The Potter Coven

by flowerchild33

Dumbledore tells Harry everything after the third task and Hermione is determined to help Harry tackle it all. She finds a unique solution that will change their lives forever. She will awaken forbidden magic and great power that will shake the magical world and will definitely offer power that he knows not. The rating is for a reason. Smut with M/F, F/F and multiple relations

21. A Tale to Be Told

And here a couple of questions start to be answered. Please give it some time, its the holidays now, but they will gradually deal with the aftermath.

o-o-o-o-o

Chapter 21 – A Tale to Be Told

Amelia did eventually make her way to Hogwarts, arriving in Sirius' office first. He was busy grading a stack of papers, which he gladly set aside when he saw her. He stood and stepped around the desk, wrapping her in his arms.

"You look done in love. I hope you're done for the day."

"Yes. I've got the teams working in shifts. I moved the staging tent closer. It's all cleanup now. I've got my best interrogators questioning the survivors back at the Ministry. The rest are working in squads combing through the keep to make sure we find everyone. Of course the not fun part is picking up the body parts. The courtyard especially is a mess. Corbin was much more effective than I ever imagined."

"What about injuries on our side?"

"Six total. Only four requiring St. Mungo's. Three will stay overnight. All will be back on duty within the week. I feel like I need to make an offering to someone in repayment. This all seems too good to be true."

"A combination of good planning and combined effort. What about the media?"

"I'm not letting them near the keep, but I've given them a small stand near the staging area. They've been told that Voldemort is dead. For good measure, I had his body hauled out of the rubble and let them take as many pictures as they wished. I explained that this was a combined and planned effort, but that more details would be several days in coming. They aren't thrilled, but the pictures will be enough for tomorrow's front page. I should be able to start releasing names then for the next story. I'm hoping to talk to Harry and…the coven…I guess I should get used to that, about what to tell the press. We can hold off for a few days at most."

"Well, I've been receiving updates from Dobby. They're exhausted of course." *snort* "No surprise there. They want to have dinner with us in the Room in…about twenty."

"Sounds good. Gives us a few minutes to relax."

Sirius smiled and led her to a nearby couch. They spent their time curled up together kissing and relaxing. Deciding to save Amelia four flights of stairs, Sirius called for Dobby, who happily apparated them to the Room.

When they arrived in the Room, the coven members were all seated on padded benches around a low table. They were all dressed in house robes and appeared to have left the shower or tub not long before. Harry greeted them and sounded tired, but his smile was wide. The first thing Sirius noticed was his scar. He crossed the room quickly to hug his godson, who stood to greet him.

"Pup! Your scar!"

"Yes, it's finally healing. It was a mess for a few hours. When the horcrux within it was banished, it split open and bled like mad. We had some healing supplies on hand for contingency purposes. Susan worked on me for a good while and it's a lot better. Over the last hour it's really faded. She thinks it will be almost invisible eventually."

While Sirius was checking on his charge, Amelia made her way to Susan. While she certainly cared for everyone, Susan was hers. Her niece stood to hug her aunt, who looked her over with a practiced eye. Susan laughed.

"I'm fine auntie. Quite fine. Everything went splendid and all my coven mates were wonderful. I know you probably still have doubts, but I'm very happy. And Hermione's theory worked. Even if we had just joined to defeat Voldemort, it would have been worth it. Instead, we created this wonderful family."

"So, the bond is definitely permanent?"

"Hermione, why don't you show auntie, you know the spell better. Auntie, we saw the glow during the ritual."

Hermione nodded and cast a bond confirmation spell. All of the coven glowed with an unusual blue-white light.

"Amelia, a wedding bond is normally golden. A fealty bond is white. Ours is different. I know the Ministry doesn't recognize the coven bond, but Gringotts does. I'm sure our bond has registered there. Not that it matters, Harry has already taken the other legal steps to bind us all and we know how we feel."

Amelia nodded, it was obvious the entire group was happy. Even before Hermione cast the spell, she could tell that this group was connected. It would be interesting to see how it developed in the coming years.

"There's one other thing the two of you should know before we eat. Harry sent a letter off with Hedwig just before you arrived. The last horcrux that was destroyed was a bit of a surprise and might cause issues. He directed it to Ragnok himself, so we hope that it will be received in the spirit it was sent. Apparently the last horcrux was attached to a cup in the Lestrange vault in Gringotts. It caused a backlash in the Gringotts wards. Let's just say it didn't feel good from this end and I'm sure they weren't happy. Harry also put a blood seal on the letter to prevent the information from being intercepted. And of course, we trust Hedwig above any other owl. Harry didn't go into details, but told Ragnok that the backlash was due to a horcrux being destroyed in the vault. We offered to come in the day after tomorrow to talk if he wishes. Harry said he needed a day to recover. I really hope Ragnok won't be angry."

Sirius looked surprised and rubbed his face while Amelia responded.

"Well, the fact you sent Ragnok a letter directly should mitigate any problems. And given their response and sending the ward breakers to help my department, I think they may understand."

Harry nodded, hopeful, as he went to take his seat. Amelia went and sat with Sirius at the table as Dobby appeared with dinner. Earlier that afternoon, Harry had sent Milly and Winky back to Potter Manor to finish preparations for the holiday. As everyone began to eat, the coven gave general details on the ritual. Amelia did find it fascinating, although she was happy not knowing too much. Then they wanted to know what had happened with the attack. Everyone was happy, if a bit surprised with how well it had gone.

As dessert was served, the discussion moved to plans for the holiday. The night before, Harry had sent off the letters to all the families with the change of plans for the holiday. He knew that changing Christmas plans this late would cause questions. Of course, the news of Voldemort's demise would only add to it. Still, it was clear in each letter that the families would need to come to Potter Manor if they wished to see their daughters. The coven knew they had more confrontations in place and was preparing themselves. The following day was Saturday the 23rd and there wasn't much time. Harry had been contemplating something and decided to discuss his concern now.

