AN: Today I had the choice between playing Diablo 3 (season 15 recently started) or writing the next chapter. Because of the number of reviews, I chose to write. Just letting you know, they really do matter!

Chapter 23

Hands

Harry and Daphne stayed in their apartment through the weekend, giving them four days alone. Well, mostly alone. Daphne's parents had 'dropped by' Sunday afternoon. A small glass of champagne to celebrate the newlyweds was followed by Lord Greengrass leading Harry to the chairs by the fireplace while Lady Greengrass led the newly minted Lady Potter to the master bedroom.

Cyrus discussed current Wizengamot politics, who was on the fence for which issues and thus could be influenced. As Hermione had informed him, there seemed to be little that passed or failed without Lord Greengrass' opinion being heavily considered.

"So, Lord Potter, may I call you Harry?"

At a nod from Harry, Cyrus continued.

"It is required in public to put on the show to keep us separate from the 'Others', but in private among family, it can become rather tedious. We need our breathing room, just as everyone else does," Lord Greengrass opined.

"If everyone needs their breathing room, why does it matter if I use contractions in public or allow a friend to call me Harry?"

Cyrus smiled as he replied, "Harry, I am quite aware of your previous guardians and their failure to educate you properly in your position in society. The reasons are extremely complex but can be stated simply. No one cares what the lower classes do, and everyone cares about what we do. That's it. If you are a cart driver and deliver milk every morning starting at 4 a.m., if you miss a day, no one will care unless they were on your route. Next town over? Someone might remark on it but unlikely. And if they do, no one will care."

"But, if you or I miss a social event, people will wonder what is going on. What does the absence mean? Where are you now? What are you doing? And the questions go on and on and on. YEARS later you may have to answer a question of why you missed Lord Malfoy's solstice '92 ball. Every time the Queen of England moves outside Her private quarters, people notice. Comments are made upon Her complexion, conjectures made upon Her health, should She stop to speak to a commoner… questions fly. No. We are not Royalty, but without the Queen visiting the magical world, we are the closest thing to it."

"People like to talk. They like to gossip. They NEED to have someone to look up to every bit as much as they NEED to drag their heroes through the mud. We could go on for hours about the psychology of muggles versus wizards, but in the end, it is not a muggle versus wizard thing. It is a human thing."

Lord Greengrass became pensive as he swirled his cognac, it having replaced the traditional champagne toast earlier.

After a deep sigh, he continued, "You must avoid the limelight when at all possible. Don't let them make you a hero, a paragon, or any other silly damned thing. You are as human as they are. Don't forget that. But you are not them. Your problems will seem silly to them and with time, their problems will be just as silly to you."

"Who cares if your robes are last year's fashion? You do! Half of your job is to maintain the pretense you have started so well. Yes, Daphne spoke with me concerning your school year. Given what I discovered of your home life, you performed well. Now you just need to continue it for the rest of your life."

Cyrus smiled as he took a sip and enjoyed the bouquet of the cognac as it filled his sinuses.

"That sounds like something someone else told me," Harry mentioned as he stared into the fire as he quoted Draco, "You are going to make a lot of mistakes. The key point is to make sure you recognize and correct them quickly. Keep that up for the next hundred years or so and you can retire without worrying about who is trying to kill you."

"Because you will know who is trying to kill you," Cyrus completed with a smile.

Harry nodded.

"That sounds right," Cyrus took another sip. "And we keep track of everything. You never know when a favor your great-grandfather did for a political rival will be needed to help them see their way to giving you a hand."

Harry looked sharply at the older man, "Really?"

With a nod, Cyrus continued, "Indeed. Sometimes they are in a tight spot and just need the cover of repaying a favor to go against someone else who is pulling their strings. I have had Lords come to me with evidence from a diary or the Family Book, showing a debt owed to House Greengrass and tell me they want to repay the debt and will vote however I wish on the next issue. What they were really saying was, 'I owe someone a favor and they want me to vote against my conscience on this issue, please allow me this smokescreen so I don't have to do that."

