5-Starting Changes
(19/11/97)
The next morning, after some sex in bed and some more in the shower, the young couple enjoyed a late breakfast before checking out. A taxi ride took them to another part of town, to another hotel of the same quality that Hermione had booked the previous evening, although Harry hadn't noticed when.
Their new hotel was close to another shopping area and Hermione was quick to drag Harry to an optician's store. "I'd like my husband to replace his old glasses with new ones, of better quality and more modern frames. I'd also like to see if he can wear contacts instead," she told the shop operator.
They spent the rest of the morning there. Harry had to look into various instruments and try multiple sets of lenses before his prescription was made. That was the easy part. Choosing a nice frame proved more troublesome than clothes shopping, but Harry bravely did that too. Contacts were something different, though. He had to overcome the reflex of rejecting any object approaching his eyes. It took some time and effort, but it was worth it. That's what Hermione said. Harry had to agree, though. Once he was able to wear his new contacts, he could see much clearer than before and focus near or far with ease.
"There are contacts that can change your eye colour. I suggest you take dark brown and light blue," Hermione told him, and the obedient husband followed her advice.
He then removed his contacts, quite reluctantly, to check his new eyeglasses. They were much better than his old ones and gave him the same clarity of sight as the contacts. The new frames also fitted his face, making him look much handsomer, at least Hermione thought so.
They stopped for a quick lunch at a hamburger stand before returning to their hotel, where Hermione was eager to show Harry how much she appreciated his patience and his cooperation when choosing his new eyewear. It took her more than an hour to show it all. They then cuddled in bed and fell asleep.
They woke up about an hour later and enjoyed some more sex. A brief glance through the window showed it was pouring rain and the street seemed almost empty. Cuddling in bed seemed a good option.
Some time later, they decided to get out of bed. A quick shower was a must, of course.
Glancing through the window, the weather seemed to only worsen. "I don't think we should go out for dinner. I think we may try the hotel's food," Hermione suggested.
Harry agreed. They got lightly clothed and asked at the lobby. The restaurant was one floor up, at the same level as the breakfast dining hall. It was a small place, with only a handful of tables and a single person for service. Judging by the number of diners, this wasn't a very tasking job.
The menu had very few choices. They each selected something different, to avoid being stuck with the same inedible choice for both. They were pleasantly surprised a bit later. While this wasn't a top-of-the-line restaurant, the food was quite good and very nicely served. The main problem was the lack of variety, but that was understandable when thinking of the tens of restaurants within walking distance from the hotel and the hundreds throughout the city. This place was intended for "emergencies" like this bad weather.
It was still quite early when they returned to the room. Unwilling to engage in strenuous activity so soon after a meal, they chose to watch some television. It was a practically new experience for Harry, who had never been allowed to watch it at his relatives. In a way, it was also a new experience for Hermione. Neither had previously watched it with their spouse.
\/\/\/
The next day looked just as dreary. This didn't affect their morning activity in bed, but once they finished breakfast, they wondered what they could do that day.
"I can just stay and read a bit. I've noticed they have a small library in the lobby. I may even enjoy reading a book just for fun, you know," Hermione said.
"I think it would be a good day for visiting the Black house and setting the wards. London is expected to have even worse weather today, according to the forecast, so I doubt anybody would be watching that house, although I don't plan on going outside."
"Do you think it's safe to stay here another night? If so, we should already book it, and if not, we should already pack," Hermione reminded him.
Harry gave it a thought. "I think we can stay tonight here. I don't think they'll have a problem with it since the hotel is only half full, so I heard."
Hermione stood up and smiled at him. "Alright. I'll go get us another night. You should dress well, since Grimmauld place is not as warm as this hotel. Please wait for me before you call Kreacher."
Harry nodded and made his way to the elevator.
Hermione arrived even before he finished changing. "We have another night here. Now, you need your wand, of course. Try to find a wand holster there, to make it easier to carry and to find." She then smiled teasingly. "How will you enter my name in the wards book?"
