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Chapter Ten: In Which Harry Meets His Angels



Daphne stood frozen on the edge of the room beside her father. She looked up and saw his carefully crafted expression and fought an urge to wince.

It was a spacious classroom, and yet somehow still felt crowded. She recognized Dumbledore and McGonagall, Harry and the other girls, but she did not recognize any of the other adults. Her father stepped into the room and she had little choice but to follow.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Headmaster," Greengrasssaid. "You are acting on behalf of Lord Slytherin?"

"I am indeed," Dumbledore said. He turned twinkling eyes onto Daphne. "It is a pleasure to see you, Miss. Greengrass. I trust you are well?"

"I'm as good as can be." Her eyes roamed the room until they locked onto one set of brilliant green. "Hello, Harry."

"Hello, Daphne," he said. He turned to the others. "Daphne, this is Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones and Hermione Granger."

Daphne stepped further into the room and surveyed the three other girls. Luna was thin and frail, with an otherworldly glean to her silver-gray eyes. She was very pretty, but in an uncommon fashion. Susan was beautiful in the exact opposite way as Daphne herself. Where Daphne had black hair, Susan's was the color of honey. Both had blue eyes, but Daphne's was a dark cobalt, while Susan's was a warmer shade of sky blue. Then there was Granger, the ugly duckling who during her fourth year somehow turned into a swan.

They all had red-rimmed eyes and red noses. "So I'm not the only one's been blubbering like a baby?" she said.

"The bond has affected us all," Hermione said. "How did you...it was a shock to me that there were four of us. How did you know?"

"When father said he was the heir of the Four Founders, I just guessed it would have to be something like this," Daphne said. She turned to Harry. "Good thing you're not a prat, Potter. This would have been a lot harder otherwise."

"You think this is easy?" he muttered.

"For you, no, I suppose not," she said. She turned to her father. "Yes, Papa. I'll do it."

Antonius Greengrass nodded to his daughter with the ghost of a smile, and handed the contract over. "Our terms. First and foremost is protection. We've so far escaped the Dark Lord's notice because we are pureblood and adhere to the old ways. With this contract that will no longer be the case. I want assurances that my family will be protected. If possible, I want Astoria out ofSlytherin, or I want a permanent form of protection within that house. If any students in the house take the Dark Mark, which Ibelieve will happen this year or the next, her life will be in danger. The same will be true for Daphne."

"Daphne will be segregated apart from the other students because of her status," Dumbledore said. "And we will provide the younger Miss Greengrass with comprehensive protection, or transfer her to Ravenclaw if necessary. She will be afforded every protection at my disposal, and I daresay, at Harry's."

"I'll guard her like she was my own sister," Harry said without hesitation.

Greengrass stared at Harry for a moment before nodding. "I was told you have a tendency to protect people."

"Must be in my blood," Harry said with a grin.

"Or at least a quarter of it," Greengrass agreed."I want a bride price of ten thousand galleons."

Saint John Granger choked, as did, surprisingly, Amelia Bones. "Ten thousand? Greengrass, don't let your greed blind you. Five thousand is the custom even for the wealthiest purebloods."

"Daphne's worth ten thousand," Harry said, cutting the argument off. "All of them are. Mr. Granger, your bride price will be converted into pounds. But the rest will receive ten thousand galleons."

"A bride price is barbaric!" Saint John said.

Greengrass turned and stared. "Ahh, Granger's parents. I forget she was a mud..."

He froze mid-sentence with a wand pointed an inch from his nose. "Do not say that word," Harry Potter said in a voice that could freeze the air itself. "She is going to be your daughter's sister."

Greengrass nodded very slowly. "Forgive me, Lord Slytherin. Old habits die hard, but I shall endeavor to not slip again."

Harry removed his wand. "I forgive you," he said, oddly formal.

Greengrass turned to Saint John Granger. "And to you as well, Mr. Granger, I give my apologies. My family name is seven hundred years old. We are pureblood, and have followed the traditions of the witches and wizards of England for many centuries. I am sure that to you, some of these traditions may seem odd."

"Let me guess, you dance naked around bonfires on Halloween," St. John said dismissively.

"Clothes are entirely optional, of course," Greengrasssaid. He was not joking.

