FicWad

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters, ideas, and situations created by JR Rowling and owned by her and her publishers. I own the original elements & characters. No money is being made by me, and no trademark or copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter IX


Although she was neither a prefect nor a Seventh year, there was little doubt who the top bitch was in the Ravenclaw food chain. It was therefore a surprised top bitch Cho Chang and her friends who were dragged into a meeting by Padma Patil and her friends right after the gallery had broken up.

"What do you want, Patil?" Cho demanded.

"Do you fully realize what happened today?" Padma asked.

"Yes," Cho hissed, "somehow Granger got her claws into Harry."

Padma nodded. "That was one of the three things. Now think, why did Cedric like Harry so much?"

When Cho didn't answer, one of her friends muttered, "Cedric said Harry should have been Sorted into Hufflepuff, because of his sense of fair play."

"Exactly," Padma agreed. "It was pretty obvious that this wasn't the first time Hermione had Harry in her mouth. She's wearing a promise ring. They are an established couple, and Harry won't cheat on her."

"So?" Cho demanded, trying to pretend she didn't care.

"The Potters are an old and at least fairly rich family. Harry has declared himself a warlock, and proved today that he has the power and the determination to back that up. We all saw Harry kill Professor Snape. Think about that. A Fifth year out-fought a skilled adult wizard and then killed him. If Harry wants something, only his sense of decency might stop him."

"So?"

"So, in case you didn't notice, the struggle for the position of Second Wife has already started."

"Second Wife?" Cho asked. "You mean they have that in European culture, too?" In both Imperial and magical China, wealthy men and high officials often had multiple wives.

"In magical culture, yes, but not Muggle," Padma said.

"To be accurate," Lisa Turpin said, "there can be only one fully bonded, legal, magical wife. The rest are consorts."

"Yes, but that only really matters for entailed property. To take a second wife, or consort if you prefer, one must have the wealth. Before this summer, the only boys in school other than any new First years that I don't know about who had the potential wealth to take a Second any time soon were Malfoy, Harry, Longbottom, Zabini, Finch-Fletchley, two Seventh years, and a Third year Slytherin. The only one with both the wealth and position before this year was Longbottom. As far as I know, only Harry and Malfoy have the wealth to take more than four, and Draco only after he inherits. Now Harry has everything, including his First Wife lined up. And the race to claim Second has already started. Ginny Weasley wants it badly, but Harry and maybe Hermione have already chosen their Second."

Cho and the others frowned, but then Marietta exclaimed, "Loony?"

Padma nodded. "Harry told me last night that Luna was under his protection and that he knew how you lot treated her, although she had not complained herself. I wondered then what was up, since I saw Hermione's promise ring. Well, Luna acted as a Supporter this afternoon and then as Chaperon." Padma sighed. "I was the last one out. I saw Hermione kissing Luna, and it looked like there was still semen in her mouth." That would start Luna's bonding on a small scale if repeated often enough.

Cho glowered.

"Just think," Padma warned, "bother Luna and she won't hit back, or at least she never has yet, but Hermione might and Harry will. If Harry is 'the Chosen One', he has the power to fight You-Know- Who. He was somehow involved in the death of Professor Quirrell, he somehow ended the threat of the Heir of Slytherin, he co-won the Triwizard Tournament, and he just killed a somewhat Dark and powerful professor. Do you want to mess with him? Like it or not, Hermione is one of the smartest students around and perhaps the best researcher here. I know her well enough to know she has a vindictive streak. Harry will defend Luna, Hermione could attack for her."

"Do you think I would want to be his Third at best, after Loony?" Cho demanded with a proud sniff.

"That is up to you," Padma answered. "Ginny Weasley, I think, would say 'yes'. Lavender Brown, Parvati, and I say 'maybe'. Susan Bones looked like she was ready to cry because someone had claimed Harry before her. Who knows what she might do now? From the calculating looks on Davis' and Greengrass' faces, they are also thinking about it, as are Harry's Quidditch teammates and one of the younger Gryffindors who was drooling just outside the door. There could be others as well."

