FicWad

Chapter 14 – Good Deeds
. . .

Hermione Jane Granger was not a happy witch as she paced back and forth within her sitting room. She had looked forward to being alone with Harry for some time now only to arrive at Westfield to discover that was going to be a bit more difficult than she had initially thought. The young woman had been waiting since before All Hallow's Eve to tell Harry how she felt about him.

The young witch still couldn't believe that the first thing she had done upon arriving at Harry's home was attack Andi promptly followed by breaking down and crying. What happened was made only marginally better by the fact that Harry had held her as she cried. The fact that they'd had a rather nice, if too short, snog afterwards was a pleasant surprise. She had hoped to repeat their snogging sooner rather than later. Now however she wasn't so certain if that was a good idea or not.

The astute witch couldn't help but notice the byplay between her Harry and the other witches at Westfield. It was that very fact that had the Gryffindor in a tizzy of a mood and unable to sleep. Who knew that Daphne could be such a flirt, she thought as she paced. In school the blonde witch had been rather distant, showing little interest in the males of any year. Instead the Slytherin witch had spent all her time with her best friend Tracey. Hermione had heard some rumors that indicated that the two might even be a bit more than just best friends.

In what Hermione could only call a complete change of character, Daphne had seemed to focus all her attention directly on Harry almost to the exclusion of even Tracey. Several times the beautiful witch had reached out and touched Harry's hand, all apparently innocently of course, but Hermione knew differently. It was a clear indication of Daphne saying that Harry belonged to her and her alone. Every touch had drawn Harry's attention back towards the former Slytherin witch and away from the others. A clever ploy, Hermione grudgingly admitted. With each touch it had felt as though there was a caged beast inside Hermione's chest trying to claw its way out.

The changes in Tracey Davis were startling to say the least. Hermione had known the auburn-haired witch to be reserved, keeping mostly to herself, especially after fifth year. She had shared Runes and Arithmancy classes with the bright girl since third year. Hermione had little doubt that something had transpired in their fifth year as Tracey had changed, becoming withdrawn and pretty much attached to Daphne's hip, who also sat those classes. Hermione, not one to judge, had silently wished them well and hoped they were happy together.

The Tracey Davis she had seen at the dinner table was not the same witch she had gone to school with the past several years. Tracey had joined in the conversation readily enough, something unheard of before. The witch had also changed her appearance and not just with the muggle clothing she was wearing. Her hair had been done and cosmetics had been applied as if she were trying to impress someone. The shy smile she had sported every time Harry had spoken to her left little doubt in Hermione's mind just who that someone was.

Luna had been all smiles as she engaged Hermione in conversation and asked about school and classes. The Gryffindor witch though hadn't missed the glances in Harry's direction nor the blush they brought to the former Ravenclaw's cheeks each time. Hermione could only hope that Luna had a touch of hero worship as Harry had taken her in after her father's passing and had cared for her. The insecure woman, at least where Harry was concerned, really didn't want to contemplate that the cute petite witch's feelings could be anything deeper than that as Luna was a dear friend and she herself had far too few of those to want to lose one.

"How could this have happened?" Hermione asked herself as she continued to pace back and forth. "Did I wait too long to tell Harry how I feel?" It was clear to Hermione that at least three of the witches at Westfield had feelings for Harry. "Better make that four," she mumbled, thinking of herself. Unless she was mistaken, Harry seemed rather oblivious to the witches circling him just waiting for the right moment to pounce. Then again, I could be wrong, she speculated. Perhaps this is why he never told me that Tracey and Daphne were living here as well. Maybe he has feelings for one of them already?

Andi and Mary thankfully didn't seem to have a clue as to what was happening right before their eyes at the table. Well, Andi at least, Hermione thought, recalling the disapproving glares that Mary repeatedly sent towards Harry whenever he became flirtatious with one of the witches. For that matter, when did Harry become such a flirt? Andi had been rather occupied with seeing to Teddy, pausing between each spoonful of food to converse with Mary who was seated to her left.

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "The real question is does Harry care for any of them?" she asked aloud. It was the very question, or rather the lack of an answer to that question, that had kept her awake and unable to sleep. If the answer was yes then she may have very well lost her chance to be with Harry which was something she really didn't wish to think about. "I have to know!" she decided, abruptly storming from her room and heading for the stairs.

