章 344: HPF161-170
Chapter 161
As they walked in, they saw Sirius standing
off to the side. "Sirius!" Harry happily
exclaimed before ducking across to give his
godfather a hug. One Sirius was happy to
return.
"I hear you've been frustrating Ol' Twinkles a
lot since I last saw you," said Sirius.
"Yep!" beamed Harry. "I figure he'll soon lose
his temper with me enough to act without
proper thought, and create a situation we
can use to get him fired from at least one of
his titles."
Sirius chuckled before pretending to sniffle
and wipe a tear from his eye. "Your father
would be so proud. Quite the little Marauder
you're turning into."
"Alright, that's enough, you two," said Deece,
chuckling a little. As she was speaking, the
Grangers walked in.
"What did we miss?" asked Ant.
"Sirius encouraging Harry to misbehave,"
replied Mathias, holding a chair for Deece.
With an equal number of males to females,
the ladies were all sat at the same time.
Harry sat between his bondmates on one
side of the table, opposite Cele who sat
between Ant and Sirius. The Greengrass
adults sat at opposite ends.
After a very enjoyable meal, Matthias
opened the semi-serious discussion after
dessert by turning to Sirius. "You need to
congratulate your godson, Sirius," he said.
"Why?" asked a surprised Sirius. "Did he
score all Outstandings on his end-of-term
exams?"
"No. He asked Ant and I for the hands of our
daughters in marriage, this afternoon,"
Matthias calmly replied.
Sirius's head snapped to stare in surprised
happy shock at Harry. "Pup!" he exclaimed.
"Well done! And faster than... Wait." He
quickly looked at Matthias and Ant before
asking, "Did you two say yes?"
"Yes," both fathers replied.
"With the bond..." Matthias replied, before
his voice trailed off. "Well, it's going to
happen magically soon, anyway..."
Turning to grin back at Harry, Sirius
exclaimed again, "Pup!" Leaning forward, he
asked, "So, when's the wedding?"
"August," Harry replied. "When in August is
up to Deece and Cele."
"Well done!" Sirius said again. Turning to
Matthias, he asked, "Do we need to
negotiate a contract?"
"Not if they don't want one," Matthias
replied, indicating the teens.
Surprised by the question, Harry replied, "I...
don't know." Turning to look at Daphne he
raised an eyebrow to her in question.
"We'll discuss it, Harry," she replied.
Turning back to Sirius, Harry said, "I didn't
know contracts were still used. But, Daphne's
right, we'll discuss it."
"We'll need to," Sirius said, quite serious all
of a sudden. "As well as being the Head of
House Potter, you're also my Heir Designate
for House Black. I would be remiss in my
duties as both your Head of House for House
Black and supposed Regent for House Potter
if I didn't."
Recognising the seriousness of the situation,
Harry nodded almost solemnly back.
"Good," Sirius said with a firm nod of his
own. "Now that the legally-stuff is out of the
way, have you collected the engagement
rings yet?"
"Errr... Sirius," stuttered Harry. "I've only
asked their fathers for their hands in
marriage; I haven't specifically
asked them yet."
"Too right," said Daphne. "I expect bended
knee, the works, Mister Potter."
"Then, how about we go to Gringotts
tomorrow, and we ask the goblins if we can
go into the heirloom vault to pick up rings?"
he asked. "I'm sure there'll be plenty from
which to choose from within the vault. Or,
we can go to a jeweller and you can pick
something new?"
When he saw his bondmates wanted to see
each other, Harry sat back to allow them.
The girls leaned forward at the same time
and looked at each other. A few moments
later, Daphne said, "New," while Hermione
added, "Matching."
"A jeweller, it is!" Harry firmly stated. "Which
is good. You two need to decide whether you
want something to pair with the promise
rings, or simply replace them with the
engagement rings."
"Wow!" said Cele. "That was just... wow!"
"It's like they've been married for years,
already; isn't it?" asked Deece.
All the adults nodded in response. The three
teens blushed.
Suddenly realising what Harry had said, Cele
sat forward and looked pointedly at
Hermione. "Promise rings?" she asked.
Blushing in embarrassment for not showing
her parents before, Hermione held her hand
out palm down to her mother, across the
table.
Taking her daughter's hand by the fingers,
Cele looked down and saw the ring on her
finger, up close. "It's beautiful!" she softly
said. "I've never seen anything like it."
While Hermione explained the significance of
the stones, their layout and the metal chosen,
Daphne was showing hers to her mother.
Harry had no idea the Greengrasses hadn't
seen the rings before.
"Who designed them?" asked Deece.
"I did," Harry sheepishly replied. "But, it was
the young lass at the jewellers who cleaned
up the design before sending them off to be
made."
"Still, did you design the layout?" she
pressed.
"I did," he replied. "And what stones to use,
the cut, in what order, and why."
"Well, they're perfect," Deece firmly stated.
"The right amount of stone and they tell a
story, as such rings should. Unique and
understated. They'll immediately be family
heirlooms when you pass and will come to
represent part of your family history for
future generations."
"Shall we retire to the parlour?" Matthias
suddenly asked.
With nods, the party of eight moved into the
parlour. Plans were made for the following
day for the teens. Christmas shopping was
also arranged.
The next morning, all eight Floo'ed to the
Leaky Cauldron before immediately heading
into the Alley. Sirius took the three teens
directly to the jewellers while Deece went
with Ant and Cele went with Matthias to
start their own Christmas shopping. They'd
planned to meet for lunch back at one of the
cafes in the Alley.
Chapter 162
Harry led his party direct to the jewellers.
Entering, Harry was happy to see the same
lass behind the counter. "Hello again," he
said to her.
"And, hello again, Mister Potter," she looked
back with a twinkle in her eye and a
matching smirk.
"Yes, well," he blushed. "I hope you'll forgive
me for the little subterfuge of our last
meeting."
"Of course," she said. "And, what can I do for
you, today?"
"I'll be needing matching engagement rings,"
he softly replied.
Looking back in happy surprise she said,
"Well! That was fast!" She turned to the two
girls and asked, "And you're the two lucky
ladies who've found themselves bonded to
our Mister Potter?"
"We are," replied Daphne, a little aloof, while
Hermione only nodded. Their demeanour
was lost as both girls blushed a little.
The sales witch grinned back before she
moved over to slide a large tray of rings out
from under the display case. Beckoning the
three over to look, she asked, "See anything
there you like; or will we be designing
custom rings again?"
"It's up to you two ladies," Harry softly
instructed his bondmates. "If there's nothing
there that takes your fancy, I'm sure we can
find something else; or, go custom."
Daphne looked up and asked the sales witch,
"Anything more suited to a future Missus
Potter? Certain... standards must be kept."
"Of course," the sales witch smoothly replied.
She reached into a set of drawers behind her
and drew forth another tray.
As she laid the tray on the display case
alongside the first, Harry could see this one
had more intricate rings with larger stones.
"Better," Daphne muttered, and both girls
moved to scan through the second tray.
"Something with emeralds in a three stone
setting? Or, multi-stone?" Daphne asked
Hermione.
"Yes, and either," Hermione softly replied.
Suddenly, Hermione's hand snapped up with
a finger pointing close to and at a ring. "That
one?"
"Nice pick," said Daphne, looking closer. "Set
it aside, and we'll see... that one!" Her own
hand with pointed finger had come up to
indicate another ring.
