A couple of days later, Harry was lying on a beach mat next to Millie. "Fancy another swimming lesson, darling?" she asked, before stealing a quick kiss.
"Of course, Millie. That Second Test is due in February. If I am going to rescue one of my soulmates from the merpeople, I need to be able to swim.
"Plus, I get to spend time with you, Pans and possibly others of my girls in wet swimwear. What more can a boy want?!"
"Any more comments like that and I shall be swimming skyclad, Harry!"
"As in… Wow!"
"Not today, Harry, but one day I would like to go skinny-dipping with my loved ones.
"For the moment, however, I am concentrating on teaching you how to dive and to swim underwater so that we can be ready for the Second Task. Being at the bottom of a Scottish loch in February in the buff isn't on my to-do list!"
"I can understand that, Millie darling. When this is over, we can go for a skyclad midnight swim, just the eight of us. That should be an eye-opener!"
Harry, Millie, Dad has provided several tonnes of Gillyweed completely free. I'll be joining you for your swim today.
Thanks, Daffy. Say thank you to Dad for us too. You are always welcome to put on a swimsuit and join us.
Thank you, Harry darling! Just for that, I'll wear a bikini and not a one-piece today.
You don't have to wear anything that you are uncomfortable in…
You are so sweet, Harry! I couldn't have chosen a better husband!
Harry ate the Gillyweed with some reluctance. Once he had finished, however, he felt queasy for a few moments, as he felt gills develop and his hands and feet become webbed. The fact that all seven of his soulmates were joining him added to his expectation.
Pansy smiled at him. Since I'm not sure how having gills affects speech and we shall shortly be enjoying an underwater swim anyway, I suggest we communicate via thoughts this afternoon.
That is an excellent idea, Pansy!
Thank you, Harry.
As Pansy shared her thanks mentally, gills developed in all their necks and their hands and feet grew webbed skin between the digits. The Gillyweed was clearly working.
Having webbed feet and hands, Harry discovered, made swimming easier, even in the depths. Not having to surface thanks to the gills was an advantage, as was the enhanced vision. Admittedly, the crystal-clear waters around Potter Island were no match for the peaty blackness of the loch by Hogwarts, nor was the temperature in Northern Scotland in February likely to be anywhere near as warm. That said, it showed that Gillyweed would work. He also was enjoying the colours of the fish and other marine life and the
It all seems to be going well so far. Any idea of how long the Gillyweed lasts for, Daffy?
I'm not entirely sure, Gin. We took reasonably generous dosages, so hopefully it should last about an hour or so. If not, we can up the dosage next time.
That's alright by me. Practice makes perfect after all.
Plus, you get to see Harry in his swimming trunks, Gin!
Not to mention, I get to see you in a bikini, Pans! Merlin, I love seeing all of you in swimwear!
We love seeing you in a bikini too, Gin!
Thanks, Trace. I'll snog you for the compliment later!
I'm looking forward to it, Gin.
As they conversed mentally, a pod of bottlenose dolphins swam past. Did one of those dolphins just say hello?! Daphne asked through the bond.
I did. Dolphins have been friends with Amazons for millennia. All beasts are, magical or otherwise.
What about adopted Asgardians? Are we friends of beasts too?
Of course!
That would have been great against that Hungarian Horntail! I could have asked it nicely to give me that golden egg!
Her, Harry.
Sorry, Gin?!
The dragon was a nursing mother. Unless dragons are hermaphrodites, she must have been female. Thus, you should have asked her nicely, not it.
Don't be logical, Gin. It annoys wizards when witches use logic.
On behalf of my fellow wizards, Trace, hey! I stand corrected, Gin. Thank you.
Well, as Amazons and Asgardians, honorary or otherwise, you are all seen as members of the pod. I am the matriarch.
Thank you, my lady.
What a well-mannered bunch you are. Welcome to our pod!
Thanks again, my lady. Have a good day. See you soon.
"Moony," Sirius commented to Remus and Tonks in the wizard tent that they shared, "do you think that I should reveal myself to the others? If Amelia Bones is working on establishing my innocence…"
"That's up to you, Padfoot.
