Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Dark Lady
Chapter 1
Sequel to Harry Potter and the Witches' Secret. Harry thought it was all over. His desire to settle in with his wives will not get fulfilled.
?Blocked
Harry Potter and the Dark Lady
Chapter 1
The Royal Academy
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
18:00
Harry sat at the head table looking at the screen as the students and their parents or guardians filtered into the Commons and the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
In the grade school Commons the students sat with their parents. Most of the other parents were present in the other Commons also, as the opening feast was open to all parents or guardians and no one was willing to pass up the Duke’s hospitality. The screen was divided into eighteen segments, each showing a Commons or the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
Chu stood and moved to the podium. “Welcome back.” She paused as the cheering and clapping died down. “It’s my pleasure to introduce your Patron, the Duke of Magic, Harry Potter.”
Harry stood to the cheers and moved to the podium. “Well, here we are again—and for those of you who are new students, here we are for the first time. I wish you a good year and good fortune. Now, I—”
Alicia stood. “Question time, Your Grace.”
Harry growled.
The second term last year had been traumatic, between finding classes and splitting up groups and new groups forming, not to mention the OWLs and placement test for the fifth years, NEWTs and University placement test for the seventh years, the Uni fourth years’ grad school acceptance test, and the third year grad school students Masters test.
And then the summer—well, there wasn’t exactly a word for that. The Dark-aligned would have called it murderous. Nobody called it happy; more comfortable after August, but still not exactly the happiest of summers.
Alicia tapped her foot. “Yes, yes, big scary Duke of Magic. Now why did you pick the third of August to eliminate Riddle?”
“Alicia, don’t be rude to Harry.”
“Yes, Nym.”
“Harry, answer the question so we can eat.”
“Yes, dear.”
General laughter sounded. “I actually didn’t pick that day, Alicia. I was walking down the Alley minding my own business when the idiot Apparated almost on top of me and started making demands to be worshipped and hurling curses.”
Harry looked around. “Any other questions or can we eat now?”
Millicent Bulstrode stood. “Your Grace, are there any other threats we should be aware of?”
Harry smiled sadly. “There are, unfortunately, always bad people in the world, Millicent. Nothing specific has come to the Division’s attention; however, it’s never a good idea to let one’s guard down completely.”
Harry looked around again. “No more? Okay, same procedure as last year: review the books and Head Students consult each other. One question per House at dinner, no repeats. Your Heads of House will meet with you at 19:30 to issue schedules and to advise you. Now let’s eat.”
A feast materialized before them.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
In the Grade One Commons Shirley McNoughton looked at her daughter. “Alice, don’t you take after that Alicia girl, treating the Duke so familiar. It’s not right.”
Ginny looked down the table. “Mrs. McNoughton, Duchess Nymphadora handled it. Alicia is a friend of ours and a vassal; she’s been at school with Harry through his fifth year and is a Quidditch teammate of his.”
“Children, you must never be afraid to speak to the Duke. He values what little time he is able to spend with you and he values your opinions. I would appreciate you being courteous to my husband, however, as Mrs. McNoughton pointed out.”
James Neil nodded. “I thought you might be one of the bonded, Your Grace. See, Lester? It will be fine—your teacher is the Duke’s wife. They’ve been telling each other horrible things about the Duke, Missus—errrh, Your Grace, after the thing with Riddle and the Death Eaters, and then all those stories about how he changes into monsters.”
Ginny laughed. “Well, Lester, as you can see, he’s not so much of a monster; and, well, he had to do what he did to Riddle and the Death Eaters.”
Alice asked, “Your Grace, is it true, though? Can he change into a monster?”
“What’s a monster, Alice?”
“Errrh, a giant, scary, deadly creature, Your Grace.”
Ginny stood and backed away from the table a bit and shifted to her Warg. She walked to the cringing Alice with her blazing eyes and her claws clicking on the crystal floor and gave her a great lick. Alice giggled and Ginny shifted back and retook her seat. “The Duke and the fully bonded can shift forms at will. We can assume forms that are capable of great destruction. We are still us, however. One of the things the Duke insists on is tolerance; you must base your opinions on the actions of the sentient, not its appearance.”
Labrys smiled broadly and looked at his son, displaying a huge mouthful of his pointed Goblin teeth. “Sagaris, that means you too.”
“Yes, Father.”
Susan Compton turned from the Goblins and looked at Ginny. She had watched as Ginny changed and seen her eyes go a warm brown from their bright green. “Your Grace, if you don’t mind, what exactly is your position in the bond?”