"From what you said about the size of his thing, I probably couldn't take him more than once or twice a week after we're bonded anyway," Lisa Turpin said with a smirk. "It might be easy to share."

"He does sound . . . delicious," a Seventh year added.

"In any event," Padma said, "don't bother Luna this year. No teasing, no stealing her things, no eating her sweets. She's under Harry's protection, and she's under mine as well."

"And mine," Lisa added.

Several other students added their protection as well. Cho knew she had to back down. She either had to give up her summer fantasy of Harry taking Cedric's place or work around the new realities.

Margot Smythe, Luna's enemy in her own year and Cho's devoted follower, looked to her leader. Cho shrugged, as if to say, 'It's up to you, just don't do it for me.' Margot decided she would have think about this as well. She disliked everything there was about Loony Lovegood. She did not like Harry Potter much, either.

Seeing Potter kill Professor Snape after beating him so easily, however, was frightening.

'Yes,' Margot thought, 'I do need to think about this.'



"But why were you pardoned?" Harry demanded.

"If you mean pardoned instead of exonerated, then blame Fudge protecting his cowardly arse," Sirius growled. "The rest is a combination of you, Dumbledore, and the fact that old Barty Crouch was killed."

"How's that?" Harry asked. He was sitting with Hermione, Sirius, Remus, and the Headmaster in the Headmaster's office.

"Since you chose to reveal the Prophecy to Lord Voldemort, I did not feel there was any reason to keep it secret from the Minister," Dumbledore replied. "If Voldemort does truly believe that you sent him a faux prophecy, the fact that we told the Minister the same one should not change his mind."

"And that meant Fudge realized that you indeed are his only hope of containing Voldemort," Remus said simply.

"But what else made him realize Voldemort was back?" Hermione asked.

"The panic Lucius Malfoy and the others showed after Harry's trial," Dumbledore admitted. "It was hardly proof, but it was enough for Cornelius, and more importantly for the people around the Minister to push the Minister more than a bit. And Lucius was attending Voldemort, not soothing Cornelius, nor was Madam Umbridge in any position to whisper poison in his ear. Together, this meant the other advisors prevailed for once."

"And it was made clear to Fudge that if he wants to suck up to you, Sirius needed a pardon," Remus said simply.

"I really hate the Ministry," Harry said.

"Do you really, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"I do," Harry answered. "I know we can't have pure democracy. Merlin couldn't predict what kind of mob rule the Government would descend in to. It took a bloody civil war and the intervention of the royal family to get a fair, constitutional government in the other time line."

"The Royals got involved?" Hermione asked. "They know about us? And wouldn't that really be against constitutional practice to intervene if they do know about us?"

"It might be unconstitutional when dealing with the Muggle government, but not the magical," Harry said. "Most of the Anglo- Saxon, Scots, Danish, and Norman kings had wizards as advisors, the most infamous being the founder of the Malfoys, who betrayed William II. Elizabeth Woodville and Anne Boleyn each attended Hogwarts for five years and four years respectively -- Slytherins, unsurprisingly. With a witch for a mother and another for a paternal great-grandmother, it's hardly surprising that Elizabeth I had magical powers, although considering the times, she had to keep them hidden." Harry smiled. "Nicholas Flamel told me he trained her in Legilimency himself."

"But. . . ." Hermione protested, "but isn't he dead?"

