Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter, or it's characters. This is merely a work of fanfiction.
A/N: This is just the day after their bonding, and how some people react. I will probably do at least one more chapter, but it just depends on how inspiration strikes. Hope you enjoy:)
"We should try to get some sleep. We'll have to wake up early to deal with the press, unless you want to send a statement out tonight. It's still early enough to make the morning papers."
Henrietta grabbed Kingsley's wrist gently and looked at the time on his wizard's watch. Kingsley smiled at how comfortable she was with him. She touched him with the confidence that her touch was welcome, which it very much was.
"Let's go home. We can deal with the press tomorrow. It's still our bonding night."
Henrietta stood to her feet, looking around for her clothes. She pulled them on slowly.
"Where is home exactly?" She asked. Kingsley tucked his shirt into his pants as he thought.
"I have a family Manor, but it's been sitting empty for a while. It felt too big to live in by myself. I've been living in a small flat in Diagon Alley since the war ended."
Henrietta paused, a sad smile taking up residence on her face. She understood that feeling. Grimmauld Place felt large without Ron and Hermione, and that was nothing compared to the sprawling Pureblood manors she knew of.
"Can you zip me up?" She asked as she turned.
Kingsley approached her and dropped a kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder before he zipped up the dress. He wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped his head down to kiss her neck.
"Why don't we go to Grimmauld Place," Henrietta suggested. "Kreacher will worry himself sick if I don't return."
"If you want," Kingsley replied, grabbing his cloak.
A pounding on the door of Grimmauld Place woke them both early the next morning. Henrietta rolled over in bed, onto Kingsley's chest.
"Mmm?" He groaned.
Kreacher entered the room, and approached the side of the bed.
"Mistress, it is Master Weasley."
"Which one?" she grumbled.
"Master Fred Weasley. He has the morning edition of The Daily Prophet with him."
"Tell him we'll be down in a minute Kreacher, thank you."
Kingsley groaned and reached for his wand in the darkness of the room. He pushed himself up in the bed and cast a Tempus. Henrietta didn't bother to hide how her eyes gravitated towards his exposed abs.
"Merlin. It's four thirty in the morning," Henrietta whined as she collapsed over Kingsley's chest once again. He dropped a kiss on her hair, and pulled her up his body to kiss her properly. She bit down on his lip, and he groaned as he pulled away.
"We need to go down there. Fred will only come up here if we make him wait."
Henrietta laughed, and pushed herself up in bed. She walked to her walk-in closet, and paused in the doorway, pulling off her red satin nightgown. Kingsley watched in rapture as she dropped it to the floor. He groaned loudly as want burned through his veins.
"Remember when you're in meetings today, when you're sitting with Fred, that you had a chance to have me, and made me get dressed instead."
She disappeared into the depths of her closet with a wicked laugh as Kingsley collapsed back into her bed, cursing himself. Henrietta appeared a moment later in a black dress. She swished her wand to braid her hair up.
"Kreacher went to your flat and collected some of your clothes last night. I'm going to greet Fred."
Kingsley watched her leave the room with a smile. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she was all his.
"How ya doin baby sister?" Fred asked with a wicked grin.
Henrietta shook her head at him, and motioned for him to follow her to the dining room. She left the seat at the head of the table for Kingsley, and sat at the one beside it. Fred sat across from her.
"Kreacher," she called.
He appeared a second later, beaming up at her with his wide eyes. He had grown quite attached to her since the war ended, and Henrietta to him. He was incredibly loyal.
"Breakfast, please. It would appear Fred will be joining Kingsley and I."
Kreacher bobbed his head and left the room, mumbling about presumptuous redheads. A coffee tray floated into the room, and Henrietta focused on pouring a cup for Fred, herself, and Kingsley, who entered the room looking tired.
He paused for a second. She had left the seat at the head of the table open for him. His lips curved into a smile as he looked into her green eyes. She looked back at him, like she always did, unintimidated by his intensity.
There was a world of meaning in this small action. She respected him. She would let him be in charge, even in her own home, because she loved him.
"For Merlin's sake take the seat," Fred teased.