The hour was late so the hallway was dark. A quick "Lumos" saw the tip of her wand glow and light her way. The determined witch ascended the stairs to the third floor and followed the hallway till she neared the end and found someone standing there."Kreacher?" the witch asked in a puzzled tone as she approached the elf. Behind Kreacher she spied a door, one without a door handle upon it.

The aged elf regarded the woman for a long moment before he spoke. "If Missy Granger is here to see the young Master she will have to wait till morning," the Black family elf informed her.

"I don't think this can wait till then, Kreacher," Hermione confessed."Please let me see Harry."

"Now is not the best time. Young Master is not having a good night," Kreacher replied with a glance towards the door which led up to Harry's floor."Master asked that none be allowed to disturb him. If Missy Granger would like to leave a message, Kreacher will see that Master is told in the morning."

The last thing Hermione wanted to do was leave her confession to Harry with the old elf. While Harry had written and mentioned on several occasions just how much Kreacher had changed, Hermione couldn't help but recall just how disagreeable the elf had been or how often he had referred to her as 'the filthy mudblood' while at Grimmauld Place. "Does Harry often have bad nights?" she asked instead, concerned for her best friend.

The old elf's lips pressed tightly together. The fact that he wouldn't answer her question told Hermione all she really needed to know. Realizing that she wasn't going to get in to see Harry she bade the elf goodnight and retraced her steps to her own rooms. It was a very frustrated and tired witch that climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. I hope Harry is alright, she thought as she struggled to get to sleep herself.

-oOo-

Harry James Potter awoke rather abruptly, feeling far worse than before he had fallen asleep. Judging by the light coming through the window it hadn't been all that long ago when sleep had finally claimed him. The session with Hermione had brought thoughts of the war to the forefront of his mind which had led to nightmares. It wasn't a new occurrence by any means as he often had terrible dreams of those times.

The young wizard, Hero of the war, Vanquisher of Voldemort, Chosen One, dreaded sleep as it brought him little rest. He had adopted a routine of staying up as late as possible reading either in his rooms or in the library. When he could no longer keep his eyes open he would apparate to his room and fall into his bed for a few hours of troubled sleep. It was only through a very careful regiment of Pepper-Up potions that he managed to get through the day. It was a fact he kept hidden from everyone, including his own elves.

Harry lay in bed and reflected upon those who currently were residing under his roof. The young man didn't know what to do with them all as he had slowly been coming to the realization that he cared for each and every one of them, abet in different ways and to different degrees. This morning's reflection was also nothing new as he did it fairly often. Now with Hermione here it is only more complicated, he mused silently, wondering not for the first time just how he managed to get himself in these types of situations.

As Harry lay there, realizing that his life was perhaps more complicated now than it had been during the war, he felt as though something was slightly off. The young wizard's brow creased as he thought about the odd feeling in an attempt to rout out its cause. I feel as if someone is watching me almost. With a resigned sigh, realizing that he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, Harry sat up in bed prepared to start his day only to freeze at what he saw.

A multitude of bulbous eyes stared back at him, watching his every move. Harry swallowed heavily, absently pulling the covered up to his chin to cover himself. His entire bedroom was filled wall to wall with house elves of every size and shape. Towards the far corners of the room the elves were standing on each other's shoulders as there wasn't enough room apparently to fit all of them. Never before had he seen so many large eyes and wiggling ears in one place before. "Good morning," he spoke hesitantly.

"Good morning, Harry Potter, Sir!" the elves all said in unison. It was rather an eerie thing to witness Harry thought. Harry blinked slowly only to see all the elves blink as well. That's certainly creepy, he thought as their blinks had not only been in unison with his but with each other as well.

Slowly reaching towards his nightstand the wizard retrieved his glasses and slipped them on. The first thing he noticed as the room came clearly into focus was that each and every elf was wearing a toga with the Hogwarts crest over the left breast area. "Winky! Kreacher!" Harry called out. The two house elves popped in at the foot of their Master's bed as there was no place for them upon the floor at the moment. "Care to explain this?" he asked with a nod towards their audience.

