Joe's Note: Another fun fact about coming back to this story? I had to update the Scrivener file TWICE to make it readable by the current version of the program so I could go back to writing. Yikes. Been busy with my own polyohana, as the newest addition has dubbed our polyamorous family. Three people out in the last year. Two people in. Got engaged to one of them. Two of us are getting ready to return to college. One member of the group is in a wheelchair. But enough about me. Moving on to the story… when last we saw them, I left things a bit open-ended in terms of who the final Lady Peverell was going to be. We're going to see what Michelle's options are other than Kikyo in this chapter. We're also going to get our first real looks at Sorcha and Chadaara this chapter, who didn't even get the dignity of having their time in the Nexus shown…

Dedications & Thanks: To Nicholas, Howard, Samuel, Dale, Alexander, Tibor, Alonsis2, MJ, Daniel, Christopher, Stephen, Crusifikz70, Chris, Fablesrogue, Morgan, Janne, Joseph, Jason, mpop, RileyWestfall, bloodylord, Zachary, Marc, Ziryo, Timothy, Leigh, Chris, George, Koby, Dimitria, William, Frank, Mitch, Mauday, Stephane, Ken, Warslick, Paul, Pat, Edward, Elliot, Roman, Joel, Warren, Jess, and mikel for sponsoring me on P-treon, and making it easier for me to spend more of my time writing.

Evidently, being 'transmatted' wasn't much more pleasant than being side-along apparated for the first time. Or at least that was the lesson that Harry was taking away from the entire experience as he stood at the edge of Cheipystri's wards, watching in sympathy as two of his wives emptied their stomachs across the grass. Idly, he found himself wondering exactly what the proper diet for Togruta and… whatever Dianessa was… consisted of. Because judging by what was coming up all over his lawn? His growing family might have another problem facing them in the near future. "So. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that next time Sorcha offers to help us get around faster, you two are going to say no?"

The question earned him an ugly look from Dianessa before she returned to retching violently onto the grass, followed closely by what Harry could only describe as an intense wave of irritation that radiated outward from Chadaara. On his left, Janet continued to sway back and forth a bit even as she crossed her arms over her chest smugly. "Hey look, I'm no longer the only wife to have puked within an hour of meeting you. That genuinely makes me feel better about myself."

"As soon as I can stand up straight…" Dianessa wiped the back of her hand across her mouth before shooting a look of utter loathing in Janet's direction as she slowly straightened up. That quickly proved to be a terrible idea, the caprine woman swaying back and forth even more unsteadily than Janet was before hunching back over as she drew in a deep breath. "As soon as I can figure out how to stand up straight, I am going to step on you. Hard."

Given the look in her eyes, Harry found himself sucking in a nervous breath at the threat, wondering if he was going to have to jump into the middle of a fight that he wasn't entirely sure he had the power to break up… and then Janet burst into giggles. "I mean, you're really hot so if you're into that, I'm definitely not going to say no as long as we set a safe word first. I'm a switch who tends to lean sub for women, and you tick off a lot of the boxes that I look for in a top." Pausing for a moment, she cocked her head to the side before amending her statement. "Well, I'll definitely say no if we don't get you some mouthwash first. Or one of Harry's spells. I have exact one fetish that's even remotely related to vomit, and kissing a girl who just puked definitely isn't it."

From the moment that she started responding to Dianessa, Janet immediately became the center of all attention. By the end of her ramble, though, those looks had gone from exasperation to frank and utter disgust. Given some of the things that he'd seen buried near the back of some of Seamus's issues of Playwizard? Harry quickly came to the conclusion that he really didn't want to know. But before he could redirect the conversation along a new path, Sorcha proved herself to be far braver - or perhaps just crazier - than him. "Let me start by stating that I've always considered myself a pretty kinky individual. Granted, what's socially acceptable could be very different here in this time, and so the stuff that I'm into could be considered vanilla here. Don't know. Would be interesting to figure out at some point. But with that said? I can't help but wonder… what the fuck is wrong with you, Janet?"

