44-Robes
"Hi, Padfoot. Slept well?" both said.
Sirius lifted his eyes and looked surprised. "Morning. I didn't know you were here. When did you come? How did you get in?"
Harry waved the questions away as if they were not important. "We thought you'd like us to tell you the news before you read it in the paper." He pointed at the Daily Prophet that was still folded on the table.
"What news?" Evidently, Sirius was not yet fully awake.
Harry helped Hermione to a chair and then sat at her side. "Aren't marriages announce in the paper? Well, Hermione and I have completed our bond, making us legally married and also emancipated. We thought you'd like to know."
Sirius seemed a bit shocked but stayed silent for a long while, trying to understand it all. The teens waited patiently with a slight smile on their faces. After a while, Sirius's face cleared and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "So, you two have..."
"Completed our bond. Nothing more should be said about it," Hermione said, sounding very strict.
"You're taking out all the fun!" he protested.
"No, we're keeping it all between us," Harry said.
Sirius pouted for a moment and then turned serious. "Aren't you a bit too young for that?"
Hermione replied. "We probably are, but this shouldn't change much for us. We've been sharing a bed since before we started Hogwarts. Now it will be official, that's all. We're still too young to start a family and we still need to finish our studies and gain a lot of knowledge. We still need our guardians in the Muggle world. We're still considered children there, and not a married couple either. So, you see, not much has changed in practical terms."
"You can legally use magic all the time," Sirius pointed quickly.
"True, that's one of the main benefits of our new positions," Harry agreed.
It took some more talking to help Sirius come to terms with the new situation. He then straightened as a new idea struck him. "Well, Lord and Lady Potter, I believe you now need some official robes appropriate for your position. Let me buy them for you as a wedding present."
With some giggles, both Potters agreed. They used the Floo to reach Diagon Alley and then walked to Madam Malkin's shop.
Madam Malkin was quite glad to see Sirius. "Need some more robes?" she asked. It looked like Sirius was a regular there.
"Not for me, this time. My godson got himself a soul bond and now needs some formal robes of the highest quality. I'm sure you can find something for them."
The woman turned her gaze to the teens and gasped. "Oh, my! So young! Are you really soul bound?"
Harry took the ministry's letter out of his pocket. "Is this proof enough?"
She read it quickly and nodded, giving the letter back. She then took two sheets of parchment out of a drawer. "These are charmed to show all the house crests I may need to sew to your robes. Please tap the centre with your wand. It then takes a few minutes for the magic to do its stuff."
Harry shrugged and tapped one sheet while Hermione tapped the other. Both expected to see the Potter crest there but knew that some more might appear. Madam Malkin put the parchments aside and started showing them the various materials to choose from for their robes, discussing the unique qualities of each. "We can only choose additional colours, except for black, after I see your house crests," she explained.
By the time she finished explaining about all the high-grade materials, the parchments were ready. She turned them over and gasped. "Blimey! I never knew one could have all these lines!"
"May I see that?" Sirius asked.
She silently gave him the parchments. Sirius took a look and gasped too. He then turned to Harry. "Did you know you two practically own Hogwarts?"
Harry shrugged. "I knew about my ancestry since I was ten. We only found about Hermione's after our bonding."
Sirius plopped on the nearest chair. "Harry… This is not a prank. It's much more serious than that. You should…"
"...Only talk in private about that," Hermione finished sternly. "Do you think this is the right time and place to have this discussion?"
Sirius shook his head as if clearing his mind. "You're right, Lady Potter. We still need to consider which crests you'd like to show and which you'd rather keep quiet about."
"Well said," commented Madam Malkin, who was coming with some catalogues in her arms.
Harry scratched his head pensively. "We may need some time to consider this. For now, though, I believe that two sets with only the Potter crest should suffice. Well, maybe another set with all the crests together, in case we need it. Besides, we're still growing, so it would be redundant to have many robes."
Madam Malkin nodded and moved to her next question. "Would you like the Lady to display all your house crests?"
Harry looked at Hermione and it seemed as if they were consulting silently with each other. "Yes, all of them."
"And his robes should also include my house crests. We're together, you know," Hermione added, surprising both Sirius and Madam Malkin.
The older woman didn't let that stop her. "In that case, don't you like to add the Hogwarts crest? Once you sport the crests of the four founders, you are eligible to that one too."
Another silent consultation made Harry say, "Not now. We may need it when we're older, though."
They spent some time on choosing the materials and the trimmings. "It will take close to three hours to have all your robes ready. You may like to find some occupation until then, unless you enjoy waiting here," Madam Malkin told them.
They chose to leave for the duration.
"What shall we do now?" Harry asked.
"I think we should buy some books about handling our finances. The goblins are doing a fine job, but we should be able to better understand it all and even use finances to achieve other goals," Hermione said.