Harry frowned before attempting to summarize, "So, someone wants to vote against an issue, but is being pressured into voting for it, so they bring up an old debt to you, which they may have made up, to get you to provide them an excuse for voting the way they wanted to in the first place. That's nuts!"

Cyrus laughed, "That's politics!"

Before Harry had time to respond the Ladies returned to the room. As Harry stood, a moment behind Lord Greengrass, he noticed Daphne's closed off expression. Five days ago, he would not have noticed, but spending the last few days with his wife he did notice the slight spots of color on her cheeks. He was pretty sure Daphne was embarrassed and he was the most probable cause of that embarrassment.

As Cyrus kissed his wife chastely upon the cheek, she asked, "So, what were the men discussing while the wives were away?"

"Politics. What else is there?" Cyrus chuckled. "Pray tell, dear wife, what the wives of the men found so stimulating this fine afternoon?"

"Obligations to our Houses, of course," Lady Greengrass replied smoothly.

Looking at Daphne, 'Ah, that would do it,' thought Harry.

-=== Later in Lord and Lady Potter's Quarters ===-

"So, how bad was it?" Harry questioned Daphne as they prepared for bed.

"Not as bad as it could have been, I suppose. Worse than I would have preferred."

"And the gist of the conversation? The part I need to be aware of?" Harry asked as he started to brush his teeth. The teeth cleaning charm Daphne had shown him the morning after was effective, but the feeling of the brush in his mouth had become comforting on some level and he missed it when he used the charm.

"I have to start sleeping naked."

Harry inhaled sharply. This was bad timing on his part as the toothpaste was just frothy enough to be sucked into his lungs. The following several minutes were spent holding onto the countertop as he tried to cough the 'minty freshness' into the sink. Daphne handed him a glass of water as his breathing became more normal.

"That doesn't happen with the charm," she whispered humorously.

"I'll keep that in mind," Harry rasped before taking the glass and draining it, hoping to wash away the feeling in his throat.

Harry took a cautious breath, followed by progressively deeper breaths until he had taken a full breath and held it, before letting it out in relief.

"So," he began with a raised eyebrow and a blush, "what is this about you sleeping naked?"

"Mother says, she understands we are not going to be as 'active'", Daphne wiggled her upraised hands in the traditional air quotes sign, "as older couples. But, to satisfy the terms of the contract, I must be 'available' to my husband," more air quotes. "If I am sleeping in your bed, naked, then I am 'available' to my husband. If you choose not to avail yourself of my body, at that point it is no longer a matter of my violating the contract."

Daphne enjoyed watching Harry get progressively redder. She had discussed this with her mother who told her to enjoy it. "As he gets older and becomes more acclimated to adult activities, it will become harder to make him blush," she had said.

"What about me," Harry gulped out.

Daphne giggled at his horrified look.

"These contracts are usually written to assure the continuation of a line. It is extremely rare for a husband to not want to take his wife to bed on a routine basis, especially in the first few years."

"But you said we didn't have to do 'that' again until I wanted to!" Harry said, his voice rising until it cracked a bit, making Daphne laugh.

"We don't. But as my mother put it, no one can successfully argue I am not living up to my obligations as your wife, if I sleep naked in your bed."

When her mother brought up these issues, shortly after testing her purity with that damnable charm, Daphne had blushed more than Harry was blushing now.

"Okay, well… do I have to sleep naked?" Harry said as he looked anywhere but at Daphne.

Smiling she replied, "No, My Husband. As I said, the contracts are written in favor of the husband. If we have not produced an heir by the time I am 16, you will be required by the contract to 'take a more active role' in conceiving an heir. Since I can be put out in ten years for not producing an heir, father made sure you would make every effort in the last five years, until the heir is produced."

"And then what?" Harry asked carefully.

"Didn't you read the contract?"

"I read all the major sections, but it was ridiculously long. I had a trusted advisor look over it. She said it was adequate for my purposes."

"She?"

"Um, yeah, she is female, so, yeah, she."