Kreacher and Winky looked out over the sea of their kind, though it was only Kreacher that showed any surprise at their presence, a fact Harry readily caught."Winky?" Harry enquired. "Care to offer an explanation?"

Winky shuffled her feet, shifting about a wrinkle on Harry's bed with one toe in the process. It was apparent to Harry that the she-elf knew exactly what was going on and was rather reluctant to tell her master. "Winky may have visited Hogwarts," she finally offered.

"Why did you visit Hogwarts?" Harry asked. He wasn't overly concerned but rather a bit curious how a visit to Hogwarts could lead to his bedroom being filled with elves wall to wall and floor to rafters as it were. He surmised that his elves had plenty of time to do things other than clean and look after him and the others. What they did in their own time was up to them as he saw it.

The elf being addressed began to nervously wring her hands before her as she answered."Winky had questions about," the elf paused as she shot a quick glance in Kreacher's direction, "how to proceed. Winky asked other elf who had a child," she explained as she looked about for the means to punish herself.

Harry well knew that look as he had seen it often enough on Dobby's face to realize what Winky's darting eyes meant. "First, there will be no punishing yourself. Do you understand Winky?" Harry asked firmly, only continuing once the elf had nodded in agreement. "How does you seeking advice get me a room full of Hogwarts house elves?"

"Winky may have mentioned, while in the kitchen of Hogwarts, what Master Harry said," Winky answered with lowered eyes.

"What I said?" Harry asked, his brow creasing further in confusion. He failed to see how anything Winky had recounted could have led to the current situation.

Winky gave a slow nod. "Master said that any elf he owned would be free to choose whomever they wanted and have a child whenever they wanted. Master Harry is a great and wonderful wizard to show such kindness to his elves!" Winky stated as she looked up at her Master with wide loving eyes.

Harry suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "So they are here to…," his words trailed off.

"...Bond with the great Harry Potter," all the Hogwarts elves stated as one, completing his thought and confirming his fears all at the same time.

"Aren't you already bonded to the Headmistress McGonagall?" Harry asked, hoping he had a way out of yet another potentially complicated situation. All the elves started talking at once which made it impossible for Harry to understand anything they were saying. Holding up his hands for them to stop he pointed at one elf close to his bed. "You, what is your name?"

"Dikky," the young elf answered with a look of utter disbelief that he had been selected to speak. The young elf's eyes nearly glowed with adulation as he stared at Harry much in the same manner Dobby always had whenever Harry had been in the same room. Harry found it just as unsettling now as he had then.

"Now, are you bonded to the Headmistress of Hogwarts or not?" Harry enquired.

"All the elves of Hogwarts are bound to Hogwarts itself, not the Headmistress," Dikky explained in a rush. "It is not a proper bounding as we would have with the great Harry Potter!"

"Thank you, Dikky," Harry replied, causing the elf to start bouncing from foot to foot in his excitement. "I can't bond all of you," Harry said while looking up and out over the hopeful faces before him. "What would Hogwarts do without all of her elves there to take care of the students?" he asked upon seeing the hopeful looks fall from the many faces around him, Kreacher's included. Harry hated to disappoint them but he couldn't see McGonagall being all that thrilled with him if he stole away all the elves from Hogwarts.

"If Master Harry were their Master he could tell them to work at Hogwarts as they have been," Winky offered. Her words suddenly saw all the small heads in the room nodding in agreement. The scene reminded Harry somewhat of a bobblehead collection he had seen in a store once. The fact that they were all nodding in unison just added to the creepy factor and sent a chill down his spine.

This is all because they want to have children, Harry thought to himself as the elves looked on expectantly. He couldn't fault them as he himself wanted children someday. An image of a small bushy haired little girl on his lap sprang to mind. Not any time soon though, he thought to himself, quickly banishing the image in his head. His concern though was for Hogwarts and the students there. The elves at the school saw to everything for the staff and students. Winky's suggestion certainly seemed to solve that problem for the foreseeable future.

"If I do this," Harry opened with only to see the multitude of elves begin to bounce from foot to foot in what he had affectionately come to call the 'Dobby Hop' due to his dear friend always doing it when excited. "If I do this, you cannot tell anyone about it," Harry stated. The last thing he wanted was for people to discover that he had bonded to a large portion of the Hogwarts house elves. The Prophet would have a field day with that, no doubt, he mused. The bobbleheads continued to bobble.