Looking forward, as well, Hermione breathed,
"Nice. We'll set it aside, too."
The girls trawled through the entire ring
collection - both expensive and cheaper - and
had a good dozen rings set aside of similar
styles. All of them had a single large diamond,
or many smaller diamonds. All were settings
offset with emeralds. All were solid gold
bands.
After the first fifteen minutes Harry had
drifted away from watching over the girls to
the other side of the shop. And, while the
girls were occupied, whispered with Sirius
about buying matching earrings and
necklaces.
Thinking about the sort of settings and
arrangements the girls were looking at, Harry
and Sirius quickly had a selection in mind.
"These would look nice for both of them for
the Ball," Sirius whispered. "However, there
are far nicer pieces within the Potter
heirloom vault."
"I... understand that. However, I want the
first two sets I give the ladies to be their
own," replied Harry.
Sirius nodded in understanding and gave
Harry's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Harry!" called Daphne.
"It seems the ladies have reached a
decision," Sirius whispered into Harry's ear.
Both menfolk walked back to the other side
of the store where both girls stood waiting.
"What have you two been up to?" Hermione
asked a little accusatory.
"Browsing," replied Sirius.
Before Hermione could start to question
more, Harry smoothly cut in and asked,
"Reached a decision?"
Both girls looked at each other before
turning back. "We need your help," replied
Daphne.
Both girls stepped apart and indicated two
rings sitting side-by-side on a black velvet
cloth on the display case. One was a cluster
of diamonds ringed with tiny emeralds; the
other was a solitary diamond with a similar
ring of tiny emeralds.
"Can't decide which?" Harry gently asked.
"No," Hermione replied with a little
frustration in her voice.
"Then how about you tell me how you came
to this point and I'll see what we can do from
here," he instructed.
A quick glance at each other and Daphne
covered how she came to decide on the
cluster setting. Then Hermione gave a similar
explanation on how she came to the setting
with the solitary diamond.
Once she'd finished, Harry asked them both,
"Tell me, what is more important to you? Is it
that you match; or that you have the ring of
your heart's desire?
"I know it's a nice idea to have matching
rings; but, both of you are unique. There is
no reason for you to have to be happy with
the same choice." Turning to Hermione he
said, "If the setting with the solitary diamond
is the one you want; then, we'll get that one
for you. Turning then to Daphne, he said,
"And, if the setting with the diamond cluster
is your choice; then, we'll get that one for
you.
"Is this alright with both you ladies?" he
asked.
The two girls looked at each other in surprise
for a long moment before they both turned
to Harry and kissed him on opposing cheeks.
Stepping back, Hermione said, "He's
brilliant."
"Yes," said Daphne. "Who'd have thought?"
And both girls broke into laughter at Harry's
expense while he blushed.
"Ha!" exclaimed Sirius. "Smooth,
pup! Smooooth!"
Still blushing, Harry stepped forward
between the girls and paid for the two rings.
He was relieved to discover that both were
similarly priced; but, winced almost
imperceptibly when told what those prices
were.
With a ring in each of two matching boxes,
Harry pocketed them both and said, "Now
we need to decide when I present them to
you. Do I bend a knee in the presence of your
family, or your friends?"
Chapter 163
Another quick glance between the girls and
they both said, "Family."
"Then, later this afternoon at the Farm, it is,"
he smiled.
With all three teens smiling at each other,
Sirius looked over them at the sales witch
and said, "And you, my dear, will not speak
of this until these three and their families
decide to make it public. Am I clear?"
"Of course," the sales witch replied with a
little curtsey. "I suggest you speak with
Adeline Bancroft. She's the high society
social events reporter. She's not as... rude...
as that Skeeter woman. Besides,
announcements of engagements are her
bailiwick, anyway."
"Thank you," replied Harry, with a small nod.
"You've been most helpful."
The sales witch gave another small smile and
nod in return as they left the store.
Shopping then began in earnest for the teens.
They had to hurry to make what purchases
they wanted through the various stores
before meeting at the cafe for lunch.
A hurried lunch then led to a reorganisation
of the three groups. Harry went with Deece
and Cele, and Hermione and Daphne went
with Matthias and Ant. Sirius prowled on his
own as he first had to visit Gringotts to take
care of some Black family business. The teens
then switched which adults they were with.
And Sirius met up with 'the boys' a little
later.
When he caught up to Harry, Matthias and
Ant, Sirius took Harry aside for a moment.
"It's now official, Harry. You're my Heir."
Quite moved by the gesture, Harry quietly
replied, "Thank you, Sirius. That means a lot
to me. However, I hope you'll soon find
someone who'll be the next Missus Black and
produce an heir of your own."
"I plan on it, pup," his godfather replied with
a smile and a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"However, I'm not rushing things. And, I
wanted to make sure that spawn of Malfoy
couldn't get his hands on the Black fortune."
Harry just nodded in response.
By the time shopping was completed,
everyone was pretty much exhausted, and
they headed back to the Farm by Floo from
the Leaky Cauldron.
Once back at the Farm everyone headed for
their rooms to drop off bags of shopping.
Then Harry asked everyone to meet him in
the parlour.
With Ant and Cele sitting on one couch,
Matthias and Deece sitting on another, and
Sirius in an armchair, Harry asked both girls
to join him in the middle of the floor. With
them standing side-by-side, he dropped to
one knee before them both and took one of
their hands in each of his own.
"I know this bond we share means we will
marry," he said. "However, I also understand
how important it is to young women the
world over to properly be proposed to. And,
though we share a bond, I don't want either
of you to think it means you have to miss out
on things, such as a proposal like your peers
will receive when their time comes.
"So; Daphne Anna Greengrass and Hermione
Jean Granger, will you both do me the great
honour of being my wives?"
"Yes, Harry," they both said almost
simultaneously.
With a happy grin, Harry let go of both their
hands and reached into his pocket where
he'd dropped both ring boxes in the store;
and pulled them out. Carefully, he opened
both boxes and removed the rings from
within.
With Daphne, again, standing to his left and
Hermione to his right, he held the
engagement rings in each hand accordingly.
Both girls glanced at each other with a grin
before both held forth their left hands, palms
down and with fingers splayed.
Making sure to do both at the same time,
Harry slipped the rings onto the ring finger of
each. Thankfully, the two rings flashed
together as they resized from a sizing charm.
He then stood and wrapped both girls into a
three-way hug, as the adults all came
forward to congratulate them.
"That was wonderful!" exclaimed Deece.
"Both, at the same time. No fiancée has
primacy."
"That was the idea," replied Harry. "I hope
something similar can be arranged for the
wedding. I don't want either of them to think
they are my second wife; as I love them both,
equally."
That earned him extra tight hugs and squeals
of pleasure from both girls.
They separated to receive hugs and kisses
from the elders before Harry asked both girls
to step apart for a bit.
Once they'd separated, and the adults
discussed other matters, Harry held a hand
of each girl before him and quietly said, "I
think we should tell them the truth about the
true nature of the three-way bonds."
Both girls looked back with a little shock
before both also showed trepidation. "Do
you think that's wise?" asked Hermione.
"Yes," he replied. "Because of our angels
they all know that this a bond made in
Heaven. I think if we calmly explain it to
them they'll accept it better than you think.
And I don't want it to be a secret from
them."
Both girls glanced at each other for a few
moments before they both nodded. They
were both clearly a little afraid of the
reaction they'd receive; but, they were also
agreed that it was a secret they shouldn't
keep from them.
