow me please?"
They were led through the elegant "Manor," although both Grangers felt the term "Palace" might be more appropriate. Finally, they passed through a large pair of double doors and into an immense space beyond. In their immediate front was a seating area, but the walls were lined with books on two separate levels and off to their left they saw rows and rows of bookcases. Rose almost instinctively began to gravitate towards the books.
"Hermione would like you to sit here and wait," Winky said indicating a small couch by a huge fireplace that faced two high back elegant leather chairs. A table was in front of the couch and on it was a tea service. "Hermione has told me that Mistress Rose would lose herself in our library given half the chance…"
Robert could only laugh at that. "She wouldn't come out for weeks."
"Robert!" Rose protested as she sat next to him on the couch as the elf maiden poured each a cup of tea.
"I am sure she will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy this library," Winky said. "It is said to be one of the largest private libraries in the world. There are said to be manuscripts, scrolls and codexes that are the only surviving copies in existence. But there're in special storage. When you have the time, our Librarian William will be more than willing to show you around."
"Thank you," Rose said nervously and then turned as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. A young women with chestnut brown hair had entered. She wore an elegant, yet simple sapphire blue gown and more diamonds than Rose had ever seen outside of a jewelry store. It took Rose a moment to recognize her for she had never saw the young woman so well put together nor that hair so well coifed. "Hermione?"
Robert looked up and was equally stunned.
"Hello Mum and Dad," she said. The voice was that of their daughter. She walked over and gave them a hug before sitting in one of the chairs opposite them. As she picked up her own cup of tea she asked: "Did you have a pleasant trip?"
"Yes we did," Robert said regaining his composure, "but I don't think we were invited here to exchange pleasantries."
"No," Hermione agreed becoming more serious and far more grown up than Robert wanted to admit. "It is obvious that some things have happened this summer while the two of you were away; things which need explaining."
"You're Harry's Consort, I take it?" Rose asked.
Hermione nodded. "We bonded June 23rd although we did not learn of the full implications of the bond until the next day."
"And how was this accomplished?" Robert asked. "As I understand it that bond means you're married. You're not even seventeen yet!"
"Robert!" Rose began. "I'm not sure you want to know the how and as for the age, that bond has no minimum calendar age. All that is necessary is the right emotional state, a strong enough relationship and the ability to physically start a family and…"
"How do you know this?"
"Because Hermione sent me a book about these bonds. She told me not to show it to you until now and it was obvious to me why she did practically from the introduction. The Consort Bond couples two forms of powerful magic: one is an oath offered and accepted by both. It cannot be faked, meaning they both must mean it and believe it. In that oath they pledge themselves to each other for life and if it takes hold, that's exactly what happens. Divorce is not possible not because law and custom forbid it but because the relationship will only get stronger over time. The bonding is completed by a ritual of trust, one which requires willing acts of physical intimacy…"
"What kind of acts?" Robert asked.
"The most powerful kind," Rose said. "Sex."
Robert could not understand why he didn't lose it right there. Then again, Hermione was not about to tell him about the mild calming draught in his tea. "I guess that explains why we were not invited," was all he could say in reply.
"The bondings are that way," Hermione said calmly. "However, custom does not mean that a wedding ceremony for family and friends is unnecessary. If you want, that can happen and you can walk me down the aisle. We have dates available beginning a week from next Saturday."
"You're trying to change the subject!" Robert said. "You two promised not to get married the next day!"
"Well, it was over twenty-six hours from the time of that promise to the completion of the bonding," Hermione said, "and another several hours before we knew for certain we had bonded."
"Semantics!"
Hermione shrugged. "I have no regrets."
"Can he support you?"
"That was a dumb question!" Rose said. "They said this was Potter Manor! Does it look like he's a pauper?"
"This is his ancestral home," Hermione agreed. "And if you need more, consider this: Since we arrived here, he's built Jamestown, The Manors, Black House and Longbottom House all out of his own pocket. Cost about a half billion quid and he still will have more money at year's end than when it began."
"Bloody hell!" Robert said. Rose was too stunned to correct his language.
"In case you missed it, Harry is now Lord Sir Harry James Potter, Duke of Charenwell, Count of Darby, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, Royal Order of the Knights of the Round Table and so on and so forth. He is Head of State of the Duchy of Charenwell and a Peer of the Realm back in Britain. Course he knew none of this until after we arrived here, but there you go."
"And what does that make you?"
"Aside from his Wife and Consort, it makes me Lady Dame Hermione Jane Potter, Duchess of Charenwell, Royal Order of the Round Table."
"What's this Royal Order stuff?" Rose asked.
