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Chapter 9 - Passing the Baton

The four newlyweds descended two floors and stood before the prefect's bathroom. Harry was about to give the password when Luna sing-songed, "Sandalwood."

"Hold on," Harry said, "I know the password because I'm Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain, Hermione and Padma are prefects. How is it that you have access?"

"Oh, I've been coming here since my second year. Some of my housemates thought it would be funny to hide my clothes while I was in the shower, and when I went looking for them the Grey Lady decided it would be better if I could bathe somewhere else."

"Where were you looking for your clothes, Luna?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, wherever, the common room, the main corridors leading to and from Ravenclaw, the side hallways."

"And what were you wearing while looking?"

"Why, nothing. The pranksters didn't even leave me a robe or a towel. I think Mr. Filch was quite cross, as I was dripping water everywhere. He didn't say anything though, he just kind of stared, you know? Oh, and drooled.

"So Lady Ravenclaw gave me the password to the prefect's bath, and has been giving me the passwords ever since."

Padma and Hermione pulled Luna into atight embrace, "Never again, Luna, no one will ever be mean to our sister again."

Harry joined them and added, "And if anyone tries, they won't like the consequences."

Luna smiled, gave her lovers a tight embrace each, then ran to the faucets and began opening them one by one until the pool was rapidly filling with steaming water and white bubbles.

As the bubbles rose Luna returned to her lovers and said, "You take care of Harry, I've got our goddess here."

Like bath attendants of old, Luna removed Padma's clothing while Hermione did the same for Harry.

Once denuded, the couple rather shyly embraced. They kissed, and both groaned as Padma swiveled her upper body slightly, caressing Harry's torso with her soft, warm breasts and stiff nipples. Of course the fact that she was rolling Harry's rather impressive erection between them may have had something to do with the moaning and groaning.

Harry grasped Padma by her magnificent arse cheeks, on in each hand and pulled up. The Sinhalese beauty wrapped her legs about his waist and Harry carried her into the warm, sudsy water.

The wet, warm, slick bubbles caressed them as he descended the steps and Padma kissed him, hungrily.

Harry carried her to where the water was chest high (for him), and he lifted his bride out of the water so that she sat on the fluffy towel that Luna had placed there earlier. This placed Padma's open thighs at the perfect level for a bit of oral stimulation.

She moaned as Harry leaned forward and kissed her nether lips with all the open mouthed tongue-probing ardor he'd shown when kissing her other lips.

Moans became gasps which became shrieks and Harry teased climax after stunning climax from his beautiful bride.

"N-no more, no more!" she gasped.

He smiled and pulled her back into the water, kissing her soundly.

From the look on Harry's face it was agood bet that Padma had grabbed his todger when her hand had disappeared from the surface of the water and growled, "This. In me. Now!"
Harry moved them to a slightly shallower part of the pool, where the water was just waist high, and had her hold onto the side of the pool as he lined up his erection with her more than ready opening.

He pushed in slowly, just past the mushroom head, then pulled out, then pushed in again, just a bit deeper, then pulled out. He wanted to be sure she could accommodate his size. He kept pushing progressively deeper until he was completely ensconced in her wet welcoming warmth.

"Welcome home, Harry Potter."

"I feel very much at home, Padma Potter."

She "Squeed!" at the sound of her married name and flung her arms around him. They bounced happily in the shallow water as Hermione and Luna looked on.

"Oh I am going to have to try that!" Hermione said.

Luna indicated the clothes she still had on, "Not dressed like that you won't."

Hermione laughed and said, "Need a hand?"

Luna smiled, "Two, whenever I can get them."

The sisters-in-love helped each other out of their clothing, nuzzling and kissing as they did, until it was a very randy pair that jumped into the deep end.

Hermione came up sputtering, she hadn't realized the deep end was that deep. Luna swam behind her, and guided the brunette to slightly shallower water, where they kissed and caressed and fondled each other, finally manipulating each other to a warm, loving mutual climax.

Luna sighed, "Magic fingers..."