Harry shook his head. "He did destroy the Stone, but he and his wife are living out normal wizarding lifetimes, up in the Yukon. Anyway, Mary Queen of Scots attended Beauxbatons for three years, and her great-grandson, Charles II, had magical powers, although he was trained by tutors, mostly during his exile. His intrigues with the magical world helped with his Restoration in 1660. The Minister of Magic is appointed by the Wizengamot, but he reports to both the Wizengamot and to the Crown, and he can really be dismissed by either -- technically the Minister of Magic is the Royal Wizard, or Witch as the case may be, just as the Prime Minister is First Lord of the Treasury. I can assure you, Her Majesty knows a lot more about the wizarding world than the Prime Minister does. A fair number of the Royals have had magical powers, although no monarch since Charles II."

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "And yes, I also know that you acted as a summer tutor to that son of Queen Victoria who was about your age and who they pretended died of hemophilia so that he could move into the magical world. He actually died leading the final raid against Grindelwald, and only then did you take over and defeat your Dark Wizard."*

"Very good research," Dumbledore agreed.

Harry shrugged, not about to reveal his knowledge was more first hand than that, having tutored a few Royals himself. He knew more about the magic-Royal connection than anyone in the Ministry or the Wizengamot. "Not much we can do about things now, though. We still have to get rid of Voldemort, then we can worry about the inequities of the wizarding world, helping house elves, ending discrimination against werewolves, and all the other things we want to try and do."

"So, you two are official in the eyes of the girls' network?" Sirius teased, changing the subject.

"We are," Harry said firmly.

"You do realize you might both be teased a fair amount," Sirius said, a bit more sincerely.

"I might be," Hermione admitted, "but after that duel, I doubt many will be bothering Harry for a bit."

"Good point," Remus agreed.

"Did you really have to kill Severus?" Dumbledore asked, having wanted to ask that since the duel.

"Yes," Harry answered. "Death Eaters are bound to their Master. They cannot defect; it would be nearly as bad as breaking an Unbreakable Vow, no matter what you hoped for. Those who have not taken the Mark might be forgiven, but the others cannot be until Voldemort himself is dead, because they will simply go back to his side as soon as they can, even if they hate it. Until then, they have to be killed, because they will remain a threat."

"Are you really so certain?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Yes," Harry retorted. "The most Snape could have done is prevaricate at times. In the end, he had to side with Voldemort."

Harry turned to Sirius. "Now that it's legal to be seen again, you need to clean up your act. Get back in shape, physically as well as magically."

"Yes, mother," Sirius retorted.

Harry ignored that. "Remus, in the other time line, Greyback was backing Voldemort. I need you to tell the other werewolves that I'm on their side to some extent. I would especially want the Wolfsbane Potion made freely available and most of the restrictions lifted on them."

"'To some extent'? 'Most'?" Remus asked mildly.

"No offense, but I do think the registration of werewolves and vampires are necessary, along with reasonable rules of conduct."

"Reasonable to whom?" Remus asked.

"Everyone who is reasonable," Harry retorted.

"Perhaps some of the werewolves themselves should make a set of proposals," Hermione suggested, "just as the vampires did sixty years ago." Remus obviously liked that idea to some degree.

"How many werewolves and vampires are there in Britain and Ireland, anyway?" Harry asked.

"There are about thirty of us registered," Remus said, "and perhaps a half dozen who aren't. There are six magical vampires who live here full time, and twenty-seven non-magical. There are some vampires who visit periodically."

The group went on to talk about possible tactics.



Luna stared at the small combination vanity/desk provided for her in her dorm. She noticed that the small items already taken by her Housemates had been returned in a pile.

"So, Loony," came the scornful voice of Margot Smythe, "I suppose you think everyone is going to kiss your arse now that you're friendly with Potter."

Luna turned to confront her main tormentor. "Some will. Others will remain as petty and spiteful as always, or act even worse out of jealousy."

Margot's expression darkened but then the Ravenclaw in her paused for a moment and realized that since she did actively despise this odd witch, she could be said to be spiteful at least. "I don't like you," Margot almost snarled.

"I have noticed," Luna agreed.

Margot almost seethed. "You do know that's why so many people attack you, don't you?"

Luna was now bewildered. "Sorry?"