"Well, as you know there's all sorts of Knights of the Bath. Her Majesty can bestow that, but the P.M. can recommend it and by custom Her Majesty will bestow it. She retains absolute control over three orders of Knighthood, but those orders are limited to twenty-four members and a new one can only be elevated when a vacancy opens, usually upon the death of a member. Those Orders are the Knights of the Garter for England, the Knights of the Thistle for Scotland and the Knights of the Round Table for those of us who are magical. Harry and I and some others were invested in the Order earlier this summer." She then described her summer, at least her summer as Consort and Duchess, but for now without mentioning the Concubines although she knew that was coming. What she did mention, however, was finding Harry's long lost sister, the research she had been doing, the Dragons, the Muggle Born Evacuation, Her Majesty's visit, the visit of the Prime Minister, the arrival of the Military Advisory Group and her own Air Force training.
"Doesn't sound like much of a holiday," Rose noted.
"Oh I don't know. Harry aside, I've never had a summer like this."
"I noticed you've said nothing about Concubines," Robert said. "Your former professor spoke about them at length. Surely, they were not discussed without reason."
Hermione nodded. She placed a photograph before her parents. It was one of Minerva from Harry's Investiture. "Minerva," she said. "Her father died when she was a girl. Her magical guardian sold her at auction in 1943 when she was only fifteen. She was acquired by Charlus Potter, then Heir Apparent and later Duke of Charenwell. That was Harry's Great Grandfather. She became what we call a Second Stage Concubine which precludes the abuses that often happen back home, but requires her to be bonded to a house. When Charlus was murdered in '79, she became the Concubine of his son Charles. Charles and his Consort both died in 1988. Minerva remained bound to House Potter and upon Harry attaining his majority, he had to either bond with her or let her go. Had he done the latter, it would have been a death sentence. What was he to do? Let her die?
"When I learned about Concubines and that Harry had inherited Minerva and what would happen if she were let go, I made it clear what I thought of that! I will not say I am in favor of that bond, but I'd be damned if I had a hand in ruining a life! And if I exercised my prerogative as Consort to prevent Harry from accepting her as his bonded, I would have become a killer as sure as I would have had I shot her dead! I would rather be a party to that bonding and ensure she has a life than to cast her out and know I ended her life decades before her time! Each of the Concubines' stories are different, but they all have one thing in common. They had no choice in their life, but we did and for us that choice was to either let them bond with Harry and have a life or be let go and sentenced to hell on this earth and premature death. If there was a third choice, one which would allow them the life they all deserve without the bond, we would have taken it. But once your interest is sold, there is no real third option."
"How many?" Rose asked.
"Minerva is House Potter's Matron. She is the longest tenured Concubine in the House and most accomplished witch. As Consort, I am I guess higher in the pecking order, but I'd be a fool not to look up to her. Since bonding, she retire from Hogwarts and is now head of our government's Educational Development Board tasked with opening our own magical school system." She then placed several other photographs on the table. First was Astoria Greengrass, also from the Investiture. Next were Stacey Campbell and Ginny Weasley from the Queen's State Visit. She explained how each of them came to become one of Harry's girls. They were followed by Laura Oliver and Rhonda Lester and she explained the confiscations in detail. They were followed by Katie Bell, Padma Patil, Sally-Anne Perks, Erin Sullivan and Eleanor Bromstone. With them, she explained the Muggle Born Auction and how Harry broke the bank buying all the first time girls. Last but not least was Gabrielle, who while not a Concubine, would one day become a wife through her unique bond and the Coven which she also explained.
"Isn't thirteen an unlucky number?" Rose asked.
"Superstition," Hermione huffed. "After the number seven, it is the second most powerful magical number. It is believed unlucky only because of what happened in France on Friday, October 13th, 1307 when the King at the suggestion of the Pope arrested the Knights Templar for all sorts of alleges crimes including sorcery but really because he owed them more money than he had any intent on paying."
"Thirteen wives? A ruddy Harem?" Robert said. "Don't know whether to throttle him or pity him!"
"There's more," Hermione said.
"Oh?"
Hermione nodded. As she did, another young woman, one who was not in any of the photographs sat down in the chair next to Hermione. She was wearing an emerald green dress and diamonds as well. Her long, blonde hair seemed to spill over her shoulders in a golden cascade.
"This is my best friend Luna," Hermione said. "I know I mentioned her frequently in my letters the last couple of years…"
The elder Grangers nodded.
"She's also Lady Dame Luna Black, Countess of Darby, Royal Order of the Knights of the Round Table. She is Harry's second Consort. As Head of two lines with rights of separate inheritance, by law, custom and magic, Harry can maintain two separate families and Luna here is the Consort of Harry as Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black."
"And what do your parents think of all this?" Robert began.
Luna's lip began to tremble and tears leaked from her eyes.
"You may not have know," Hermione scolded, "but that was uncalled for! Her mother died in front of her when she was nine and her father was murdered this past July 1st! She would have been as well if our people hadn't found her and brought her here!"
