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Chapter 11 - Confessions

Myrtle Malone, AKA "Moaning Myrtle," spirited into the Room of Requirement and grinned at the naked people piled on the large bed. She didn't make a sound as she scanned the scene. Cloaks littered the floor, along with four pairs of socks and shoes - and no other articles of clothing.

Luna watched the ghost girl and smiled. Not the distant, ethereal smile of constant distraction, but a beaming manifestation of pure joy.

A great weight had been taken off her soul since her confession to Harry, and the result was better than anything she could have predicted.

Harry forgave her.

She felt she could pass over to the afterlife contented now, because she'd already been through hell.

If I fall, perhaps I can return as a phantom and still help Harry anyway I can.

Luna carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on the first robe she found on the floor - it was Harry's, and still smelled of him.

"Myrtle," she whispered, "can I ask you a few questions?"

Before the girl-spirit could answer, Luna led them out of the room and down an empty corridor.

"Myrtle, when you died, how did you become a ghost?"

The spirit pondered for a long time before she answered, "At first, I just didn't realize I was dead. I 'woke up'in my bathroom, walked down to the great hall and sat at my table. I didn't understand why a plate didn't appear before me. When I asked one of my classmates about it she screamed and ran.

"Later on the Hufflepuff Friar took me under his arm, literally, and showed me how to be a ghost."

Luna frowned, "Did any of the other ghosts know they had, um, passed on?"

Myrtle shrugged, "Sir Nicholas knew, after all, he'd been on the chopping block. Lady Helena Ravenclaw knew, her last memory was of the Bloody Baron stabbing her - repeatedly."

"So if a person dies violently, there's a good chance they'll become ghosts?"

"Violently and unjustly - those seem to be the key. Sir Nicholas was unjustly executed; Lady Ravenclaw and the Good Friar were murdered, as was I."

"And the Bloody Baron?" Luna asked.

"He's not allowed to move on until the Lady Helena does - he's tied to this plane for as long as she is."

"And what keeps you here, Myrtle?"

"Me? I'm just not ready to move on. It's like there's something left for me to do. Once that's done, I can cross over."

Luna nodded, "I think I understand. Thank you, Myrtle."

"You're welcome - are you going back to be naughty some more?"

With a wink and a smile Luna answered,"Oh I hope so!"

As she re-entered the Room of Requirement, Luna overheard Padma saying, "You have been the only wizard for me since first year, when my parents told me that they'd found my husband - the son of some old friend of the family, a good business match. I told them to forget it, that I would be yours and no one else's."

Harry caressed the side of her face and she leaned into the palm of his hand like a cat.

He asked, softly, "What did your parents say?"

"That I was an ungrateful, evil daughter and that I would be stricken from the family for my willful disobedience."

"How old were you when this happened?"

"Twelve."

"What did you say?"

"What could I say? I am the daughter of two very stubborn people. My father said I would have until my sixteenth birthday to bind my betrothal, or he would cast me from the family."

"Padma, your sixteenth birthday was last summer."

"I may have hinted to my father that I was being considered as third wife or concubine to an Ancient and Noble house."

"Have you told them we're married?"

"Last night, Harry, I sent Hedwig."

Padma leaned up on one elbow and said, "Some people might think that you and I became a couple too fast, but I've gambled my entire future on the slightest chance that you would have me in some capacity, wife, concubine, mistress - I didn't care, as long as I was with you. You have been the focus of my life since I was twelve. I knew better than to stalk you like Ginny Weasley..."

"Who looks disturbingly like my mum." Harry said with a shudder.

"That's why I've always been close, approachable, but not a hanger on." Padma said, "And see?" She held up her wrist, showing the bright green ivy tattoo, "My gamble paid off."

"I've always seen you as the Patil girl I'd most likely try for." Harry said, "You are so much; well, deeper, than your sister. And I've always been attracted to smart girls."

Padma kissed him soundly. When the kiss finally broke she whispered, "Whirlwind romance my arse, too soon? I'd say it's about damn time!"

"How will your family feel about your co-wives?"

"They'll be thrilled - even more so when we start giving them light-skinned grandbabies!"

"I'm glad you told them, Padma. Nothing is more important than family."

Harry and Padma looked at Hermione, who smiled at her spouses. "I've no confessions to make, Harry, other than to say I can't imagine a better husband or wives - my parents might have a bit of trouble with the idea of polygamy, but if they do, I'll have to remind them that you are my family now. If they want their grandchildren to be part of their lives, they'll have to accept us, all of us, just as we are."

