Spring Equinox

Chapter 5

Minerva escorted Harry from the Great Hall to her office, where his other wives were waiting, each holding an envelope. Most girls were already dozing a bit, but they all seemed to wake up as Harry came in. Hermione stood up and kissed him fully on the lips. "You've been wonderful, my dear husband," she told him, making Harry blush. She then grabbed his hand and led him to sit down, positioning herself on his lap.

Minerva sat at her table, not bothering to button her robes which opened, revealing a bit of her breasts and a flat tummy. Everybody present had already seen it all before. "I think we all need to understand what has happened tonight and then make sure it turns all for the best," she said.

"Can anybody explain in simple terms what happened and why we're all here?" Ginny asked.

"Why don't we start with the letters? Care to read yours loudly? I believe they are all the same, differing only by the name and the time."

Ginny obliged.

"Dear Mrs. Potter,

Let us be the first to congratulate you for your bonding with Lord Harry James Potter today, the 21st of March 1996, at 22:35. Your soul bond is recognized as equivalent to marriage. This also emancipates you, giving you all the rights and duties of an adult.

We wish you long and fertile marriage,

The registrar of marriages and bonds."

"Mine reads the same," Susan said. The others nodded

Minerva scanned her table. There were seven envelopes there. She frowned at the number. Checking through them she found six addressed to Harry and one to Minerva Potter-McGonagall. She opened it reluctantly and scanned it once before reading it to the others.

"Dear Mrs. Potter,

Let us be the first to congratulate you for your bonding in marriage with Lord Harry James Potter today, the 22nd of March 1996, at 01:56.

We wish you long and fertile marriage,

The registrar of marriages and bonds."

Minerva blushed. "That was really unexpected."

Harry opened his letters. "They are all practically the same, congratulating me for bonding with every one of you."

Minerva sat back and sighed. "Well, this makes things a bit simpler. We are all married to Lord Harry James Potter, with Lady Hermione Potter being the main wife and the rest of us need to see what title, if any, we'd like to get."

"I'm married to all of you?!" Harry sounded on the verge of panic.

Minerva smiled at him. "So it seems, our dear husband. We are now entitled to a family lodging at Hogwarts, but I believe we may just use my apartment for tonight. Please come with me."

Harry had no time to panic, as Hermione and Susan grabbed his hands and almost squeezed him between them while they followed Minerva. 'You will find it quite nice, I'm sure,' he heard Hermione in his mind. 'And after you recuperate from this celebration, you may still enjoy having so many women ready for you whenever you want.'

This helped a bit. He was also feeling extremely tired, as the stamina potion was running out. By the time he was shown to a bed, he just let his robes fall, climbed in and fell promptly asleep. Hermione and Ginny cuddled to him on both sides. Minerva enlarged the bed to let the other girls join and finally moved to the bed as well, wondering why she felt so natural with all these young women and her man. She then smiled internally. For too many years there was nobody she could call 'her man.' Now there was one, and although young, she was sure he was more man than most.

Harry woke up groggily. He vaguely remembered the last night. The only thing he clearly remembered was that Hermione was now Lady Potter. He smiled at the thought.

'Anything funny?' he felt Hermione in his mind.

'Just happy to be with you,' he thought back.

'Aren't you happy to be with me as well?' This was probably Daphne. He had never had a chance to talk much with her, so he wasn't sure, but he actually liked to be with every one of his... wives?!

Harry opened his eyes, feeling his panic rise. What he saw was almost every teenager boy's dream. Hermione was lying on her side, looking at him with a kind smile and wearing nothing at all. On his other side he saw Daphne in the same attire. Sitting at the side of the bed were Ginny and Luna, both naked as well, while Susan was sitting on the other side. Despite his activity during the celebration, his body reacted quite nicely to the view, making all girls smile. He still lacked one person. "Where is Professor Mc... Potter?" he asked.

"She has her regular duties to attend to. She has to give some lessons to the seventh year, she has a staff meeting to attend and she also wants to get us a large family apartment, as this place is not big enough for our family. She only asked that we don't miss lunch, as our bodies are still changing and need food, and to make sure you eat enough, as you've spent a lot of energy last night." Hermione's tone turned a little amused at the last sentence.

"What time is it?" He was sure he could easily sleep some more, or maybe spend some time in bed with his wives and not quite sleep, but he did want to have some control of his life.

"Ten minutes past noon," Luna said, pointing at a clock on the night stand.

"Why are you all naked?" As much as he liked seeing them this way, it certainly wasn't a common behavior.

"Don't you like seeing us naked?" It was Daphne who asked teasingly, wiggling her breasts a bit. She then turned somewhat more serious. "We were all naked under the outer robes and we were too tired to bother with nightgowns before going to sleep. None of us felt a need for clothes since, as it is warm and cozy in here. I think the house elves brought our clothes to the adjacent room, though."

