A night of love

Meet the Parents

As much as Harry loved his wives, just the thought of having to talk with their parents, who were sure to ask questions about the way they got married, was extremely frightening. Well, Hermione was of age in the magical world and could decide for herself, although she wasn’t considered adult in the muggle world yet. Padma, on the other hand, was not yet seventeen and had clearly acted against her parents’ will. He dreaded the moment he’d have to face her parents.

Both his wives had written to their parents the day after the bond.

Hermione’s parents sent a reply immediately, congratulating her for marrying the man of her dreams.

“We’ve been very troubled when learning of your new interest in the red menace. It didn’t seem natural to us, but you were just as stubborn as always, insisting that we should accept him. Now, that you’re finally free of it, we’re very glad that you returned to your previous love interest and were able to make it into a relationship. Getting married in the process was unexpected, but as it is to the man you’ve been in love with since first year, this is really good news. Just make sure not to turn us into grandparents before you finish your studies.”

Harry blushed when reading the last sentence.

Padma’s parents didn’t respond in any way, as far as he knew. Padma was becoming quite nervous about that and Harry didn’t know if the lack of response was a good sign or a bad one.

Unknown to them, Parvati had also written to her parents, telling them how happy Padma was with her new position and how well Harry treated her, as well as of the changes that happened at school – all seemingly caused by Lord Potter. She did get a response, asking her to keep it secret. Her parents were quite pleased, actually. They didn’t like the old customs concerning their daughters but were unable to openly fight them. They considered the fact that both twins turned “bad girls,” losing their virginity before being married, to be quite a blessing.

It was a few days later, shortly after the last lesson of that day, when a second year Hufflepuff came looking for them. “Lord Potter, Ladies, your presence is requested in the headmistress’s office.”

Harry didn’t think much of it. Since bonding with his wives, they had been frequently asked to visit that office. Unlike the previous headmaster, Minerva, as she insisted to be called in private, wanted their opinions on many subjects. They were not the only ones she consulted with, either, as she used to consult with many students, especially muggle-raised ones, all from the higher classes and with good grades.

He held the door open for his wives. Hermione stepped in first, followed by Padma. Harry got really worried when he saw Padma paling considerably. He understood it as soon as he stepped into the room – a man and a woman of clearly Indian origins were standing there, looking at them with unreadable expression. Despite his worries, Harry took a protective posture, standing a bit forward of Padma, while Hermione took Padma’s hand and held it tight.

“Please sit down,” Minerva told them, pointing at the chairs in front of her desk. Harry sat reluctantly, taking Padma’s free hand in his.

Minreva glanced at the other couple, as if expecting them to start the conversation. Harry noticed that she didn’t seem tense or worried. She actually seemed to hold back a smile. He relaxed a bit.

Mr. Patil looked at Harry with a piercing glance. “Lord Potter, I understand that you married our daughter Padma without asking for our permission or for our blessing. Is that true?”

Harry summoned all his Gryffindor courage to answer, “Yes, Mr. Patil, we got married quite suddenly. We weren’t really ready for that ourselves.”

The man raised his brow. “Care to explain?”

Harry wasn’t sure how to tell it without making the man angry at Padma, if not at them both. Padma jumped in. “Dad, my husband only acted as I asked him to act. If anybody is to be blamed, it’s me.”

Her father looked at her sternly. “If so, Lady Black, do you care to explain?”

Harry thought he detected a bit of amusement in the voice. He also wondered why her father addressed Padma so formally. Was it actually a way to show that he recognized and accepted her marriage?

“Dad, I’m still your daughter, even though I’m now married. You didn’t lose me as your daughter, you only gained a son. This is very different than the way it would have been had I waited for you to sell me for bride.” Her father’s expression was still unreadable. Padma took a deep breath and continued. “After you told me about your plans for me, I knew I needed to act somewhat like Parvati and lose my virginity, so I could still have some control of my life. As you were not too mad about Parvati losing her virtue, I hoped you would accept me doing the same with a similar attitude. Unlike my sister, I did care who would open me and I chose the most considerate young man that I knew, one I had a secret crush on since third year.”

“Not so secret,” her mother noted. Padma didn’t seem to mind.