Luna unfastened her robe and let it fall to the ground.

"Are you still angry with me, Harry? No one could blame you if you were, I wouldn't blame you."

Harry smiled, "Furious."

"Oh good, then you'll be taking it out on my poor, abused fanny again?"

Harry growled, "C'mere you!"

Luna shrieked and jumped onto Harry, straddling his hips and rubbing her wet sex against his growing member.

In short order Luna was balancing on his balls making a wonderfully obscene "Hurf, hurf, hurf!" noise while he smacked into her wet, swollen cunny from below.

Blessed Goddess, if this is punishment, Luna thought, I'll have to be a naughty witch at least once a day, everyday!

Looking to her left she saw Hermione and Padma kissing and stroking each other. This was normal - whenever one of the wives was with Harry, the other two would be with each other, but then she thought, imagine the magic if...

Luna lifted off Harry's stonker then slid down his body to engulf him in her mouth. Grabbing his bum cheeks she rolled him slightly to one side - this had the effect of putting his face very close to Hermione's pud.

With a smile Harry licked chocolate-brown fingers - well, he was actually tonguing Hermione's gushing sex and Padma's digits were right there.

Luna touched Padma's thigh to get her attention and made a circling motion.

She looked confused for a moment then saw the chain forming: Luna had Harry in her mouth; Harry was dipping his fingers and tongue into Hermione who was thrashing about as her husband ate her out with gusto.

Padma leaned into Luna's wide spread legs while simultaneously shifting her own body so that it was within easy reach for Hermione.

Thus the feeding frenzy began, as each partner did his or her best to coax as many orgasms as possible from the other.

An hour later Luna had joined her co-wives in post-coital slumber as Harry stroked her hair.

He looked at the copy of Beedle the Bard on his nightstand and reflected on the meanings Luna and Padma had attributed to the Hallows of Death. If they were right, he was the rightful master of all three. He carefully reached over Padma to pick up the Resurrection Stone yet again.

The simple charcoal grey stone, inscribed with the symbol of the Hallows, felt no different now than when he'd first held it the week before.

The thought came unbidden, Breathe on the stone.

He did.

Tiny sparkling wisps of something like milkweed fluff began to swirl, forming small vortices that seemed to draw substance from the very magic of the ancient castle. The first, strongest vortex coalesced into an undeniably feminine outline. Like an image through acamera's viewfinder, Lily Evans Potter came into focus, followed by her husband James and finally, Sirius.

All were smiling.

"We're all so proud of you, Harry." Lily said, "And so looking forward to seeing our grandchildren."

"And grand-god-children." Sirius interjected.

"I can't bear the thought of losing them, any of them." Harry whispered hoarsely, "Surely there's some way to keep them safe."

Sirius placed a ghostly hand on Harry's shoulder, it felt oddly warm and solid, "The best way to keep them safe is to stay alive, if you go through with your plan you'll have less than a one-in-three chance of coming out alive."

"As long as I can take that bastard Riddle with me, I don't care."

Lily looked up into her son's eyes and said, "Ask Luna, she'll tell you that you need your family with you when you face Riddle - it's the one thing he will never understand, the idea that a real man puts the needs of those he cares for ahead of his own - that is, after all, the best definition of love."

James Potter added, "He'll go to his grave never understanding that simple truth, son."

"But, if I take them with me to face Riddle, they may die."

"Pup," Sirius interjected, "If you go without them, there's a better than even chance you will die, then who will protect your family? Even if you get lucky and take Tommy boy out, who will protect your loved ones from his followers? Remember Frank and Alice Longbottom. They were attacked after the first fall of the Dark Tosser."

"It's time to tell your loves the truth, and set things to rights." Lily said.

Harry nodded, then looked at the adults he'd loved more than anyone, and had lost, "The story says I shouldn't call you back from your afterlife, that you are at peace, and I am disturbing that peace by summoning you."

James shrugged, "Well, to be honest, we spend most of our time watching over you, so it's no bother."

Harry paled, "You mean you're watching us when we're, um..."

"Rutting like lust-charmed stoats?"Sirius offered, "Ow!"

Lily smacked him on the back of the head; proving that phantom pain is real when it's dealt by another phantom.

"We're supposed to be making him feel better, not uncomfortable. Harry, to us it's like watching two people dance, there's no reason for you to start being shy around your brides."