After a quick consultation with Kreacher to ensure he didn't have to bond them one at a time, Harry turned back to the waiting elves. "I, Harry James Potter, offer you hearth, home and family," he intoned solemnly.

All the elves stated their names, the noise washed over Harry making little sense at all, before they continued with, "Accept Harry James Potter as our Master and the Potter family as our own!"

Harry hadn't needed to bond to Kreacher as he was part of becoming the head of the Black family. When he had bonded to Winky he hadn't felt anything, at least that he could recall. Bonding to roughly sixty elves at once was another story. It was like an electrical current passed through his entire body leaving him tingling. Suddenly he needed only to look at an elf to know what its name was. It was a byproduct of the magic involved in the bonding.

"All of you are to continue to work at Hogwarts as you have been," Harry told them once he had recovered his senses from the bonding process. "You're not to tell a soul that you have bonded to me," he instructed them before dismissing his new elves back to Hogwarts. There was a quick moment where there were multiple 'pops'all at once. Harry blinked seeing the room still filled with elves. The confused wizard regarded the elves, slowly realizing that he didn't know any of them.

"These are the rest of the Hogwarts elves," Kreacher offered upon seeing his Master's look of confusion. "They would like to be bonded as well," he explained to Harry. The young wizard groaned as he should have seen this coming. The bonding process was repeated once again before the same instructions were given concerning secrecy.

-oOo-

Harry made his way down the stairs and found Hermione waiting for him. Upon seeing his best friend he realized he would have to find some way to explain to her just why he had bonded with all the Hogwarts elves. Given the witch's stance on owning elves as well as Hermione being the founder of S.P.E.W., he had no illusion to just how that conversation would go. Hopefully the fact that it will allow them to have children will suffice for an excuse, he prayed. "Good morning, `Mione," he greeted the pretty witch, offering her a warm smile.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione replied, giving the wizard the once over to make certain he was alright. She had been concerned for him all night and had found it very hard to finally go to sleep. "Sleep well?" she asked innocently.

"As well as usual," Harry replied honestly. "Shall we?" he asked as he offered her his arm to distract her as well as change the subject. The last thing he wanted her to know was that he was having difficulties sleeping at night. Recalling the elves he hastily amended his previous thought, make that the second to last thing.

"How gallant of you," Hermione teased, accepting his arm. "When did you become such a gentleman?" she asked with a grin. Despite everything that had happened, she had to admit that she rather liked some of the changes she saw in Harry. The playful banter and flirtatious exchanges he had with her were very refreshing. The snogging wasn't all that bad either, she thought recalling the previous evening on her bed, even as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She couldn't help but wonder how far things would have gone if Harry hadn't mentioned their friend, Ron.

"It's hard not to be when with such a beautiful woman," Harry replied, causing the witch on his arm to blush heavily, a fact Harry was happy to notice. The past several months of banter with Daphne saw the wizard able to say such things now without blushing himself. "You deserve to be treated like a lady," he added as they descended the stairs. "Sorry it has taken me so long to realize that."

"Better later than never," Hermione managed to get out as the tips of her ears turned bright red. How can you not just love him? she mused as her heart skipped several beats. Harry escorted her to her seat, holding out her chair for her and pushing it in. Hermione was completely floored when Harry then leaned in and gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. The young witch was too busy blushing to see Harry repeat the process with Luna, Teddy and then Andi. It wasn't until Harry reached the other side of the table that she witnessed him kiss first Tracey and then Daphne good morning too, that she suddenly felt less special than moments before.

"I have a meeting at Gringotts first thing this morning," Harry told them all as he gathered his plate and went and served himself. "Does anyone need anything while I am in Diagon Alley?" the wizard asked before making his way back to the table. The others at the table stated they weren't in need of anything at the moment. The Potter and Black house elves would have seen to any of their needs long before Harry asked.

Hermione was once again surprised when Harry took her empty plate and set the one he had filled before her. The plate was filled with her favorite foods. A single egg, over easy of course. Two pieces of bacon, no bangers for her thank you very much. A small serving of mixed fruit, heavy on the strawberries. Once again Harry made her feel very special as he hadn't personally served any of the other witches seated at the table. "Thank you, Harry," she managed to say before the wizard went to serve himself.