"Hermione", Daphne sighed.

"Yes. She is my Head of Research and things."

"Things? What kind of 'things'?"

Daphne was a bit confused. What she jealous? Surely not!

Harry responded, "Since the troll and fealty and stuff, Hermione has been helping me with pretty much everything. She even figured out I was faking it with the Head of House stuff and then agreed to help me continue to fake it. She is also the one who picked you as my wife," smiling he continued, "Although, you almost lost out to an Eastern European Prince."

"Prince?" Daphne chuckled.

"Yeah, according to Hermione, that was his only negative."

"That is a hell of a negative when it comes to producing children."

"My thoughts exactly!" Harry laughed.

"So," Harry asked quietly, "are there any other provisions I need to be aware of?"

"Harry, Husband, you need to read the contract. No skimming. Take notes. When you are done with that, then ask me again if you still have questions. Okay?" Daphne looked at her husband and wondered if this might have been a mistake…

"I'll do that."

Harry's voice sounded a bit off to Daphne and she wondered if she had pushed him too far or treated him too much like she did other boys his age. So, she decided to distract him before he could brood.

"Of course, you know the contract prevents us from using any type of contraception, right?"

"Contraception?"

Daphne rolled her eyes before explaining, "Contraception. Anything that prevents conception. We can't use any type of birth control… ever. No potions. No charms. No rituals. At least until we produce an heir. Since you agreed to provide my father a male heir for the Greengrass line, my father would be most disappointed should either of us decide to use contraception prior to producing a third son."

"I am just starting to wrap my head around seeing you naked…"

"Harry, don't worry about it. I will sleep naked in your bed from now on, except for a few days each month. When we are old enough, when we have desires, we will let nature run its course. Until then, we are just following the letter of the contract. We don't want anyone to have any grounds to annul our marriage."

Daphne leaned closer and kissed Harry on the cheek.

"In case it has failed to be obvious to you, Husband, you are quite the catch. Even though you are now my husband, there will still be those who attempt to make off with you. They will look for loopholes, grounds to annul our marriage, breaches of contract, love potions, politics, social leverage, and anything else they can come up with to take you from me. I will do my best to anticipate and deal with any issues. That was one of the things mother was discussing with me. It is also the reason we consummated our marriage that first night. That act eliminated annulment as a viable action for most parties. Sleeping naked in your bed makes it harder to claim I am attempting to breach the contract. That, and they would have no standing to file."

"This seems much more complicated than it needs to be," Harry sighed in annoyance.

"We are minors, emancipated by Tradition and contract. Everything is going to be more complicated for us until we reach the standard age of majority."

"Okay, speaking of more complicated than necessary, why do we have four bedrooms in our quarters?" Harry asked trepidatiously.

Daphne smiled her 'I know something you don't know and it's funny' smile.

Harry had yet to determine if he loved or hated that smile.

But it was definitely one or the other…

-=== Merlin's Portrait ===-

"So, now you are an adult. How does it feel?" Merlin asked as he changed the color of his juggling balls each time his hand touched them.

Harry shrugged, "I feel the same as I did a few days ago. Well, not exactly the same. I know what is expected of husbands and wives in their bedroom. The veil has been pierced."

Harry dropped a ball from his pattern as he realized the double entendre.

Throwing another ball into his pattern, "And now it seems EVERYTHING is a sex joke, pun, reference, or something. Daphne's parents were constantly making little expressions to let me know I had said something amusing and I constantly felt like we were having layered conversations. Why does everything have to be about sex?"

Merlin laughed.

"Harry, everything IS about sex, on some level. What is sex? It is the reproduction of the species. What is the first step? Deciding upon a partner. The women know this. That is why they spend so much time on their clothes, make-up, and so on. Men are visually oriented. We are often first attracted by what we see. Have you noticed women spend more time on personal hygiene?"

"Yeah, Daphne spends more time in the bathroom than I do."