"What? I don't know about the rest of you, but I was a grown ass adult when I got deaged and sent here to help Harry. Like, old enough to be Harry's mom and not in the 'made a poor decision in high school' sense, either. Which means I had plenty of time to experiment with a lot of different ways to spice things up in the bedroom. And bathroom. And living room. And occasionally outside on the porch." Crossing her arms over her chest defensively, Janet blew her bangs out of her eyes before shooting a distinctly disgruntled pout at Sorcha. "My husband and I were both size shifters, and so we liked experimenting with using our powers during sex. I kinda had a thing for the times where he'd put me on my knees and then grow a bit while having me shrink a bit. It would usually lead to things… coming up… when he really got going but as long as we planned things out ahead of time, it usually wasn't too gross?"

Sorcha opened her mouth to respond, only to pause and think better of it. After repeating that several times, she finally offered Janet a very strained-looking smile. "I wasn't aware that there were varying levels of gross when it came to getting facefucked until you puke. Thank you for enlightening me, Janet. I'm feeling very… educated… right now." Making her way over to them, the Awoken patted Harry on the shoulder before leaning in and lowering her voice. "For the love of the Traveler, if she manages to talk you into that? Warn me so I can be literally anywhere else In the solar system at the time." As she pulled away, Sorcha pasted an incredibly fake smile on her face before raising her voice back to conversational levels. "So, about this house of ours. Who wants to go explore it with me? Because I for one have never seen an actual kitchen or living room in person, and I'm insanely curious what all the fuss is about."

Slowly drawing herself up to her full height, Dianessa sucked in a deep breath before bringing her hands up on either side of her head and furrowing her brow in concentration. A soft golden light poured from her hands, seeping into her skin as she slowly ran them down her face, along her neck, and then down over her chest to her stomach. By the time she finished and let out a sigh of relief, she looked significantly stronger and healthier. Healing magic? That would definitely come in handy, Harry mused; even with the more advanced magical knowledge that Michelle had sent him back with, healing was definitely not one of his strong suits. Turning to Chadaara, Dianessa held out one glowing hand as she raised a brow inquiringly, only to shrug when the Togruta rebuffed her with a shake of her head. Turning to where Harry stood between Sorcha and Janet, she let out a soft hum. "While Janet's sexual deviancy raises a great many questions, I believe I have one better than all of them: what is a living room? Isn't every room in a house one that you live in? Do humans have rooms in their houses that they don't live in?"

That… was a strangely thoughtful question and one that Harry didn't have an immediate answer to. Looking to one side and then the other, he was gratified to find that Sorcha and Janet seemed to be at just as much of a loss as he was. Finally, Janet offered an uncertain shrug. "Given that interior design is one of the many careers I've tried my hand at, I should probably know why it's called that but I don't. It's basically a general purpose room for… well, living. Relaxing, reading, watching television, that sort of stuff. In some bigger houses, there's a living room for when you have guests over and then a family room or a den that's got the same sort of purpose but only for the people who live there." Gesturing past Dianessa, Janet let out a soft snort. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the six thousand square foot home probably has a living room and a family room and probably a den too. Possibly even a man cave to boot."

"Rich human men live in caves in this world?"

"…I have so much to teach you about Earth, I don't even know where to start." Displaying bravery worthy of a Gryffindor despite her partiality for Hufflepuff colors, Janet crossed the space between them and slipped past Dianessa so that she could jump up onto the larger girl's back. Wrapping her legs around her startled steed's waist, Janet thrust one hand out in front of them. "Actually, I know exactly where to start. Our new house!"

Harry found himself shaking his head in resignation as Dianessa shot a baleful look back over her shoulder at her unexpected - and quite probably unwanted - passenger. He made a mental note to ask Michelle if she had any sort of contingency plan for replacement wives, because as best he could tell? Janet was either insane, had a death wish, or quite possibly both, and he wasn't sure if the Reaper's plans would still work if they ended up down a Lady Potter. "Just so you're aware, I haven't forgiven you for mocking me about my reaction to Sorcha's teleportation spell."

Looping her arms around Dianessa's neck, Janet leaned in to press a quick kiss to the taller girl's cheek. "Meh, that's fair. Although in my defense, it's a completely valid sentiment on my end. I puked all over the place the first time that Harry apparated me somewhere. It really is nice to know that I'm not the only badass babe in existence who can't handle being transported." As Dianessa cocked her head to the side, presumably pondering whether or not Janet's statement was actually the compliment that it appeared to be on the surface, the brunette dug one heel into the purple-skinned girl's side. "C'mon. There's a house to explore, and I want first pick of the spare rooms for my studio."