The young wizard offered Hermione a small smile before going and making his own plate up. Breakfast progressed in a fairly normal manner as it did each morning. The addition of Hermione to the table didn't seem to cause much of a stir, which was what Harry had hoped for. Once he had finished eating Harry quickly excused himself so that he wouldn't be late for his appointment with Gerald Greengrass.

Despite knowing pretty much what to expect, Harry found that he was rather nervous. The man's daughter had been living under Harry roof for over three months now. While he had treated Daphne as respectfully as possible he couldn't help but wonder if her father had illusions as to what may or may not have been happening to his daughter. The last thing I want is for him to accuse me of inappropriate behavior with Daphne. Not that the young man hadn't had thoughts along those lines, he just hadn't acted upon them as yet. Merlin! Thank goodness for cold showers!

It was a few minutes before nine o`clock when Harry entered Gringotts with Daniel Wright beside him. As the Greengrass Patriarch had mentioned coming to an arrangement, Harry had felt that it would be best to have his solicitor there with him. Bogrod, the Gringotts Floor Manager, quickly escorted the pair to a conference room which had been reserved for the meeting. Upon entering the room Harry saw that there was a goblin as well as a wizard waiting for them. The wizard introduced himself as Gerald Greengrass but refrained from introducing the goblin.

Daphne's father was a tall man, neither wide nor thin, with dark eyes that missed very little. Harry thought that Daphne must take after her mother as she looked nothing like the man before him. Where Daphne's hair was blonde, Gerald's was a dark brown. The man had brown eyes while Daphne's were blue. The wizard had a strong jaw line which was clean shaven. Daphne's features were more delicate in nature. The head of the Greengrass family stood as Harry and Daniel entered.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Potter," Gerald Greengrass offered as he extended his hand towards Harry. "My apologies for the short notice of this meeting but it was the only available time I had between now and after the New Year."

"The pleasure is mine, Sir," Harry replied accepting the hand and giving it afirm shake. "Please, just Harry. That's alright. I appreciate you taking the time to see me," Harry countered with, dismissing the man's concerns."This is my solicitor, Daniel Wright," Harry offered with a gesture towards Daniel.

Gerald and Daniel shook hands quickly. "How is Daphne?" Gerald enquired of Harry as he released Daniel's hand and took his seat once again.

"She is well," Harry assured him as he seated himself with Daniel to his right."She, along with a few others, are currently working on their N.E.W.T.'s," Harry added. Seeing the man's questioning look he continued to explain. "There are a few others that have come to stay at my home. Enough so that I felt it would be best to hire an instructor to see to their education. I hope that is alright?"

"It sounds as though you have her best interests in mind," Gerald replied with a disarming smile. "As a father I couldn't ask for more than that. One day you will have children and realize just how much their happiness means to you, Harry." The wizard quickly realized that if the others staying with Harry still required their N.E.W.T.'s then they too must be the same age as his daughter.

Harry smiled warmly. "They may not be my daughters but their happiness means agreat deal to me," he replied, meaning all the witches currently residing in his home. Harry still wasn't certain just how that came to be but it was the truth, their happiness meant everything to him. He truly did care about all of them and he wanted them to be happy.

"I'm relieved to hear that, Harry," Gerald replied. The fact that Harry referred to all of them as daughters told him that the other occupants were all females as well. "Speaking of Daphne's happiness, I believe we are here to discuss her wand?" the older wizard asked, realizing that there might not be a moment to lose.

"Yes," Harry agreed. "She has been using Tracey's wand for classes but as you can well imagine it is not a match like her own wand would be."

Gerald Greengrass folded his hands before him on the table and regarded Harry for along moment. "Harry, I am a businessman. A fact I am certain Daphne has mentioned." Seeing the young wizard across the table from him nod he continued. "My daughter's wand represents a rather serious investment. Not just in the cost of the wand itself but also in the cost of the six years she attended Hogwarts. So you see, I cannot just hand the wand over to you. Were you to lose it or withhold it from Daphne, then House Greengrass would be out the cost of her education."