"Besides," he continued, "When we get
married I want it to be a true three-way
marriage. I don't want it to be me just
marrying two wives."
Thinking while nibbling on her lower lip,
Hermione suddenly looked up with
understanding written on her face. "You
want it so you marry both of us, I marry both
of you, and Daphne marries both of us."
"Yes," he firmly replied. "As it should be."
"Alright," said Daphne. "But, you're the one
who's going to have to tell them."
"I figured as much," he wryly replied. "I'm
also feeling as if I'm being urged to tell them,
anyway."
As the three teens turned to walk back to
join the adults, Harry called out, "Could
everyone please take a seat, again? There's
another important matter we need to tell
you."
Once everyone was, again, seated - this time
with Harry sitting between both his
bondmates on the longest couch - he sat
forward a little and said, "There's another
issue about our relationship we need to tell
you about."
That got everyone's attention.
"What we didn't know when you were each
told about our bond was something we
didn't learn about until later," he explained.
Chapter 164
"Actually, it was Luna... using that natural
mage sight gift she has... who made us aware
of it. It was then confirmed by the school
medi-witch, Madam Pomfrey.
"Luna saw that there wasn't just a soul bond
between me and Daphne, and me and
Hermione. She also saw that there was a
latent soul bond between Hermione and
Daphne that needed to be established. She
let us know that the three-way soul bond
was a true three-way soul bond. Using her
gift she explained that the bonds between
me and these two lovely ladies would not
reach full potential without the simultaneous
bonding between them."
"Wait," said Sirius. Indicating Hermione and
Daphne he asked, "There's a soul bond
between Hermione and Daphne, too?"
"Yes and no," corrected Harry. "It would be
better to say there is a soul bond between
Hermione, Daphne and I. It's one bond with
the three of us. We had only been working
on two-thirds of the bond and didn't know
about the final third. That final third is the
part between Hermione and Daphne."
Clearly confused, Matthias asked, "But, how
can you possibly finalise such a bond?"
Hermione replied, "With Luna's and Madam
Pomfrey's help, we have... discovered... that
it is not the physical act of love that will
strengthen or finalise a bond. It's all based
on emotion.
"What we have discovered or otherwise
determined is that the bond strengthens
when our feelings of commitment and
intimacy with one another is strengthened. If
you think about it, sexual intercourse...
coitus... besides being a physical act of love,
is a representation of the ultimate in
intimacy between two people.
"Harry logically argued that a soul bond
couldn't form between two people when the
act of sexual intercourse did not also contain
emotional intimacy, such as what occurs in
an act of prostitution... or rape."
"That's... quite profound," said Deece, sitting
back and thinking to herself. "It would mean
that what we have come to believe about the
creation, development and sealing of bonds
is wrong."
"Well, the creation of them is right,"
corrected Harry. "Just, not why it's right.
John clarified it for me."
"And why is it a kiss that establishes the
bond?" asked Matthias.
"For exactly the same reason a dementor
sucks out your soul through the mouth with
the Dementor's Kiss," replied Harry. "As odd
as it sounds, the mouth is the most direct
route from outside the body to the soul. Plus,
connecting mouth-to-mouth is quite an
intimate act. That is the time when two souls
come their closest to one another in a
moment intimate for both involved. Hence
the term, 'Love's First Kiss'."
"Have you established the part of the bond
between Hermione and Daphne?" asked
Deece.
Both girls blushed while Harry calmly replied,
"Yes. It occurred a few days after we found
out about it, in the presence of both Luna
and Madam Pomfrey, in the infirmary at
Hogwarts. And, yes, there was also the bright
flaring of silvery aura between them. Only
this time, it also covered me.
"Immediately after the aura glow faded,
Madam Pomfrey confirmed the
establishment of the part of the bond
between them."
"And why have you decided to tell us about
this, now," asked a visibly but quietly
perturbed Ant.
"Because, when we marry in August, I think
it's a good idea for the wedding... not to be
just me marrying Hermione and Daphne, and
each marrying me... but, me marrying
Hermione and Daphne, Hermione marrying
me and Daphne, and Daphne marrying me
and Hermione; a true three-way marriage.
And Deece and Cele needed to know this for
their plans for the wedding."
"You're alright with this?" Ant asked
Hermione, directly.
"Yes, Daddy," Hermione quietly, but firmly,
replied. "Remember who set this up."
With a visible sag of surrender, he said, "I
don't know how those three... angels... are
going to work this so our family and friends
don't see anything wrong..."
"There is nothing wrong to see, anyway, Sir,"
Harry firmly interrupted. "I know the mores
of Christianity erroneously view a marriage
must only be between a man and a woman,
but you know now that is incorrect.
You know it."
With a gesture of his hands in quick
surrender, Ant quickly said, "Forgive me,
please. It... was a poor choice of words."
With a sigh, he continued, "I meant... how
the angels would stop our family and friends
seeing that which would completely shake
their personal worldviews."
"I don't think that's what's going to happen,
Ant," said Matthias. "From what I figure,
your family and friends will still see
everything; it just won't appear to be
anything... out of the ordinary... for them. I
daresay they'll be magically compelled not to
talk about it later."
"That was my impression, as well," added
Deece. "If it doesn't happen, their memories
of the event will have to be removed from
them."
"What? Why?" asked Cele.
"The International Statute of Wizarding
Secrecy for our world was established in
1692 to hide us away from the muggle
world," explained Matthias. "However, that
was well before the creation of spells and
potions that could remove the memory of
the magical world from the minds of muggles.
It was also too much, too late.
"By 1692 the witch hunts, in England, were at
an end. The last known witch to be executed
was a muggleborn witch by the name of
Temperance Lloyd, a decade earlier. And,
very quickly after that, witch hunting became
a crime punishable by death in the muggle
English courts. No such witch hunting that
has lead to the death of another has
occurred since.
"No, the Statute was only passed by the
newly formed ICW, the International
Confederation of Wizards, because of the rise
of such witch hunts in other parts of the
world. It was no longer a problem, here.
Though, to be fair, we didn't know that until
about a century later."
"And, though Magical Britain doesn't know it,
or won't accept the truth of it, those in
senior enough positions of authority within
the United Kingdom... muggle Britain...
government are well aware of the existence
of magical Britain and the rest of the
wizarding world," added Harry.
"Pardon?" asked a clearly shocked Matthias
while Deece looked back in fear.
"Look. The Wizengamot derives its name
from the Witenagemot; which is an Old
English word meaning 'Meeting of Wise Men'.
They, because there was more than one and
up to about a dozen, were councils of the
ennobled and important ecclesiastical
members of society formed to advise the
current kings. They're known to have existed
from sometime in the seventh century to the
eleventh century.
"In the eleventh century it was replaced by
the conquering Norman King, William the
First, by the single Curia Regis... King's
Council... which then remained until the
signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. The Curia
Regis then quickly morphed into what
became the founding of modern Parliament
with its various ministries.
"Now, if there's one thing any organised
body that is successful generates a lot of, its
paperwork... parchmentwork. You have
records of meetings, legislation, notes,
minutes, reports, all sorts of things like that.
And, as is their wont, such paperwork is
rarely destroyed. Such documents form the
basis of records in large libraries. Even the
Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic know
this and work that way.