"Actually, I know the Express is due to take everyone home tomorrow, but I was hoping to avoid it. That's six hours wasted that I can find a better use for. I can floo from the Broomsticks in a matter of minutes. As a lord, I can force the issue. I think I can do the same for anyone betrothed to me, but I'm not sure about consorts."

"Actually Harry, why don't you let me help? I can guess that your concern is with the headmaster and I'll deal with him. As the head of the DMLE, I can arrange for you to have a portkey that will take you out of the school wards and designate six students who I feel are high risk due to any remaining Death Eaters that might still be at large. The portkey will take you six students and Tonks to the manor in the morning."

"Really? That's brilliant Amelia."

Amelia took a linen napkin and began a long series of incantations over it as it glowed. When done, she handed it to Daphne next to her. Then she took a piece of parchment that Susan passed to her and wrote a brief note for Dumbledore. She called for Dobby and the elf appeared.

"Dobby, I have a note for the headmaster. It's getting quite late though for an old man and I don't want to wake him. Can you please deliver this at eight tomorrow morning?"

Dobby acknowledged the request, took the note, and popped out.

"So Amelia, what time does our portkey leave?"

"Eight."

Everyone grinned, happy to once again foil any potential future meddling. The group talked for a few more minutes, but then all were ready to call it a night.

The next morning saw the coven waking together in the Room. None had wanted to separate for the brief few hours they had left until the holiday. They did know though that they needed to make an appearance with their friends and they all were down at the Great Hall a half hour later. Although it was still early, a good number of students were awake due to the Express leaving in an hour and a half. The coven's entrance was noticed and welcomed, as their different friends wondered where they had disappeared to over the last day. They all decided to sit at the Gryffindor table and no one seemed to notice that there was an Auror in the group. Predictably, it was Ron who spouted off first.

"Blimey Harry, what is it with you and all the birds? Where have you been? Did you see the Prophet, about He Who Must Not Be Named?"

"Yes Ron, I know about Voldemort. Or Tom Riddle. Since he's dead, I think we can use his name now. Sorry, but I've been a bit busy. Your family will be coming to Potter Manor over the holiday. We'll have a chance to talk more."

"Potter Manor? Wow, you have your own house? Well of course you do, what with everything else you've got. When were you going to tell me? Do mum and dad know?"

"Look Ron, everything has been happening fast lately. Just give me a bit of time please mate. I'm still not awake and I just want a bit of breakfast. I won't be on the Express. Security concerns and such. I have a portkey and it leaves in about fifteen minutes. Have to eat quick."

Ron scowled for a second, but then nodded. If there was one thing he could understand, it was the need for a bloke to have his breakfast. Harry managed to finish eating without any more interruptions. All of the coven left together at a couple of minutes until the hour and headed out of the Great Hall. They found an empty classroom and everyone grabbed onto the napkin portkey that Amelia had created. A minute later it activated and they all started spinning as they headed for Potter Manor.

The coven landed in the central hall of Potter Manor and a collective gasp was immediately heard. The cherry paneled walls and marble floors glowed under the fairy lights that festooned the holly garlands that were draped everywhere. In the four corners of the room were five 'trees' made up of various colored sparkling glass ornament balls. In the background could be heard the faint sound of Christmas carols playing and the smells of baking suffused the entire manor. Harry grinned. It was good to be home for the holidays. All the elves were waiting and Milly stepped forward to greet them.

"Welcome home Master Harry and Ladies! We all hope the decorations are to your liking. Each room's theme is a bit different. I must say, it was quite fun for us to unpack the decorations after so many years. Dobby has brought all your trunks from school and secured them in the Personal Quarters, which have been redesigned as you specified Lord Harry."

All the ladies turned to look at Harry, who smirked. He loved surprising them.

"Well, I might have had a bit of a discussion with Milly, who has been working with the others. The Manor is wonderful, but it wasn't exactly designed with our unique family in mind."

With that, none of the ladies could wait any further and had to see what Harry had done. They moved from the central hall on through the house, admiring each room as they went. The house was festooned in every corner and crevice with boughs, garlands, ornaments, and decorations. Even for the wealthier purebloods like Susan and Daphne who were used to having elves to help over the holidays, the decorations went beyond any they had seen before. Of course, the Potter elves were making up for lost time. Even as they reached the second floor, the decorations continued, as the rooms there had been set up for their expected guests. In the future, they planned to fill this floor with little ones, but for now they had space for their families.

Once they reached the third floor, the first changes could be seen. Previously the Lord's Suite had dominated the floor. Now, upon reaching the top floor, double doors opened into an informal living space that included a living room and small dining area to one side. Off of this space radiated a number of doors. The focal point though was a large set of double doors off the back of the room. Harry gestured toward them and Susan and Ginny took the lead as they threw the doors open.

All of the ladies were stunned by what they saw. It had been a fantasy they had discussed several times among themselves. Now Harry had brought it to life. While they were initially stunned and didn't move for the first twenty seconds, that was followed after by an explosion as Harry found himself tackled by all six women, who all seemed ready to give the room a try. Harry laughed as he submitted to a flurry of kisses as he found himself quickly being maneuvered toward the centerpiece of the room, a magnificent round bed that was five meters in diameter and was a special order, also requiring special sheets made by the elves. The bed took up two thirds of the room and was draped in meters and meters of fabric that centered from a ring above it on the ceiling. The fabric was all fine silk in a rainbow of rich jewel tones that complemented the fabrics of the bed itself. While the bed was massive and immensely comfortable, it was fairly low. Extending out from it was a magnificent plush rug woven in an elaborate pattern of magical flora and fauna with colors to match the rest of the fabrics in the room. The walls of the room were lined in deep blue silk, including the ceiling, which was enchanted with magical stars that could be turned on or off with the simple touch of a runestone. The room also offered a fantastic view out to the back lawn of the manor, but it also had thick blinds in matching blue silk that were charmed for complete light blockage and would turn the entire room into a jeweled cave if desired. To light the cave if necessary, antique glass lanterns in a range of rainbow colors with lumos runestones set within refracted light throughout the room. The entire effect was something out of Arabian Nights.