"But discouraged," Daphne added. She turned to Harry and grinned. "It's ashame you weren't at the last Samhain, Potter. I'm sure you would have been a hit." Back to Mr. Granger, she added, "Like your daughter, I am a witch. I ride a broomstick. I have a familiar-mine is a raven, Hermione's is a half-kneazle cat. Harry'sis an owl. I brew potions at midnight and cast glamoursand charms. I could kill you with a swish of my wand, and with training I could reanimate your dead corpse to do my bidding. That happened to an uncle of mine who served the Dark Lord and failed in a task. And yes, I have danced naked around a bonfire to celebrate the holy days of Hecate. Muggle-bornsdo not understand everything that makes up the culture of the Purebloods, but there is a culture there more ancient than anything you Christians can claim. That is why I cannot marry Harry Potter, but why I can marry Lord Slytherin."

Saint John stared at the raven-haired beauty in stunned silence.

Dumbledore, in the meantime, was reading over the contract. "Since Mr. Potter has agreed to the bride price, everything else appears to be quite in order. I assume that you wish not to publish the contract until the day of the wedding?"

"That's correct," Greengrass said.

Dumbledore placed his wand on the parchment and said, "/Apographon/,"and suddenly the contract multiplied. Dumbledore handed one to Xenophilius, one to Albert Bones, and finally one to Saint John Granger.

"I took the liberty of altering the exact wording from Miss Greengrass's contract, but otherwise this is a very acceptable marriage contract. Because of the unique nature of Harry's standing in the wizardingworld, these contracts are something of a necessity."

Mrs. Granger cleared her throat. "Something I don't understand. You call all the girl's parents in here, where are Harry's?"

"My parents were murdered by Voldemort the night he gave me this scar," Harry said, pointing. "My guardians were murdered last week. So the Wizengamot declared me an adult."

Saint John opened his mouth, and then snapped it shut again and returned to his study of the contract. Calliope Granger looked around the room and said,"So what happens next? Say we sign this contract, what will happen?"

Luna perked up. "We can get married and have sex!" she announced.

Hermione groaned. "Luna, be quiet!" she hissed.

Saint John looked like he was about to launch into another verbal assault, when Dumbledore said, "As direct as always, Miss Lovegood. Essentially, she is right. The marriages would take place as soon as possible and consummated with the hope of producing an heir."

"I feel like you're trying to buy my daughter," Saint John said.

"You can always refuse the bride-price, Mr. Granger," Dumbledore said. "It will not negate the contract."

Calliope shook her head. "And then after that? What about us?"

"That will be entirely up to you. There is no question that if you remain in England, your lives will be in danger. We will have to severely restrict your freedoms to better protect you. Otherwise, you can return to Australia under assumed names."

"And you'll steal our memories?"

"Lord Voldemort has spies abroad, and some of them can snatch thoughts straight from your mind," Dumbledore said. "Miss Granger's decision to obliviate you, while morally questionable, was undoubtedly brilliant tactically. Since you yourselves would not know who you were, there was no possibility of the Death Eaters finding out. If you wish to live to see your grandchildren, Iwould recommend following the course your daughter provided."

Saint John looked around. "What about the rest of you?"

"We can defend ourselves magically," Albert explained, "but even then again, we've accepted some limitations on our homes and families. However, if I or my wife are attacked, chances are we can apparateaway. You cannot. We can magically shield ourselves and run. You cannot. In our world, sir, you and your wife are defenseless."

Mr. Granger muttered but said nothing. Finally, though, he stood up."Hermione, may I have a word with you alone?"

Hermione looked at the other girls, and nodded. She left with her chin held high as she and her parents left the room.

Daphne turned back to Harry. "You sure you know what you're getting into?"

"Not even in the slightest," Harry said.

"But we'll take care of you, Harry," Luna said. Susan nodded.

"Yes," Daphne agreed. "I suppose we will at that. Hell, with four wives we might even be able to field our own quidditch team someday."

--

--

When the Granger family came back in, Hermione and her mother both had red-rimmed eyes and the father looked flushed. However, he handed the parchment back to Dumbledore with their signatures. "Take us back to Australia," he said in a flat tone of voice.

Dumbledore nodded to Professor McGonagall, who stood and escorted the Grangers out of the room. That act caused the other families to sign their contracts. With Dumbledore's direction, Harry carefully counter-signed the contracts and watched as magical copies appeared for the brides' families.