"So, even though the Statute made it
international law to keep the wizarding
world a secret since 1695, there have existed
records of the wizarding world, in the muggle
world, since as far back as the seventh
century. That's over a thousand years of
bureaucracy documenting everything. Yes, a
great much of that has since been destroyed;
but, not the very important stuff. Historians
and record keepers of their day would not
have stood for it.
"Also, spells and potions, including the
Obliviation curse, do not destroy those
documents. A great many of them still exist
through to today. So, it is not a stretch of the
imagination to come to the conclusion that
the wizarding world is well known by the
muggle world in positions of great authority
in muggle government. The chance it is not is
so slim as to be considered nigh impossible.
"What the Statute of Secrecy actually
manages to accomplish is to keep
the average muggle citizen unaware of the
wizarding world; not the muggle world as a
whole. It would not surprise me, in the
slightest, that the United Kingdom has
departments within their multitude of
bureaucracies that are tasked with
monitoring wizarding Britain; nor, that the
same could be said for other governments
around the world."
"Sweet Merlin!" breathed Matthias, utterly
shocked with the truth of Harry's 'lesson' in
English government history. "Why did none
of us think of that?"
"One of the main differences between the
muggle world and the wizarding world is that
those raised in the muggle world have grown
up knowing to question
practically everything. Muggles are far more
inquisitive than magicals. There are a great
many muggles whose job in life is to discover
knowledge. Some do it as historians, some
do it by observing and experimenting with
the modern world in its various facets, and
some look to what knowledge does not exist
now and try to figure out when the answers
will be able to be discovered.
"Those raised in the wizarding world,
however, often come to the conclusion that
something is so because of magic, and don't
look any further. They don't understand the
tenets of what's known as 'critical thinking'...
Never assume, never accept; always question.
The most powerful word in the lexicon
arsenal of a muggle is: 'Why', closely
followed by 'What', 'When' and similar. And
they will not accept the answer, 'Because it
is'. And Cele demonstrated that when she
immediately asked 'why?' when you said the
Obliviators would need to be called in if the
angels didn't do their thing to the muggle
guests at the wedding. For her, it was nearly
an instinctive reaction to ask."
"Annnnd... that's just brought us back to the
original question," said Deece. "I suggest we
leave things there so we can go and enjoy
the evening meal the elves have made for us.
I don't know about the muggles
having their worldviews upset; but, that
knowledge has just upset ours."
The eight then headed into the informal
dining room for a wonderful dinner. By
unspoken agreement, the subject of
wizarding secrecy law was not discussed
again.
Chapter 165
The next evening, Harry raised a new topic.
"Late yesterday afternoon we talked about
the latent part of the soul bond between
Hermione and Daphne. I know that came as
quite a shock because, as Matthias asked,
how would we finalise such a bond.
"At that time we told you how we figured
out it has more to do with the emotional side
of love, rather than the physical side. Now
that you've had time to think that over, I
think I need to explain further the nature of
souls."
With head nods from the adults, Harry
explained, "I had a bit of... what do they call
it?... an epiphany. A... sudden understanding
of the concepts of life, body and souls. I've
now come to understand that matter better. I
think it was our angels who first got me
thinking about it. And I think my angel,
specifically, had something to do with that."
Seeing the understanding on the faces of
everyone else, he continued. "People tend to
think we are what you see before you; the
flesh and blood and personality; and that we
have souls. I believe that is incorrect."
Seeing the confusion he clarified. "I believe
we do not have souls; we are souls, and
we have bodies.
"Now, think about that for a minute. If I'm
right... and I believe I am... it answers a lot of
questions concerning why, for example,
Dementor's Kiss Syndrome has the effect it
has; and what the Killing Curse actually
accomplishes."
Harry could see the dawning understanding
on the face of Matthias, Deece and Sirius;
but, not Ant and Cele.
"You see, the Dementor's Kiss strips the soul
from the body. If you are the soul, as I
believe, it explains why Dementor's Kiss
Syndrome leaves the body functioning but
there being absolutely no response from the
person within. The reason is because there is
no longer anyone there to respond.
"The body has what're known as autonomic
functions. The heart beating, the lungs
breathing, food in the stomach being
processed, the liver and kidneys filtering your
blood, et cetera, are not controlled by the
person. They all happen apart from conscious
thought. That is, they are not controlled by
the soul within. However, while food being
processed in the stomach is automatic, the
act of eating and drinking is not automatic;
that requires conscious thought. You have to
be in control of the physical body. So, with no
food or water going into the body, it soon
dies. It also explains why the Imperious curse
doesn't work on someone who's been
Kissed.
"As for the Killing Curse, it works by stopping
the body like snuffing a candle. It snuffs
out life by making the body instantly unable
to sustain continued life. That immediately
renders the body uninhabitable for the soul.
The soul is driven out and lives on, but the
body doesn't. In a way, it is the exact
opposite of the Dementor's Kiss.
"Now, the proof. If a person didn't exist
within the soul, rather than the body, then
you wouldn't have ghosts. They would be
impossible to exist. A spirit, without
consciousness, is impossible. And we know
ghosts have consciousness; they think. We
can talk to them and they will talk back to us.
Ergo, you are the spirit, the soul, not the
body you currently inhabit. That is only a
physical shell you inhabit to interact with the
physical world.
"Secondly, it explains how Voldemort...
Riddle... is going to come back. At the
moment he is a spirit... a soul without a body.
We three know he is going to create himself
a body for that soul to enter and remain
inhabiting.
"I just thank the Gods he either hasn't
thought of it, or can't figure out how, to
inhabit a body that's been Kissed. And I pray
to all that is Heavenly that no one else ever
does, either."
He let them gel on that for a while before he
brought the subject back around.
"Now let's bring that back to us three," he
said, indicating himself and the two girls.
"It's called a soul bond, not a body bond.
That implies it deals with our souls rather
than our bodies. They've at least got that
right. This is one of the reasons why I believe
it's not the physical act of love but, rather,
the spiritual act of love and commitment to
one another that both strengthens the bond
and will eventually see it finalised and
sealed.
"Proof of that exists in that there
has never been a soul bond or binding
formed through an act of sexual assault, or
similar; or through an act of prostitution, or
similar; as Hermione mentioned, last night.
"You see, our sex is determined by our
physical form - male and female. But, our
souls are not, except for physical shape. Our
souls become shaped due to the physical
form, which is why ghosts always have the
shape of their body at the time of their death.
That includes defects such as
Nearly-Headless Nick's near total
decapitation, Moaning Myrtle's glasses,
Professor Binns's aged frailness, and the
Bloody Baron's blood upon his robes, to
name a few.
"And the physical form, through body
chemicals, impresses on the thinking; and,
therefore, the person - the soul. That,
together with society's mores, is how man
becomes attracted to woman and vice versa.
However, sometimes, the body chemicals do
not impress fully upon the soul because the
chemicals are weaker... or, the soul is simply
stronger... and you occasionally have
homosexuality.
"For us three," he said, again indicating
himself and his bondmates, "Our souls are
bonded, and it was done through Heaven.
The souls that are Harry James, Daphne Anna
and Hermione Jean, are bonded. Or, more to
the point, are in the process of bonding. It's
our souls that are attracted to one another.
As such our sexes, and our chemically-driven
sexuality, have nothing to do with it. Because
of the body chemicals impinging on our
thinking, it both helps a lot and gets in the
way. However, it's us as souls that will soon
finalise the bond. And we are not owned by
our individual sexes."
When he finished, he sat back, but remained
a little tense worried about their reactions.