"Do you know if there might be physical copies of James and Lily's wills anywhere? I know that their solicitor was killed a couple of weeks before they were, but if I knew them both, they would have had back-up copies. Might they be in Harry's vault? If so, he could authorise Augusta, Giles or even Amelia herself to look for them.
"Prongs and certainly Lily weren't idiots, Sirius. They would have said who the secret keeper was, if the wills were updated afterwards. If so, we have a means to cast doubt on your guilt for betraying the Potters, if nothing else."
"I hadn't considered that. Thank you, Remus. Actually, my dear cousin Nymphadora…"
"Don't make me hurt you! Do you mean…?"
"See if the Goddesses will authorise a link with the Diagon Alley Branch of Gringotts, please. If so, you should be able to escort Harry and his girls there. You can then look for the wills and pass them to Amelia if you find them.
"If we can give Amelia and Dumbledore a reason to reopen the case against me, at least that should get the kiss order on me removed. Then maybe I can get the trial that I should have had back in 1981!"
"It would be my pleasure, Sirius."
"Only you, Nev," Lavender noted, "would be busy building a greenhouse on a tropical island! You and your bloody plants!"
"You love me, Lav, bloody plants and all!
"Gran, Uncle Algie, Giles Greengrass and the Patils have all provided me with new plants to cultivate. No time like the present, love!"
"Well, you have three girlfriends who would like some attention as well!"
"You shall all have it, Lav darling. It is just that we need somewhere to study herbology once we start our training in a couple of weeks. More to the point, I love those bloody plants! Admittedly, not quite as much as I do you, Han and Sue…"
"I'm not entirely sure about how to take being slightly more beloved than a mandrake!" She pecked his lips affectionately. "Still, I love you for being the you that you are!"
Neville smiled happily at her, before continuing to wave his wand and the flatpack greenhouse once again was assembling itself. Lavender sighed happily and cast her own charms to aid her soulmate. Many hands make light work…
Harry was lying back on his beach mat when Remus came up to him, with Padfoot padding along at his feet. The pink-haired woman, who Harry had learned was an Auror named Nymphadora Tonks, as usual was also with them.
"Harry," Remus said, "I take it that all your ladies know that…"
"That dog at your side, Professor," Parvati interrupted, "is really an escaped convict, who spent nearly a dozen years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit? We share Harry's thoughts, so all know what he knows.
"Mr Black, you have nothing to fear from us."
The massive black hound gave a laugh-like bark before turning back into Sirius Black. "Call me Sirius, Ms Patil."
"If you call me Parvati, Sirius."
"You should call me Remus, all of you. I might be helping teach you, but I am no longer your professor in any formal sense."
"Everyone, just call me Tonks or else!"
"Harry, girls, we think that Prongs and Lily might have left copies of their wills in your Gringotts vault, hopefully stating that Peter and not Sirius was their Secret Keeper. We have asked the Six Goddesses to open a portal to the Diagon Alley branch in an hour's time. With the Bank Holiday for New Year's Day the day after tomorrow, it should be relatively empty. The portal is due to open into a private area of the bank in any case.
"Your eldest brother shall meet you all there, Ginny."
"Bill?! He's in…"
"He has been reassigned to the Diagon Alley Branch. The Goddesses requested it. You shall need his expertise apparently. Bill also needs to meet his future soulmate, a Miss Fleur Delacour. I believe that she is one of your fellow competitors, Harry."
"Yes, Remus. Good for Bill! She's a gorgeous part-Veela, albeit a bit haughty.
"She's still not a patch on any of my girls, though. I am really lucky!"
You are so getting snogged for that later, Harry.
Thanks, Daffy. I'll hold you to that.
You won't have to, darling! I'm not forgetting that you thought that I was more attractive than Fleur! I suspect that I won't be the only one after a long kiss either…
The other six girls all happily echoed her thoughts. Wednesday might not have met Fleur, but what young witch wouldn't want a soulmate who thought her more beautiful than a part-Veela?!