“It didn’t go exactly as I planned, though. I first had to rid him and Hermione of the potions someone was administering to them. Then, Hermione asked to join us, claiming that Parvati considered it more fun with more participants.” Her cheeks reddened as she said this, and Harry thought she looked even more beautiful than usual. Padma didn’t stop, though. “Then, Harry did his part with me, giving me a very good experience, as I hoped he would. Harry continued, giving Hermione an even better one, making them soul-bound.” Her parents gasped at hearing that.

“I thought that would be it, but they continued showing their love to each other while I was watching. Once it was over, Harry turned to me to show me he really loved me as well, something I never thought I could have. It was then that a golden flash appeared, later confirmed as a marriage bond.”

Minerva smiled now. “I really wondered how that happened. It looks like Magic itself blessed both unions.”

The Patil parents seemed to lose their stern mask. Mrs. Patil smiled reassuringly at her daughter while her husband still looked serious, yet there was some underlying feeling of contentment. “You should know that I didn’t expect you to get married already, although I was wondering what I could do to help you act on your feelings. I have to admit it turned much better than I could ever hope for.” He stepped forward and hugged his daughter, who looked quite confused.

Harry looked at Hermione. She seemed pleased, yet he couldn’t see why. He tried to sense her feelings, as she found in one of the books that soul bound couples could communicate, but it didn’t seem to work. Maybe it needed time to start working.

Mrs. Patil joined the hug, talking rapid Hindi in her daughter’s ear. Harry finally decided that he needed to understand. “Can any of you explain to me what has just happened?”

Her parents released the hug on Padma as they turned to Harry. Mr. Patil was grinning. “You see, Lord Potter, my wife and I had to defy our parents in order to get married. Still, they tried to control our daughters instead, making them ‘proper Hindi wives,’ as they say. Parvati would hear none of it, as you probably know. Padma didn’t want to believe they would really act the way they said they would. It was only lately that she found out the harsh truth. We are very glad that she finally acted on her feelings and didn’t let outdated customs dictate her life. Still, it looks like she got much more than she had bargained for.” He now turned serious. “I hope you treat her well and give her the kind of life she has always hoped for.”

Harry gulped and answered as seriously as possible. “The moment she helped me find out about the potions, I knew I had feelings for her, even if not as strong as those I have for Hermione. Padma is a wonderful young woman and I love her dearly. I really intend to give her all that she may ask for and much more. I promise to never knowingly harm or offend her if I can help it.”

Mr. Patil gave Harry a short manly hug, which Harry only accepted, not being accustomed to such hugs. His wife also hugged Harry, but in a motherly way. “I can see you both love each other and are very pleased with your marriage. Just make sure not to turn me into a grandmother before you finish school, although I expect this to happen not too far in the future.”

Harry blushed at that, but Padma didn’t mind to answer. “We didn’t use any contraceptives that first night, so there may be a chance I got pregnant, yet it was too soon after my period, making it highly unlikely.”

Hermione intervened as well. “You see, Mrs. Patil, even if she did get pregnant, she’d only be due during summer vacation, so she will be able to attend school to the end of the year and return for next year, already a mother. I’ll do all I can to help her, in that case, and I’m sure Harry will as well.”

“Thank you, Lady Potter. Still, I hope that won’t be necessary. I hope all three of you are taking all due precautions since,” Mrs. Patil answered, her husband nodding at her side.

“We all do, Mom,” Padma reassured her. “Neither I nor Hermione would like to climb all the stairs here with a pregnant belly.” Her mother smiled at that.

They were soon joined by Parvati, who was just as glad to meet her parents as she was glad to hear the full story. She already knew it was not to be spread, despite being so unusual.

The Patil parents stayed until dinner. Padma and Parvati were delighted to show them the common rooms and the dormitories at their houses. Padma was also proud to show her family the Potter apartment, which had initially been used by Godric Gryffindor, as she found out the runic designation on the door.

Her parents were delighted to see how happy she was in her marriage and how much her husband loved her. Despite openly stating that he loved Hermione much more, they were hard pressed to find any difference in the way Harry treated his two wives. They also found, not surprisingly, that Hermione and Padma had a lot in common, both being very studious and smart and having similar preferences and attitudes. They already knew most of it from Parvati’s letters since starting Hogwarts.

Harry also found interest in the Patil couple, especially since finding out they had been friends with his parents, although not very close. After talking with them for a while, he didn’t find it awkward to call them “Mum” and “Dad”, as they suggested. It felt unexpectedly natural.