"So what are you proposing then, Sir?" Harry asked with a frown. Having little knowledge of Wizarding customs he didn't know if this was usually how these matters were handled or not. He didn't like being accused of withholding Daphne's wand but he could see where that thought might arise. He doesn't know me any more than I know him, Harry mused silently. A quick glance towards his solicitor earned him a slight shrug from Mr. Wright, indicating he didn't know what was going on either.

"House Greengrass would be willing to sell it to you for…," the man paused and regarded the goblin next to him for a long moment, receiving a nod in exchange as if agreeing to some silent communication, "…250 galleons," Gerald finished with as he turned back to Harry."

Daniel Wright frantically racked his brain for any laws that had been passed in the last hundred years that could be enacted by his client purchasing the wand but could think of none. The price alone, despite what the Head of the Greengrass family had said, seemed excessively high to the solicitor. "Perhaps it would be best if my client-"

"Done!" Harry said, earning startled looks from both Daniel and Gerald.

"Really?" Gerald asked before he could stop himself. He had expected the man to at least haggle on the price with him. He, like most others in the know, had heard that Harry had inherited the Black family wealth. Apparently the rumors are true, the man thought, realizing that his daughter was going to be very well off. Well off indeed!

"A small price to pay for Daphne's happiness," Harry replied, ignoring Daniel's rather pointed look warning him away from agreeing with anything too quickly.

"Very true," the wizard answered as a smile split the face of the Head of the House of Greengrass. Turning towards the goblin next to him he received a piece of parchment. "This is a bill of sale for the wand," Gerald explained as he slide the parchment across the table to Harry, who slide it over to Daniel for review. Reaching into his robes the man produced a box before opening it to show Harry the wand nestled within. "I'm certain she will be glad to have it returned to her. When do you think that will be?"

Harry accepted the parchment back from his solicitor, assured it was a bill of sale and nothing more. "I'm thinking it will make a nice Yule present," Harry confessed as he signed the document making the sale final.

"I couldn't agree more," Gerald replied as he accepted the document back from Harry and passed over the box with Daphne's wand. "Gringotts will see that the gold is transferred," he said as he passed the parchment to the goblin beside him before rising from his seat. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Potter," he stated as he extended his hand towards Harry.

"Thank you, Sir," Harry replied as he rose and shook the proffered member. The head of the Greengrass family, with his nameless goblin in tow, left rather quickly.

"That was ill advised," Daniel Wright told Harry as soon as the conference room door had closed.

"You inspected the document," Harry countered with, "it was no more than a bill of sale, correct?" he asked only to see the man nod. "Then it was nothing more than a business transaction. Daphne told me once that to her father everything had a price tag. The man was imply attempting to make some gold off of me."

"You should have at least negotiated him down to a lower price," Daniel said, still not liking the entire deal. "250 galleons it a hefty price to pay for anything."

"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Wright," Harry replied. 250 galleons was hardly going to impoverish him but he wasn't about to tell his solicitor that. He would probably raise his rates, Harry thought. Compared to other recent purchases it was really nothing at all. "What's done is done," Harry added. "Thank you for your time but if you'll excuse me I need to see my Account Manager while I am here."

After parting ways with his solicitor Harry made his way to the office of the Potter Account Manager. A knock on the door earned him a rather unpleasant bark from the other side of the glass. Harry chuckled softly as he opened the door and stuck his head in. "Got a few minutes, Bob?" he asked.

The goblin's attitude did a 180 upon seeing who had knocked upon his door. "Of course! Of course, Mr. Potter!" Bob replied, slipping from his seat and walking around the massive desk to shake Harry's hand. The desk was much larger than the previous one he had and his clothes were of a much better quality and cut than when Harry had first been introduced to him. "How are you?"

Harry took in all the changes, figuring that it had to do with assuming responsibilities for the Black as well as the Lovegood fortunes. Harry had been more than a little surprised when he discovered just how much gold Xeno had horded away in the Lovegood vault. Apparently the rather eccentric wizard hadn't believed in spending money and had only spent what was required to run his paper business. While not on the same par as that of the Potter or Black accounts, it still was an impressive amount of gold.