As the pair wandered off toward the manor, Janet elaborating on what a 'studio' was and why she wanted a good room for hers, Harry found himself caught between warning them that they wouldn't be able to enter the building without him and letting them go. In the end, he chose the latter. Hesitantly wrapping one arm around Sorcha's waist, he let out a soft sigh of relief as she nodded in assent before turning his attention to Chadaara. The Togruta was the last to recover from the experience of being teleported by Sorcha's 'Ghost', radiating a fading but distinct sense of misery as she stumbled over to join Harry and the Awoken. But despite her lingering condition, she drew herself up to her full height and did her best to appear unaffected by her plight. "As a Jedi padawan, I wasn't allowed to own much more than my lightsabers and the clothing on my back. Now I've got a distinctly materialistic sister wife, a rich husband, I'll be dwelling in a house that radiates conspicuous consumption on the level of Coruscanti elite… this is going to be a learning experience, I'm sure."

Finally, Harry mused, someone in this group that he could relate to. "Same, to be honest. I basically grew up as my family's house elf… err, it's a breed of small domestic servant that rich folks in the wizarding world own." There really was no way that he could explain house elves to outsiders without making his people sound awful, Harry quickly realized, and so he waved off Chadaara's uncertain look before pressing onward. "I don't own one but I'm friends with an elf named Dobby; he'll probably pop up soon to see if he can talk me into letting him help us run the manor. Anyway, my relatives basically treated me like a subhuman slave right up until they found out that the wizarding world was keeping an eye on them. After that? Life… didn't really get that much better for me, to be honest. Outside of my school supplies, a handful of casual clothes, and some gifts? I didn't own much of anything until today either, Chadaara. So I guess what I'm trying to get at with all of this is that at least one of us understands what you're going through and you're not alone?"

Opening her mouth to reply, the Togruta was cut off as Sorcha elbowed Harry in the stomach playfully. "Yes, because the girl who's never seen a living room before was clearly living in the lap of luxury before coming here. I figure that we're going to do some sort of 'getting to know you' moment in the near future, but just to put it out there? I'm from what I think your media would define as a post-apocalyptic future. Like, evil aliens swarming all over the entire solar system, most of humanity reduced to living in either the Tower or the Reef, scavenging just to survive, et cetera and so forth."

"Interesting. I was basically raised to accept my lifestyle - my parents gave me up to the Jedi when I was an infant - but I knew enough about the galaxy around me that I could pass for a normal person when I needed to. I get the feeling that you'll be facing the far greater challenge here, Sorcha." Chadaara looked Harry up and down slowly before cautiously sidling up on his left, winding her arm around his and interlacing their fingers. It was only then that Harry truly comprehended how tiny his wife was. Granted he was hardly a paragon of masculinity at five feet five inches in height, but Chadaara barely came up past his shoulder. Counting to the spot on the top of her head between her horns, that was; with them included, she was closer to his height. Sorcha was taller than him. Janet was a few inches shorter when she wasn't using her powers in one direction or the other. Dianessa towered over them all. What a motley crew they were. Harry found himself pulled from his thoughts when Chadaara squeezed his hand, catching his attention before nodding toward where Janet had dismounted from Dianessa's back and was banging her hand against an invisible barrier radiating outward from the walls of the house for several feet. "While I kept myself from asking questions at the bank or in the shopping area… I've never before witnessed the Force being used in such a way. And I say used because it's quite clearly an artificial expression of the Force; it's far too intricate and orderly to be anything remotely natural. How do you do it?"

Harry shrugged as best he could given his current position, leading his two more measured companions over to join the two impatient ones. "Well for one, there's no saying that your 'Force' and our magic are the same. From what little I've seen, I'm already convinced that you can do things that no wizard - or at least no normal wizard - is capable of. But assuming that it is the same thing? I can tell you that the process is called warding but apart from that, I honestly haven't the foggiest. I know how to raise anti-apparition wards and a handful of others that have combat applications, but those are exceptions to most rules of warding because you're literally just bending magic to your will to accomplish a specific effect. Which… I suppose all wards are, really, but from what little I know, there's more preparation and ceremony involved. And some math. I'm sure we'll catch up with my friend Hermione at point; ask her if you're really curious. Or… Glassjaw seems taken with talking to people who've been in the Nexus. He might be willing to put you in touch with a goblin warder if you answer some questions for him."