Surprising to Harry, it was Hermione who
first spoke. "Harry," she asked. "When did
you become a metaphysical philosopher?"
Harry snorted and replied, "I've always been
one, I think. Or, at least, a general
philosopher. It was those bloody potions that
stopped me from being able to think so well.
Now that Weasley's no longer dosing me
with loyalty potions and the like my mind's
becoming freer. I'm able to
properly think again."
"That's... deep!" said Sirius, the first of the
adults to respond; and not having heard
Hermione, he was so deep in thought.
"I'll say!" snorted Ant.
"If he's right, it explains a lot," said Deece. "It
also makes a great deal of sense."
"It also makes the idea of Daphne and
Hermione... interacting... a great deal easier
to accept," said Matthias.
"Which, I think, is the reason he explained
it," added Cele.
Harry smiled and nodded.
"So, what you're saying is," asked Ant. "We
need to stop thinking of you three as the
physical you; and start thinking of you as the
soul you?"
Chapter 166
"No and yes," replied Harry. "You know us as
the physical us. I cannot expect you to think
any differently to that on that matter. What
I'm asking you to start considering is the soul
us, as well.
"I know society's mores makes it hard for you
to accept there will be a... more intimate
relationship... between Hermione and
Daphne. I'm trying to give you something to
help you rationalise it, so you'll be more
comfortable with it."
"It does help," said Cele. "And I can't believe
I've just realised that."
"It helps me!" said Daphne, giving Harry a
very direct look. "I just wish you'd shared it
with us, first."
"Sorry," Harry sheepishly replied. "But,
something inside me told me the time wasn't
right until now."
"You're going to have to give me this talk
again later, Harry," grouched Hermione. "I
don't have the manuscript for our book on
hand. This needs to go into the book."
"Book?" asked Deece.
"We've been asked to write a book about
soul bonds by Madam Pomfrey," explained
Hermione. "She wants us to document
everything we learn so people's
understanding of soul bonds can be
enhanced... or corrected."
"You're not using your names, are you?"
asked a suddenly worried Matthias.
"No," she replied. "We'll use pseudonyms for
the actual characters. And we've agreed to
use nom de plumes... pen names... for the
authors. Not even the eventual publishers
will be allowed to know our real names."
"When you've got the time to write it down,
Hermione, ask Matthias if you can borrow his
pensieve to check your own memory of this,"
suggested Harry.
"That's a good idea," said Matthias, nodding.
"I think I'll do the same. There are aspects of
that... lesson... that I want to speak with
others about. Dementor's Kiss Syndrome and
the effects of the Killing Curse, for example.
If Harry's right, and I think he is, it'll open up
new research into both of those."
Gathering herself, Deece asked, "I think we
all need time to absorb what we've just
heard. Who's up for an evening libation?"
With affirmatives from the group, a house elf
was called to take orders.
Once everyone had a drink of their choice,
Harry started on the next part of what he
wanted to share with them.
"Now, on the matter of ghosts," he said,
licking his lips of suds of butterbeer. "Does
anyone know the reason why only magicals
become ghosts? Or why, after centuries of
searching using vivisection and the like,
they've never actually been able to find what
it is in the physical body that makes a muggle
different to a magical?"
After head shakes all round, he explained.
"Both those subjects have, essentially, the
same answer. It's because witches and
wizards don't control magic with their bodies;
they control it with their souls. And that's
because magic is channelled through the soul;
not the body.
"When you think about it, the proof is before
you when you meet a ghost and discover that
only magicals can become ghosts. A ghost, as
you now know, is a soul that has yet to pass
on to the afterlife. And, it's only through
their ability to wield magic that a soul
doesn't immediately pass on with the death
of the physical body.
"If magic was part of the body instead of the
soul, then as soon as the soul departed the
body it would be no different to the soul of a
muggle. Therefore it would, just as muggles'
souls do, pass on.
"I started thinking about this at the end of
second year when the piece of Tom Riddle's
soul that was locked into his diary began to
draw off the life force of Ginny Weasley,
before I destroyed the diary.
"Even before that soul piece was fully
corporeal, Riddle was able to wield and use
Ginny's wand. He used it against me. If the
magic is channelled through the physical
body, that should not have been possible. So,
too, should it not have been possible if magic
is not channelled through the soul.
"Next, ghosts can talk. We can hear them.
That should not be possible without magic.
Air does not pass through lungs and out over
vocal chords to make sound; sound, which
we hear as speech. So, it must be magic in
the soul of the ghost that allows it to talk to
us. Magic recognises the need and replaces
the operation of the vibrating vocal chords.
"It also explains muggleborns a lot more
thoroughly. It makes no sense, whatsoever,
that there is continually occurring the same
genetic... alteration... that causes a
muggleborn to suddenly occur across very
diverse people. However, it becomes obvious
when you understand the number of children
born to magicals has substantially dropped
off. Those souls waiting to be born have to
go somewhere. So, it's into the forming
bodies of muggle foetuses they go."
After Harry quietened and sat back again,
Mathias said, "Again that makes a lot of
sense. I'm definitely going to have to talk to
some people about this."
"Damn, Potter," muttered Daphne. "You're
both full of surprises and a lot smarter than
you act."
Harry just impudently grinned back.
Talk then devolved to lighter topics for the
rest of the evening before bed.
With the Yule Ball taking place at the school
the next night, the Greengrasses arranged for
their Yule dinner the evening before,
Christmas Eve.
The intervening days since their major
shopping trip to Diagon Alley saw a trip
shopping at a muggle shopping mall, led by
the Grangers; quiet days at the Farm; Daphne
attempting to teach Harry and Hermione
how to ride a horse - somewhat successful
for Hermione, but an unmitigated disaster for
Harry; Harry coaxing Hermione onto a broom
for more advanced lessons in riding a broom;
and time spent together for Harry to get to
know his future in-laws and his godfather
better, and the girls to get to know their own
future in-laws.
By Christmas Eve even Ant had come to
accept his daughter was soon to be married
to two people; one of whom was another
girl.
The next morning, the combined families
were gathered in the parlour around the
Christmas tree, under which was piled the
gifts in a manner similar to muggle families.
Matthias offered the position of 'Gift Giver'...
the person who sits near the tree and hands
the gifts out... to Sirius. And, Sirius was both
deeply honoured and quite moved by the
gesture.
With gifts being passed out in quite an
orderly fashion, there did not exist the usual
large mess of torn and shredded Christmas
wrapping paper; of which the Greengrass
elves seemed somewhat disappointed.
Chapter 167
Harry picked up a usual haul, without the
cheap and homemade sweets and jumper
from the Weasleys, this year. He also
watched carefully as he and Sirius gave each
other a direct look as he passed Harry's gifts
to both girls.
Harry, feeling quite pleased with himself,
watched as both opened their gifts at the
same time and saw the earrings and necklace
chokers within. He'd bought them when he
was with Ant and Matthias and the girls were
off with Cele and Deece during their
shopping within the Alley.
Both girls looked completely dumbfounded
by the gifts, at first, before Daphne softly
said, "Oohh... Harrrry!" They then both
attempted to snog him to within an inch of
his life before both Ant and Matthias directly
and pointedly cleared their throats as their
wives unabashedly grinned and Sirius was
trying not to laugh. All three teens were
blushing as they separated.
Giving his own throat a little clearing cough,
Harry said, "I thought you might like them to
wear for tonight."