Harry's legs hit the bed and he fell back as the six ladies crawled in with him, pushing him back as they continued to kiss him. He tried to tell them that there was more to see, but they obviously had other ideas. He was pleased to see how well they all fit in the massive bed. They knew that at times each would want their own space, but all had agreed that they enjoyed being together. Enlarging a standard bed worked alright, but this bed was perfect. As Harry found himself losing clothing, he briefly contemplated when the different family would be arriving and was glad that the arrivals were all set for lunchtime. Then he let practical thoughts flee and willingly submitted himself to the grateful ministrations of the coven.

Several hours later, even the ladies had to agree that they needed to clean up and get ready for the arrival of their families. There would be enough shocking news without starting it by finding them all in bed together. Harry grinned and led them to the next remodeled area. To one side of the master bedroom, he touched a small decoration on the wall and a door slid open to reveal an elaborate bath with a range of beautiful Moroccan tile. Ginny groaned as they stepped in and looked around.

"Harry love, how do you expect to get us to lunch on time after showing us this?"

Several others agreed with her as they looked around. There were three water closets with carved marble privacy screens. Between them were three sinks, each with a fountain water faucet featuring a different golden mythical animal figurehead. Across from the sinks were several seating areas with mirrors where ladies could sit and apply makeup. On one end of the room was a steam sauna with a glass walled shower next to it that was large enough for all of them and featured at least twenty shower heads at different positions from the ceiling down the walls. On the other end of the room was a massive sunken tub that was more like a small swimming pool and had a number of magical faucets to offer different types of bubble bath. It could fit all of them and another dozen guests if they wished. It was also placed in front of a window that covered the entire wall, which Harry made sure to tell them was charmed to be one way only. In the center of the massive space was a sunken seating area with an arrangement of comfortable chairs and divans, as well as a full tea setting. From here ladies could take their tea while waiting for their hair to set or nails to dry, while also exchanging gossip. Hermione for one wasn't a gossip type, but she appreciated the thought that went into the room, while Daphne leaned over and whispered in her ear, wondering who Harry had consulted with on the design. As they moved around the room, Ginny noticed that the elaborate marble floors under foot were heated and at key locations throughout the room heated towel stands offered a constant supply of plush, heated towels at constant readiness. While the bedroom was rich jewel tones, here the colors were more muted, featuring creams, golds, silvers, and bronzes. The look was rich and delicious.

Once everyone had a chance to enjoy the decor, they decided that a mutual shower would be the fastest. As long as they behaved, which they did, although it wasn't easy. Once they were done and dressed in robes, Harry led them back through the bedroom.

"Now, when I was designing this floor, I wanted you each to have your own space. I know we all enjoy our time together, but we are all individuals. I have a dressing room and office off the main bath, but off this end of the bedroom is this hallway. From this hallway you can each access a special space of your own. Each is arranged to look out on either the back or side garden and has enough space for a small sleeping room, an office, a small bath, and a closet dressing room area for each of you. The spaces are rough right now, but the elves have already brought everything from school. Anything else you need from your parents' homes, just let them know. Or anything you need to buy of course. It's a couple of days early, but this is your first Christmas present, you each get to design your private suites. I know the spaces aren't huge, but I cut down the size of the Lord's suite from before since it was really too…"

Anything more Harry was going to say was cut off as he found himself pinned to a wall and being thoroughly snogged in rotation. He felt himself start to rise and thought that these witches really were going to be the death of him. What a way to go though. It was Daphne who called order.

"Ladies, we need to stop. Our first guests arrive in just over a half hour."

Hermione groaned and Tonks mumbled a few choice words, but everyone agreed as they followed the corridor around and each claimed their suite. They were all basically the same size and each was a blank canvas, so there wasn't much to look at for the moment, although each witch began to contemplate what they wanted to do with their space. Harry then returned to his own space and got himself cooled off and dressed quickly. After all their activities the previous day, he couldn't believe how randy he still was. Must be the coven magic. Once he was dressed, he went out to the central living room and waited for everyone else. The coven was all ready and downstairs when the first portkey arrived.

As planned, Sirius was the first to arrive. He had seen the Express gone several hours before, finished the last paperwork for the term, and was happy to be gone for a while. Harry was glad to have him standing behind him for support when the Tonkses arrived next. Andi obviously had a lot of questions, but she accepted a nod from Sirius, offered her bags to Milly, accepted Harry's welcome, and then agreed to wait for everyone else. Immediately after them, Remus arrived, greeting Harry and then embracing Sirius. Xeno Lovegood was the next to arrive and he was in his own world as usual as he stepped aside moments before Amelia arrived. Everyone was chatting companionably when the Grangers' portkey arrived a few minutes later. They obviously were not entirely happy with the method of travel and Harry stepped forward to greet them.

"Hi Neil, hi Jean, welcome back to Potter Manor. You're the last to arrive for a bit. I know everyone has a lot of questions. The elves will take your bags upstairs. You're welcome to go settle upstairs for a bit, or you can join us in the sunroom for refreshments if you like? The rest of our guests will be arriving after they pick up students from the Express. Once they are here, we'll have a full lunch."

"I'm fine Harry, although I'd prefer to avoid another portkey for a bit. I'd forgotten what that felt like. We'll join everyone else."

The group all adjourned to the sunroom, where the unusually sunny December day was perfect for their gathering. The elves served a variety of drinks and small savories as the main topic of discussion was the downfall of Lord Voldemort. That morning's Prophet had featured the first released pictures of Voldemort's corpse, sending the majority of magical Britain into an early holiday celebration. The press was still clamoring for more information about how the actual operation had happened. The Grangers had been sent the news that Voldemort was dead, but not much else and were especially hungry for information from the magical world. As Jean listened to Amelia talk, she also posed questions to her daughter and wasn't happy with the careful responses. Finally, Hermione knew she needed to head her mum off.

"Mum, you'll know everything shortly. Right now you know as much as most of the magical world. Amelia and Sirius know more because she is head of the DMLE. Our next arrivals will be here shortly and then we can tell everyone at once."