Lily wrinkled her nose mischievously and gave Harry her biggest smile yet, then said, "Besides, you are about to get into a spot of trouble with them, and the make up sex should be glorious!"

"Mum!"

She held her son's face in her hands, feather light but warm and comforting, "Talk to your witches, beg their forgiveness, and take your punishments like a man, my son."

She kissed him on the forehead, then stepped back.

"Feel free to call on us anytime, son."James said.

"Will the others see you too?"

Lily shook her head, "Perhaps, it's really up to you. You are, after all, master of the Hallows."

"I love you, mum, dad, Sirius."

"I love you."

"I love you."

I love you."

They all said in return, and, as Harry placed the stone back on his copy of Beedle the Bard, his dearly departed departed smilingly.

Harry sighed and carefully disentangled himself from Luna, who was particularly possessive of him as he slept. He picked up the scattered robes and shoes and socks and placed them on a side shelf.

Pulling a small pouch from the inside pocket of his robe, Harry sat on the side of the bed nearest Hermione.

"Sweetheart, I need you to wake up now."

"Padma, please wake up."

"Luna..."

"I'm awake, love, why does your mum think we're going to be cross with you?"

"I should have known you'd be privy to anything my mum would tell me."

Luna shrugged, "She loves us, all of us, but seems to have a special place in her heart for me. Now quit stalling."

Hermione and Padma were rubbing the sleep from their eyes and looking puzzled, "Harry?"

Harry emptied the contents of the small bag on the bedspread. Three golden galleons.

"What are these?"

"Your protean coins. I was going to prevent you from coming with me when I faced Riddle."

Luna paled, "You would have left us behind to be fitted for widow's weeds while you faced that maniac /without/us?"

Harry bowed his head and nodded. When he looked up he saw his three wives looking...

Bemused.

Hermione said, "I told you so."

Luna nodded, "Never doubted you for asecond, sis."

Padma scooped up the galleons and handed them back to Harry, "Keep these; we've already charmed replacement coins. Let them serve as a reminder that you will never be able to outsmart one of us, let alone the three of us."

Harry sighed, "I guess I should have known better."

Three smug faces smiled back at him.

"But I-I'm afraid..."

Padma placed a reassuring hand on his arm, "We all are, Harry, but live or die we will never abandon you!"

"So that's why you wanted me here," came the unexpected voice of Myrtle Malone, "You wanted me to witness the anchoring ritual."

The three girls nodded.

"Harry, the anchoring ritual will bind our souls so that if any of us die, our spirits, our ghosts, will remain on the Earthly plane until we're all ready to pass on together."

The ritual was simple; each spouse repeated their oath to never abandon the others, even in death, witnessed by Myrtle, who added her pledge to be their guide to the afterlife, if it became necessary.

Luna smiled, "Myrtle, you do know that you've promised yourself to us in this life as well as the next?"

The little ghost nodded shyly, "If that's alright?"

Harry laughed and said, "Welcome to the family, Myrtle."

With an ear-splitting"Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!" the ghost girl flew around the room, propelled by joy, until she popped out of the room through the ceiling.

"Anyone hungry?" Harry asked.

"Starving." His three witches answered in unison.

"Shower, dress, then down to the great hall, we need to make sure the rest of the commandos are ready to go."

'Pop!'

Dobby appeared and conjured warm, fluffy bathrobes for the Potters.

Luna looked at the house elf, who quailed under her scrutiny.

She knelt down to be at eye level with him.

"Now might be the best time to tell him, little friend."

"Could youse be telling the Great Harry Potter, ma'am? I is not finding the words." Dobby said, pulling on his ears.

"Tell me what, Dobby?"

The little elf seemed to be longing for the days when he could punish himself with impunity. He looked at Luna, eyes pleading.

"Harry, Hermione," Luna said, "House elves are bound to mages. If they don't bond to a witch or wizard, then they die - slowly, painfully. When Dobby was freed he immediately bound himself to Harry."

Hermione glared at her husband.

"I didn't know!" he said in his defense.

"Hermione," Luna said, "If Dobby hadn't bonded, he would have died within a week, starved to death for the magic he needs for his very existence."

"But, how can we free the elves?"

"The simple answer is, we can't." Luna said, "But we can work toward ensuring better living and working conditions for our elf-friends."

Harry nodded, having been treated like ahouse elf himself, he felt uniquely qualified, "Elves thrive on work, it gives them purpose, a sense of worth. What we can do is try to put a mechanism in place to ensure that elves are not abused."

