The (Non-Marriage) Law

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"How come you haven't given birth yet?" Harry asked Cissy, once Hermione and James came home.

She shrugged. "No two pregnancies are the same, and even the 'rules of thumb' are only roughly relevant. Normally, one would expect the first pregnancy to keep longer and the birth to be more difficult, yet Lil was the first to give birth and it was easier than usual. Hermione's was about normal in both aspects. Still, I don't think this will carry on for more than a few days. At least I hope so."

She only had to carry the burden for two more days until she felt the first contraction, just before lunch. She still managed to walk quite quickly to St. Mungos, which only helped to stress Harry. He found it refreshing not to walk there in the dark, though.

Once there, things moved quite quickly. Less than four hours after arriving, he was already giving little Sirius to his mother for the first suckling. A few hours later, after he reached home, he was left with his two older babies, James and Lilly, while his other wives went to visit Cissy.

As they had less than two weeks left until school started, they didn't bother to move anywhere. "We're already comfortable here, along with the babies. It may take up to a week until we get as comfortable someplace else, and a week later, we'll have to start it all over again, moving to Hogwarts. We may just as well stay here until then," Hermione explained. Harry agreed wholeheartedly. He actually felt more at ease, knowing that his babies were just a short walk away from medical help, if ever they needed any.

The first day of September, they took a taxi to the train station. The Muggle passersby seemed amused at the many young mothers who arrived that morning, yet a large banner, "Young Mothers' Conference", hung between platforms nine and ten, mostly hiding the portal to the Hogwarts Express, made their presence understandable. Harry let Leilani and Narcissa push the prams with their babies first, following them with Hermione and James. The house-elves had assured them that their trunks would be brought directly to their lodging at Hogwarts, making necessary to carry only some diapers for the babies and a set of robes for each of the parents.

Although none of their classmates was present on the train, the Potters still had many visitors during the ride, mainly Lil's classmates, most of whom had become mothers as well, and a few of the younger DA members. As expected, most talking was about babies or comparing delivery stories. Harry would have felt annoyed, had he not been so content to watch his three babies and care for them. He liked watching them being breast-fed and didn't really object when some of the other young mothers did the same with their babies, not minding his presence.

His mood changed as they approached Hogwarts. He had to take the mantle of a teacher, a responsible adult who needed to pass knowledge to his young pupils. Hermione and Cissy were also turning more serious. Only Lil could keep staying carefree, knowing that Hogwarts would give her the best conditions to raise her child without overly affecting her studies.

Many house-elves were waiting for the incoming mothers, taking the babies to the apartments saved for the mothers, with or without mates, and letting the girls feel free for the duration of the welcome feast. Lil looked a bit sad. "I'm only sorry to be separated from my family during the feast, as I'm still a student, while you're joining the staff table."

Hogwarts seemed quite awkward with so many babies present. All fourth to seventh year girls were mothers now, whether they wanted it or not, and quite a few of the third year girls as well, resulting in more than eighty babies residing at Hogwarts. Some girls who were approaching fourteen seemed to have chosen their mates in advance, and a few were already pregnant despite not having reached fourteen yet. Harry felt his fury rise at seeing this. Such young girls should still be playing with dolls, not with their own babies, so he felt. Despite his love to Lil, he still thought it would have been much better if she could first finish her studies before becoming a mother.

His concerns didn't seem to bother Lil, though. She was enthusiastic at having Lilly, at breast feeding her and even at changing her soiled diapers. She didn't like being awakened during the night, though, but with three nursing mothers, they soon found an arrangement that let them care for the babies and still enjoy uninterrupted sleep most of the nights. Harry was also quick to learn when a baby was crying for food and when a clean diaper was all one needed. He usually tackled these events on his own, letting his wives sleep some more. As all three insisted on breast feeding, he sometimes still had to wake one or another.

Harry was surprised to find that he actually enjoyed teaching. It probably helped that he had some anecdote or a real personal experience to tell about each and every spell he taught his students. "During the second task of the Triwizard tournament, I was lucky not to encounter the Grindilows. Fleur wasn't as lucky. She probably swam closer to the bottom, where they lurked in the underwater vegetation and attacked her when she was least expecting them. She managed to escape, eventually, being quite a knowledgeable and powerful witch, but she suffered some deep bites and many cuts and scratches. Had she been less talented, she would have been unable to hold the bubble-head charm and drown. Had she not got medical help soon enough, she could have died of loss of blood."

Hermione didn't enjoy teaching as much as Harry. She was much stricter and was less eager to tell stories. Still, her students soon considered her the best teacher at school, giving very good explanations and demonstrating everything clearly, making even difficult tasks look easier. Narcissa was also becoming a beloved teacher and her History lessons were fun and educational, making her students learn almost without any effort on their side.

Lil was afraid that having to care for a baby might cause her to get lower grades. This didn't happen. "I think that being with the three of you, being able to clarify every unclear point in my lessons, and being able to count on you with the baby, actually helps me. I feel more relaxed than during the previous years and I reach higher concentration in class or during homework."