Harry was caught unprepared. "I'm not sure. We have no official document of our marriage, so I don't know if you're Potter or Granger-Potter or Potter-Black or even Granger-Potter-Black. I may need to enter all the possibilities."
Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek. "For me, the most important part is being Potter, but I think you should really enter all the possibilities, just to be sure."
"I'll do it. Enjoy your reading."
"Oh, I will. I hope you enjoy that visit too. See you later."
Hermione left to go back to the lobby. Harry noticed that she was pulling her hair back and tying it up with a hair clip. It wasn't much of a disguise, but nobody would identify her at first glance as her, due to the different hair. He hoped she wouldn't need even this minimal change.
\/\/\/
The first thing Harry noticed when he arrived at Grimmauld Place was the cleanliness. Every horizontal surface was free from dust, all the floors sparkled and the walls were free of any grime. It looked like Kreacher even repaired most of the torn wallpaper and the threadbare carpets. Although a bit sombre, the house looked like the dwelling of a rich lord should.
With Kreacher's help, it was quite easy to magically claim the Black Lordship and then to gain control of the wards. It only cost him a few drops of blood. Harry then raised the wards to their maximum, allowing entrance only to himself, Hermione, Kreacher and Dobby. Anybody else would be repelled. Anybody trying to come in by force would be severely punished. Harry wasn't sure what that meant, but Kreacher mentioned removing limbs or even heads. Harry didn't really want to think of this.
With that finished, he checked the bathrooms for their intended use for dyeing hair. While not as modern as the ones at the hotels, they were just as usable.
"Can you make the bathroom warmer?" he asked the old house-elf.
"It can be set anyway you want, master. You just dial here the required temperature." Kreacher pointed to a round knob near the door. It was marked in what Harry assumed was Fahrenheit degrees, since it went from sixty to one hundred. He was sure that Hermione would be able to do the conversion to or from Celsius in her head.
Out of curiosity, Harry also checked the master bedroom. It was very old fashioned, but he found the bed quite comfortable. The attached bathroom was a bit small, but seemed to be designed with practicality in mind, sporting two washbasins with mirrors above them, allowing both spouses to get ready together when in a hurry.
\/\/\/
The weather didn't improve during the morning. If anything, it only seemed to worsen. Still, Harry didn't think that eating lunch at the hotel's restaurant or from the meagre selection available at the lobby was right.
"I found out that many of the nearby food outlets have deliveries to the hotel rooms. I wrote down the numbers of a few that could interest us. Want to try it?" Hermione suggested.
"What do you have in mind?"
"We could order Chinese, Thai, Indian, American and Italian food. No respectable French restaurant would serve food that isn't at the perfect temperature, so deliveries are out," she told him.
"I'm not too fond of oriental food, but pizza could be nice," Harry said.
"Would you like to order?"
"I think you're more experienced at that. I trust you to order correctly."
She smiled and moved her body teasingly. Harry actually liked this new aspect of his wife.
It didn't take long for her to order and then for the order to be delivered. Hermione got rid of her clothes as soon as the pizza was set on the table, urging Harry to do the same. "Without clothing, we need not worry about some sauce falling on our shirts or trousers. It's much simpler in the buff."
Harry enjoyed the pizza. He enjoyed the view even more. That led to some more pleasurable fun in bed, as expected, and then some cuddling and some sleep, followed by some more activities in bed, as was becoming their norm. It was close to dinner time when they returned their attention to the war.
"I think we should try to find his hideout or hideouts, if he moves between several places," Hermione said.
"We have no idea where to look, except for Malfoy Manor, that's too heavily warded. Other places may be just like it or even better protected. How can we come close enough to check?" he asked.
Hermione had evidently thought of it already. "That man ignores the magic of house-elves, so there's probably no ward against them. We may be able to use the services of Dobby and Kreacher and maybe a few more."