"Because men are not solely visual. After our eye has attracted our attention to one person, we approach and evaluate. Smell is a major sense. The right smells can turn that initial attraction into a bit more… and the wrong smells will decrease that initial attraction."

Merlin looked at Harry, ignoring the balls as they continued their pattern without his assistance.

"Harry, men are not the only ones doing the choosing. Women pick who they will and will not associate with, just like men. You should spend more time on your hygiene, just like your wife. You should improve your standard of dress, refine your speech, and act the part of a man who wishes to be desired by all women. Do you know why?"

Harry shook his head as he corrected a ball's path. Talking about things that mattered, things he needed to think about, while juggling was still difficult. The more intense the conversation, the harder it was to focus on both.

"Think about it a moment. What is the advantage of a married man dressing to attract women other than his wife?"

As Harry pondered the question, he lost focus on the juggling and the chain reaction of missing a ball became a catastrophe as he knocked more from the pattern as he tried to catch some. Sighing heavily, he gestured to the balls lying about the corridor and summoned them to his hands. He had discovered a few weeks back he could do that. But only with his juggling balls. He had tried to wandlessly summon a crumpled paper ball. Nothing. Merlin had said at the time that Harry had a greater affinity with his juggling props than with anything else.

Putting the balls away, he sat with his back against the far wall from Merlin's portrait.

"I don't know. Maybe my wife will be more attracted to me?"

Merlin waggled his hand at Harry, "Sort of… But not quite. We will continue this part of the conversation later. By the way, have you considered moving my portrait into your quarters? Then you wouldn't have to come up here to visit with me."

Harry smiled broadly. Moving the portrait had never occurred to him.

"Your frame is rather large. How do you propose I move it?"

"Just tell me you would like my portrait in your quarters and where you would like it hung. I will take care of the rest."

Harry raised an eyebrow, intrigued as to how this would be accomplished. "I think I would prefer over the hearth. There is currently a painting of a flower arrangement in that spot. Feel free to replace it."

Merlin asked quietly, "And is that flower arrangement a favorite painting of Lady Potter?"

Harry shook his head, "No, she doesn't particularly like it. It was there when we moved in."

"Ah. Okay, I will take care of it. But, as a word of advice, one man to another… don't redecorate without your wife's approval. "

"Um… why not?"

With a wince and a shudder, Merlin replied, "Just trust me on this one."

-=== Harry's POV, Monday Morning ===-

Harry was already tired of being with his fellow students, even the 'Puffs. The little looks, the wry smiles, and the tittering laughter; especially the tittering. He knew it was because of what he and Daphne had done on his wedding night or the weekend following.

Daphne knew it would happen and informed him, "Polite people do not notice gauche behavior."

After explaining what 'gauche' meant, she clarified, "We do not allow them to know we have noticed their behavior. But we do. And we remember."

She kissed him on the cheek as they separated to go to their common rooms to check for any notices.

As Harry entered the Hufflepuff common room he was greeted by Neville who very solemnly shook his hand and offered his congratulations on behalf of himself and House Longbottom. Others soon followed, shaking his hand and making little comments that bordered on rude.

Quickly tiring of the atmosphere in the 'Puff common room, Harry headed toward the great hall.

The Weasley twins had snuck up on him as he went into the great hall for breakfast. Each slinging an arm over his shoulders, Harry was sandwiched between the two jokers as they began a rapid-fire discourse between themselves which seemed to be entertainment for the onlookers and not actually meant to engage him in conversation. That was okay by Harry. Entertaining the masses was what he did… or used to do.

And then, they just had to take it that one step too far: that one step that crossed the line from good-natured ribbing into bullying. Harry could take it. The twins were nothing compared to Duddikins. But, Daphne was out of bounds.

Harry stopped.

As the twins continued to move forward, but Harry didn't, they swung around in front of Harry as he looked at them.

"Excuse me. What was that last part?"

The twins looked confused but rallied together, "Just wanted to know Harry me boy…" "… did Ms. Greengrass fulfill her marital duties adequately?"