Continuing to explore the wards' boundary line with her hands as Harry finish what explanation he could offer, Janet eventually grew tired of that and slammed her palms against the invisible barrier. "Wow. What an amazing house you've secured for us, Harry. It's tough, but I think my favorite feature has got to be the impenetrable bubble that's keeping us from entering it." Drawing her hands back as yellow energy crackled along her fingers, Janet loosed a blast of energy into the wards before Harry could stop her. The energy rippled outward from the point of impact, highlighting the bounds of the barrier, and then an invisible force lashed out and sent Janet flying backward. Blue light danced over the brunette as she disappeared from view, only to reappear a few seconds later with a pop as she strode angrily back toward the wards. "Oh yeah? Well fuck you too, Chip History! I didn't want to live in you anyway!"

"For the love of… how about you let me key us all into the wards before you get yourself punted from here to the sea?" Reaching where the others were waiting, Harry unwound his arm from around Sorcha's waist so that he could draw his wand, and then stretched his arm out to press the tip against the barrier keeping them all at bay. "I've never actually done this before, so if I misunderstand what Michelle put in my head and get us all blown from here to the Nexus… my bad?"

"Stop this elekk, I want to get off…"

Before anyone could actually do anything to try and stop him, though, Harry closed his eyes and set to work. Sending tendrils of his own magic reaching out to brush against each of his wives, he drew some of their individual magical essence into himself. Each of them had a distinct… flavor… for lack of a better term, and Janet was roughly as magical as a rock cake, but in the end Harry was able to pull enough from her to move on to the next step. Weaving their magic around his own, he sent their combined presence surging forward to press against the wards. After a few seconds, he passed some sort of test within the manor's quasi-sentient ward matrix and the suite of defenses unfurled to welcome them, leaving him with a greatly increased sense of the state of the property… and the distinct feeling of finally being home. "Shall we?"

"Since our eventual winner is going to be sent back to join Harry and the others as a teenager, I hereby dub this meeting 'Thunderthot': two thots enter, one thot leaves. Go."

As the winged but otherwise wholly human blonde on the left buried her face in her hands with a groan, her almost completely green-tinged competition cocked her head to one side curiously. "Thot? Is that another word for adolescent women in the world that I would be sent to?"

Raising her head, the blonde shot her companion an incredulous look but before she could ruin the Reaper's fun, Michelle smiled widely and nodded in response to the question. "Yes. Yes it is." Looking down at the piece of paper in front of her, she quickly drew up a tally sheet with columns for 'Angela' and 'Reverence' before adding a first point in Reverence's column. If for no other reason than because the look on Janet's face when a tiefling from another world up and called her a thot would be hilarious. "You two are here today because I've been made aware that Harry's battle harem is woefully lacking in the healer department. I've already interviewed one other woman with excellent qualifications but I'm keeping my mind open. If either of you is interested in trying something new instead of getting sent back to your own world to try things yet again? Impress me."

Angela arched a brow at that, straightening up for a scant few seconds before slouching back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "While I'm quite possibly the most qualified candidate for the position that you'll ever find, at least based on what my Reaper has told me about your project… why do you assume that I'm interested in trading in my chance to go back and correct an error for what is essentially a complete unknown?"

With her three remaining candidates' folders already open on her desk, it took mere seconds for Michelle to drag the relevant folder down next to her tally sheet, her eyes skimming the topmost sheet of paper inside it until she found the relevant information. "You're currently here in the Nexus because you took a shotgun blast to the face in the middle of a battle."

"Yes, and-"

"Three minutes after being sent back to your world. Before which, you were visiting us after having the life drained out of you using a corrupted form of your own nanites."