Jean pursed her lips and nodded, not happy, but willing to wait a bit longer. She still wasn't sure what was happening with her daughter, Harry, and all these other women. She had a strange suspicion they were all together if the rings they wore were any indication, but she wasn't sure how. Her frustration only lasted another ten minutes when Harry rose and announced that the next arrivals were imminent. The coven all went to the central hall, while their guests stayed in the sunroom.

The three Greengrasses arrived a moment later and Harry greeted them formally as the elves took their bags. Then Harry asked them to step aside just as the Weasley clan began to arrive. Harry wanted Ginny to have her entire family with her for the holiday, even though he knew it wouldn't be easy on himself. That meant that the incoming arrivals included Arthur, Molly, the twins, and Ron. Ginny hoped that Bill might visit on the holiday as well, but that had yet to be decided. As soon as they landed, Molly tried to descend on Harry, but Ginny stepped in front of him.

"Welcome to Potter Manor mother. The rest of the guests have already arrived. I don't know if you've met Lord and Lady Greengrass before?"

Molly realized this was more of a proper social gathering and corrected herself quickly as she accepted formal introductions. She looked a bit crossly at the other witches around Harry, but didn't say anything yet. As Harry led the group toward the sunroom, Ginny let Daphne and Hermione stand by his sides while she fell back between her parents and let the others get well ahead. Her brothers were just in front and she yanked on the back of Ron's robes to keep him close and in earshot.

"Alright Weasleys, listen up, we're pureblood, but we're not exactly known for our social graces. That has to start changing immediately. I am the future Lady Gryffindor and you lot are my family. I love you, warts and all, but I don't need you embarrassing me and my future husband. Ron, are you listening? I need you to think before speaking. Fred, George, pranks are fun, but they have their place. And mum, Harry will be your son-in-law, but he's not your son. He is the lord of three houses and needs to be treated as such. Dad, you are the head of House Weasley and need to remember that you bear the responsibility for the actions of the members of the house. I may be young, but I've been growing up fast and I've been getting more education in house customs lately. Now, you're going to be hearing a lot today and it won't be easy to hear. We're all family. You're free to ask questions, but no exploding and no threats. It won't be taken well if you do. Remember my new family is why we are free of Voldemort now."

Ginny's five family members looked at her, stunned. Even before her last statement, they had been wondering where little their little Gin-Gin had disappeared to. Before them stood the future Lady Gryffindor and she looked quite serious. Molly looked to be near tears, but nodded, while each of the three boys just stared in shock. Arthur gave a bare smile as he whispered 'understood'. Apparently his little girl was a woman now. And she was forcing them all to take notice.

The Weasleys finished their discussion and joined everyone else in the sunroom. The Greengrasses had taken seats and were being served drinks. The Weasleys took seats on one side of the table, while Harry purposefully sat at the head of the table with the six ladies seated immediately to his two sides. He knew everyone would be hungry and decided to focus on lunch first.

"Well, now that everyone is here, let me just say that I am happy to have Potter Manor once again full of life. I know my elves have expressed the same. They certainly went all out with the decorations. This will be the first Christmas I can remember having in a loving home since I don't remember my first Christmas as a baby, my only one with my parents, so I am looking forward to this. I guess I need to make some introductions, and then we can eat and talk a bit more."

"First, I believe everyone here is aware that my full title is Lord Gryffindor-Peverell-Potter. Among family I am simply Harry. I know you all took oaths to keep that news quiet, but those oaths won't be needed much longer, since the filings at the Ministry will be public within a week. The reasons I chose to resurrect my other two houses are complex and I will discuss them further later, but let me introduce my ladies. First, my future Lady Potter, Hermione Granger. Her parents are next to her, Neil and Jean Granger, dentists in the muggle world. For those unfamiliar with their trade, they are healers specializing in ailments of the mouth and teeth. Next, my future Lady Gryffindor, Ginevra Weasley, although please call her Ginny or she will scowl at you. Her parents Arthur and Molly from the Lesser House of Weasley are seated over here, along with her brothers Fred, George, and Ron. Next, my future Lady Peverell. Her given name is Nymphadora Tonks, but she prefers to be called just Tonks and her married name will be Tonks Peverell. Her parents are down at the end, Ted and Andromeda Tonks. Andromeda is cousin to my godfather, Lord Sirius Black, who is seated in the center to my right and smirking at me. Seated next to him is a man of no blood relation, but who I look on as an adopted uncle, Remus Lupin."

"Now, I have been blessed with an abundance of riches and have three additional ladies as well. Again, all will be explained in detail later. These three ladies will each be taking a position as consort to one of my three houses, each under a line continuation contract since each are the last of their house lines. First, this is Susan Bones, who will be consort to House Gryffindor. Her aunt is current regent for House Bones, Madam Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE. She is seated next to Sirius. She has taken on the unenviable task of keeping him in line and they are in courtship. Next on my left is Daphne Greengrass, who will be consort to House Potter. Her parents are seated two down from her, Lord Martin and Lady Cecile Greengrass of the the House of Greengrass. Also seated with them is her younger sister Astoria. Last and certainly not least, this lovely lass is Luna Lovegood, who will be consort to House Peverell. Her father is seated on the other end, Xenophilius Lovegood of the Lesser House of Lovegood. Now, I know there are questions, but please know that contracts are in place for all six ladies. In addition, we are all in love and committed to each other. I hope all of us can use this time during the holiday to begin to come together as a family."

The room descended into silence as Harry gave Winky a signal and the food began to be served. With it, Harry made sure to have a fine selection of light wines available to those who wished them. He noticed quite a few took advantage. Jean especially seemed pleasantly surprised as she sipped a white and soon refilled her glass. Molly immediately tried to question Amelia about the action against Voldemort, but Amelia asked her to desist until after. Others took the hint and kept the conversation to simpler topics. Specifically, school subjects and exams were discussed at length. As part of the discussion, the coven members brought up a few of their ideas about possible changes at the school. Sirius seemed to welcome the ideas. Just in the short time he had been teaching, he had noticed several things that needed updating. The key sticking point seemed to be Dumbledore, who had ruled the school as his private kingdom for too long. Harry thought about bringing up the subject of his title as Lord Gryffindor, but that would have made the discussion more serious than he wished. Instead, he let the conversation drift to talk of plans for the holiday, including the fact that the following day was Christmas Eve and the students still had the majority of their shopping to do. All of the food was excellent and Harry was glad that the diverse group seemed to be doing well together.