Harry shook the offered hand before taking a seat after setting the wand box upon the corner of the desk. "I am well, Bob. You seem to be doing rather good too," Harry replied with a knowing grin.

"Profitable times will do that, Mr. Potter," the goblin replied with a toothy grin."Something I should be aware of?" Bob enquired eyeing the box.

"A Yule present for Daphne, nothing more," Harry assured him. "How is that project at the Lovegood property going?" Harry asked, getting right to the point. It was only days till Christmas and he wanted to make certain that everything was ready.

"The dwarves finished excavating it last week," Bob answered. "Given its condition it would have been more cost effective to just buy a new one, Mr. Potter." They had already had this conversation several times but Harry had been adamant in his decision.

"It wouldn't be the same if it were a different one," Harry replied as he always had. "Will they be able to rebuild the house as well?"

"After having seen your memories of the place they have assured me that they can," Bob told Harry. "They won't be able to start till well after the New Year though as there is some dwarfish holiday that apparently lasts for an entire month and involves the consumption of great quantities of ale," Bob explained. Personally he thought the dwarves were simply using the New Year as an excuse to get drunk for an entire month.

"So it will be done in time?" Harry asked just to make certain.

"The first item is already completed and will be in place at the moment you specified. The Rook will be livable before your charge is of age, Mr. Potter," Bob assured Harry.

"Were you able to locate the last item?" Harry enquired, fearful that they wouldn't be able to in time.

"Of course!" Bob scoffed. "She may have hid them away, however given Gringotts contacts and enough gold, anything can be found."

Harry's smile grew into a grin at the goblin's news. This is going to be a fantastic Yule! "I knew I could count on you, Bob! Anything else I should know about?"

"The Davis matter concluded as we had hoped," Bob informed Harry. "All the paperwork has been filed with the Ministry so there shouldn't be any issues moving forward."

Harry sighed rather heavily recalling that he hadn't had much of an option in regards to the request by the Davis Matriarch. "Now all I have to do it tell Tracey," he mused rhetorically. He had promised himself as well as Tracey's father that he would take good care of the witch and he would, regardless of the cost.

"The investments with the Black family wealth are already starting to show substantial profits," Bob offered, feeling that perhaps a change of topics was in order.

"Well, that is good news!" Harry replied, forcing a smile back onto his face."Have you added in the Lovegood wealth as well?"

"Not yet," Bob answered. "I'll do that after the holidays are finished and things have settle down once again."

"That sounds reasonable," harry replied. "Give yourself an extra one percent of the profits from both accounts. Consider it a holiday bonus," Harry added with a grin at the surprised look upon Bob's face. At least he assumed it was surprise as one never really knew with goblins. Harry also figured that if there was a larger profit to be had by the goblin that Bob would work all the harder to insure that his gold made money.

-oOo-

"Mr. Potter!" a Scottish brogue called out, freezing Harry in place as he stepped from the floo.

Harry turned slowly, feeling for all the world like a firstie once again who had been caught casting spells in the hallways. "Headmistress McGonagall, what a pleasant surprise," Harry replied, fearing that she was about to give him detention. The stern witch had instilled such fear in her lions that he had very little doubt that he would show up for the detention were she to do so.

"Not nearly as much of a surprise as I and the rest of the staff received this morning, I assure you," McGonagall stated evenly. "Care to explain how this could have happened?"

"Magic?" Harry squeaked out before he could stop himself.

Minerva McGonagall's eyes narrow and her lips drew into a thin line at the very Marauder answer. "I would sorely hate to have to give you detention within your own house, Mr. Potter," the sorely pressed woman stated. "The Board of Governors are asking me questions I haven't answers to. Answer that you seem to be holding! Care to explain to me why all the house elves at Hogwarts now have the Potter family crest on their uniforms where previously they wore the Hogwarts one?"

Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping as he realized the potion was out of the flask now. If the Board of Governors knew then you could bet that it was only a matter of time before the Prophet knew. If they don't already, Harry thought. "Because they all bonded to me," the young wizard admitted.

"YOU WHAT?" Hermione's voice screamed from behind Harry startling the wizard both due to the sheer volume of the voice as well as to who it belonged to. Harry couldn't help but compare it to one of Mrs. Weasley's howlers. "How could you enslave them like that?"