"They'll be perfect," gushed Hermione, again
looking down at the earrings and choker
within its velvet-lined box.
"Mmm," hummed Daphne with a verbal nod
in agreement, still looking down at her own
earrings and choker.
Remus even stopped in to wish everyone a
Merry Christmas and was immediately
invited to stay for a while and enjoy
Christmas lunch. He told them what he'd
been up to since they last saw him at
Hogwarts, and how he was, yet again,
looking for work.
For what looked like it might have been an
often offered offer, Sirius offered Remus
access to 'The London House' at Grimmauld
Place for him to stay; and Remus gratefully
declined, yet again.
Trying to reduce the embarrassment... or add
to it, he knew not which... Harry said to
Sirius, "He probably has a secret girlfriend he
doesn't want you to know about yet,
Padfoot."
With his eyes alight with glee, Sirius turned
to Remus and asked, "Is that it, Moony ol'
mate? You've got a secret giiirrrlfriend?"
Blushing... Remus stammered back, "N-no,
no! Nothing like that. No!"
Remus asked Harry for a quiet word after
lunch, and they stepped into the entrance
hall for a few minutes.
"What did you want to talk to me about,
Moony?" asked Harry.
Harry could see his other honourary uncle
thought it was a difficult matter to discuss
and took a few moments to compose his
thoughts. Eventually, he sighed and asked,
"Harry, do you suddenly dislike Dumbledore?
Has he done something that's greatly
offended you?"
Harry stared back for a few moments before
he replied, "That depends. Is it you asking; or,
is it you asking on his behalf?"
Confused, Remus asked, "Does it matter?"
"Yes," he replied, almost coldly. "It's time for
flat-out, straight-up honesty, here, Remus. So,
is it you asking, or did he ask you to ask on
his behalf?"
Still somewhat confused, but now quite
aware this was something important to his
cub, Remus quietly but honestly replied, "It's
me asking, cub."
Allowing the tension that he didn't realise he
had been feeling to ease out of his body,
Harry said, "Then, yes and no. I've recently
put a great deal of thought into what's been
happening in my life, both before and after
starting at Hogwarts, and have come to
understand that Dumbledore has been
responsible for almost all the bad things that
have happened to and around me.
"He is responsible for ignoring the wishes of
my parents in where I was to be placed if I
was orphaned; he is responsible for not
checking up on me to make sure I was being
well cared for while under the abusive hands
of my muggle aunt and uncle; he is
responsible for knowingly and continually
sending me back to an abusive environment
when both I and Madam Pomfrey made him
aware of the condition of my health, when I
arrived at Hogwarts as an eleven year
old; he has illegally, and with full
understanding of the law, often cast
Legilimens upon me; he has known Snape
does the same thing; he blocked me from
receiving any mail from someone not
on his personal approval list, and that
included Gringotts; he is partly responsible
for Sirius not being given a trial, and being
sent straight to Azkaban; he is responsible for
Sirius not getting a trial when he escaped,
when he had it in his power to do so; he was
supposed to be responsible for looking after
my family's financial holdings until I was
emancipated, and didn't do it, causing great
financial harm to me and mine; he attempted
to use compulsion charms on both myself
and my bondmates to force our compliance,
and was caught red-handed in the
act; he had both Hermione and me loaded up
with tracking charms left, right and centre,
and some of those were blood-based, which
is illegal; he is aware the Weasleys attempted
to secretly dose me with love potions keyed
to Ginevra, and loyalty potions keyed to Ron,
plus other things, and then allowed them to
return to the school; he then attempted to
pervert the course of justice and get them all
off when I forced it to trial; and there's quite
a bit more. However, those are the ones I
know for sure and am willing to talk about.
"He is actively working towards trying to
control me through: Withholding information
from me, such as the true wealth of my
holdings; why Riddle is still trying to kill me
and why he's trying to control me;
attempting to guilt-trip me into staying a
student at Hogwarts and giving up my hard
won emancipation; illegally and in direct
contravention of my parents' wishes,
maintaining magical guardianship over me;
using the portraits, ghosts and house elves of
Hogwarts to spy on me; trying to stop me
from leaving the school grounds as is my
right; trying to butt into my House business,
including attempting to put up listening
charms in a sealed and warded room where
I'm involved in House business; plus others.
"He is absolutely terrified I'm going to take
myself, my bondmates and Daphne's little
sister and transfer us all to another school
outside of Britain; and won't say why he's
terrified of that.
"The man has a very frighteningly unhealthy
interest in me. I do not like it, and will no
longer tolerate it. Because of
his known actions, at least, I consider the
man my personal enemy and on my personal
enemy list. And, anyone doing his bidding, is
automatically added to that list when I learn
who they are.
"There are far, far too many people who
think the sun shine's out of that whiskered
wanker's arse; and that he can do no wrong.
He has people convinced to do the wrong
thing all because he says it's for some
undefined amorphous 'Greater Good', and
will never tell anyone what that supposed
greater good actually is. I fully intend to get
as far from him and his greasy clutches as I
can, as soon as I can.
"He has all these people under his control
through that little illegal bird club of his. And
they, too, are quite happy to break the law
for him if he asks. That included Sirius;
though, not any more. I consider those
people also on my enemy list. So, if you're in
that club, resign from it or consider your
honourary uncle status revoked. If I had
thought he'd sent you here to spy on me, I
would not have hesitated to take you down,
through whatever means necessary, and
throw your arse head first through the Floo
into the Three Broomsticks.
Chapter 168
"Does that answer your question?"
Gaping back in complete shock, Remus
stuttered, "Y-yes, Harry; it does."
"Good," Harry firmly said back. "Now; I'm
sorry for becoming such a hard-arse about it;
but I and my family, here, seem to be
spending way too much time blocking
Dumbledore from interfering with me and
mine. He just won't quit."
"We three have spent the better part of the
past four months learning every ward and
detection charm we can learn to block that
manipulative old coot from, again, getting
me in his clutches. You wouldn't believe how
many tracking and monitoring charms we've
found. Our two personal house elves are
having a lot of fun finding and destroying
those charms on an almost daily basis.
They're also the only two house elves we
allow to prepare our meals and drinks while
in the castle.
"So, Remus, you have choice to make; stay
away from him and his subtle little
manipulations... or me."
"That's going to be difficult, cub," Remus
sighed. "He's done so much for me."
"Ah, yes," said Harry. "He let you attend
Hogwarts. Tell me, Remus: How
many other children with a furry little
problem has he allowed to attend? None.
How many were, or are, just as worthy and
would have been willing to take the same
protections you did? Probably a great many.
So, why haven't there been any others?
"If you do run into him, be prepared for him
to try and manipulate you. One of the one's
he'll definitely use is trying to guilt-trip you
into doing what he wants because he
allowed you attend the school. The second
will be to tell you it's for the Greater Good
and expect you to comply. All the while he'll
adopt that much disappointed favourite
grandfather persona he uses, with his eyes
twinkling merrily away. You'll see.
"He's also tried to talk to both my
bondmates away from me; which is also
illegal; using the same tactics. Please, don't
allow him to do it to you. Plus, if you do run
into him, as soon as you're away from him,
check yourself for tracking and monitoring
charms. He can't seem to help himself, there.
"And, finally, don't look him directly in the
eyes at close distances. As I said, he's a
master Legilimens and is able to scan your
surface thoughts without use of the
Legilimens charm. That twinkly eye thing he
does? It's a cantrip designed to draw your
eyes to his so he can do the passive scan."