"You won't bloody react! You're so bloody weird people react, and so damn passive about it they then need to get a reaction from you!"

Luna cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. "Really? I had always thought that if I reacted, people would merely increase the abuse." Margot twitched slightly at the term. "So, you mean if I simply wish to be left alone to be myself, I should throw a tantrum when childishly attacked?" A new pair of related thoughts hit her. "Or should I start hexing people, now that I know how, unlike in my First year? Or should I have Harry Challenge them for me?"

"I don't see what he sees in you," Margot said with contempt.

"That is because you do not know Harry," Luna said. "I know you and many others think me odd, because I see the world so much differently than you do. That does allow me to See things which you miss. Until this summer, Harry thought he wanted normalcy. He didn't want to stand out. He hates being 'the-Boy-Who-Lived'. Even though I did not know him at all, I could see how much he loathed being in the Tournament last year, right from the moment his name came out of the Cup."

"And what does he want now?" Cho asked, coming into the room, followed by three of her followers, plus Padma and Morag, and three of Luna's other roommates.

"First, he wants domesticity. He wants affection and lots of children. He still loathes being famous, but now seems determined to use that fame instead of fighting it. He wants a fairer wizarding Britain, one where innocent people won't be sent to Azkaban without a trial, where a teen cannot be put on trial at the whim of the Minister, and not a place where prejudice and bigotry are rewarded."

"Do you think being the consort of Harry will mean a life of ease and glamour?" Luna asked rhetorically. "No, it will likely mean living in some fairly modest, remote place, with maybe at most a free elf or two helping out. It will mean raising children, lots of children, while pursuing your own interests. It will not be a life of privilege, glamour, dinner parties, and servants."

"Harry was raised Muggle," Cho said. "Yet he seems interested in having at least two consorts, and may end up with more. You don't think that he would consider that 'normal' do you?"

"He is coming to realize that it can be in our culture," Luna replied. "Let me tell you something important about Harry Potter. Above all things, he appreciates honesty. If he had come back this year not as the tall, handsome warlock he has recently become, but was still the undersized-but-cute boy he was last June, one whom the main-stream press had been abusing all summer, how many of you would have gone up to him and said, 'I wish a relationship?'" She looked at Cho unblinkingly. "Not trying to replace Cedric, but for Harry's own uniqueness? Hermione could. I could. Would any one you really have done that, without his being the handsome, rich, warlock, but still being the essential Harry?"

"Weasley probably could," Padma said. "As for me?" She shrugged. "I don't know. What I do know is that Harry IS who he is now. And that is someone I wish to know."

Cho had thought about Harry over the summer, although not exclusively. Did she really want to get into this competition, even if she was fairly certain she might win in the end. "You're welcome to him," she finally said. "You'd have to share him with Granger, and maybe Lovegood here." She shrugged. "I'm off to dinner."

Cho left, and her followers of course followed, including Margot. Margot was wondering, however, how she might aid Ginny in replacing Luna in Harry's affections. It might still be spiteful, but it would hardly be considered petty.



Hermione walked into the great hall early for dinner, holding Harry's arm. The voices dropped from the usual roar of feeding students to something more like murmurs. Harry and Hermione both singled out Luna to say hello to, but did not ignore the others who spoke to them. They finally sat down between Dean and Neville, and across from Ron and Parvati, with Ginny sitting closely by.

"Hungry already?" Parvati asked Hermione, her voice somewhere between a tease and a sneer.

"Yes," Hermione answered, "although I may not need much protein tonight."

"I still don't understand the custom," Dean admitted. "Or what the girl gets out of it."

"We get affection, a stable relationship -- for even if the wizard takes another consort it's almost as difficult for him to break things off as it would be for the witch. . . ." Hermione started.

"The witch also gets a massive orgasm each time," Parvati teased. Hermione flushed at that.