She had been a very good student even before, yet her grades improved all over. Like his other wives, she made sure not to let anything keep her away from Harry, enjoying his attention in bed every night and most of the mornings, just like before.

Shack invited Harry to his office during the winter vacation. He first asked about Lil, the babies and the mothers, before going to the main subject. "I'm trying to cancel the law that caused your mating. It was made due to panic, that now seems unjustified. I've monitored the effects of the law and have the statistics to prove my case. With a bit of political help from you, I think we may cancel it and let the girls be girls until they're old enough to want to become mothers."

"What have you found?" Harry asked.

"There were four hundred and forty three pregnancies started after the law came into effect. A few may have been unrelated, but there's no way to tell. I also excluded all that started before the law came into effect and two months after, as practically nobody paid it any attention until then. About a hundred women affected by the law failed to get pregnant despite their efforts for various reasons, which is less than the number I have expected. Compared to about two hundred and sixty casualties during the war, counting only the magical ones, we already have more than recuperated our numbers. So many babies born at about the same time may also cause a big problem for Hogwarts in ten or eleven years, as it will need to accommodate them all and find many more teachers for them. As declared by the law, all expenses will be taken care of by the Ministry, yet that would need more funds, and they can only come from taxing those who can pay – the rich purebloods represented in the Wizengamot."

Harry smiled, understanding where Shack was leading. As much as they wanted to assure the continuation of the wizarding society, keeping their vaults full was much more important for them.

"I want you to testify in front of the Wizengamot and tell about the problems created by the babies, both for students and for staff, as well as your own experience as a new father and how it affects your job. Some exaggeration is welcome, of course. Minerva is going to talk about how she needs a much larger budget already, and how much more she will need when all the new babies arrive to school. I also invited some experts to asses the influences this 'baby boom' will have on our social structure, as most of these babies are not considered pureblood, at least not by the strictest standards, as well as speak of making our system more democratic. I may need some input from you and from Lady Potter at that, as Lil is still too young to be considered."

Harry got ready for the Wizengamot meeting the way he used to get ready before starting to teach a new subject. He read all he could find about the law, its implications on both young women and older ones, and even studied some muggle researches that seemed relevant, mainly about the 'baby boom' that seemed to follow after every major war. He got plenty of help from his wives, and Lil even interviewed some of her classmates and a few younger mothers as well, giving him as full a picture as he could hope for.

Eventually, both he and Hermione were asked to give testimony in front of the Wizengamot. It took them a few days to say all they had intended, as they had to answer many more questions than anticipated. They were also asked to stay for the experts' testimonies, as some members of the Wizengamot seemed not to trust these experts, who were all muggle-born and of no social status.

It worked just the way Shack predicted. Although most members disregarded the difficulties of the young parents, they were deeply disturbed by the cost of the law, not having given it any thought before it was agreed upon. The Wizengamot was quick to end the law, if only to minimize its effect on the members' fortunes.

This had an almost immediate effect on many of the young couples. Without the obligation to get pregnant, many of the young mothers who had married for the security this could give them, assuring them a mate to impregnate them without needing to leave a young child and start hunting for one, found they no longer needed their husbands. Although none of Harry's friends was affected by this wave, as all those who got married seemed content, many others were.

"Do you still want to stay married with me", Harry asked Cissy and Lil.

"Do you want to get rid of us?" Narcissa asked, looking quite offended. Lil said nothing, but her eyes seemed to fill with tears.

"No, really! I only thought that if you wanted to get married only due to the law, I wouldn't like to keep you against your will."

Hermione gasped, wondering why she hadn't sensed Harry's mood on time to prevent this.

Lil tried to hold back her tears. "You know I only wanted you as my first s****l experience and to father my first child, yet I couldn't help fall in love with you. Don't you love me enough to want me to stay your wife?"

Harry would have taken back his previous words, if he could, Instead he moved closer to Lil and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Lil. You are kind and sweet and yet strong and smart. I couldn't help falling in love with you as I got to know you, yet you're so young, that I feel like you should get your chance to get to know some other boys or men before deciding. That law created an unfair situation and I only try to give you back the choice that the law had taken away from you."

Leilani wouldn't accept that. "I had my choices, and I could use other mates, you know. I didn't have to marry you either, as I was sure you'd be a great father to my child and help me even without being married. I married you because I wanted to; because I chose to, and not because of the law. In a way, the law gave me a chance I could have never had without it."

Narcissa nodded on his other side. "It also gave me a chance I could have not even dream of. Would you have considered shagging me, the former Lady Malfoy, Draco's mother, had we not had that law? I doubt it very much. And then I chose to marry you because I wanted to."

Harry felt well admonished. He still didn't feel sure of himself. All he wanted was to give them back the choice. How had it turned into them being offended?

'Hug them and show them how much you love them,' he sensed Hermione in his mind.

As usual, he followed her advice. That night, he had more orgasms than during any single night before. He paid due attention to both his youngest and his oldest wives, and didn't neglect his soul mate either.