As much as he liked to stay in bed and enjoy the view, Harry knew that he really needed to move. The girls suggested an invigorating shower first, just as they had done about an hour earlier. Luna volunteered to help him. "I may also take care of that not-so-little problem, as it wouldn't do to leave it that way for lunch," she added innocently.

Harry liked the idea. Hermione also seemed to agree. 'Just make sure to be very kind and loving to her,' she reminded him silently.

By the time he rejoined his other wives, they were all fully dresses, just as he was. Minerva was already there as well. "I've found an appropriate lodging for us. The house elves are preparing it right now and we shall be able to move there by dinner time. You are also excused from today's classes, if you have any, as you need to get accustomed to your new positions. I suggest we all return here after lunch to discuss our next steps."

They all accepted the suggestions. Despite the teasing and the fun, this was clearly going to be a major change in their lives, one that would need more than a few days of adjustment. "I'm going to sit at the head table, as usual, not to attract undue attention, yet I think you should all sit together at whichever table you choose. I believe Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw will prove more accepting than the others," Minerva added.

As the Ravens had not been too friendly to Luna, Harry chose the Hufflepuff table and Susan led them there. Her friend Hannah was the first to congratulate them, before dragging Susan to sit at her side. "So, what title are you going to have?"

"I don't know. I didn't plan to get married as I wanted to continue the Bones family. Now I don't know."

"You may choose to be Lady Bones, when the time comes," Daphne told her. Seeing the question in Susan's eyes, Daphne continued, "Hermione is clearly Lady Potter – the main wife. All other wives may choose to continue their original lines, if Harry agrees. I'd like to continue the Greengrass line just like you want to keep the Bones going."

Both looked at Harry, expecting to hear his opinion.

"I know nothing about this," he said apologetically. "I didn't even give a serious thought to getting married sometime in the future. It seemed so far and I still have a very serious obstacle to fight. I actually fear that by bonding with you I've put you all in danger. I suppose that Daphne is right, but we shall have to check it with some experts, I believe."

The meal was quite pleasant. Nobody questioned the presence of members of the other houses. They were all accepted as part of Susan's new family. Harry was sure that his house mates would have frowned at Daphne, at least.

Back in Minerva's apartment they settled to a family council. "I think you should all tell your parents about this," Minerva told the girls.

Hermione paled. "I can't. They don't know about the Equinox Celebration. They don't understand magical bonds. I can't just send them an owl, telling them, 'Hi, I'm married.' That can only cause problems."

Minerva looked at the others.

"My parents know about equinox celebrations. They will be surprised and even annoyed about having it at Hogwarts, but they will fully support me and my husband," Daphne said.

"Auntie knows I like Harry. She'll be glad for me, I think, especially if she finds that I can still continue the Bones line."

"Mom will first send me a howler for taking part in the equinox celebration, and then congratulate me for getting the man I've always liked," Ginny said.

"Dad will probably say that if I like it then he likes it as well," Luna commented.

Minerva thought for a moment. "Well, we need to visit your parents, Hermione. Telling them in person seems to be the best way. The rest of you should owl your parents and emphasize the way this equinox celebration was forced on you by the representative of the Ministry. I suggest you tell them about the lust and fertility potions as well. This should make them act to change the way the ministry treats Hogwarts and the way Harry is treated, which currently is our main concern."

She now looked at Harry. "What do you know about your ancestry?"

"Practically nothing. My relatives barely even told me that my parents were magical and all I've heard since were a few stories, but no real information."

Minerva looked sad. "Maybe I should have taught you about your ancestry, but I thought the Headmaster would do it better, only now I see that he did nothing. I'm going to correct this as soon as I can, yet you first need to visit Gringotts and claim control of your belongings and your titles. Are you rested enough to go there now?"

Harry nodded. He had slept for almost nine hours, which was about an hour more than usual. He had also eaten well, more than enough to account for the missed breakfast. He saw no cause for concern.

"Fine, then. Once the girls finish writing the letters we shall all dress formally and floo to Gringotts. We shall send the letters from Diagon Alley, as they may be intercepted if sent from here." She left them for a moment to fetch some parchments and quills from her office.

Harry tried to silently communicate with Hermione. 'Are you sure this is all necessary?'

He was probably not yet in full control of this new communication ability, as he received several answers. 'She has your interest first in her mind and she has more experience than any of us. I think we should do as she suggests,' Hermione told him.

'This is the bare minimum. We would have done more had we woken up earlier,' Daphne told him sternly.

'I think my aunt would have done the same,' Susan responded.

Luna answered differently. 'We should go to Gringotts to disable your enemy and then visit your godfather.' Harry wondered what she really knew about Sirius.

Ginny just said, 'I don't know, but I believe we should trust her.'