Hermione agreed.

Harry bounced by with Padma still holding on to him with her arms and her legs.

"How do you like married life so far?" he asked, smirking.

"Bliss." Hermione said, with a dreamy smile.

"Sheer bliss." Luna agreed.

The two witches embraced, and no one noticed Luna's face clouding over as she thought; we need to enjoy this while we can.

)O(

Monday evening Harry convened the crucial Potter's Commando meeting.

Luna and Hermione quietly distributed large, flat boxes to each of the members.

Neville opened his first.

"Blimey, Harry!"

In each box was a hooded cloak of basilisk hide. The hide had been worked by expert elfin tanners so that it was supple as suede, and no heavier than a winter's weight cloak.

Each of the matte-black cloaks was easily worth the price of a new house.

The priceless armor came complete with self-sizing gauntlets, greaves and boots.

Ron received his with shaking hands.

"T-thanks, Hermione." He said, "I recon it's time to put away childish things, eh?"

Hermione smiled and nodded.

If Pansy was beyond speech at the gift Harry had given her bond-mate, she nearly passed out as Luna handed her a box of her own.

Both Longbottoms fell to their knees and pledged their families to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter-Black.

The rest of the Commandos quickly followed suit.

Luna, Hermione and Padma, already hand-fasted and mate-bonded accepted their liegemen and women with a simple, "Thank you" as they pulled the commandos to their feet.

Hermione held up her protean-charmed galleon, "Sometime in the next few days, your coin will begin to vibrate like this."

The triple 'buzz, buzz, buzz' pattern repeated itself ten times.

Luna added, "Have your coin on your person at all times, day and night. Keep your wands and cloaks close. When you feel the coins buzz it means the portkey has been primed. It will take ten seconds to activate."

Harry spoke last, "You will be transported to a place were we will await the arrival of the death eaters that Malfoy plans to let into Hogwarts. They will kill anyone not in death eater robes or masks."

He grew deadly serious, and said in avoice barely above a whisper, "These people will be using deadly curses, answer them in kind - if you can't or won't kill to defend yourselves or your fellow commandos, leave now and no one will think any less of you."

Luna knew that Harry would have preferred it if someone did leave.

Padma, tears running down her cheeks, returned Harry's gift.

"I-I can't take a human life, not even to protect my own. I'm sorry Harry."

Luna embraced her Sinhalese wife, "Don't be sorry, sweetie, Harry wishes he could afford to have the strength of your convictions as well."

Harry joined the embrace, "This does not diminish you in our eyes, Padma. I think you are the bravest person in this room."

He had a difficult time convincing Padma to keep the armor, "Please don't make me invoke my authority as your lord and husband - I will be safer if I know you are protected."

"What?"

"Knowing you're safe gives me one less thing to worry about when the shit hits the fan."

Padma grudgingly agreed, then thanked him by way of a kiss.

No one else demurred.

Potter's commandoes would be comprised of the original "Ministry Six," augmented by Dean, Lavender and Pansy.

Harry re-set the Room of Requirement for the weekly Defense Association meeting.

The core group, made up entirely of commandos, took the rest of the association through their paces.

Suddenly a hush fell over the assembled students.

The headmaster strolled in, greeting some students warmly, nodding to others.

"Please, don't let my presence here interrupt what is obviously a very productive and relevant class."

The sparring partners re-formed and resumed practicing shielding and dodging.

"Excellent, Harry, you've impressed on all of your students the advantages to dodging a spell rather than blocking it."

"Some spells can't be blocked, sir."

"True. Would you show me what you've learned, and are passing on?"

"Um, sure, Professor." Harry looked around for a suitable sparring partner.

Dumbledore smiled, "If you're looking for a dueling partner, I can accommodate you."

"But sir, you're not um, well, feeling your best and your hand..."

"I assure you, my magic is undiminished, Harry, and I only need one hand."

"Very well, just so you know, Professor. We don't duel here in the DA, we spar. The only concession we allow is to make sure each sparring partner knows who he or she is fighting."