"I didn't know. Sorry," Robert said meekly as his wife glared at him.
"There is a war back home! Had we remained in England, we'd be dead! People we know have already died and more will before this is over! Why do you think you've been recalled to service?"
"You know about that?" Robert asked.
Hermione nodded. "I was present when the decision was made by Major General Churchill and his staff – well, at least when it was announced." She then proceeded to place more photographs before her parents. This time it was House Black beginning with Dora and ending with Cathy. She made sure to point out there were two sets of sisters bound to Harry and that aside from their last name, as a family and Coven, there was no distinction between the two Houses.
"Twenty-six? And many of them are so young?" Rose said.
"Obviously not too young to be sold off to become some wizard's plaything," Hermione said. "That's usually what happens. Of the ladies in our family who were Concubines before they came to us, only Minerva and Dora avoided being little more than a prostitute. Had Luna and I not become Consorts that was what would have happened to us. I was slated to be sold this summer! Only by bonding with Harry did I avoid that!"
"I'm sure he would have bought you if he had to," Luna said.
"That's not the point!" Robert replied. "None of this should have been necessary!"
"I agree," Luna replied. "But it was and what has happened to us was for the best under the circumstances."
"What a sick society!"
"I can assure you Charenwell is nothing like that," Hermione began.
"I meant Britain! And I can't believe I just said that."
"Magical Britain is a sick society," Hermione agreed. "And it has been for a long time but there was little or nothing that could be done about it. But that sick society is now a threat to the non-magical side and Her Majesty's government is not going to sit back and watch things happen. We bonded as we did and brought in others to bond as they did because it was the best we could do right now and to wait would have ruined countless lives. But to ensure that this sort of thing stops for good…"
"Ah," Luna said, "it won't stop completely. Life Debts and Debts of Honor and all. But they are rare enough. Less than one in a thousand witches might fall victim to that magic as opposed to around one in three or more as things now stand."
"… that society must end for the sake of future generations of children, the victims and their families. Her Majesty asked us to end the madness. We're not ready, but we will be."
At that moment, a third person joined them. It was Harry. For some reason, Robert no longer felt inclined to kill the young lad.
"I seem to recall you promised us you two wouldn't get married the next day," Robert said.
"Arguably, we didn't," Harry began.
"I'm not buying the twenty-six hours later bit Hermione through out!"
"Um … well actually… I was going to say we bonded which made her my wife and me her husband but I was raised Muggle and married implies a wedding and we haven't had one yet. Then again, you also said we shouldn't put the cart before the horse and if we're not married then we did but if our bonding was getting married then we didn't and…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Robert began.
"Hermione?" Rose asked. "Are you…?"
Hermione nodded. "I did have my period after the bonding, but yes."
"What?" Robert asked not wanting to believe this line of conversation.
"Your grandson and granddaughter should be here by early April," Hermione continued.
"You're pregnant?" Rose and Robert asked.
"That kind of thing happens to married people," Luna said.
"Twins?" Rose asked.
"And that's not uncommon with powerful, magical bonds," Luna added. "Although it does not mean she'll always have twins. I'm fairly certain I'll find out the same thing next week."
"You too?"
Luna nodded. "But it's too early for magic to tell what I'm having."
"How many others?" Robert asked.
"Oh, well so far, it's Hermione, me, Minerva, Dora, Mallory, Daphne, Stacey, Karen and Ginny. Oh, and Katie, Rhonda, Connie, Padma, Parvati and Cissy will probably be that way soon. Later this fall we can probably add Tabatha, Fiona, Laura (the older one), Sally-Anne, Kathryn, Erin and maybe Astoria as well."
"Astoria?" Harry asked.
"She turns of that age in November," Luna said.
"Although she says she'll wait 'til early next year," Hermione added.
"Twenty-two pregnant women?" Robert said in shock. "How do you find the time?"
"Hermione and her schedules and the use of a Time Turner," Harry said. "My ladies aside, I don't have time in one day to do all that I need to so instead of one day, I get three."
"So you'll die three times faster?"
"Doesn't work that way," Harry said. "So long as my magic is stable, I won't age any faster. Useful thing that time turner for that's how I knew it was safe to come in here."
"Oh?"
"This is my third time through Monday," Harry said. "Had you tried to kill me or something, I would have known about it two days ago for me.
"Why kill you?" Robert quipped. "With twenty-six wives, twenty-two who are or will be pregnant, I think they'll do a far better job of it than I can. All I have to do is sit back and watch you squirm!" he added with a laugh.
"Well," Harry frowned, "on that pleasant note, I'm here to ask you to dine with us and all the other families where you can sit with my other new in-laws and take bets on the nature and timing of my demise, which I also know the lot of you will do although now I don't know if you would have done that had I kept my mouth shut. Sometimes time is a real pain!"