Henrietta aimed a stinging hex at Fred's arm for spoiling the moment. He jumped, rubbing it dramatically, as Kingsley took his seat.
"That hurt, Etta!"
She hid her smile behind a cup of coffee as Kreacher brought in breakfast, and sat it on the table. Fred pulled the Daily Prophet from his robes, and tossed it at Henrietta. She ignored it as she ate her eggs.
"So what did you two do last night? Get up to anything fun? Something new and exciting perhaps?"
Kingsley scoffed, and hit his friend on the back of his head. He held out his hand for the paper. Henrietta handed it over.
"Minister of Magic and Woman Who Conquered Elope," the headline read.
"That's a mouthful," Kingsley quipped.
Fred was grinning like a loon, "I told you to offer for her hand, didn't I? I hope you appreciate how hard it was for me to hold my tongue. Anyone else and I would have had a betting pool going about when you two would finally break down and admit you were in love."
"You have my eternal gratitude," Kingsley quipped.
"He knew?!"
Kingsley shrugged, "He saw us at Hogwarts, and he's a persistent bugger. Are you telling me you didn't tell anyone?"
"No one. Sirius knew. I didn't say a word. He just saw the way I watched you. We didn't talk about it, but he knew. Remus figured it out too, but I didn't tell him. He said I looked at you the way my father looked at my mother. Then he said you were too old for me."
Kingsley laughed as he set down the paper and started on his breakfast, "That's rich, coming from him. Tonks is thirteen years younger."
"That's what I told him. He's likely to have a bad reaction when he hears."
Kingsley shrugged, "We'll deal with it, like we'll deal with everything else. The Daily Prophet seems to be in favor of us, at least. They're calling us a power couple."
Henrietta turned a mischievous smile on Fred.
"You're next, Freddie. When are you going to propose to Angelina?"
The redhead choked on his eggs. Kingsley pounded him on the back to help clear his airway. He was blushing a bright red.
"Well I have been thinking about it. I just want the time to be perfect."
Henrietta looked at Kingsley pointedly. He nodded his head and set down his silverware.
"I'm considering a Marriage Law, Fred. I'm going to announce it to the public this week. We have a year maximum, to see if the birth rate picks up. If not I'll have to institute the law. We're going to die out otherwise."
Fred's eyes grew wide, "Are you serious?"
Kingsley nodded as Henrietta took his hand.
"I don't want to legislate people's lives, but it may be necessary. Etta convinced me to tell people. She thinks if they know what's at stake, they'll bond and start trying to get pregnant. That way this law won't have to be passed."
Fred looked frantically at Etta, grateful for her influence. Urgency ran through his veins. He suddenly felt the need to get to a jewelry store as soon as possible. All the shops were still closed.
"She's right. I want to be with Angelina. I was going to propose eventually, but this just makes it more important. You should tell people."
Kingsley nodded.
Henrietta entered the Ministry on the arm of her newly bonded husband. All eyes were on them wherever they went. People didn't even try to hide their whispers, until Henrietta turned her emerald gaze on them. That seemed to return them to their senses.
"The Auror's will want to speak with you," Kingsley mentioned as they took the lift to his office.
"Why?" Henrietta asked.
"They'll want to familiarize themselves with your magical signature. In case they ever have to find you."
"Why would they have to find me?!" Henrietta asked.
Kingsley took her hand in his, squeezing it gently.
"It's standard procedure for the Minister and his family, love. In case there's ever a hostage situation."
Henrietta couldn't help the giggle that slipped out. Kingsley raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Kings, if someone tried to kidnap me, I'd simply kill them."
Kingsley slipped an arm around her waist and squeezed her tight.
"Yes, well at least humor the Aurors. They won't rest until they've done their due diligence."
"Fine," Henrietta giggled.
Kingsley released her and placed her hand on his arm as the lift slowed to a stop.
Henrietta sat with Kingsley in his office as he did his morning work. She borrowed a quill and parchment and sat at a conference table across from his desk, writing letters to Hermione and Ron. They would have lots of questions.
"Wotcher Kings."