"Oh?" The Headmaster asked, looking mischievous, "Like this?"

Saying this Dumbledore shot a wordless stinging hex at Harry's legs, which he just barely dodged.

Harry, getting into the spirit of a friendly sparring match, smiled and said, "Just so," while delivering a stinger of his own, which the Professor, not being as nimble or quick as Harry, shielded.

Spells began to fly in earnest, Harry, using his youth and athleticism to his full advantage, seemed to literally bounce off the walls as he dodged, spun and danced all around the Headmaster.

All other matches stopped as Harry and the Headmaster seemed to fill the room with spells, counter-spells, spectacular dodges and reverberating gongs as hexes of increasing speed and power forced the other members of the DA to retreat behind the solid barriers hastily erected by the core group.

Dumbledore was getting visibly fatigued, but managed to throw his signature aguamenti sphere, catching Harry up in a vortex of swirling water, which Harry apparated out of – the problem was, this left Harry stumbling, sputtering and too disoriented to mount a good offense, a sloppy defense was the best he could do, he cast a quick and dirty reflective protego. When a powerful, concussive hex gonged against his hastily constructed shield Harry followed up with the magical equivalent of the claymore anti-personnel mine – a blasting hex that essentially slammed everything within ninety-degrees of a compass heading. He sent it off in the general direction of Dumbledore’s hex.

Panting, Harry shouted, “Did I get him?”

There was no answer.

Albus, Percival, Wolfric, Brian Dumbledore had collapsed, gasping like a fish, to the floor.

"Fawkes!" Harry screamed.

The Phoenix appeared in a ball of flame as Harry shouted, "Get the Headmaster to Madam Pomfrey, immediately!"

And so it was that a startled Poppy Pomfrey found a panting, sweating, magically exhausted Albus Dumbledore sharing her bed, where she'd just turned in for the evening after a long, tiring day.

"Harry?" Hermione said, pointing to the Headmaster's wand on the floor, "Professor Dumbledore dropped something."

Harry took it, then nearly fell over as the Elder Wand bonded to its new master.

"Class, dismissed!" Harry shouted as he stumbled for the door.

No one, save Luna, Padma and Hermione, moved.

Luna heard the whispers as they exited.

"Chosen One."

Hogwart's first foursome in many a year entered the hospital wing just as a flustered Madam Pomfrey was putting the Headmaster to bed.

"He'll be alright," she said, knowing why they had come, "He's clinically exhausted, physically, spiritually, and magically."

Luna nodded, "His body is very frail, and he's recently had an epiphany that required a great deal of introspection, and, well, he dueled Harry."

Poppy looked horrified, "Dueled? Whatever was he thinking, what were you thinking, Mister Potter?"

"It was a friendly exhibition. Professor Dumbledore assured me he was fit enough, and he seemed most eager to see what we were doing in the DA."

"Quite right, Harry," the frail voice of the headmaster insisted, "it was in no way your fault."

Harry moved to Dumbledore's bedside, "Still, I'm sorry, sir. I had no idea..."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Harry. Chalk it up to the foolishness of an old man who believes that, because he is surrounded by youth and vitality, that he must therefore be young as well."

A bit of the old twinkle showed in Dumbledore's eyes as he said, "I hope you will remember that when you get to be as old as I."

"You dropped your wand, sir."

"Ah, there, I'm afraid, you're wrong, Harry."

"Sir?"

"That is not my wand, that is to say, that is no longer my wand."

"I can't take your wand, sir."

"Don't think of it as taking my wand; rather think of it as the passing of the baton."

"Sir?"

"You have not taken it, you've won it, and that, you will have to admit, is a completely different matter. Tell me, Harry, when you picked up your new wand, did it not let itself be known to you?"

"I felt something, but I was anxious to get here, to make sure you were alright."

"Miss Lovegood?"

Luna held up her left arm, revealing the green ivy tattoo, "I'm Mrs. Potter now, sir."

"Oh? Congratulations, Mrs. Potter, have you shared the Tale of the Three Brothers with your husband then?"