Albert and Stella Bones each gave their daughter a very long hug, then turned to Harry. "I'd tell you to take care of my little girl," Albert said, "but you already have. You saved her life. You saved the life of my sister in law. Ijust can't ever thank you enough. But it makes me sleep better, knowing she's going to be with you."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said. He accepted a silent, tearful hug from Stella, and the two Boneses left. Amelia stayed, but Harry had his suspicions for that.

Xenophilius was next. "Well, when Celeste and Igot married, she really enjoyed sex on the couch. I do believe that's where Luna was conceived. You'll let me know if it is a genetic thing or just a quirk of my wife." And with that, the old wizard handed the signed contract to Dumbledore and walked out.

Before he left, Luna said, "Why just a couch?" but fortunately for everyone else her father did not hear.

That left Greengrass. Harry sensed that this man was not one to give hugs. Instead, he gave Harry a predatory grin. "Best of luck to you, my boy. You're going to need it. With the Dark Lord, as well."

Just like that, Harry and his four brides were alone with Dumbledore and the Minister.

"So, who wants to go first?" Amelia asked.

"It should be Hermione," Luna said. "She's his oldest friend."

"As long as I'm last," Greengrass said.

"Why?" Susan asked.

"Because by the time he gets to me, I want him to know what the hell he's doing."

Harry's blush was sufficiently bright to warn off low-flying aircraft. "I don't suppose Mr. Potter should have any say,"Dumbledore asked.

Harry violently shook his head. "No, thank you. I...uh...I think they should really decide this on their own."

Four pairs of eyes stared at Harry. "What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione said archly, "afraid of choosing?"

"Yes," Harry admitted. "Very much so."

"Does that mean you don't love me more?" Luna asked, batting her eyes outrageously.

"I'm sexier," Daphne declared.

"I've got the biggest boobs," Susan declared.

"Will you show me?" Luna asked.

Harry looked as if he were about to cry.

"Girls, you've made your point," Amelia said. She then turned archly to Harry. "Although Susan does have larger breasts."

"Professor, we need to practice!" Harry suddenly declared. He darted forward, grabbed Dumbledore's hand, and ran for the door.

"Cowards run away!" Hermione screamed at them.

"But generals retreat!" came Dumbledore's fleeting reply.

The door slammed shut, and all four girls started laughing. After a few moments, though, they sobered. "This is going to be really hard," Hermione said.

Susan and Daphne nodded; Luna merely shrugged. "It doesn't have to be. You love him. I love him. Susan loves him. Daphne will once she gets to know him. And if not, she's still very sexy. I have to agree with her there. Do you like kissing girls, Daphne?"

"Focus, girls," Amelia said without batting an eye. She knew the Lovegoods. "You are on the verge of becoming some of the most powerful women in the wizarding world. That comes with a heavy responsibility. So, we need to get down to details. Who is going to get married first?"

Hermione looked at the other girls and flushed. "Um, I guess I would like to be first. Luna's right, we have known each other the longest. But I don't want to be...I don't know, bossy."

"Gryffindor was the leader," Luna pointed out. "Of the four, he was the most powerful. It's only right that you should be the head wife."

"Head wife?" Hermione gaped. "Does that sound right?"

"I suppose you could be the elder wife," Susan said. "You're the oldest. You'll be seventeen in September. You're a few weeks older than me."

"I'm not sure that sounds much better."

"You were going to be head girl anyway, Granger," Daphne said. "Might as well make it head wife."

Hermione stared back at the Slytherin girl she had always viewed with envy and distrust. "You're okay with that?"

"You can be head wife, I'll be sexy wife. I can live with it."

"Can I be the slutty wife?" Luna asked.

"Luna, do you really mean that?" Susan asked.

"She really does," Hermione muttered.

"Hermione does not like girl kisses, sadly," Luna said with a pout.

"And you do?" Daphne said.

"I like any kisses I can get," Luna said with a bright smile. "Being lonely is ever such a bore. Do you like girl kisses?"

"I don't know," Daphne admitted.

"Find out later," Amelia said firmly. "Preferably when the Minister of Magic is NOT playing chaperone. Now, Hermione will be first. Who's second?"

"We should go in order of his tattoos," Luna said. "Gryffindor first, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuffand Slytherin. Susan, Daphne, have you kissed his feet yet?"

"What?" Daphne asked.