Sirius chuckled at hearing that. "I'm sure that the Black library has more than a few such books. Maybe some Muggle books on the subject may prove more beneficial?"
He didn't need to ask twice. Hermione quickly led them out of the magical quarter and to a large bookshop, not too far.
When they returned to the Leaky Cauldron, all three were burdened with large and heavy packs. They quickly put them on a table and Harry cast the shrinking charm. Making each pack become the size and weight of a matchbox. Hermione put them all in her handbag, looking so eager that both males had problems suppressing their laughter, gaining them a dirty look from Hermione.
"Let's get our robes," Harry suggested, "and I think we should also have lunch shortly." Both other nodded in agreement.
Madam Malkin insisted on them trying each robe. Harry found them very comfortable and more elegant than expected.
"You're looking quite like your father at this age," Sirius told Harry.
"I hear that a lot and while I'm proud to resemble my parents, this is not something I like to hear. They're dead, you know."
Sirius grimaced at the reminder. "Sorry, pup. I should have thought of what my comment could do to you. Still, even if they were still living, you could never see them at your current age, so you shouldn't take this too hard."
Harry sighed. "I know, but I really prefer it when people tell me some more meaningful things about my parents than just say I look like my father with my mother's eyes. After a while, it became annoying."
Sirius didn't let this incident set the mood. He paid for the new robes and then took the children to the ice-cream parlor, knowing that nobody could stay glum while enjoying the delightful tastes offered there. Well, Harry didn't want to stay glum either; he only wanted to make a point. He actually enjoyed his new robes and was even thinking of what an impression his new position would make. Both he and Hermione were sure to try to use that position for making the magical society better, more egalitarian and more modern.
They all enjoyed their day. Sirius liked seeing the young couple happy and well, visiting stores in Diagon Alley and then in Muggle London, strolling hand-in-hand in the parks or on the streets, laughing for no evident reason and just being happy, as children their ages were expected to be. Sirius started looking a bit worried when dinner time approached. Harry thought he knew why. "Do you have any plans for dinner?" he asked.
Sirius seemed unsure about his answer. Hermione intervened. "If you have a dinner date, don't mind us. We can go back home by ourselves. Don't keep your date waiting."
Sirius seemed relieved. "Well, I'll escort you to the underground and then apparate home to get ready, if you don't mind."
"Don't you like to tell us who she is?" Harry teased lightly.
He couldn't read Sirius's expression. "Not really. I'm just 'playing the field' as some say, before starting to look for someone to settle with. I need to compensate for the years lost, you know."
Harry didn't want to think of those horrible years. "Sure you do, but treat her nice. Will you?"
Sirius wore his prankster expression. "You're hurting me! None of my dates had ever complained of me being less than nice. Most wanted a repeat. More than one repeat, actually."
Harry put his hands over his ears in mock horror. "I don't think I need to hear of that!"
Sirius laughed. "Actually, as a married man, you should be able to not only hear of that but also speak of that with some authority."
Harry kept his hands on his ears and began singing "La-la-la-la-la!" repeatedly, as if to block Sirius's words. Both Sirius and Hermione started laughing.
It didn't take too long for them to reach an underground station. Hermione reassured Sirius that they knew their way well and would not get lost. He patted their shoulders and went into a deserted side corridor to apparate home. The young couple waited a short while, looking at the various shops located at the station, before following to that same secluded spot.
They appeared in Harry's room. They left their shopping in the room and went down to dine with his family.
\/\/\/
Harry was glad that he didn't postpone telling Sirius. The next morning, when he saw the Prophet, the headline was, "The boy-who-lived is now married!" It was accompanied by a photo of Harry and Hermione walking hand-in-hand at Hogwarts, credited to another student. Harry was sure it was Colin Creevey, but the name was intentionally held. Luckily, the article was quite neutral. "A few days ago. Mr. Harry Potter has completed a soul bond with his long-time friend and confidante, Ms. Hermione Granger – now Mrs. Potter. Although some may frown at Mrs. Potter being a muggle-born, it is well known that these two had been very close friend since coming to Hogwarts, if not earlier. All who know them have expected these two to become an official couple, although nobody, so it seems, expected them to become a married couple while still so young. As is the law when concerning such unusual circumstances, the soul bond is considered equivalent to marriage, making the couple married. It also makes them emancipated, despite their ages, giving them all the rights and obligation of adult wizards and witches. Both Potters are known to be very good students. We're now waiting to see how they will behave as adults. Just a reminder: The Potter Head of House has a hereditary chair in the Wizengamot and also holds the prestigious seats of Peverell and Gryffindor. While these additional positions don't hold voting rights, they are still very influential. Only time will show how this new couple will use its new position."
Harry was glad that the Slytherin lordship was not mentioned. He still wasn't sure what to make of it. Well, he still had some time before he needed to decide.