As everyone finished and the dishes disappeared, Harry gave instructions to the elves. Dessert was delivered on platters, offering a selection of bite size cakes and tarts. All the drinks were refreshed and everyone was able to take and nibble as they wished. Seeing that a number of his guests were leaning back happily satiated after the meal, Harry knew the time for the full truth had come. He looked around at all of his ladies and they each smiled and nodded. This had been discussed and once again he would lead, as the lord of the manor, although they would contribute during the conversation later on. Taking a deep breath, Harry drew on the coven magic as he looked around the table.

"Alright everyone, I think now is the time for the family to know everything. Thank you for waiting until we had a chance to eat. I personally do better when I'm fueled. As I said before, I consider everyone here at this table family and I hope that you all will come to think the same. If not today, then hopefully soon. And not just in regards to myself or my ladies, but to everyone else here. I know the idea of my taking six wives is unusual and even disturbing for some, especially for the Grangers. I was raised muggle and I am familiar with the taboo against polygamy. There are reasons for each choice that I and all of my ladies have made and I ask that you only listen to everything we have to say before asking questions. None of our decisions were made hastily. I ask the same of you. To begin this, you need a bit of history. Some of this some may know. Then again, you may only know some pieces of what I have to tell you. I now want to give you the full version and ensure you know everything in the full and truthful version. Let me start with the fateful Halloween night when I was fifteen months old…"

Harry proceeded to tell everyone about Voldemort's attack on his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. He went back a bit to explain a bit about the Marauders in school and the later selection of a secret keeper. He allowed Hermione to give the precise description of the Fidelius for her parents. Then he explained the best guess as to what had happened when Voldemort's attack failed. He told them about Dumbledore's actions to remove him and place him with the Dursleys, ignoring his parents' will. That brought a few exclamations and numerous scowls. He noted that Amelia was taking notes. He told them about Sirius and Peter and how Sirius was wrongfully incarcerated. Then he moved forward to tell them about third year and finding out Sirius was innocent before jumping forward again to explain about using his lordship to demand a review of the evidence and his memory to get Sirius a trial, which instead got him an acquittal. Everyone hung on his words, amazed by all that had occurred in such a short span of recent time. Of course, little did they know that Harry was just getting started.

"So, Voldemort attacked me as a baby, but that wasn't his only attempt to get at me. I didn't even know about magic until I was eleven, but I realized within the year that I seemed to have a target painted on me…"

Harry went on to detail his first year at Hogwarts and his battle with a possessed Quirrell over the stone. Then he told them about the Chamber of Secrets in his second year. Next came his fourth year and the cursed tournament. He went into detail about being entered and forced to compete. He went over each task, explaining the first and second, but trying not to dwell too long. Instead, he focused on the third task and what happened when the portkey took him and Cedric to the graveyard. Here his ladies moved closer around him and Luna even perched in his lap as they lent him strength to tell the story once again. He finished with the details about Barty Crouch Junior being found out. The one bright point in the story was when he made up his mind to tell Hermione how he felt. That brought a quick peck from the witch sitting on his side. Then he paused as he prepared to tell them the most difficult part.

"Needless to say at this point I was wrung out. I wasn't showing it, but I was ready to lose it. That's one thing I learned at the Dursleys, how to hide my emotions. Anyway, I confronted Dumbledore, wanting more information. In the past he had given hints that he had more information, but thought I was too young. Well, I had had enough of that. I about lost it and almost tore his office apart with my magic. Gradually I drew the information out of him about why Voldemort targeted me. First there was the prophecy…"

Harry proceeded to give them the details of the circumstances of the prophecy before reciting it and then picking it apart piece by piece to decipher it. Martin Greengrass actually snorted at some of the deciphering. It was obvious he had a similar opinion about divination as Hermione did.

"So, now I knew why he kept coming after me. My next question was what happened on Halloween. Why wouldn't the bastard die? It turns out that Dumbledore had done a lot of research and had a theory. He wasn't completely sure until we returned from the Chamber of Secrets and he actually saw a horcrux…"

That word caused a gasp from Andromeda and Xeno actually looked up at Harry and seemed to momentarily join the same plane of existence as everyone else. It was obvious that some knew what it was. For the others, Harry explained what a horcrux was and Dumbledore's theory about Tom Riddle creating multiple ones. Then Harry paused and once again drew strength from the ladies before delivering the most devastating information.

"The last thing Dumbledore told me was the hardest. He knew I'd always had a strange connection to Voldemort, dreams and such. The scar I received that night always resisted every bit of magical healing. After watching me for a while, he deduced that on Halloween when everything went wrong, Voldemort created an unintentional horcrux-me."

That information was too much and the room erupted. Molly started to wail and made to reach for Harry when Arthur held her back. Andi reached and refilled her wine. Martin looked like he could use something stronger. Harry let the room quiet and decided to settle everyone right away.

"There's more to tell you all, but to reassure you, I'll jump way ahead for just a moment and tell you that the horcrux that was in me is now gone and I am fine. See my scar? It's already fading and it's only been a day. Now, there's a lot more in between, but I didn't want you worrying anymore. I've been doing a lot of the talking though and I'm going to let Hermione take over for a bit."

Luna moved off Harry's lap and went to get him a fresh chilled butterbeer while he grabbed a couple of tarts. Everyone else selected a few items as Hermione began telling her part.