“Well?”
“Same as last year, Gin. They’ll take the oath or be Obliviated, so go ahead.”
“Love you, Harry.”
“Love you too, baby.”
“I am one of seven Primary wives, Mrs. Compton.”
“But you’re so young and beautiful, dear—errrh, Your Grace—surely you would seek to be an Alpha in a normal bond.”
Ginny beamed at her. “Thank you, Susan, but what’s normal?”
Susan blushed. “Forgive me, Your Grace?”
“Bah, it’s fine. We still don’t understand it all ourselves.”
The other women at the table chuckled.
Ginny continued, “I’ve known His Grace longer than most of the bonded. He was a year ahead of me at Hogwarts. As you children will learn in second year, that really doesn’t matter, though. Magical bondings are not controlled by age or exposure but by compatibility of magic. I am very, very closely matched to His Grace. He was not taught to suppress his magic’s mate-seeking, as you young gentlemen will be, and that plus our mutually very high power levels led to us bond very early.”
Susan shook her head. “So all of the reports in the paper are true, then.”
“Well, I don’t know about all of them first-hand, Susan, but our mate Rita is very conscientious about fact checking at the Prophet. Odd Lovegood, our mate Luna’s father, is also very conscientious at the Quibbler.”
Meredith Regent asked, “Why don’t you suppress these reports? I mean, obviously the Clan has control of the media in this country. And some of the things people say in those letters to the editors…well, it’s just wrong.”
Ginny laughed. “We own the papers and the WWN. We don’t let the reporters get carried away and invade our privacy, but we don’t fear anyone knowing who we’re bonded to. First of all they couldn’t stand against one of us, much less His Grace, and second, if we didn’t let the papers report it Harry would be shouting it from the rooftops.” She blushed very prettily. “As for the letters, well, there’s not much to be done. People will have their opinions and Harry insists on truth.”
The women smiled at her. It was good to see a woman with a powerful, proud husband. It humanized this Duke who was fast becoming mythical.
Jimmy Johnston raised his hand. Ginny smiled at him and nodded. He asked, “Your Grace, do we have to take all of the classes?”
Ginny chuckled. “I know it seems like a lot but you’ll get used to it, Jimmy. Also, the magic classes are introductory classes. Your mum will be happy, though, as we’ve found that young people can normally perform the household charms at your age. Be glad you aren’t in fifth grade—you’d be studying for your placement test, both magical and Mundane, at the end of the year.”
“Cleaning charms? Oh no!”
Laughter followed as Camille Johnston gently cuffed her son on the shoulder.
Edward Bell asked, “What about Quidditch, Your Grace?”
Ginny smiled again. “Eddie, I know Katie has talked to you. Yes, Quidditch will be available, as well as football, cricket, equestrian sports, and many other sports. We’ll post the sign-up sheets tomorrow after the Sorting. Any of the parents wishing to assist with these sports will be welcome.”
The children were soon talking amongst themselves. Meredith looked at Ginny. “So, Your Grace, how many?”
“One hundred twenty-two daughters and a hundred twenty-two sons.” Ginny didn’t see the need to mention the nine owls, twenty-two Nightmare foals, forty-three centaur foals, or any of the Goblin, Veela, or human breeding-rights offspring either already born or on the way.
Meredith’s mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. Susan Compton laughed. “I bet that’s fun at dinner time.”
Ginny nodded. “Thank Morgana for the nanny elves.”
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
The mates all had basically the same experience as they met their classes and their students’ parents. Harry had been very firm in asking the parents or guardians to attend the opening feast with their students.
Harry closed the feast at 19:15 and circulated among the Commons with Nym.
At ten after the Heads had briefed, the new students and parents had been sworn, the day students had gone home, and the schools were buttoned up for the night. Harry faded the mates away to the master suite and bed.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
Hogwarts
Gryffindor
Common Room
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
21:45
Neville watched as an exasperated Lavender stormed off.
“What the heck is wrong with you, Ron?”
“Our rooms, Neville.”
Neville’s brain stalled out. Ron was so complicated sometimes that it actually hurt his head. “Okay, mate, a little more, please.”
“Well, we have rooms to ourselves so I have to live with Lavender all year.”
“Ron, you’re bonded. Didn’t you just spend the whole break living with her at either her house, yours, or Potter Castle?”