Tonks' head was poking inside the office. Henrietta signed her signature on the letter to Hermione, and rolled it up. Tonks entered the room, looking between Kingsley and Henrietta with wide eyes.
"Minister, Lady Potter-Black-Shacklebolt? I don't know what to call you."
"Let's worry about that later," Henrietta suggested.
"Well, whoever you are, would you mind accompanying me to the Auror office? We can get this out of the way. I'm sure you'll both be busy today."
Henrietta gave Kingsley a wistful look. She didn't particularly want to be without him now that she knew what it was to have him.
"Give us a sec, Tonks. Wait outside."
Tonks gave him a fake salute and closed the door behind her. Kingsley leaned back against the edge of the desk, and held out his arms. Henrietta walked across the room, taking her time, enjoying the hungry look in his eyes.
Finally she was in front of him. He stood in between his legs, and he brought his strong arms around her. She linked her arms around his neck, and placed a kiss on his lips. Kingsley brought his hands up to squeeze the small of her waist, and then cradled her face in his hands.
He leaned in and tangled her tongue with his. Henrietta leaned harder against him. Kingsley nibbled at her bottom lip, and then soothed the burn with another sweet kiss.
"Go with Tonks, love. I need to meet with a few department heads anyways. I'll be here when you get back."
Henrietta whined in the back of her throat, but stepped back out of his arms, and straightened her dress. She knew he had duties. She couldn't distract him, no matter how much she might want to. She picked up her letter to Hermione.
"Leave that with my secretary, Etta. She'll send it out for you."
Henrietta paused with one hand on the door. She looked over her shoulder, smirking at her husband.
"Just remember that you were the one who made me get dressed this morning," she whispered as she turned the knob.
Kingsley shook his head in frustration as she left his office.
"What exactly is it you need me to do?" Henrietta asked.
The room they were in looked like it might be used to train Aurors in dueling. A few Aurors stood along the wall, observing.
"Well it's easy enough, really. Just do some magic. If you could do something defensive, and something offensive, that would be best. They resonate differently."
Henrietta tilted her head from side to side, thinking. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, remembering the feeling of Kingsley's lips against her skin, of his magic joining hers.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A lynx burst forth from her wand. It prowled around the room, checking out the Auror's with a speculative growl. It nuzzled once against Henrietta's cheek before it dissipated. Tonks seemed to get what she needed, because she nudged a dummy forward.
"Right, that should be fine for defensive. Now offensive."
"Get behind me," Henrietta warned.
Tonks gave her an amused look, but moved behind her. The Aurors along the wall did the same. She took a deep breath, and focused her magic. She opened her eyes, and a vicious smile crossed her face.
"Bombarda!"
The dummy shattered under the force of her spell. The pieces hit the wall behind the dummy, and bounced off of it. The wall was scorched a dark black from the strength of her magic. She spun on her heels, a look of satisfaction upon her face.
The Aurors stared at her dumbfounded.
"That good enough?" Henrietta asked.
"That was bloody amazing," Tonks gushed. "You should be an Auror!"
Henrietta shook her head. She couldn't believe there was ever a time when she had let herself be convinced that she wanted to be an Auror. She didn't want to fight anymore. Not in this way. She didn't really want to do it the first time.
"No thank you. My fighting days are behind me."
Tonks looked disappointed, though she kept her silence on the topic.
"Will that be sufficient?"
"Yes, that's fine. I'll walk you back to Kings."
Henrietta's jaw ticked. She resented the implication that she wasn't able to protect herself. She knew she was far more powerful than any of these Auror's. She had killed the Dark Lord, but politics was politics.
She and Tonks walked down the long hallway between the Auror's department and the Minister's office. They passed people, and Henrietta nodded politely.
"So you and Kings?" Tonks asked when they were alone in the hallway. Henrietta looked sideways at Tonks briefly, before she returned her eyes in front of her.
"Yeah."
Up ahead Henrietta caught a blur of what looked like Remus headed down the cross hall towards Kingsley's office. She sped up, and Tonks ran after her. Remus burst into Kingley's office. His eyes were bright yellow.