"So, it was the end of the tournament and we had a few days of school left. My best friend was now my boyfriend, which I was thrilled with. I had realized I was falling in love with Harry a couple of years before. We were both scared to say anything for fear of ruining our friendship. When Dumbledore told him everything, it was with the caveat that he learn Occlumency to protect his thoughts by the end of summer. He was allowed to tell just one other person, me. I had to learn Occlumency also. Of course, once I heard about the horcruxes, I was distraught. The only known way to destroy a horcrux is with a couple of kinds of powerful magical venom or with fiendfyre. Of course, neither was an option for a horcrux stuck in Harry's head. Dumbledore loaned me some books from his personal library and I was on a mission to save my man. Later during the summer, we visited Sirius at his ancestral home and I found some additional research material there."

"After reading more on horcruxes, I theorized that they are the essence of hate and death, so I focused on the opposite, on love and life. My research led me to a specific branch of magic, sex magic. It didn't take long before that research focused on covens, since their specialty is sex magic. And I can see that the pieces are clicking into place for everyone now. Please remember what Harry asked before and keep an open mind until we are done. I know that covens have a bad reputation in the magical world. I found plenty of books that raved against them, but when I researched the history, I could find nothing evil or criminal to cause the reputation. There are no laws against them. As I dug through history, I found that they were more common up until around the mid 17th century. Around that time, several prominent historians basically trashed them. I could find no reason for this except that covens are usually primarily female and quite powerful. They also inherently promote lesbian relationships, which have been persecuted for millennia within our world."

"A key example of this persecution is the case of Bartholomew Barge, a renowned sorcerer of that time. He was a 'most learned man' who was 'sought for guidance in matters most troublesome'. There was an ongoing drought in Shropshire that was marking its third year in 1682 and Barge was called in by several prominent land owners and paid handsomely to conduct rituals to resolve the issue. Two days after he began, he claimed success when a light drizzle began to fall. Then it ceased after just over an hour. He performed the ritual again with two assistants, pouring so much magic into the ritual that he was unconscious for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, no more rain. He slipped out of town the next day, leaving the disgruntled landowners behind. After another dry month, they were desperate and called in a coven of sixteen witches. A coven can be any number over three, although some numbers are more powerful. It also can consist of witches, wizards, or a mixture. Anyway, the coven performed three sex magic rites at three points, forming a triangle to cover the region. Two days later the rain started. It rained for a week, stopped for two days, and rained for another week. A month later they returned and did the rite again with the same result. The crop that year was actually a bit above average. Barge was already in the process of writing a magical history text even before he had been hired. When it was published at the end of that year, it featured an entire chapter disparaging the unnatural and evil magic of the coven. Barge's history was well received and reprinted several times. Two years later, he was Minster of Magic and further spread his ideas. That is just one example."

Hermione paused to sip her butterbeer and accepted a bite of tart that Daphne offered her.

"Anyway, I determined that a coven held the potential solution to the horcrux issue and focused my research there. While doing so, I honestly had to begin analyzing my own feelings about sharing Harry. When he turned fifteen and claimed his title as Lord Potter, he was informed of the two extinct houses he could resurrect. That offered intriguing possibilities. I found one ritual in particular that would allow for the purification of dark magic and there was a feedback addition that I thought would allow the horcrux in Harry's scar to be used as a beacon to find the other horcruxes. The ritual was most successful on the solstices and equinoxes, but still would require a lot of power and this brought me back to the same question. I decided that I thought it might work and brought the idea to Harry. He was dubious to put it mildly, but was willing to give it a try with one other if I really wanted. He made it clear that I would take the lead on this as his future Lady Potter. Even before the official betrothal, he made his intention clear. I decided to talk to Ginny, as I knew she had an attraction to Harry. Also, although Harry was my first serious boyfriend, Ginny and I had had a brief relationship the year before. So, shortly after Harry's birthday, Ginny joined us and we began the tentative steps at testing a multiple relationship. While we had a few things to work out, it actually went well and I started to consider who else might work for a future coven. I also needed to think on how many would be ideal for the final coven. The number I decided on was seven total, the most powerful magical number. That meant six witches and Harry. Over the summer I arranged different social events that included a number of potential witches, while also mixing in wizards as well to keep the groups balanced. While we were having a fun summer, I was watching how each person got on with Harry. By the time school began, Daphne and Luna had joined our group as well."

Now Hermione paused to give everyone a chance to assimilate everything they had been inundated with up until that point. She looked at her parents and saw recognition dawning about what they had seen happening over the summer. Hermione looked to Susan and she nodded and decided to take over.

"I'll give Hermione a break here. I was the next to join the coven a few weeks into the school year. When Hermione approached me with the idea, I was shocked and unsure to say the least. I thought about it for a few days and reviewed some of the research materials Hermione had. As a pureblood, I had heard of covens and the prejudices around them. I soon learned to discard that. My reason for deciding to give it a try was two-fold. One, I had a bit of a crush on Harry, like half the female population of the school. Two, I knew I wanted a line continuation contract so that I could continue the House of Bones. I figured if Harry had other wives, he would be alright with me being a consort. Of course, when I first joined, that was well in the future. We all acknowledged where we may be heading, but we knew it would require work. Hermione did a good job screening and selecting us. She knows Harry better than anyone and she is a good judge of people, but maintaining a multiple partner relationship takes work. The developing coven often studied together in smaller groups or as a whole. We also met in the Room of Requirement for private dinners at least two nights a week. Saturday nights were our special nights when we spent most of the night there. For those who don't know, the Room of Requirement is an amazing part of Hogwarts, a room that is only available when requested and can be anything you ask it to be. A French restaurant, a beach, a perfectly designed ritual glade, anything. You pace in the corridor in front of it three times, with a clear image of what you want in mind. Anyway, Harry also made a point of paying special attention to each individual. Dobby helped with that. One of the hard parts of this was keeping it a secret from the school. Dobby would apparate one of us out to the far side of the lake to meet Harry and then cast an elf disillusionment charm that would allow for us to go for a walk without being noticed. Or Dobby would make a special meal for Harry and one of us alone in the kitchens. Small things that could be done at the school. He really was amazingly thoughtful and it was easy to start falling in love with him."

Susan paused and Luna decided to add her perspective.