“Well, yeah, but everyone knew we were bonded. Now it just seems like we’re advertising the fact that we’re having sex.”
Neville blanched. “If you said that to Lavender I suspect you won’t have to worry about it ever again.”
Ron started and then leapt to his feet. He had finally understood how stupid and truly insulting his objection sounded. He flew up the stairs to the room he and Lavender had been given.
Romilda, who had been shocked into silence by the whole idiotic conversation, looked Neville in his eyes from her position in his lap. “Thank you, Nev.”
Neville blushed a little. “For what, Romi?”
“For not being Ron-like. Now let’s go to bed.”
Neville blushed a lot and followed Romilda to their assigned room with a goofy grin.
Alicia waited until she and George were in their room. “What the hell is wrong with Ron?”
“How am I to know, Alicia? I think he just doesn’t think his way through things.”
Alicia snorted. “Lav’s going to kill him. Hey, did you notice that there are very few boys in Myrddin?”
George nodded. “Be careful about that name, baby. Yes, I did notice. I also noticed they’re mostly all in the lower years. The uppers are almost all female.”
“Want to bet how many are found?” Alicia gave him the waggling eyebrows.
“Just go ahead and tell me what you want, Alicia. I’m not going to wait to lose that bet.”
Soon much giggling could be heard from just outside their door.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
Hogwarts
Ducal (Myrddin) Common Room
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
21:50
Demelza Robins rolled her eyes. As seventh year Prefect she was responsible for these beings, but they were busily trying to drive her insane.
She had been re-Sorted into the Ducal House last year and she had simply nodded. There was no question she was truly found, as were most of these older girls, but she wanted to wait until she got out of school to join the bond.
The 211 males that had been sorted into the House were completely overwhelmed by the 489 females, most of whom had come from hedge academies and the continental portions of the Realm. Her seventh year male Hogwarts Prefect compatriot Henri Van Der Hoot took it all in stride, much as Harry seemed to. He simply chuckled at the obviously found girls’ eccentricities and moved about his business. Of course, it might have helped that he was a vassal, as were all the males in the House.
The 211 males in the house did seem to decrease the drive on Harry, though; at least among the younger girls they cut a wide swath. Could the Hat be sorting them based on compatibility of magic? Were the males’ magic comparable to Harry’s? So compatible that they found the same witches? Hmm, she would have to talk to Hermione and Susan.
Chapter 1
The Royal Academy
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
18:00
Harry sat at the head table looking at the screen as the students and their parents or guardians filtered into the Commons and the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
In the grade school Commons the students sat with their parents. Most of the other parents were present in the other Commons also, as the opening feast was open to all parents or guardians and no one was willing to pass up the Duke’s hospitality. The screen was divided into eighteen segments, each showing a Commons or the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
Chu stood and moved to the podium. “Welcome back.” She paused as the cheering and clapping died down. “It’s my pleasure to introduce your Patron, the Duke of Magic, Harry Potter.”
Harry stood to the cheers and moved to the podium. “Well, here we are again—and for those of you who are new students, here we are for the first time. I wish you a good year and good fortune. Now, I—”
Alicia stood. “Question time, Your Grace.”
Harry growled.
The second term last year had been traumatic, between finding classes and splitting up groups and new groups forming, not to mention the OWLs and placement test for the fifth years, NEWTs and University placement test for the seventh years, the Uni fourth years’ grad school acceptance test, and the third year grad school students Masters test.
And then the summer—well, there wasn’t exactly a word for that. The Dark-aligned would have called it murderous. Nobody called it happy; more comfortable after August, but still not exactly the happiest of summers.
Alicia tapped her foot. “Yes, yes, big scary Duke of Magic. Now why did you pick the third of August to eliminate Riddle?”
“Alicia, don’t be rude to Harry.”
“Yes, Nym.”
“Harry, answer the question so we can eat.”
“Yes, dear.”
General laughter sounded. “I actually didn’t pick that day, Alicia. I was walking down the Alley minding my own business when the idiot Apparated almost on top of me and started making demands to be worshipped and hurling curses.”
Harry looked around. “Any other questions or can we eat now?”
Millicent Bulstrode stood. “Your Grace, are there any other threats we should be aware of?”
Harry smiled sadly. “There are, unfortunately, always bad people in the world, Millicent. Nothing specific has come to the Division’s attention; however, it’s never a good idea to let one’s guard down completely.”