When Harry stopped, the twins stopped, and everyone who had been watching became silent to listen to what might be an epic beat-down of the Lord Potter.

"First, we are not close enough for you to accost me in this fashion," Harry said as he shrugged their arms from his shoulders.

"Second, Ms. Greengrass is my wife's sister. As she is yet a maid, she has no 'marital obligations'. Should any accost her in that manner, I will declare them an enemy of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter."

"Third, the relationship between Husband and Wife is private and not for discussion, especially in public."

"Ah, Harry…"

"Lord Potter," Harry interrupted.

"Ah… yes… Lord Potter… we didn't mean any harm by it. Just some good clean fun. We didn't even ask for details. After all, you are the first one of your year to get married…"

"… First one of any year, brother mine."

"True, so true, my slightly less handsome brother. Harrikins is the only married student in Hogwarts!"

"Not true, my slightly less intelligent brother, his wife is also a student."

"Too true! I knew I accepted your company for a most excellent reason."

"Excuse me, boys," Harry interrupted, "Am I to deduce the sexual exploits of the students of Hogwarts are fair game for discussion?"

Harry's calm delivery had the twins pause for a moment to consider the question. They both nodded rapidly in synch.

Harry nodded before stepping onto a bench, gaining the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Excuse me, I beg your pardon for interrupting your breakfast, but I have an issue of concern to the student population of Hogwarts, or at least the fairer portion of our students. Misters Weasley have asked regarding my private relations with my wife, the Lady Potter."

Most of the female students and all the teachers looked at the twins. McGonagall's eyebrows rose as she promised the twins 'a talk' with her eyes. Those students being prepared to eventually take over as their Head of House had mixed reactions. Some closed their eyes tightly as they considered how many ways this had gone wrong. Some, particularly the future Ladies, blushed in embarrassment or anger at the thought of their intimate moments being discussed in public, especially among commoners. And some behaved as trained, blank-faced as they listened and absorbed as much information as possible, cataloging it by House, to be reported to their Head of House that evening.

"They said, 'the sexual exploits of the students of Hogwarts are fair game for discussion'."

Harry smiled as he looked down upon the twins.

"Given that, I would like to ask the student body a question. Which of you lovely ladies would like to grace the beds of these two gentlemen, knowing your most private moments could become detailed Hogwarts gossip? Do not be shy. I will not hold it against you. Raise your hands and identify yourselves to Hogwarts' premier pranksters."

From Harry's vantage point, he could easily tell there were no hands raised.

"Really? No ladies wish to give the terrible twins the opportunity to publicly embarrass them?"

Looking back on the twins with an evil smile, "Raise your right hands."

Looking confused, they did so.

"Now, turn the palm toward your face."

Looking for the joke, they didn't see one. 'How did we get in this mess. All we did was embarrass a firstie', Twin One thought. 'Indeed, dear brother,' thought Twin Two.

"Look at your hand and say hello to your girlfriend for the next four years."

As Harry stepped down he was nearly deafened by the laughter. Looking toward the head table, he noticed all the female teachers standing and clapping politely for him. As more students noticed, they followed their example until all the girls and most of the boys were on their feet clapping enthusiastically.

When the Lady Daphne Potter entered the great hall ten minutes later, she was surprised at the applause and cheering she received as her husband met her at the doors, taking her hand and kissing it gently before escorting her to sit by him.

Smiling at Harry, she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You WILL explain this later, dear husband."

AN: I thought about writing another scene to go with this, but I do like ending on a happy or wtf note. This seems pretty happy to me, the twins having a prank reversed on them.

I have discovered this new attempt at writing is significantly different than previous. Previously I would think for months on what I wanted to write next. When I finally sat to the keyboard, it flowed easily and I would put out roughly a thousand words an hour.

Attempting to update more frequently, I am forcing myself to type while I think. My hourly output is less than half that of my previous technique.

Once again, I praise those who provide us with epic-length stories. You have my admiration and awe!

Again, thank you for your favs, follows, and reviews. They really do help to keep me motivated!