"One of my special nights with Harry was at the top of the astronomy tower. Although we had dinner together at the Gryffindor table, he couldn't pay me special attention and I was there as a friend of Ginny's. After dinner Dobby took us up the Astronomy tower and there was a blanket laid out with warming charms and rose petals. For dessert Harry had arranged for Dobby to make me seven different flavors of pudding, all served in crystal bowls. Pudding's my favorite."

Everyone smirked at Luna's dreamy expression and Hermione decided to take back over.

"So, by a month or so into the school year, we had six of the coven in place. We were still working on the details of the ritual while building our bond. We also still had to find our seventh. I had a thought that Tonks would fit well all the way back in summer, but we had a complication when Umbridge was arrested and Tonks became our substitute professor. I obviously couldn't initiate anything while she was working in an official capacity. After a few weeks, Sirius was hired and Tonks went back to being an Auror. She still trained us in Occlumency once or twice a week. That was something that each new member had to agree to so that the secrets of the prophecy and horcruxes could be protected. One night when she was in the castle, I approached her with the idea of becoming our seventh member. She was stunned and took some time to consider it before accepting after Harry and I overrode her arguments. Once she was part of the coven, she made a point of trying to be available at least for our Saturday nights, plus her other visits. It became obvious quite soon that our seven pieces were meshing well."

"By the start of November, we began to prepare specific details for the ritual. With the purification ritual, it is critical that all participants be clear of any corrupting factors. That meant that those of us on six month contraception potions had to take an antidote, which I worked on brewing. No outside charms could be used during the ritual, so we worried about the risk of pregnancy and carefully looked at everyone's cycles. For those who would be close to their fertile time, in mid-November they started potions to adjust their cycles. We also began to order some of the special herbs and other supplies we would need. Finally, in early December Harry was busy with the legal aspects, hiring a solicitor, and putting all the contracts in place. A few days before he met with the solicitor, we had a final meeting and everyone voiced a few small concerns before reaffirming that this was what they wanted. We also thought from a few comments and evasive answers, that Harry may be planning something special like rings and the six of us decided we wanted Harry to have a ring as well. Little did we know that the goblins worked behind our backs and the same craftsman did all the rings, keeping Harry's a secret from him and ours a secret from us. Those were commissioned at the end of the first week of December. From that point it was a countdown to the solstice, as well as exams."

At this point Tonks took a turn since she had the information from the Auror department.

"On the Tuesday prior to the solstice, the DMLE conducted a raid with a permit to search Malfoy Manor. It appeared to have been Voldemort's base, but had been evacuated. A few were left behind and one of those was questioned and gave us a lead on where the new base was, a historical property of the Yaxleys up in the Orkneys. Amelia had authorized me to pass along information to Harry months before at his request due to him being a regular target of Voldemort. Anyway, we all felt the information was a good opportunity, if the location could be confirmed. By Wednesday the confirmation was complete and we knew where Voldemort was based and that he wasn't likely to move by the time of the solstice on Friday. We thought that if we could destroy his horcruxes it would hopefully weaken him and open the way for an attack by the DMLE. Amelia and Sirius met with us on Wednesday and she has known much of this since then. I know it was a surprise she wasn't happy with, but she agreed to be open minded and focus on Voldemort. Obviously that worked. With the combined effort of the coven, the DMLE, and some outside contractors, Voldemort was taken down with relatively little fuss and no casualties on our side."

Tonks stopped and everyone was still looking on in stunned amazement. It was Cecile who broke the silence.

"That's a lot to understand. Can we ask questions now?"

Daphne nodded to her mum and Cecile continued.

"I think I understand a bit. You used this sex magic purification ritual to find and destroy the horcruxes, but how did that work? How did it defeat the Dark Lord himself?"

Daphne looked to Hermione, who gestured back to her.

"It's quite complicated mum, but basically we set ourselves in a sacred circle with a sequence of runes drawn based on the compass points. Also, remember we were in a highly magical castle that is built at the junction of several ley lines. Harry is in the center and we all surround him with a focused ritual chant, then we place our hands over his scar and focus our magic through it. One person takes the lead to follow the energy from the scar outward to its brother pieces. As the magic grows, it needs to be harnessed and one of us takes the sex focus and engages with Harry while the others stand around and continue chanting. The strength of the sex is linked to the strength of the magic, which is needed to find these well hidden objects. Once one is found, the coven opens their focus and pours all their love and pleasure outward into the vile object, destroying it. The person who has that focus briefly sees the object and where it is. Once it's destroyed, the chant is gradually diminished and the magic is allowed to wane for a bit. Harry purifies once again and then we search for another. Finally, after the last is found, rather than sending the love and pleasure out, we focused it into Harry's scar to destroy the last horcrux. Finding the other horcruxes was painful for him, but the last was excruciating."

"At least I had the blood protection. I don't know that I would have managed if I hadn't had that."

Everyone looked at Harry questioning and Hermione sighed. She knew this was going to be awkward.

"Look everyone, we've already told you almost everything so we might as well tell you this as well. Yes it's awkward, but we don't regret any of it. While we were researching the ritual, we realized that Harry would be in a lot of pain and that he could even be potentially injured during the ritual. Obviously this wasn't acceptable and soon we found a solution via another coven ritual. The blood of a virgin that has been ritually deflowered has strong protective properties. Daphne found one record where the blood of two virgins was mixed for extra protections. We found out early on that we had three virgins among our group and were very careful to keep them as such. Early in the morning, well before the time of the solstice, we conducted an additional ritual where each of the three virgins was ritually deflowered and some of the virgin blood was collected. Three of course is a powerful number arithmetically. When we prepared for the main purification ritual, two runes were painted on Harry's chest using the mixed blood. It was because of these that Harry was kept from serious injury."

Hermione looked around the table and the group looked beyond stunned at the deluge of information. The ritual deflowering of three virgins seemed to have taken them over the edge. She looked at her own mum and Jean's eyes were vacant. She knew she had to get this back under control.