Harry looked around again. “No more? Okay, same procedure as last year: review the books and Head Students consult each other. One question per House at dinner, no repeats. Your Heads of House will meet with you at 19:30 to issue schedules and to advise you. Now let’s eat.”
A feast materialized before them.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
In the Grade One Commons Shirley McNoughton looked at her daughter. “Alice, don’t you take after that Alicia girl, treating the Duke so familiar. It’s not right.”
Ginny looked down the table. “Mrs. McNoughton, Duchess Nymphadora handled it. Alicia is a friend of ours and a vassal; she’s been at school with Harry through his fifth year and is a Quidditch teammate of his.”
“Children, you must never be afraid to speak to the Duke. He values what little time he is able to spend with you and he values your opinions. I would appreciate you being courteous to my husband, however, as Mrs. McNoughton pointed out.”
James Neil nodded. “I thought you might be one of the bonded, Your Grace. See, Lester? It will be fine—your teacher is the Duke’s wife. They’ve been telling each other horrible things about the Duke, Missus—errrh, Your Grace, after the thing with Riddle and the Death Eaters, and then all those stories about how he changes into monsters.”
Ginny laughed. “Well, Lester, as you can see, he’s not so much of a monster; and, well, he had to do what he did to Riddle and the Death Eaters.”
Alice asked, “Your Grace, is it true, though? Can he change into a monster?”
“What’s a monster, Alice?”
“Errrh, a giant, scary, deadly creature, Your Grace.”
Ginny stood and backed away from the table a bit and shifted to her Warg. She walked to the cringing Alice with her blazing eyes and her claws clicking on the crystal floor and gave her a great lick. Alice giggled and Ginny shifted back and retook her seat. “The Duke and the fully bonded can shift forms at will. We can assume forms that are capable of great destruction. We are still us, however. One of the things the Duke insists on is tolerance; you must base your opinions on the actions of the sentient, not its appearance.”
Labrys smiled broadly and looked at his son, displaying a huge mouthful of his pointed Goblin teeth. “Sagaris, that means you too.”
“Yes, Father.”
Susan Compton turned from the Goblins and looked at Ginny. She had watched as Ginny changed and seen her eyes go a warm brown from their bright green. “Your Grace, if you don’t mind, what exactly is your position in the bond?”
“Well?”
“Same as last year, Gin. They’ll take the oath or be Obliviated, so go ahead.”
“Love you, Harry.”
“Love you too, baby.”
“I am one of seven Primary wives, Mrs. Compton.”
“But you’re so young and beautiful, dear—errrh, Your Grace—surely you would seek to be an Alpha in a normal bond.”
Ginny beamed at her. “Thank you, Susan, but what’s normal?”
Susan blushed. “Forgive me, Your Grace?”
“Bah, it’s fine. We still don’t understand it all ourselves.”
The other women at the table chuckled.
Ginny continued, “I’ve known His Grace longer than most of the bonded. He was a year ahead of me at Hogwarts. As you children will learn in second year, that really doesn’t matter, though. Magical bondings are not controlled by age or exposure but by compatibility of magic. I am very, very closely matched to His Grace. He was not taught to suppress his magic’s mate-seeking, as you young gentlemen will be, and that plus our mutually very high power levels led to us bond very early.”
Susan shook her head. “So all of the reports in the paper are true, then.”
“Well, I don’t know about all of them first-hand, Susan, but our mate Rita is very conscientious about fact checking at the Prophet. Odd Lovegood, our mate Luna’s father, is also very conscientious at the Quibbler.”
Meredith Regent asked, “Why don’t you suppress these reports? I mean, obviously the Clan has control of the media in this country. And some of the things people say in those letters to the editors…well, it’s just wrong.”
Ginny laughed. “We own the papers and the WWN. We don’t let the reporters get carried away and invade our privacy, but we don’t fear anyone knowing who we’re bonded to. First of all they couldn’t stand against one of us, much less His Grace, and second, if we didn’t let the papers report it Harry would be shouting it from the rooftops.” She blushed very prettily. “As for the letters, well, there’s not much to be done. People will have their opinions and Harry insists on truth.”
The women smiled at her. It was good to see a woman with a powerful, proud husband. It humanized this Duke who was fast becoming mythical.
Jimmy Johnston raised his hand. Ginny smiled at him and nodded. He asked, “Your Grace, do we have to take all of the classes?”
Ginny chuckled. “I know it seems like a lot but you’ll get used to it, Jimmy. Also, the magic classes are introductory classes. Your mum will be happy, though, as we’ve found that young people can normally perform the household charms at your age. Be glad you aren’t in fifth grade—you’d be studying for your placement test, both magical and Mundane, at the end of the year.”
