The (Non-Marriage) Law

Spring term

"We need to visit the Ministry. I want to wed you both before returning to school," Harry said, as they left the hospital.

Hermione smiled encouragingly at him. He was now sure this was the right thing to do.

As soon as he reached the auror on guard, Harry was asked to go to the Minister's office. "He expected you to come here during the holidays. He was a bit surprised you didn't come earlier."

Minister Shackelbot rose form his chair and came forward to shake hands with them all and to hug Lil affectionately. "You're all pregnant, aren't you?"

Lil answered for them all. "We are, and Harry wants to wed me and Cissy, so that our children will be fully legitimate."

Shack looked at Harry. "Is that the only reason?"

Harry smiled. "I couldn't resist falling in love with them. Hermione is and will always be the love of my life, but I love these two almost as much by now. Would you like to officiate the weddings?"

"Don't you want an elegant wedding, as appropriate to your position?"

"I didn't have a wedding with Hermione – Lady Potter – either. It was a soul bond, initiated by a kiss. I later gave her a muggle wedding for the benefit of her family. I may do the same for Lil and Cissy if they want me to, but I'm currently only interested in giving them the benefits of marriage."

Shack smiled. "Do you want to do it now? We have a wedding room for small ceremonies, if you like."

"That would be more than enough."

An hour later they returned to Gringotts, where Harry retrieved the rings for Lady Black and Lady Peverell from his vaults and gave them to his newly wedded wives. As suggested by Cissy, he also took his own Lord Rings. He doubted they could all fit on his finger, yet once firmly set, they merged to create one ring, showing all the house crests.

They Grangers were unsure about the right reaction. They already knew about Harry giving a share of his attention to his mates. They didn't know if becoming his wives would make a change.

"I think they should officially move into our room," Hermione said. "You already know we all sleep together in one bed. Now, as his wives, they are entitled to share bed with Harry just as I am," Hermione told her parents.

"Does it change anything for you?" her mother asked worriedly.

"I don't think so. It only makes them more secure in their position. Harry loved them and gave them a share of his attention before wedding them, only now they need not worry about what would happen next."

"Are you happy with the situation?" her mother insisted.

Hermione sighed. "I would have probably liked it better to be his only mate, his only wife, yet I hadn't acted on my feelings before the law affected us, and then it was with the other mates too. We are now friends and we enjoy sharing Harry. He still tries to give each some alone time with him, so – yes, I think I'm happy."

The new pregnancies were the main topic discussed on the train back to school. Both Susan and Hannah were now expecting, making Neville very proud. Ginny was also happy to tell everybody that she was carrying another Weasley boy (or would he be a Thomas?) and Luna said dreamily that she was expecting twins. Ron seemed just as glad to tell whoever asked that both Lavender and Milli were expecting girls, making his mother very happy. Only a few girls were not pregnant yet and they were either sad or worried. Pansy was one of them, and she clearly accused Malfoy. "He only spends time with his Greengrass slut. He barely touched me since we were mated. Does he expect me to get pregnant out of thin air?"

Astoria came to visit during the ride. "I'm expecting your grandson," she told Narcissa.

"And I'm going to bring Draco a brother," Narcissa smirked back, making Astoria laugh for a moment, before turning serious again.

"I keep telling Draco that he should not neglect Pansy, but he wouldn't hear about it. Can you find Pansy another mate? If she isn't impregnated and can prove it to be Draco's fault, he may end in prison. I wouldn't like that," the young woman told her.

"I think Ron is a bit jealous that I've got three mates and he only got two. He's very satisfied with Milly, and Pansy is her friend. Maybe she could become Ron's third mate, despite being a Slytherin," Harry suggested.

Hermione laughed at the irony, yet Astoria smiled. "That may be a good idea. Pansy does seem to have a soft spot for redheads."

"We shall see what we can do," Hermione promised.

Spring term started with an announcement. "While you needed your privacy for starting pregnancies, once achieved, you may no longer need those apartments. You're still allowed to stay there on one condition – you should keep your grades or improve them. Those who neglect their studies due to the entertainment possible in private, will lose their rights for those apartments and will be sent back to the dormitories."

"She means that if we keep shagging instead of studying, she'll remove our rights for a private shag nest," Luna could be heard explaining this, making many laugh.

The threat didn't seem to be necessary. Most mated boys had improved their grades since the mating, as did many girls. "I don't expect this to stay that way," Hermione told Harry. "As the pregnancies advance, the girls may find it more difficult to concentrate on their studies, even if their mates don't bother them. They will still push their mates to do their best, though."

This seemed to work for Ron, at least. A week after start of term, he got a new letter from the Ministry, assigning him as Pansy's mate. He didn't look happy, yet Milly seemed quite content with the new mating, and Pansy moved to sit by her new mate during dinner, with everybody noticing her leaving the Slytherin prince for the Weasley boy.

Ron seemed quite smug the next day. "She's a fabulous shag. Malfoy is out of his mind if he doesn't want her."

A few weeks later, Pansy was glad to tell everybody that she was carrying another Weasley boy.