"And one day Moira will pay for-"

"You've died six times within a span of twenty minutes on your world, Angela. And that's a slow day for you." Michelle leaned back so that she could open one of her desk drawers, reaching inside to retrieve an incredibly thick folder. Dropping it on the corner of her desk closest to the petulant blonde, she retrieved another… and another… and another, quickly building a tower that was almost as tall as she was while sitting down. "Your file is so thick that it's had to be split into volumes… by celestial beings with the ability to warp space and time. You are quite literally the last Angela Ziegler left in the multiverse at this point; every other version of you has been sent onward because her Reaper gave up on trying to save her." Leaning to one side, Michelle peered around the towering monument to poor life decisions and raised an eyebrow at Angela. "So forgive me for thinking that maybe you'd be interested in trying something a little different this time around."

"I would like to point out that the life of a healer is a dangerous one, especially a combat medic. Every time that I've ended up here in the Nexus, it's because I've died either saving a member of my team or at least trying to." Point taken. "At the same time… I find myself forced to concede that you do have a point. Reluctantly so, but I will concede that maybe my energy and talents would be of more use elsewhere. Although if I do get picked for this, can you at least tell me whether or not my teammates survive the mission that we were on?" At the questioning look she received, Angela offered a wry smile and a shrug in response. "I want them to be the pallbearers at my funeral so they can let me down one last time."

Hah! Now that was funny. Michelle credited the woman with a point of her own - that sort of wry humor would probably serve her well around Harry while presenting an excellent counterpoint to what Janet found amusing - before turning to Reverence. "And you, my dear, are here because..?"

Cheeks flushing a darker shade of green, Reverence glanced sideways at Angela before sniffing haughtily and turning to stare pointedly at the wall. "I was deep in the Mierani Forest of Varisia on a mission bestowed upon me by the Green Mother to help me gain a deeper understanding of my Mystery when I was struck down by a remarkably tenacious and skilled kobold."

"…a kobold."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Uh… huh. Well, at least it means that you'll be in good company among Harry's other wives. It'll give you something to bond over." Tugging Reverence's folder into place on the other side of the tally sheet, Michelle's eyes bounced back and forth between hers and Angela's paperwork. "Angela, I'm sure you already know why we want you: you can heal people, empower them, and raise the recently deceased. That would pretty much solve all of my problems when it comes to Harry and his friends. You're also a doctor and a scientist of considerable renown in the fields of mechanical engineering and applied nanobiology. Your wings and your staff, among numerous other advancements in the field of medicine."

Angela actually smiled for the first time, straightening up and then scooting forward a bit in her seat so that she could flex the white and grey mechanical wings extending from her back. "I do admit, the idea of using my considerable talents to bring modern technology to a society that's thoroughly stagnated due to their dependence on exotic energy fields does hold a certain measure of appeal to me."

For the first time in a considerable spell, Michelle found herself caught off-guard by one of the myriad of mortals passing through the Nexus. While that potential benefit had never occurred to her, it was just that: a benefit and a not inconsiderable one at that. It would be far easier to keep at least two if not three of Harry's existing wives happy if the newest member of the family could help propel Potter Manor at a minimum back into the modern day… or possibly beyond. After hastily adding not one or two but three points to Angela's column, Michelle looked up as she pointed her pen in Reverence's direction. "Any chance you want to sum up your abilities for me? If you were one of mine, I'd take the time to memorize the fine details when it comes to your abilities and knowledge. Seeing as how you aren't…"

"Completely understandable. I can barely keep up with what my underlings are capable of, and I hold their lives in my hands most of the time." Offering a placid smile, Reverence raised her hands and began ticking points off on her fingers. "Based on what Celeste has told me about the problems facing Harry, I can think of several unique skills that I have to offer. With time and the proper materials, I can also raise the dead… up to and including those who have been dead for quite some time. Say, fifteen years time. I could raise Harry's parents as a courtship gift to win him over, if you're not yet catching my hint. My skills would also lend themselves to dealing with those pesky soul containers that Harry's foe seems so preoccupied with. Oh and through my increasingly deep connection to the Green Mother, I'm a veritable master of information gathering, persuasion, and seduction."

"Interesting that you chose to throw that last bit in there."

"You're sending one of us back to marry a young man with marginal sexual experience at best, and who is already juggling four other wives." Reverence offered a sultry smirk as she stretched her arms over her head, arching her back to push her ample bust out even further. "I simply felt that I should highlight all of my… relevant qualifications."