"Ah, Mr Potter and ladies," the goblin said, "we were expecting you.
"Mr Weasley, if you would accompany us to Vault 687 please? Thank you."
"Certainly. Hello again, Harry, Gin, Remus, Tonks." Bill smiled as his sister threw herself into his arms.
"Bill! How is my favourite brother?"
"Very well, thanks. You look the happiest I've seen you since before your first year. I hope that is a sign that Mr Potter and the others are treating you well…"
"You don't have to defend my honour, Bill. I couldn't be happier with all seven of my soulmates.
"I am in love, brother dear!"
"We all love you too, Gin!" Harry pulled her in for a quick kiss.
"Please allow me to continue to think of my sister as a little girl, Harry!"
"My virtue is still intact, Bill! Merlin, I'm not even fourteen yet!
"Now, take us to the vault and stop making sarcastic comments or I shall cast my best bat-bogey hex at you!"
"Anything but that, Ginny dear!" Bill shuddered before leading them to the vaults. Ginny decided to sit on Harry's lap during the cart ride down. After all, Bill might be her favourite brother, but that just made embarrassing him more fun.
"Here we are!" Millie exclaimed, as the cart came to a halt beside Vault 687. "Do you know what we are looking for, Pro… Remus?!"
Remus grinned. "Nicely caught, Millicent."
"If I can call you Remus, then you can call me Millie."
"Fair enough, Millie.
"To answer your first question, probably a couple of scrolls of parchment."
"That makes sense. We'll get on to…
"Wow! You're rich, Harry! I knew the Potters were wealthy, but…"
"No Gin. We're rich!
"Everything I have belongs to all of us now."
That's so sweet! If Bill wasn't here, you would be getting the snogging of your life…
I'll claim it later, Gin!
"Well, somewhere amongst all these coins, there must be… I think I've found them, mon amour!"
"Weds?!" Harry smiled as Wednesday pulled two relatively recent scrolls from a corner of the vault not covered in piles of galleons, sickles and knuts. "Those certainly look promising. Well done, Weds! Bring them over here please.
Wednesday handed the scrolls to Remus. He opened them. "These are the Last Wills and Testaments of James and Lily Potter. Well done, Ms Addams!"
"Call me Wednesday, mon vieux! Harry thinks of you as an honorary uncle. That makes you family to Wednesday Friday Addams!"
"Thank you, my dear. Let's see what they say…
"Tonks, Bill, Wormtail is listed as their Secret Keeper!
"By the way, Harry, if Sirius was unable to look after you, the next in line to be your guardians should have been the Longbottoms, the Greengrasses, the Boneses, the Patils, the Davises, the Abbotts and the Tonkses in that order. Sadly, your parents' solicitor was killed, and his premises burnt down by Death Eaters shortly before Prongs and Lily's own deaths. Albus Dumbledore isn't listed as a witness or executor. He can't be blamed for assuming that Lily's sister, as the next of kin, was the best choice."
"That would give my parents a good claim for guardianship until Amelia Bones can get Sirius cleared," Daphne noted happily.
"Great! I would love to have them as my guardians!
"You could end up with a full household, if Millie, Pans and I are all becoming their wards."
"There is plenty of room in Greengrass Manor, Harry. We have more than three spare bedrooms."
"I don't mind bunking up with Millie or you if push comes to shove!" Pansy laughed.
"At any rate, we have found what we were looking for. Let's get back to the island."
"Wait a minute please, Remus." Harry selected seven necklaces from a pile of jewellery, before placing one apiece around the necks of each of his soulmates. "Consider them late Christmas presents, my loves!"
There are seven snogs coming your way when we get back to our tent, Harry! Our luck was really in, girls!
Thank you, Trace.
"Quidditch! What about quidditch?!!"
"Angie?!"
"We are only technically Hogwarts pupils from now on, Katie. How do we play quidditch?"
Katie, Alicia and the Weasley twins looked at Angelina with affectionate exasperation. "Perhaps we should contact Puddlemere United?" Fred joked. "She seems to be channelling Oliver Wood, but he's still alive last I heard."