Hermione didn't like it, but she saw the logic in what Luna, Harry and Dobby were all telling her.

The Society for the Promotion of Elvin Welfare had a sea-change that day, placed in dry-dock, as it were, until Hermione could research elf-bondings more thoroughly.

They dressed in simple pullover shirts and jeans, then donned their basilisk hide boots and cloaks. Placing the matching gauntlets in their belts, the foursome headed down the stairs, Myrtle trailing happily behind.

When they entered the hall, all of the DA recruits stood. Harry looked shocked that the DA included a good third of the school. Moreover, a significant portion of Slytherin house declared itself aligned with Harry. Draco was nowhere to be seen, and Greg Goyle had stood along with Blaise when Harry and his witches entered the Great Hall.

Harry took his customary seat at Gryffindor and the DA reseated itself. The rest of Potter's Commandos: Ron, Ginny, Dean, Neville, Pansy, and Lavender all wearing their basilisk armor as well, sat across the table from the Potter family.

Hermione cast a privacy charm around the table that replayed innocuous conversations from six weeks before.

Without preamble, Harry said, "We're going back to the Department of Mysteries tomorrow."

Several eyes widened at the announcement.

"Once we're there, I'll polyjuice myself with a dose of 'Draco' and enter the portal. The other portal is in the Malfoy's home. That will establish the link between portals and I'll lead the first group of death eaters back through. From there the aurors in the Department of Mysteries will engage the enemy.

"When Tom Riddle comes through it is imperative that no one attack him, it would be suicide and no one has my permission to kill themselves. I'm the only one who can beat him, understood?"

The whole assembly nodded.

"I only see one flaw in your plan, Harry." Neville said.

"Just one?" Harry quipped.

"How will you greet the lady of the house? How would the son and scion of a great house enter and greet his mother and important guests?"

"Um, I guess you're telling me a simple, "Hi mum" won't do?"

"It takes years of training to pull of the kind of masquerade you're describing here."

"I'll have to fake it; there isn't time to train me up."

"No, Harry, if you go through then this whole plan is over before it begins."

Pansy sucked in her breath, then looked up at her husband with pleading eyes, "No!"

"It's got to be me, Panz." Neville said.

First year Neville Longbottom couldn't keep his toad Trevor in line, but this was five and a half years later, and this was The Longbottom of the Noble House of Longbottom, and his word was law.

Harry nodded in approval. Neville's plan was the only way to go. "We'll run through the plan in two hours, in three hours the DA meets - we need everyone on high alert tomorrow morning."

Pansy Longbottom 'harrumphed' and took her husband by the hand.

"Fine!" She groused, "But for the next two hours, My Husband, your lordly arse is mine!"

Ginny and Dean looked at each other, nodded, then walked off at a more sedate pace.

Ron looked up to see a pensive Lavender looking back at him. Without a word they ran until they collided and clung to each other and cried.

"I was such a git!" Ron cried, "You were right, you were right about everything and I've been so miserable..."

Lavender silenced him with a kiss, then reached into the inner pocket of her robe and pulled out Ron's Weasley is Our King bracelet and put it back on his wrist.

"C'mon mister, we have a lot of lost time to make up for and only two hours to do it!"

Harry looked at his witches who smiled back at him.

"It seems something's in the air at Hogwarts." He said, grinning.

Luna, who had been scribbling furiously on a small roll of parchment said, "If we go now we'll each have forty minutes with our green-eyed sex god, and eighty minutes with each other, we should be able to climax a minimum of six times in that two hour period if we begin within the next five minutes."

"Cor, it'll take us that long to get up to the seventh floor, and there's probably someone in the Room of Requirement by now." Harry said.

'Pop!'

"Miz Helga's guest rooms are ready for you Harry Potter, sir, Missus Potters ma'ams, they is the next door after the kitchen."

"Whatever you're paying that house elf, it's not enough." Padma observed as she dragged Harry off the bench heading in the direction of the aforementioned room.

When they got to it the door opened and even before it closed cloaks, boots, blouses and jeans went flying and awrithing ball of naked bits seemed to roll onto the large, circular bed where Padma was the first to claim Harry's most thrilling protruding part.

Luna and Hermione kept at least one hand on Harry and Padma even as they kissed, caressed and pleasured each other, each making the other more than ready for her turn.