He grabbed Kinglsey by the front of his robes and slammed him into the wall behind his desk. Henrietta and Tonks entered the office. Henrietta rushed to Kingsley's side, and dug her wand into Remus' neck. She could hear Kingsley's secretary yelling for the Aurors.
"Etta," Tonks pleaded.
"Don't call me that," Henrietta snarled. "Let him go, Remus!"
Remus ignored her, "I was gone for one month and you prey on Etta! She is young enough to be your daughter! What in Merlin's name were you thinking?!"
The Auror's entered, quickly surveying the office. Someone shoved Tonks out of the way. Clearly this was some kind of disagreement between friends, but they were sworn to protect the Minister.
Kingsley didn't even try to fight back. Henrietta had predicted this all. She dug her wand into Remus' neck, burning it. He turned his piercing gaze on her, but she didn't so much as flinch.
"He's done nothing wrong. Now get your hands off my husband if you want to keep them. I will not hesitate to end you, Marauder or not."
He growled lowly at her, a reflex he couldn't help at being challenged so boldly. She dug her wand deeper into his throat.
"I mean it, Moony. I inherited Padfoot's temper. I wouldn't test me."
He released Kingsley's robes and stepped back. Kingsley rolled his shoulders and waved the Auror's off.
"It's alright guys, just a family dispute. Won't happen again."
They left, closing the door behind them with a wary eye in the werewolf's direction. Remus slumped into a chair, and put his head in his hands. As soon as the door closed behind them Henrietta spun on Remus.
"What the fuck was that?!"
"I don't know, I just saw the paper on the table when I got back in town. I misunderstood."
Kingsley retook his seat behind the Minister's desk, and Tonks stood unsurely by Remus.
"I don't care if it said Kingsley fucked me in the middle of Diagon Alley. You don't come in here acting like that."
Tonks and Kinglsey tried to stifle their laughs, though only Kingsely was successful.
"You're the Alpha of the Greyback Pack now. Everything you do reflects on them. People will blame all werewolves if you run around attacking the Minister. That won't help in the repeal of anti-werewolf legislation!"
Remus looked properly chastised, but Henrietta didn't let up.
"And I will personally give you a brand new set of scars if you attack my husband again."
Remus crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, some of the fight coming back into him.
"I can see what you mean about Padfoot's temper."
She gave him a tight smile. Kingsley ran a hand over the small of her back in a soothing manner. Remus took a deep breath, resigning himself to the relationship in front of him.
"I'm sorry," he offered.
Kingsley gave him a tight smile, "Look, why don't you go home. Get some rest? You'll need to be at the next Wizengamot meeting, Remus. I'm sure you're exhausted."
Remus stood, nodding his head, "You're right, of course."
As soon as the door closed behind him, Henrietta raised a silencing ward.
"I will kill him if he comes at you again."
Kingsley stood to his feet, and took her into his arms.
"You really love me, huh?" He whispered teasingly.
She leaned up onto her tiptoes, and kissed his chin.
"I really love you."
"Very convenient, since we're married, and I'm madly in love with you."
Henrietta laughed, and cuddled against Kingsley's chest. Kingsley checked his watch over her shoulder, and sighed in annoyance at his busy schedule. Henrietta looked up at him with a small smile.
"You have more meetings, don't you?"
Kingsley winced a bit as he nodded his head.
"I'm sorry Etta. It's still crazy right now."
"No apology needed, love. I knew you were a busy man when I fell in love with you. I have my own affairs to attend to, and lingerie to buy. I'm going to set up an interview with Witch Weekly for us, and then I'm going to meet Heiress Greengrass for lunch in Diagon Alley. Is there anything you need?"
Kingsley shook his head as he smiled down at her.
"Nothing, except for you to buy lots of lingerie. Charge everything to my vault. I've already written to Gringotts to add you to my family accounts."
"I have a fortune," she laughed.
"So do I," he retorted. "You're my wife now. Let me take care of you. Our children, should we be blessed enough to have them, can inherit your fortune."
A smile crept over Henrietta's face slowly, "Alright then. I'll charge it to you."
Henrietta graced him with one last lingering kiss, before she headed for the door. Once again Kingsley cursed himself for making her get dressed that morning.