43-Lord and Lady

"I'm not sure we understand all this," Dave finally said, still looking with disbelief at the extremely elegant and evidently expensive Lady ring.

Both teens chuckle. "Welcome to the club."

Harry then explained. "It's all very new and very confusing to us, probably even more than for you. Luckily, we don't really need to hurry with anything. Gringotts is managing our assets quite well and we can't yet take the political position we're expected to take when we reach adulthood. Until then, I don't think it should change much for us, especially since our marriage is only valid in the magical world."

Hermione took over. "We can continue the way we had until now, with only minor changes. I'd like Harry to join our breakfast when we sleep here, and I'll stay with him for breakfast when we sleep at his aunt's. We can now pay for my tuition without your help, and we can also pay for our vacations, but no drastic change is expected."

Dave seemed to finally catch up. "So, this shouldn't change our plans for the summer vacation, if I understand correctly."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "We shall still join you, like last summer, but you can only order one room for both of us."

Dave shook his head regretfully. "You're still minors, according to the normal laws, and it would look inappropriate to let you share a room at your age."

"We'll shoulder all our expenses," Harry said, sounding determined.

Dave finally smiled. "As both of you explained, as far as the normal world is concerned, nothing changed about your status. I intend to handle this just the same as our previous vacation. We're going to pay for everything, just like then. Of course, you may buy presents and other stuff from your own account, but travel, lodging and food will be covered by us."

Hermione jumped on her father and hugged him tightly. Harry was a bit more reserved. He waited for his wife to let go and then said, "Thank you, Dave. We really appreciate this."

Dave smiled back. "You're welcome, son." He seemed to taste the last word, like trying an unfamiliar food, but Harry felt content to be fully accepted, despite the current changes.

They didn't stay there much longer. Both teens were evidently tired and the Granger parents were also aware of the need to tell the news to the other side. They urged the teens to go to the Dursleys before it became too late. Hermione only took her toiletries and a change of cloths before they both vanished from her room, appearing in Harry's.

Hermione left her bag on Harry's bed and walked out hand-in-hand with Harry. Some noise was coming from Dudley's room. Harry knocked on the open door. "Dud, we have some news to tell. Don't you want to come and hear it all along with your parents?"

Dudley paused the computer game he was busy with. "Sure. You look like you have a long and interesting story. Let's go!"

They found the adult Dursley watching television, not quite attentively. Vernon was also reading some professional magazine while Petunia was more attentive to her book.

"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, I'd like to update you with some of what happened today," Harry said, making both adults lower their reading material and look expectantly at him.

Harry led Hermione to a sofa and sat at her side. Dudley found a place to sit near his mother.

"You've all seen the letters I've got this morning. As I told you, they were congratulations, but not what I could expect. You see, they were congratulating me and Hermione for completing our bond, that is now recognized as marriage. Something we said or did before we parted this morning made our soul-bond complete. These bonds are connecting the couple so tightly, that there's no way to undo it. That's why all magical governments accept it as marriage." Harry looked at the faces and waited for a reaction.

Surprisingly, Dudley was the first to speak. "I think congratulations are in order. Still, I think you're way too young to be married. Are you happy about it?"

"Very happy!" both Potters said as one, making Dudley chuckle.

Vernon seemed angry, though. "I can't understand how they let such things happen. You're both way too young to even understand what marriage really means. I married about ten years older, and it took me more than a year to learn and become an acceptable husband." He disregarded Petunia's sigh of disagreement. "You can't possibly start married life at your age!"

Harry noticed that Petunia was looking at him, clearly expecting him to answer, yet Hermione answered instead. "Mr. Dursley, while we may be magically married, we're both aware of the fact that we're not much older than children. We intend to act our age. We shall continue sleeping in our beds, eating meals with you or with my parents, go to school and all that being our age entails. The only difference you will see is that I'll be sharing a bed with Harry and I'll join the meals he's eating here."

Petunia was finally able to add her own question. "Are you happy with this change?"

Harry smiled. "We're very happy. That's lucky, because we couldn't go back anyway. Then as Hermione said, not much is going to change in practical terms. The most significant change will be at school, where we will be able to get our own bedroom now."

Vernon still didn't like it, but he knew that the fr… magical people had some different customs and laws. Besides, this was irreversible, as Harry said. "Why did you need to go to the bank, though?"

Harry smiled. "Since I've got myself a wife, the bank thought that we should get an updated status report and have a chance to do some changes in our holdings, now that we're a couple. Besides, I had to go to my vault and find the proper ring for her."

"Holdings? What do you mean by that?" Vernon asked.

Harry knew he shouldn't tell too much. Despite the changes, Vernon was still quite greedy and could easily turn jealous. He downplayed it a bit. Well, a lot. "My parents had some money invested in various firms. They bought some shares in several companies. They even have some Grunning shares, if I remember correctly." Actually, he held about fifty-five percent of the firm. "The bank wanted to know if I intend to change the priorities for investments, so they could sell some shares and buy some others. We decided to make no changes for now."