"Alright, that is more than anyone probably wanted to know. Like I said, coven magic has great power when used properly. You can obviously see why Victorian England would frown on such practices. Anyway, it was worth it to destroy the soul of the greatest dark wizard our world has ever known. Once we knew all the horcruxes were gone, we sent Dobby to Amelia's staging area in the Orkneys to tell her it was complete and to commence her attack. Amelia, can you…"

Hermione paused as Ron slowly raised his hand and began to sputter.

"I can't...no...you...no..."

Ginny shook her head as she looked at her brother.

"What Ron? Are you thinking this was just some fun orgy and boom, no more Voldemort? What you don't know is that there is much more to coven magic. There was all the research that Hermione did at first, and then the research once the coven was formed to determine the precise details of the ritual. Once we got closer to the time of the solstice, every one of us had to learn the chants of the rituals in the Old English dialect that they originated in. Hermione and Daphne are our rune experts, with Susan assisting them, and they had to learn the complex rune structures for both the glade and the protection runes for Harry. All of this had to be memorized so that they could be done without second thought once the ritual was begun. At several points the runes had to refreshed. And when you are in mid rite and the magic is flowing through you, it is only because you have been practicing and studying the ancient texts for months that you can remember what you need. A week before the solstice, we all began to restrict our diets, including no sweets or processed foods. We bathed twice a day with specially prepared soaps and oils, and our baths included minor rituals of cleansing that were leading up to the main purification rite. We were awake hours before anyone else on the solstice, eating a meal with ancient significance that was meant to purify us internally while providing the nourishment we needed before going through individual purification before the rituals. So banish all thoughts you have of some orgiastic party. This was a scholarly endeavor of love that was well planned and executed. Now, Amelia, I believe you were going to give us more details on the raid?"

Ron's hand had fallen back to the table and all of Ginny's family stared at her. Molly especially looked at her daughter with a new contemplation. Meanwhile, across the table, Amelia decided to take over from the long silence.

"Well, as Hermione said, we were waiting for the confirmation from Dobby. I don't have to tell you that those were some long hours. He finally arrived shortly before noon and said that everything was a success and we were a go. As part of my own planning after I had been told about the horcruxes and coven, I coordinated with Gringotts for ward breakers, as well as with a highly placed muggle consultant who has magical relatives. When the goblin High Council heard that horcruxes were being used, they authorized more of their ward breakers, as well as their specialized rune stones. This assured that Voldemort's wards would come down quickly. My muggle specialist was a single individual with a weapon called an RPG, a rocket propelled grenade. Basically think of it as a projectile weapon that can hit a building like a blasting hex times a hundred or even a thousand at a range of a 100 meters."

"Damn."

"Precisely Mr. Weasley. Some may criticize me for using muggle weapons, but I will use whatever is necessary. I paired my specialist with a junior Auror who apparated him to different locations. Early in the morning they had scouted and identified spots that they wanted to hit. Anyway, Voldemort did a damn good job putting up wards fast. I wouldn't be surprised if he sacrificed a couple of followers to charge them. Given another month of charging and they would have been a nightmare. If we didn't have the intel we had early on, he would have had the time he needed. Anyway, even with the wards being what they were, it had only been a few days and the goblins gave us the best they had, including your brother as the lead of the ward breaker team. As soon as the wards were down, I had my specialist firing his RPG weapon at the keep. He has used the weapon against modern concrete buildings and knew it could punch a hole in them. He expected about the same at the keep. Apparently an old stone and mortar keep that hasn't been kept under repair much lately is a bit more fragile and the rounds did significantly more damage. The junior Auror I paired him with popped him to two other sites and he launched a total of three rounds into the keep. Then he fired one last round that was a bit different. At this point the Death Eaters were scrambling. We had put down anti-apparition wards, so a bunch of Death Eaters decided to run for it and were in the keep courtyard. The RPG weapon can have different warheads loaded into it and when my specialist saw everyone running around like chickens in the courtyard, he fired something called a fragmentation warhead into the middle of them. Basically it lands and fragments, shooting shrapnel everywhere and shredding anybody and anything in its path. We're still trying to piece together how many were in the courtyard at the time. We may never know."

"Bloody hell."

"George!"

"Sorry mum."

"Anyway, the ward breakers and muggle specialist were phases one and two. Squads of Aurors were phase three. In actuality, I guess I should add a number to all those since phase one was actually the coven. We now know that from the time the coven started their work shortly after nine in the morning, Voldemort went into some kind of 'fit'. He tried to call his followers and punish them for not helping, but couldn't even manage that. Apparently the tie he had through the horcrux in Harry allowed him to feel the love and pleasure of the coven and that was as good as poison to him. Someone was bright enough to call for Severus Snape, who tried standard pain potions for his master, to no avail. Then he tried some more advanced potions. He managed to provide a bit of relief, but the most Voldemort managed was a very minor five second cruciatus cast. Seeing their master incapacitated made his followers wary and unsure. He had several campaigns planned for the solstice that were put on hold while everyone tried to figure out what to do. Shortly before noon, Voldemort lapsed into a coma. Severus couldn't bring him around and moved him off his throne and to a bedroom. At that point, some of his followers began to argue among themselves about who should take command. Given that Snape hasn't been found, he must have fled not long after. We know from a few captured eyewitnesses that some had portkeys and left. Others who tried to apparate found out about the anti-apparition wards and that caused more chaos apparently. When the building shook when the first RPG hit, any attempt by any of the remaining Death Eaters to take control was over. At that point it was chaos and every man and woman for themselves. The total raid from the time of taking the wards down until we had the last room clear took forty minutes. Total time of action was maybe half that. Total injuries for the Aurors are six. All will be back to work by next week. The entire operation was a massive success and combined effort. First and foremost though, if Voldemort had been conscious and able to direct his forces, we never would have come out of this unscathed. Not to mention the issue of the horcruxes."

The room was silent as everyone finally understood the import of what these seven young people had done. Sirius was the first to raise his glass in a silent toast. Everyone else followed suit, some a bit slowly and some with shaky hands, but all thankful that the Potter Coven had done what they'd done.