"Oi twin of mine! Don't insult my girl!"
"Thanks, Georgie. Someone is getting very lucky tonight!" Angelina kissed her soulmate passionately.
As the couple parted, the portal to Gringotts opened and Remus, Tonks and Harry and his soulmates came through. "We've found it, Padfoot!" Remus shouted, running off in the direction of the wizard tent that he shared with Sirius.
"Harry," Angelina asked, "is there any chance of us being able to stage quidditch matches on Potter Island?"
"We have more than 14 young mages, Angie, so it should be possible. I am sure that we could set up a couple of decent teams.
"How about our old team, with Ron replacing Oliver as keeper, against seven other volunteers?"
"Thanks, Harry! I'll see about getting a pitch set up!" Angelina pulled Harry into a hug before pecking his cheek. She then grabbed George and dragged him at speed towards their wizard tent.
"Well, I think that we need to put a team together," Ginny noted with a laugh.
"I'll ask Remus to put in an order for everything we need for a proper quidditch match," Harry said. "Who needs a new broom?"
"I'll never be able to afford a proper broom."
"Remember, Gin, whatever I have is…" Harry was cut off as Ginny covered his lips with hers.
I promised you the snogging of your life, didn't I?!
That evening, Harry took a portal to Amelia Bones' house alongside his soulmates, Neville and his and Remus, Tonks and Sirius (as Padfoot). He gave her his copies of both wills, before Sirius returned to human form. Whilst it was not yet a conclusive case, the fact that Peter Pettigrew was listed as the secret keeper in both wills (authenticated as valid) did make a compelling argument that should be heard in court.
"Minister Fudge is likely to be stubborn," Amelia sighed. "Sadly, Lucius Malfoy is currently acting as Draco's proxy for the Black vote as the male heir after Sirius and he has Cornelius's ear."
"More like his purse strings, boss!" Tonks quipped.
"True. Whilst I don't think that Cornelius sees donations to his re-election fund as bribes per se, he does defer to Malfoy rather too often following the latter's contributions to said fund.
"It would not be in Malfoy's best interests for Sirius to receive a trial, particularly if he is acquitted. It therefore won't be in Fudge's best interests either. We would have to way to take the case before the Wizengamot without informing the Ministry first."
"What about Dumbledore?" Remus asked. "As Chief Warlock, he could arrange for a trial to be held before a standard session. The Ministry cannot interfere directly in Wizengamot proceedings."
"True. We do have evidence that a man was unjustly imprisoned without trial for almost twelve years. It might cause annoyance that a member of an Ancient and Noble Family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight no less, was so imprisoned. At least, it would raise awkward questions on the members of the Wizengamot.
"I'll speak to Dumbledore, Remus. Thank you for the suggestion. I'll ask Andromeda Tonks to speak to a good wizard barrister about a defence.
"By the way, I have arranged for the Greengrasses to become the legal guardians of Harry, Pansy and Millicent. The paperwork shall be ready for Giles and Sarah to sign tomorrow."
"Thank you, Madam Bones," Harry said. "I shall invite the families over to Potter Island tomorrow evening for a New Year's Eve Party as a celebration."
"I shall be glad to attend, Harry."
"It is always good to see you, Auntie," Susan said. "Feel free to visit us at any time."
"I shall keep that in mind, Sue darling."
"Someday soon, you shall hopefully be a free man, Sirius," Harry said. "That must be a good feeling."
"It is, Harry.
"Amelia has a point, though. There are interests not best served by my liberty…"
Fawkes the phoenix appeared in a flash of fire carrying a note. He allowed Harry to take the parchment from him before perching on a nearby tree.
Harry opened the note. "Well, Sirius, Professor Dumbledore means to bring my parents' wills before the Wizengamot at the start of the next session without informing the Ministry first. That should let him overrule the Kiss order against you and allow you to surrender for a fair trial."
"I must write to Dumbledore to thank him…" Sirius began. Fawkes flew down, as Harry returned to his tent to get some parchment.