"He might try a few other things first before
he finally resorts to, 'Remus, my boy; you're
going dark!' and adopt an expression of
fearful concern. That, at least, should prove
to you he's a manipulative old bastard.
Apparently, he's tried similar with Sirius; just
as he continues to try with me.
Frowning but nodding, Remus sighed and
said, "Alright, cub. I'll go and talk to Sirius
about it, first; but I'm concerned you may be
reading into things as sinister actions where
nothing of the sort actually exists."
"Good," Harry nodded back. "Always
question; never just accept something as fact
without further evidence. No wonder you
were the brains behind the Marauders."
Taking a breath and trying to relax again, he
asked, "Shall we go and find out what
everyone else is up to?"
With a nod, the old wolf followed Harry back
to the other guests.
After Remus spent some time apart with
Sirius, he came back to again wish Harry a
Merry Christmas before he left. Harry could
see he was not very happy with what Sirius
had told him.
Looking to his godfather, Harry asked,
"Remus not happy with what he heard?"
"Yeah," sighed Sirius. "He tried to tell me
you've become over-the-top paranoid.
However, I then stepped him through
everything I knew... which seemed to
confirm a lot of what you told him... and he's
having trouble accepting it. His problem is,
he doesn't want to accept it; but, his logical
side is telling him it's all true. He'll need to
work through it for himself. Give him time."
Harry nodded back.
It wasn't too much longer that both girls,
with both mothers, disappeared claiming
they were getting ready. And that Harry
wasn't to enter Daphne's 'old' room until
they said he could.
He quickly glanced at his new watch, a gift
from both girls, and saw that it was barely
2.30 in the afternoon.
"Four hours, we've got, before the portkey,"
he muttered to his godfather. "What takes
them so bloody long to get ready?"
"They like to make it a 'ladies time' for
bonding," Sirius replied with a grin. "Besides,
neither of your girls has been able to spend
time with their mothers since you've arrived.
This gives them time to talk about things
they'd rather the menfolk not know about."
"And what are the menfolk supposed to do
while we wait?" asked Harry.
"We bond," Sirius laughed, before wrapping
Harry in a hug and giving him a 'noogie'.
Releasing him, he dragged Harry over to the
two fathers. "Harry's a bit miffed because
the girls have disappeared for four hours."
Both men grinned back. Matthias said,
"Enjoy it while you can. It's not often you can
get out from under the watchful gaze of your
spouse."
"That's why I took up clay pigeon shooting,"
said Ant. "Cele can't stand the noise of the
guns, so leaves me to it."
"Mine's golf," admitted Matthias. "I once
heard another man say it meant 'Gents only,
ladies forbidden'. But, I think he was just
making a joke. I see many ladies playing the
sport."
"He was!" laughed Ant. "Ladies have been
playing golf for over a century."
Harry sighed and said, "I only played
Quidditch. However, now that we've been
re-sorted to be together in Ravenclaw,
Hermione's put her foot down and won't let
me play, anymore."
"Why in Merlin's name not?" asked Sirius,
honestly curious and clearly a little offended
for his godson.
"Well, out of the two games I played in first
year, A possessed Professor Quirrell hexed
my broom to try and throw me off. He
succeeded but I caught the snitch in my
mouth and was only saved from being badly
hurt from the fall by Professor Snape. The
second game was okay. But, I missed the
third because I was already in hospital.
"In second year, in my first game, a bespelled
bludger was used to attack me. It broke my
wrist and arm. I then crashed while catching
the snitch one-handed and was lucky I wasn't
hurt any further. Because of that faker,
Gilderoy Flophart, I had to have all the bones
in my right arm regrown. The second match
against Ravenclaw was alright. I didn't get
hurt there. And the third game was cancelled
because it was the day Hermione and
Penelope Clearwater were petrified by the
basilisk.
Chapter 169
"In third year, first game, I was attacked by
dementors and knocked out. I feel about five
hundred feet, but Dumbledore managed to
tag me with an Arrest Motion charm while I
was falling, and someone else cast a
cushioning charm on the ground directly
under me. I woke up in the infirmary. In the
second game, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle
attempted to sabotage my broom. It nearly
worked, too. But, Hermione was able to stop
them before they were successful. And in the
third game, I ended up bruised and a little
bloody as the Slytherins played really rough.
That was a short few hours in the infirmary.
"Of course, this year, Quidditch was
cancelled due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
I wanted to organise a few pick-up games but
that's when Hermione, with Daphne backing
her, put her foot down. Her argument is that
since I've gotten hurt so much, and that
Madam Pomfrey has even put a bronze
plaque up over one of the beds with my
name on it stating that bed is reserved for
my personal use, it's time I hung my
Quidditch armour up. Plus, with the re-sort, I
can no longer be the seeker for the Lions.
And they both say it wouldn't be fair to Cho
Chang to knock her off her slot as seeker for
the Ravens, if I wanted to play for the
Ravenclaw team.
"Besides, she thinks I've already got enough
opportunities to get hurt by being in the
Tournament. She also added that, if I get hurt
playing Quidditch, that could jeopardise me
being well enough for any of the events of
the Tournament. That would put my magic at
risk for not being able to compete."
"You have a bed with your name on it?"
asked a chuckling Sirius. "You're more like
your father than you think. I think he had a
similar plaque over a bed."
"I'm still allowed to ride my broom, though,"
said Harry. "I think they've decided they can
only push it so far before I'd baulk. Besides, I
really only played seeker for something to do
while riding my broom. Even now I take a
snitch out with me when I ride at the pitch;
and just practice chasing it down. I think they
know I still pull the dangerous moves but
justify it to themselves by way of; if they
can't see it, it doesn't happen."
"Maybe we should think about finding you a
different sport, Harry," mused Ant. "I'd like
to take you out, next summer, down to the
range I'm a member of; to see what you're
like handling a shotgun."
"And to the golfing range," added Matthias.
"I'd like it if my son-in-law enjoyed whacking
a little white ball and walking for a few hours
with me. It'll give us a chance to talk,
occasionally."
Surprised at the offers, Harry was quite
moved and replied, "Thank you. Yeah. Thank
you, both. I'd like to try both, if you don't
mind."
"We can do that," replied Ant.
"Besides," said Harry, with a wry grin. "I
think a muggle shotgun would be
a wonderful weapon to use against Death
Eaters who're trying to kill me."
Three hours later, Harry hurried upstairs to
'his' room to get changed. When he walked
in the door, he could see his formal robes for
the Ball were already laid out; including his
accessories, underwear, shoes and socks.
A quick shower and dry, shave and teeth
brushing and he was ready quite quickly and
early.
When he returned downstairs, Sirius was the
first to stand to greet him. "Looking suave
there, Pup."
His godfather then walked across and
adjusted a few things before stepping back to
take another look. "Yeah, looking good."
"I think there's going to be quite a few young
witches who're going to be quite jealous of
our Daphne and Hermione," said Matthias.
The men teased him for a little while longer
before both fathers were called upstairs. A
minute later they were each leading their
daughters back downstairs.
Harry took one look at his girls and forgot to
breathe.
He just stood there, not realising his mouth
was agape until his godfather reached across
and used a finger to push his jaw closed.
That's when he discovered he was quite
light-headed from lack of oxygen.
He swayed a little before stepping forward.