Harry spun about to face the irate witch. "It's not what you think, Hermione," he tried to explain to his best friend.

"Why did they all bond to you?" Minerva enquired.

"For babies," Harry replied without even looking at the older witch. Faced with Hermione's growing anger he suddenly found himself unable to speak. Hermione had been mad at him plenty of times before. There was the incident with the broom and then the potion book. Granted she had been mad at Ron more often than him but the anger Harry saw in Hermione's face was like nothing that he had ever seen before.

"It's not enough that to enslave all the elves to you but then you have them making you babies so that you'll have even more slaves?" the impassioned witch cried. She would have never of thought that Harry, of all people, would do such a thing. He knows how I feel about the elves, she silently cried. He was right there with me when I researched how to free them! The search hadn't turned up any useful information but they had worked at it together. "How could you?" Hermione asked as her eyes filled with tears at the apparent betrayal.

Harry crossed the distance to Hermione and reached out for her only to have the witch shy away from his touch. "I didn't, `Mione," he told her in a quiet tone. "The babies are for them. I don't want any babies. They can't have babies unless their masters tell them when and with whom. I told all my elves that they could be with whomever they wanted and have as many babies as they wanted," he told Hermione in a rush.

"Winky told the elves at Hogwarts and this morning I awoke to my bedroom filled with them," Harry explained. "Their bond to Hogwarts isn't a proper one or so they told me. So they couldn't have any babies. They wanted to bond to me. How could I say no to them?" Harry asked in a pleading tone, his eyes beseeching the woman before him to understand.

"So…so you did it for them?" Hermione stammered in confusion as she worked through what Harry had told her. It made sense as Harry had bonded to Winky because the elf needed a family. Her Harry was always putting the needs of others before his own after all. It was one of the many things that she truly loved about the man.

"What other choice did I have?" Harry asked softly as he reached out and pulled the witch into his arms.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry I got mad at you. I thought that…," her words trailed off, failing her as she was too ashamed to say what she had been thinking.

Harry shushed her gently. "It's alright," he assured her as his hand made soothing circles in the small of her back.

"I don't know what's gotten into me of late. My emotions seems to be all over the place," the emotionally charged witch confessed. "I thought we'd have all this time alone and then I find you have a house full of beautiful witches already. I mean what need do you have for me, Harry?"

"Stop that right now," Harry gently chastised as he leaned away. Taking her face in his hands he looked her directly in the eye. "Nowhere is there a future where I do not need Hermione Granger in my life. You are very important to me and I lo-"

A soft clearing of a throat behind Harry reminded the two teens that they were not alone. "As touching as this is," the Scottish witch spoke with a hint of a smile, "I think it would be best continued in private." The Headmistress only just managed not to laugh as the two being addressed leapt apart like scolded cats.

"Sorry, Professor," Hermione and Harry replied in unison.

"Now, about the elves at Hogwarts," Minerva enquired.

"They will continue to perform their tasks just as they always have," Harry assured her.

"As grateful as I am for that, they are no longer bonded to Hogwarts," Minerva explained the problem to Harry. "I suspect that the Board of Governors fear that fact and what it could mean. The school, as it is, would not function were it not for the elves there to keep it running smoothly."

"I would never do anything to harm Hogwarts or the students there, Professor," Harry stated sincerely.

"While you and I may know that, Mr. Potter, it is the Board which needs convincing," Minerva stated. "I have been called to a meeting with them at 10 o`clock tomorrow morning and I would like you to attend with me so that we can straighten this entire matter out."

"Of course, Professor," Harry was quick to agree.

"Then I shall expect you at Hogwarts for breakfast," Minerva ordered. "That should give us plenty of time to devise an appropriate story as well as," the older witch's eyes darted towards Hermione for a split second before returning to Harry, "catch up on what has been happening in your life."

"Sounds grand," Harry replied with a smile. "Professor," he added upon seeing the woman move towards the fireplace and the waiting floo, "won't you stay for dinner?"

The Headmistress of Hogwarts paused in her tracks for a moment as she recalled the rather large pile of papers awaiting her on her desk. "That sounds rather lovely," she answered as she turned around with a genuine smile gracing her lips.