When the soft gong sounded, signifying their time was up, each of the girls had been thouroughly pleasured. Luna had enjoyed six orgasms, three from Harry's ministrations, Padma had seven, again, three from her husbands very capable attentions, and Hermione was just coming off her ninth and strongest yet as her vaginal muscles milked Harry's gushing member for the fifth time.

Four sticky, sweaty, cum-soaked teens ran to the large shower to clean away the evidences of their whirlwind of sexual release, then managed to dress and run up to the seventh floor just in time to meet the rest of the commandos, who were more or less disheveled from their own activities.

Potter's Commandos entered the room and it immediately shifted to conference mode.

"How are we going to keep Draco from communicating with his mother while Neville is in Malfoy manor?"

Pansy reached into her robe and pulled Draco's journal from the inner pocket. "Draco was always pants at charms, and the ones he had on this journal were his pathetic best.

"I can copy Malfoy's handwriting well enough to fool his mummy to let her know her precious boy has succeeded. Imight even accompany Draco to the Manor."

"No, that would only arouse suspicions."

All heads turned to the chandelier to see Myrtle sitting astride the support cable.

"I've read the last few entries, including the margin notes," she said, pointedly. "And he's told his mummy that Pansy has been mean to him and thrown him over for a Gryffindor."

Hermione's face grew red, "I'm sorry, Myrtle, I was afraid if you knew how Draco really felt about you it would make you upset."

"Upset? No." Myrtle said, "Pissed? Oh absolutely! I want to see that sadistic rapist get exactly what's coming to him."

"You'll have to get in line, sister."Pansy said in a voice that chilled the room by several degrees.

The Lady Longbottom opened Draco's journal and asked, "What should I say?"

Harry looked to his wives and closest advisors, "Near as I can tell, Mrs. Malfoy is just trying to keep herself and her son safe and alive - which is more than the little shit deserves."

Turning to Neville, he asked, "Do you think you can get her to come through the portal with you? Once you're both through we can start dealing with the death eaters."

Neville smiled and nodded, "Should be easy, our victims won't be expecting a reception."

Harry turned to Pansy, "Write and tell her that the portal is working, and that you know where Potter will be, and it won't be snug-a-bed in his Gryffindor dorm."

Luna frowned, "You want to make sure Tom Riddle comes too."

"All his soul-anchors are destroyed, its time to end this." Harry said, "Suggest a pre-dawn raid; usually that's the best time for an attack."

The DA meeting was short. "Padma has everyone's patrol assignments; you'll be in the corridors on every floor or on the battlements scanning the edge of the Forbidden Forest starting at five AM. During class, sit with your back to the wall in such a way that you can watch everyone in the room, as well as the door, have your wand in your hand, not in a pocket.

"We have a list of known death-eater sympathizers, if any of them so much as sneeze tomorrow morning, stun and disarm them immediately."

Neville stood up, "Today is the first of February, tomorrow is the Sabbat of Imbolc - midwinter. My ancestors saw this day as the beginning of the end of winter, and so let it mark the beginning of the end of the so-called Lord Voldemort."

Harry looked on with satisfaction that none of the DA members so much as flinched at the sound of the dreaded name.

Neville continued, "Some of you may have joined on a lark, thinking this was just a cool club to be in. It's not. This is an army, and the DA, once known as Dumbledore's Army, must stand and fight for the rights of all magical people, no matter what their family names or blood status - all of you signed the charter, that makes you my brothers and sisters in arms, and I promise you, after today, there will be no greater statement of worth than this, to be able to say, I stood with my DA brothers and sisters on Imbolc!"

The meeting broke up with over a hundred grim-faced soldiers ready for battle.

When the room had cleared, save for Potter's Commandos, Harry said, "I need you to get some sleep, people. The Room of Requirement has apartments for us all, go to bed, get some sleep, I'll have the Room rouse you all at three-AM. Questions?"

No one had any.

Harry led his brides into the spacious quarters the Room had provided for them. As they prepared for bed, he secreted a lozenge.

He lay between Luna and Hermione, with Padma spooned against Luna's back.

Leaning over Luna he kissed Padma, who smiled, then slept, then he turned to kiss Hermione, who, likewise, went to sleep with a satisfied smile. Then he turned to Luna.

"Lose the charm, Harry."

"It's just a mild sleeping charm, to make sure we all sleep tonight - it's important to be well rested when we get up."

"You promise, that's all? You're not planning to leave us behind again?"

"I promise."

They kissed and slept contentedly, dreamlessly.