"Where will we find more?" Harry wondered.
"I'm sure Winky would like to find a new master. Besides, if I understand correctly, Potter estate may keep quite a few. You should meet them and get their help."
Harry frowned. "I wouldn't like to endanger any of them."
She shook her head. "They're all in danger as long as that madman is in power. He will exterminate them the way we exterminate termites. You know how he treats humans. He won't treat other species any better."
Harry nodded reluctantly. "Let's ask Dobby first. He can probably give us some answers already."
Hermione didn't wait. "Dobby!"
The little house-elf appeared immediately. "What can Dobby do for Mistress?"
Hermione smiled at him. "We were wondering if we could use your talents to help us finish the war quicker. Please join us to discuss our options."
Dobby looked around, searching for an appropriate seat. His Master and Mistress were sitting naked in bed, but that wasn't a place for a house-elf. Hermione pointed at the side of the bed. "You can sit here, just like us."
Dobby was visibly excited by her words, but tried his best to control his excitement. He sat where Hermione indicated and tried to act respectably.
They quickly explained their previous discussion and waited for his input.
"There are many Potter house-elves and they are very highly regarded. Potter Masters always made sure that their house-elves got the best education and training and treated them respectfully. They also allowed their house-elves to mate as they liked, resulting in many new house-elves in the family." The teens blushed at that, but said nothing.
"Dobby can bring the head house-elf to you, if you like, or take you there." he glanced at the teens and added, "When Master and Mistress are properly dressed, of course."
There was more, though. "The Dark one has his own place in Little Hangelton, but lets almost nobody come there. He uses Malfoy Manor mostly. He enjoys seeing the pure-bloods crawl at his feet and do his biddings." Dobby's face turned sad. "He keeps a few prisoners there. Dobby couldn't go there while serving at Hoggywarts, but if Master orders, Dobby can take them out."
"Are they in immediate danger?" Harry asked.
"No, master. The dark one is recruiting abroad and is not expected back for another week."
Hermione put her hand on Harry's arm. "We must have all the information we can get before deciding what to do. Don't rush it, or it may end even worse."
Harry nodded, his reluctance quite clear. It was against his nature to let these people suffer any longer, but he could understand that freeing them immediately could have grave results. He didn't have to like it, though.
"Where does he keep his snake, Nagini?" Hermione asked.
"He lets her roam and hunt for herself, most of the time, when at Little Hangelton. He keeps her indoors when at Malfoy Manor, so she won't kill the peacocks."
"Malfoy keeps peacocks?" Harry wondered.
"They breed peacocks and sell them. That's the only legal business of the family," Dobby explained.
It took some more time for Dobby to make the teens understand some of the economic facts about the magical world and about the Potter position in it. Almost everything was news for them, which only made them think of how much had not been properly taught at Hogwarts. Was that negligence or was that done deliberately to keep the muggle raised in the dark, easily exploited by others? They couldn't know the reason, but what they learned from Dobby made Dumbledore's behaviour even more suspicious.
After a while, they had all reached their limits. Dobby had no more relevant information and the teens felt overwhelmed by all they had learned. It was time for a change of pace. "We need to shower, get dressed and find some dinner," Hermione said. "Dobby, do you think we can meet the Potter head house-elf before dinner or would it be better to do it after dinner, with more time to spare?"
Dobby offered a third option. "You can have dinner at the Manor. The house-elves there would be delighted to cook and serve it."
They showered quickly, refraining from turning it into another sex session, and then dressed as formally as they could, considering their limited wardrobe. Dobby grabbed their hands. A moment later, they were standing in the entrance hall of what Harry could only think of as a palace.
"Welcome to Potter Manor. Twinkle is very happy to finally meet you, Master and Mistress," a tall house-elf, wearing a butler's uniform with a house crest sewn under his left shoulder said, bowing slightly.