"I didn't understand before this summer, either," Harry said, moving back to Dean's point. "I don't know what it would be like between two Muggles -- well, I suppose the immediate physical pleasures would be the same -- but for a short while afterwards, I can feel Hermione's emotions."

"And I Harry's," Hermione agreed.

"How long?" Dean asked.

"Over an hour," Harry said.

"About nine hours for me," Hermione added.

"That's . . . a strong bond," Parvati admitted. "If they do it three times a week for a year, Hermione should have Harry's feelings all the time, and it would take years to wear off. Or, at the rate they're going, it could take far less time than that."

Dean looked puzzled.

"The guy doesn't usually get that far," Ginny put in, "since it's the woman who's, well, ingesting the potion, shall we say. What the wizard feels is, in a way, feedback from the bond the witch has with him."

"Ah."

"Part of it is the actual feelings the two have for each other," Parvati said. "It also acts as an enticement potion."

"Not quite," Hermione said defensively. "It does reenforce the attachment. . . ."

"And lower any feelings of jealousy or competitiveness," Parvati concluded. "By this time next year, Harry could add any number of other lovers he wanted, and you would hardly object."

"I think I might, at least as to the individuals," Hermione said pointedly.

Parvati sighed. "You're likely right. Still, that's why there are only what? Fifteen couples openly engaging at Hogwarts right now? And five of those are pure Hufflepuffs, and six of the others prearranged marriages, either Slytherin or mixed Slytherin/Ravenclaw. Since Paul and Fran left last year, you two are the only pure Gryffindor couple engaging."

"At the moment," Harry put in. "There seem to be a fair number of people getting interested in each other these days."

"Or maybe they're just interested in you," Parvati suggested.

"I would hope not," Harry said. "Voldemort is still after me, you know. I am the one Chosen by Prophecy to face him. That doesn't mean I'll win."

"You'll win," Ron said with certainty, for the first time in weeks sure of himself.

"I hope you're right," Harry said.

"Then what?" Dean asked.

"I've wondered that," Harry agreed. "Since Binns never talks about it, did you know that the European Ministries were set up in the late 1600s?"

"So?"

"So, even though the countries of Muggle Europe have changed in many ways, and their borders as well, the European Ministries are mostly the same, at least in theory. Portugal, Spain, France, Britain, the Netherlands -- although Belgium and Luxembourg have been attached -- the old Holy Roman Empire minus some places, Switzerland, an Italian Federation, the Turks, Austria, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark."

"So that's why Ireland is still part of the Ministry," Dean said.

"Exactly," Seamus put in.

"They do recognize Muggle nationalist borders for Quidditch," Harry agreed. "And the old Ottoman Ministry is mostly honored in the breech. The Greeks, Bulgarians, Rumanians, Albanians, and Serbs pretty much rule themselves. Some of places under Communist control really suffered a lot, Russia and the Soviet successor states, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, parts of Germany, and especially Albania." The magically raised looked confused. "But the British and Spanish Ministries are still ruled by the same families that ruled in the 1600s, and the same is true to a lesser degree in Portugal, Italy, Austria, France, Sweden, and even Denmark and Switzerland."

"May I point out that the Potters are one of those families?" George pointed out from further up the table.

"Just because I benefit doesn't make it right," Harry reminded him. "I wish I could do something to make things like positions at the Ministry at least a bit more based on things like merit, with fairer laws, and less institutionalized bigotry."

"Like?" Seamus asked, leaning over.

"Like against werewolves," Harry retorted. Even Seamus had to admit that one, being as much a fan of Remus Lupin as most of the non-Slytherin students.

"Well, if you fight that kind of fight," Ron teased, "don't let Hermione name the group SPEW or anything like it."

"I'm sure she's only interested in another type of spewing," Fred called out, which seemed to bother Ron and Ginny even more than it did Harry and Hermione.

My apologies for drafting Prince Leopold into the magical world, and grafting extra (magical) children into his family.