Harry was very glad to spend each night with his wives and also give each some alone time, when possible. He didn't mind that their bellies started swelling nor the mood swings. He felt in love with all three of them, yet not everybody was so lucky.

Ron came to visit one evening. "Milly and Pansy are alright, really. They're growing heavier, of course, but are quite nice, yet Lavender drives me crazy. She wants some mango in the middle of the night, or some tomatoes, or pickles. She doesn't even care what time it is. I gave her a separate room as her own, spending most nights with the other two, but she still calls for me even if I'm shagging one of the others at the time. I'm going to marry Milly, after the child is born, and maybe Pansy as well, but I can't even think of Lavender staying with me. I'll let her find another mate for her next child."

"What will you do about her child, though?" Hermione asked.

"She already said she'll let Mum raise her child, as she doesn't want to bother with that. Milly wants to raise her child by herself, with some help, and Pansy as well. I only keep Lavender now for the sake of my child."

"She may change her mind after the child is born," Hermione noted.

"No chance. She was raised by her grandma. She considers that normal."

As spring approached, so was the Easter vacation. Being so short, many students didn't bother to go home for just a weekend, but Hermione was eager to see her parents and Lil wanted to present her husband to her whole family. They still took the Hogwarts Express, unwilling to use any magical travel that could potentially upset the pregnancy.

"You're so big already! How far along are you?" Hermione's mother asked her as soon as they met.

"Just starting my fifth month – almost halfway already."

"And you look happy." She turned to the others. "You all seem quite happy, I see."

Cissy answered for them all. "We really are. Harry is a wonderful husband, constantly showing us his love. You couldn't have found a better husband for your daughter."

"You also look wonderful. I need to talk with you about how you keep looking so young."

Narcissa smiled. "It helps to have a very young husband, but we shall see what else we can do..."

Unlike the winter vacation, this one was very busy. Lil had them visit several of her family members, each trying to outdo the others in welcoming 'The Man Who Conquered' and his best friend. Harry and Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable at the honors, yet Narcissa was quite content to stay out of the lime-lights. Harry was glad that the Grangers, at least, treated him as Harry and not as a hero.

Hermione had to enlarge her bed, though. While it had been wide enough for three slim women and their man, it was way too narrow for three quite pregnant women and their husband. Still, their activity in bed was very similar. None wanted her bulging belly to interfere with her regular s*x life, and Harry was very willing to do his part for them each night. Narcissa considered this as a major ingredient in making her look younger.

Even though starting the final trimester of her pregnancy, Hermione was just as determined as usual, concerning their studies. She made a study schedule and put in some alone time for Harry with each of his wives, as well as an hour each night for s*x with all three.

Harry blushed when he first saw it. "Are you sure it's wise to put these on display?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We should schedule all your activities if we want to use your time fairly and efficiently. These are very important both to you and to your wives. Why should I not list them?"

Harry was glad that she posted the schedule over her vanity table in the bedroom, where nobody but family would see it, and not in their common room, where Ron, Neville, and many others used to visit regularly, either for socializing or for studies, where it could turn embarrassing.

They did have many guests. It took Draco most of the winter to come to terms with his mother's choice, but he eventually accepted it, although not gladly. He used to come with Astoria ("Call me Story, that's good enough.") at least once a week. Draco's manners were improving. He was extremely polite with Hermione and Lil, but barely polite with Harry.

"I'm shagging his mother each night. You can't expect him to be glad about that," Harry explained to his girls.

Neville used to come with both his mates, looking proud of having them both pregnant. "Your idea of accepting them both was great. They love being together and I love them both so very much. I plan to wed them both after they give birth, so that they would fit into their wedding dresses."

He no longer needed Hermione's help in his studies, as both his mates were helping him well enough.

Ron still needed that help, occasionally. Milly had never been a good student and Pansy, although above average, was no good at helping him. Along with Lavender, if she was in the mood, they could help him follow Hermione's directives, but they couldn't give him directives.

Dean and Ginny were also becoming frequent visitors. Ginny used to spend most of her times with Cissy, though, learning all she could about politics and business, along with handling a magical house. "Mom has a very different idea about how to do things, and it's not only because of money. Aunt Muriel has told me that she had always had these ideas, even when she was the pampered child of a well-off family."

Harry was glad that Cissy didn't need to take her NEWTs, nor did Lil need to pass any major tests. Whenever his smart Ravenclaw wife or his bookworm Gryffindor wife got too stressed about the exams, he would find refuge with Cissy.

"I wasn't much better than any of them," she told him. "My dorm mates told me I was becoming a nightmare when the exams approached." She smiled softly, looking at Hermione and Lil absorbed in their studies. "I can now understand it better."

"Harry! You need to finish your Potions homework! It won't do itself, you know." Hermione's voice brought him back to reality. He smiled apologetically at Cissy and went to sit back at Hermione's side, grabbing his quill obediently.

Yet his wife's insistence proved to pay nicely during the exams. He didn't find any question too difficult and finished all his exams well ahead of time, being able to review his answers and correct some typos before needing to hand them over. He passed all his practicals with greater ease, even the Potions practical.