"You both look... divine!" he softly told
them.
Daphne was wearing a shimmering green
dress with one bare shoulder. It hugged her
torso to low on the hips before it was met
with a gathering of material that fell as a
loose skirt to the ankle. The entire dress was
trimmed with very fine silver beading. With
her hair done up in soft waves the jewellery
Harry bought her for Christmas accessorised
it all perfectly. She held in her gloved hand a
small silver clutch purse.
Hermione was wearing a similar style dress.
However her bodice had both shoulders
covered, sleeveless and with a modestly
plunging neckline in silver with emerald
highlights, before it ended with a similar flare
at the hips akin to Daphne's, also dropping as
a skirt to the ankle. Unlike Daphne she
showed just the hint of cleavage between her
breasts. Her hair was in a similar style but
was shaped with soft curls to drop over one
shoulder. She, too, was carrying a similar
clutch purse in a gloved hand and was
wearing the jewellery Harry bought her for
Christmas. Again, they were perfect on her.
The three stood for photographs, for a little
while, before Matthias said, "You'll need to
go beyond the wards before your portkey will
work. I'd say Floo to the Three Broomsticks
first; but, you don't want to get any soot on
you."
"I had Mikey clear a patch of path on the
other side of the front gate, a little while
ago," said Deece. Jelly and Mikey will elf
apparate you to that spot and you can
portkey from there."
With about a minute to go, Matthias and Ant
brought capes they'd been carrying forward
and helped the girls put them on. With last
minute kisses on cheeks and handshakes, the
Greengrass house elves popped the three
teens to just the other side of the main gate.
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out
the rope portkey, holding it out for the other
two to grab hold.
"Remember," Hermione said to him. "Just as
the portkey is about to stop make sure you're
turned in the direction of the spin, and be
ready to run a little. That way you won't end
up sprawled across the floor of the Entrance
Hall."
Harry grinned back, just as he felt the hook
behind the navel feeling of an activated
portkey.
The portkey didn't have them arriving in the
Entrance Hall, as Harry expected. Instead,
they arrived in the antechamber where the
first years waited before the sorting.
Professor McGonagall was there to greet
them.
Chapter 170
Though he didn't end up sprawled across the
floor, Harry did end up falling to his knees.
"Damn!" he muttered.
Both girls remained on their feet with
Hermione near enough for her to have heard
him. "Language, Harry James!" she scolded
him.
Harry didn't bother to reply as he first dusted
his knees off before using a Cleaning charm
on them. While he was doing that, Professor
McGonagall was complementing both girls
on their outfits as she conjured up a cloak
rack and hung their cloaks up for them.
When he was ready, Professor McGonagall
asked, "All set?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Harry muttered, a little
annoyed with himself.
"Very well," she said, before turning to the
door and opening it. She then held the door
open for the three teens to exit; Harry in the
rear.
"Escort your ladies straight inside, Mister
Potter," the Professor said as he passed her.
"The Headmaster would like a word before
the Ball begins.
"No thank you, Professor," replied Harry.
"I'm having a very good Christmas Day so far,
and I don't want to ruin it by speaking with
that manipulative old... man."
Not even waiting for a response, he
continued on. Once a few steps away from
the door, both girls had stepped to a side
each... Daphne on the left, Hermione on the
right... as Harry came up between them.
Each then took an elbow and allowed Harry
to escort them across the Entrance Hall.
There were moving through the crowd of
school mates, looking for friends, when
Daphne spotted Tracey on the arm of Blaise.
She gave a little squeal of excitement and
rushed over to hug her friend.
"Well, hello stranger," said a grinning Tracey.
"I take it you're enjoying your time away
from the school?"
"Oh, yes," replied Daphne. "Mother and
Father invited Hermione's parents and
Harry's godfather to spend the break with us.
I'm learning a lot about the muggle world,
too. It's been wonderful."
Harry and Blaise looked at each other and
smiled. "So," said Harry. "Is this a date
between you two? Or..."
"Just friends," Blaise smoothly added.
"And, where's Mister Urquhart?" asked
Harry.
"He's managed to snag a date for himself
with a Ravenclaw," replied Blaise. "He'll be
along, I'm sure."
Hermione, meanwhile, had spotted Neville
coming up from the basement with his date,
Hannah Abbott. Walking over to them, she
smiled at both and said, "Hello, you two."
Neville gawked just a little at Hermione
before he stammered, "Her-Hermione?"
"Don't look so surprised, Neville," she replied
with a little blush. "Hogwarts robes and rules
about dress are very unflattering."
"I'll say!" added Hannah. Noticing Neville's
expression, she jabbed him in the arm.
"Don't stare!" she scolded him.
Neville immediately blushed and stammered
out an apology. "Sorry. It's just...
so different to see friends so dressed up."
Harry and Daphne were saying hello to a
couple of fellow year mates in Ravenclaw
when Dumbledore came up behind Harry
and sternly said, "Mister Potter."
Turning, Harry looked coldly back and, with a
very slight tilt of his head, said, "Headmaster
Dumbledore."
"I asked Professor McGonagall to inform you
to meet me in the Great Hall on your arrival,"
said Dumbledore.
"So I understand, Headmaster," replied Harry.
"However, I had other plans."
With clearly visible anger, Dumbledore asked,
"I am not used to students ignoring my
wishes, Mister Potter."
"Headmaster," Harry sighed, almost
excessively. "Today is Christmas Day; and we
are gathered here for the so-called
traditional Yule Ball. I do not wish to have
this day ruined for my fiancées and myself by
getting into an argument with you.
"We are on holidays. As such, our time is our
own to do with as we wish. Now, unless
there's something so urgent it cannot wait
until school recommences, please leave us
be."
"I wish to discuss matters relating to your
continued education," fumed Dumbledore.
"Surely, you do not wish to discuss this in
public."
"No, you're right, I don't," replied Harry. As
Dumbledore started to look like he'd won the
argument, Harry continued, "However, as I
have to remain here until the completion of
the third task, there's plenty of time to
discuss that particular issue. Today will not
include that time. After I return on the
Express in a little over a week from now we
can sit down with my bondmates and my
legal representative and discuss the matter
then.
"In the meantime, I'm still under instruction
from Madam Bones and Mister Ackerman,
my legal representative, not to meet with
you in private. Will there be anything else,
Headmaster?" Throughout, Harry kept his
tone light and respectful; though his
expression remained closed and cold.
Dumbledore stood there for a few moments
more before he finally said, "No, Mister
Potter. That's all. I'll see you when you
return."
As the old man was about to turn away Harry
quickly asked, "Is that the time you want to
meet with me, my bondmates and my
representative, Headmaster? The evening we
return? I need to know so I can organise for
Mister Ackerman to be here."
"Another time, Mister Potter," muttered the
Headmaster before he quickly hurried away
and back into the Great Hall.
As the Entrance Hall was becoming
uncomfortably full, Professor McGonagall
opened the doors to the Great Hall and
announced all those except the champions
could enter. "Please, quickly find your seats
so our Champions can make their entrance."
With a fiancée on each arm, Harry led his
two girls into the Hall immediately behind
Blaise and Tracey, and Horace and his date,
Lisa Turpin. The seven of them quickly found
a table for themselves, with one chair spare.
They had no sooner sat down when Percy
Weasley hurried over and said to Harry,
"Mister Potter, you and your date for this
evening are expected to enter with the other
Champions and be seated at the head table.
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