“Cleaning charms? Oh no!”
Laughter followed as Camille Johnston gently cuffed her son on the shoulder.
Edward Bell asked, “What about Quidditch, Your Grace?”
Ginny smiled again. “Eddie, I know Katie has talked to you. Yes, Quidditch will be available, as well as football, cricket, equestrian sports, and many other sports. We’ll post the sign-up sheets tomorrow after the Sorting. Any of the parents wishing to assist with these sports will be welcome.”
The children were soon talking amongst themselves. Meredith looked at Ginny. “So, Your Grace, how many?”
“One hundred twenty-two daughters and a hundred twenty-two sons.” Ginny didn’t see the need to mention the nine owls, twenty-two Nightmare foals, forty-three centaur foals, or any of the Goblin, Veela, or human breeding-rights offspring either already born or on the way.
Meredith’s mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. Susan Compton laughed. “I bet that’s fun at dinner time.”
Ginny nodded. “Thank Morgana for the nanny elves.”
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
The mates all had basically the same experience as they met their classes and their students’ parents. Harry had been very firm in asking the parents or guardians to attend the opening feast with their students.
Harry closed the feast at 19:15 and circulated among the Commons with Nym.
At ten after the Heads had briefed, the new students and parents had been sworn, the day students had gone home, and the schools were buttoned up for the night. Harry faded the mates away to the master suite and bed.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
Hogwarts
Gryffindor
Common Room
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
21:45
Neville watched as an exasperated Lavender stormed off.
“What the heck is wrong with you, Ron?”
“Our rooms, Neville.”
Neville’s brain stalled out. Ron was so complicated sometimes that it actually hurt his head. “Okay, mate, a little more, please.”
“Well, we have rooms to ourselves so I have to live with Lavender all year.”
“Ron, you’re bonded. Didn’t you just spend the whole break living with her at either her house, yours, or Potter Castle?”
“Well, yeah, but everyone knew we were bonded. Now it just seems like we’re advertising the fact that we’re having sex.”
Neville blanched. “If you said that to Lavender I suspect you won’t have to worry about it ever again.”
Ron started and then leapt to his feet. He had finally understood how stupid and truly insulting his objection sounded. He flew up the stairs to the room he and Lavender had been given.
Romilda, who had been shocked into silence by the whole idiotic conversation, looked Neville in his eyes from her position in his lap. “Thank you, Nev.”
Neville blushed a little. “For what, Romi?”
“For not being Ron-like. Now let’s go to bed.”
Neville blushed a lot and followed Romilda to their assigned room with a goofy grin.
Alicia waited until she and George were in their room. “What the hell is wrong with Ron?”
“How am I to know, Alicia? I think he just doesn’t think his way through things.”
Alicia snorted. “Lav’s going to kill him. Hey, did you notice that there are very few boys in Myrddin?”
George nodded. “Be careful about that name, baby. Yes, I did notice. I also noticed they’re mostly all in the lower years. The uppers are almost all female.”
“Want to bet how many are found?” Alicia gave him the waggling eyebrows.
“Just go ahead and tell me what you want, Alicia. I’m not going to wait to lose that bet.”
Soon much giggling could be heard from just outside their door.
HPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDLHPATDL
Hogwarts
Ducal (Myrddin) Common Room
Sunday
1 Sept 1996
21:50
Demelza Robins rolled her eyes. As seventh year Prefect she was responsible for these beings, but they were busily trying to drive her insane.
She had been re-Sorted into the Ducal House last year and she had simply nodded. There was no question she was truly found, as were most of these older girls, but she wanted to wait until she got out of school to join the bond.
The 211 males that had been sorted into the House were completely overwhelmed by the 489 females, most of whom had come from hedge academies and the continental portions of the Realm. Her seventh year male Hogwarts Prefect compatriot Henri Van Der Hoot took it all in stride, much as Harry seemed to. He simply chuckled at the obviously found girls’ eccentricities and moved about his business. Of course, it might have helped that he was a vassal, as were all the males in the House.
The 211 males in the house did seem to decrease the drive on Harry, though; at least among the younger girls they cut a wide swath. Could the Hat be sorting them based on compatibility of magic? Were the males’ magic comparable to Harry’s? So compatible that they found the same witches? Hmm, she would have to talk to Hermione and Susan.
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