"Harry bonded with the castle," Hermione explained. She flushed. "It was avery interesting bonding. Anyway, the next day he had tattoos of the four houses. When Luna and I kissed the tattoos of our respective houses, it formed a..."

"A betrothal bond is the normal term," Amelia said. "Albustold me."

"It made me want to kiss Harry a lot," Luna said. She flushed just from the memory.

Susan also blushed. "I'm not sure that would be such a good idea," she said."I already want to kiss him a lot. If it gets any worse..."

"I hear you," Hermione muttered.

"Perhaps I should," Daphne said. "I'm the outsider here. Seems like I have the weakest bond."

"Make him wash his feet first," Luna said.

"Definitely," Daphne agreed.

"So we're agreed on the order, then?" Amelia asked.

All four nodded. "Minister?" Hermione asked.

"Here, it's Amelia."

"Okay, Amelia, why is the Minister of Magic helping us?"

"The Minister of Magic is interested in the well being of four of the most powerful lines and votes on the Wizengamot. Each of you will have the authority to sit on your husband's behalf if necessary. She is also very concerned for the well-being of a niece she loves like a daughter.Albus agreed that while my duties permit, I would be a good chaperone for you until the marriages are done. Minerva will also be serving as such."

"So when?" Hermione asked.

"Tomorrow is Monday," Amelia said. "I recommend we start having ceremonies on Tuesday. I think you can all agree that you should each have your own wedding night and your own ceremony."

All four girls nodded. "Auntie," Susan asked. She looked at the four girls, then down to her hands. "Will it...will he...do you...will it hurt?"

"It may at first," Amelia said.

"But Harry will be gentle," Luna said with a far off look.

"So gentle he'll be lucky to finish the first time," Hermione said.

Susan chuckled. "I bet you're right."

"All the more reason for me to be last," Daphne said. "We're really going to do this, aren't we? All four of us are going to marry the same man. Are we going to have a rotating schedule or something?"

"In order of marriage?" Hermione asked.

"One house or separate houses?" Susan asked.

"He's the richest man in England," Luna pointed out. "He can just build one roof over four houses."

"So what will our names be?" Susan suddenly asked.

"You'll be Susan, Lady Hufflepuff," Luna said.

"She's right," Amelia said. "You will, none of you, be known as Potter. You're not marrying into the House of Potter. You are each marring a separate legal aspect of Harry, and by contract will take the last name of that aspect."

Hermione, though, latched onto something the minister said. "Amelia, what do you mean, there will be no Mrs. Potter?"

"Harry Potter of House of Potter will not be marrying," Amelia pointed out.

"What about the Blacks?" Hermione asked. "He was Sirius's heir?"

"To property, but not by blood and magic," Amelia said. "These marriages are very tricky, legally speaking. He's only getting away with it because of some unique circumstances. The castle itself has essentially declared him five people. However, if he could marry a separate wife for each house he's an heir of property too, he'd have a harem the size of Ravenclawhouse. With the Four Founders, he is not just an heir,he is the sole heir of the blood and magic legacy of those lines. The same is not true for the Black line. That, for better or for worse, goes to Draco. However, since Harry inherited everything else, all Draco gets is the title and a second vote on the Wizengamot."

Very slowly, Hermione turned around until she and Luna were staring at each other.

"What?" Susan said.

"There's someone else," Hermione said. "Someone who formed a bond with him before any of this happened, when he saved her life. Someone who has loved him from the moment she set eyes on him."

"Ginny," Luna said.

"Weasley?" Daphne said. She blew a strange of black hair from her eyes. "Because four just isn't enough. right?"

"At least with five we'd have a good voting number," Luna pointed out.

"Are you serious?" Susan asked.

Hermione nodded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I am. We've all been thinking about the Four Founders, but what about the Potter family?Ginny has never wanted money or fame. She has, as far as I've known her, wanted nothing more than to be Mrs. Potter."

The four girls looked at Amelia, who shrugged. "You can talk to her yourself. After the vote in the Wizengamot, I don't have the energy to debate Molly Weasley."

"Do you think Mr. Weasley could bring Ginny here?"Hermione asked.

"I'll forward the request," Amelia said. "In the meantime, I'm going to haveDelina Fauxfelle drop by with some design suggestions for dresses. Because of the timing, these won't be huge affairs, but they will be formal ceremonies nonetheless. And think about who you want to invite."