Vernon grumbled in agreement. "If your investments are profitable, there's no need to change. Was there anything else?"

"My ancestors stored the family rings in the vault. There were a few rings for the head-of-house and for his wife. We chose something that seemed appropriate for each, but we keep the rings hidden for now."

Vernon nodded. "It's really unwise to advertise your money by wearing expensive jewellery. Why didn't you leave them in the vault?"

Harry grimaced, as if this was his intention all along. "I was advised to keep one handy, since in our world, that ring has some significance beyond its value."

Petunia didn't want Vernon to delve deeper into Harry's finances. "You two look exhausted. You probably had to wait most of the day in queues. I suggest you go to bed already."

"Sure, Aunt Petunia. Goodnight to you all," Harry said, grabbing Hermione's hand.

She also added, "Goodnight. We're really tired."

Dudley followed them on the stairs. "That was not the whole truth, I think," he said quietly.

"It was more than enough for your father, as you could see. The rest will be gradually revealed, and not very soon," Harry confirmed.

"Good for you. Go to bed now. You really look tired. I'll go back to my games. Goodnight."

Once back in Harry's room, Hermione was quick to undress. "Hurry up, please. There's still something we need to do before falling asleep."

"Oh, really?" He faked ignorance, although he'd already sensed her intention earlier.

"Sure! We must make sure our bond stays strong, the same way we completed it."

"Of course, dear. We shouldn't let our bond deteriorate if we can help it." He got rid of his cloths and joined her in bed. They only fell asleep more than an hour later.

\/\/\/

Nothing seemed to change the next day. The Dursleys held Harry's planned birthday party, with his old friends and his new friends, just like the previous years. Hermione's presence at Harry's side was also no news, since that was her position for several years. If anybody thought they seemed closer than usual, well – they were teens. It was normal for boys and girls to become somewhat closer as they grew up, wasn't it?

That night, after cuddling in Hermione's bed, Harry asked, "Don't we need to inform the school?"

Hermione just moved closer. "We may write a letter in the morning. Right now, there's something else I'd like to do."

He thought he knew what she had in mind, but still asked, "What?"

"Give you my present once more, what else?"

He tried to look surprised. "Oh, that..."

There was no more talking for quite a while.

\/\/\/

They woke up late the next morning. This didn't stop them both from enjoying that present once more before leaving bed. They used magic to clean themselves, not wanting to hog the bathroom, and then got dressed and descended hand-in-hand to the kitchen.

Jean smiled at them. "Good morning Harry, Hermione. Got any plans for today?"

"We need to inform the school, to assure our couple lodging," Hermione said.

"And we should also inform Sirius. It wouldn't be right for him to find out by other means," Harry added.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"Well, our bond is known at the Ministry. I'm not sure if the information is public or not, but when 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' is taken, this may be considered worthy news, or at least gossip. I'd like to inform Sirius before he reads it in the paper." Harry still grimaced at his treatment by the media.

"I suggest you go visit Sirius and use his magical facilities to inform the school," Jean told them.

"That's a great idea, Mum!" Hermione smiled happily at her mother.

Jean checked her watch and stood up. "Well, I hoped to be able to see you before I go to work, but I must hurry now, or I'll be late. Luckily, I had no early appointments today." She hugged both children and left.

Hermione and Harry didn't talk much during breakfast. They just looked at each other and seemed to be content. Once done, they returned to Hermione's room, where she finished brushing her hair and made sure she was properly clothed for the expected weather. They then faded to Harry's room, where Harry changed to be just as ready for the weather. They then went to the kitchen, where Petunia was checking her cook books for ideas.

"Aunt Petunia, we need to visit Sirius and tell him about the changes in our lives before he reads about them in the paper. We'll probably stay in London for the rest of the day, but we intend to come back for dinner. Is that alright with you?"

She looked at Harry. He looked the same as a few days earlier, except… There was a certain maturity in his eyes and in his voice that she had never noticed before. Looking at Hermione, she could see the same new attributes. Although still children, they were really a couple in all that really mattered.

"It's alright, dear. Do you intend to visit the bank again?"

Harry gave it a short consideration and shrugged. "I'm not sure it would do us any good. We've already taken enough money for our vacation and to also suffice when shopping for school. Well, we may visit the bank then, just to make sure we have enough cash for the term."

Petunia smiled at them. "Fine. Go have fun. Make sure you stay safe."

They returned to Harry's room. "How shall we go?" he asked. "We could take the Knight Bus, or take the train or..."

"Why don't we fade to your room there? It may even be considered a prank," Hermione suggested.

Harry considered the idea and smiled. "Well, we can. Let's do it now!"

A moment later, they stepped out of Harry's room at Grimmauld Place. They first stood attentively, trying to listen and find out if Sirius was still in bed. Their Tiger senses came into play, helping them find that Sirius was currently in the kitchen. They smiled and descended, entering the kitchen hand-in-hand.


A.N. Once again it looks like I'm running out of ideas for the coming chapters. Suggestions are welcome and should help me continue with this story.