"Nothing's wrong, something happened this year that I need to talk to you about, it's just awkward, so I'm not really sure how to handle it." Harry said. Andromeda was easy to talk to, certainly more so than Nym or Ted would be about this. Nym would tease him, even though he knew she wouldn't judge, and Ted was just generally aloof. Nothing really seemed to phase him at all, so an emotional conversation like this wasn't something Harry felt he could approach him with first.
"Oh Harry, you're a growing boy. You're at that age where things are going to get awkward. Just come out and say it. I'm here for you, and all the weirdness that comes with it." Andy said with a smile, pulling Harry into a quick hug of reassurance. "Now, out with it."
"I… I'm dating a few of the girls from school. Hermione, Padma, Daphne, Susan, and Luna." Harry said, his shoulder's slumping as he managed to get it off my chest. "It was their idea that I'd be dating all of them, I had read a bit that multiple marriages were something that might be expected of me, being the last Potter and all, but… I didn't expect this."
"Oh my, seems I've got a little casanova in my house!" Andy said, chuckling a bit. "I can see why you were nervous to tell me Harry, but you have to remember that I'm from one of those old houses that do that kind of thing. My sisters' and I had all been raised that such a thing might happen to us, that our husbands may have other wives, although it didn't end up happening."
"What do you mean? I know Dad's muggleborn and all, but I didn't know you were from a family like that. Just that you were distantly related to my Dad." Harry said, a little confused.
"Oh, I guess I never really told you anything like that. The family I was from was called the Black family, which is one of the oldest families in Magical Britain. We didn't have the issue of having few heirs because the past few generations had had multiple kids to carry on the lines. That left the daughters of the family free to marry out, and possibly incorporate ourselves into other lines. That's how a Walburga Black managed to marry a Charlus Potter that became your great-grandfather. My two sisters married into other lines, my older sister Bellatrix married into the LeStrange family, which is another really old family. You've met my younger sister, Narcissa, she married Lucius Malfoy. The Malfoys are a new name in Britain, but apparently they're a decently old family in France, but Lucius made his name for himself on his own, as far as my parents were concerned at least." Andy said.
"You never really talk about your family at all. Why is that?" Harry asked.
"Well, the Blacks… they weren't good people. They were all about the 'purity' of pure-blooded wizards, that is that magical families should only marry other magical families. That's why we have the laws that allow for multiple marriages, to keep the number of unique family names high enough in the event that they start dying out. Mother in particular did not take kindly to the fact that I wanted to marry Ted, since he was muggleborn, and not part of an established family. Since I went and married him anyway, I was cast out from the family. After that I only really kept in touch with Narcissa and one of my cousins. Everyone else was so caught up on blood purity, and the war with You-Know-Who that was going on. I don't regret it though. I love Ted, and without him I wouldn't have Nym." Andy said. "I love you too Harry, even if we aren't blood. I'll say you're just as much my son as Nym is my daughter."
"Thanks mum. Why don't you talk to Narcissa and your cousin anymore though? You've never mentioned them." Harry asked.
"Well… Narcissa married Lucius, who has similar feelings about blood purity that the Blacks did. I imagine he had her drop contact with me, or she worried about what he would do if we kept in touch too much. As for my cousin… I thought he was like me, that he didn't believe in the blood purity nonsense, but it looks like I was wrong. He fell in with You-Know-Who, and he's in prison now." Andy said, taking a moment to hug Harry. "Let's not talk anymore about that. You however need to tell me about how all of these girls sunk their hooks into you. Especially Luna, since I haven't met her yet." Andy said with a huge grin. Harry blushed but told her as much as he could.
A few weeks after that conversation, Harry found himself equally embarrassed again, as Andy helped him into his dress clothes for the event he was about to attend. Since Susan, Daphne, Tracey, and Hannah were all pure-blooded witches of established families, they were set to debut themselves to the public, acknowledging that they were now on their paths to becoming young women, and that suitors could think about propositioning them. There were a number of girls all debuting at this event, all of them in his year at Hogwarts, and as Susan and Daphne's boyfriend, he had been invited to attend.
Andromeda thankfully had coached Harry through what to expect at one of these events, having had her own debut in her youth, and encouraged him to simply enjoy the chance to attend an event with his friends. The modernization of wizarding culture had put less emphasis on the 'suitor' aspect of the event, and simply used it as a yearly excuse to have a high society social event. Harry hoped this would hold true this year as well, as few things would make him feel more ill than watching someone like Draco Malfoy trying to 'woo' one of the girls tonight, especially if it was Daphne or Susan.
-----+------
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Vermeail
If you guys wanna check it out.