Padma visibly paled, "You can't mean..."

"Yes I do, Miss Patil."

Padma raised her left arm as well, "Mrs. Potter."

Dumbledore's eyebrows disappeared beneath his hairline, "Two wives, Harry?"

Hermione raised her arm.

"Are there any more?" the Headmaster asked, his old twinkle returning.

"No sir," Harry assured him, "and no plans to include anymore."

"Getting back to the point, Harry, have your magical spouses explained the significance of the Deathly Hallows to the muggle born and raised in your new family?"

Luna was uncharacteristically silent, but her mind was working furiously, trying to calculate the probabilities with three powerful new factors added to the overall equation.

The unbeatable Wand of Power, The Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone.

Was it any wonder Luna fainted?

Luna came to in a hospital bed with Harry bent over her, holding her hand.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? How do you feel?"

"A-a little dizzy."

Poppy frowned as she waved her white healer's wand over Luna and asked, "Mister Potter, would you excuse us for just a moment?"

Harry, surprised, nodded and stepped back while the Hogwarts healer erected a privacy ward around herself and her patient.

"Care to explain why you're taking a fertility potion dear?"

"Trying to ensure the continuation of the Potter line, Madam Pomfrey. Padma is also on the potion."

"Well then, I suppose you and Harry will be happy to know that you have a little visitor, make that two little visitors on the way."

"Two?"

"Yes dear, twins."

"Boys or girls?"

"Too early to tell dear, we'll be able to tell in a month, six weeks to be absolutely sure. Shall we share the happy news?"

Luna thought for a moment, "No, not just yet, please. I promise I'll tell Harry."

Poppy looked stunned, "Is this not what you both wanted?"

"It is," Luna assured her, "I just want to give him a nice surprise."

"Are the other Missus Potters also on the potion?"

"Padma is, Hermione is on the other potion, the contraceptive, for now."

"I suppose I should see Mrs. Padma Potter, then?"

Luna nodded.

Madam Pomfrey stepped out of the privacy ward and asked Padma to join them.

Luna took Padma's hand and said, "Success."

The Sinhalese beauty wanted to shriek, "Are you sure?"

"Very sure," Poppy said, "twins."

"Check me, please?" Padma asked.

Poppy nodded, waved a diagnostic crystal, and then smiled. "Congratulations, Mrs. Potter, and welcome to the pudding club."

"Can we tell Harry?" Padma asked.

"Let's wait until we know if we have boys or girls or both, shall we?"

"Can we tell Hermione?"

Luna thought for a moment, "We'll tell her first, then Harry, when we know for sure."

"Okay!"

Luna was worried, Padma's exuberance would be sure to give them away.

"Madam Pomfrey," Luna asked, "could you give us just a moment, please?"

The healer nodded and left.

"Give us a kiss, Padma."

As the Sinhalese girl bent to kiss her sister-in-love and co-bride, Luna's fingers found the pressure points on Padma's temple, ear and jaw and she performed the memory charm that would leave Padma befuddled for a few minutes as certain memories were removed for storage in Luna's own brain.

When they left the privacy area both were happy, but Padma couldn't remember exactly why.

Luna accepted a hug and kisses from Harry and Hermione, and then sighed.

It's all for the best.

The end justifies the means.

I'm trying for the best possible outcome here.

The greatest good...





Author's note:

In keeping with the recurring theme of'random factors as a curse' here, I've made a list of the six principle characters; Luna, Harry, Hermione, Padma, Ron and Lavender. Each character has been assigned a number. I will roll the dice once. The two numbers that come up will not survive in this story. In the event of a double-roll, I will roll a single die until there are two numbers. I will not keep rolling until I get a result that I like - life isn't like that. Tertiary characters Dean, Ginny, Neville, Pansy, Blaise, Daphne and Tracy may or may not fare better. I can tell you Poppy survives...

The brave witches and wizards who populate my stories know what it means when their number comes up.

Remember, to a well-ordered life, death is just the first step to the next great adventure.

N!