A/N Sorry this has taken almost 2 weeks, but Life has been happening.

References to Princess Bride belong to William Goldman.

This disclaimer is a homage in memory of Bobmin356 whose Dragon stories I have been rereading.

Standard disclaimer:

Marc was busy typing away at his PC when he felt a cold line of steel next to his neck. He, very carefully, turned his head to see Emma Watson holding a sword at his throat.

"Umm, why are you doing that?"

"Jo is a good friend, you didn't put a disclaimer in the last chapter."

"Hey, that's a Lord of the Rings Elf sword. If this is going to have any continuity at all, it should be goblin made."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's a present from Peter Jackson, it's not like I have goblin-made swords lying around at home."

"Oooh, nice present. Umm what disclaimer?" Marc asked as he started to go cross-eyed staring at the tip of the sword.

"The disclaimer that says you don't own Harry Potter nor do you make money out of this."

"Oh that one, sorry, I'll make sure I include it."

"Good, if I have to come back again, you'll regret it."

"Oh, thanks for doing the interview with Miss Rowling and clearing up how it should all have ended."

Emma smiled "Thanks, it was fun."

"Say, while you're here, since you played her for 10 years, what do you think of how I'm portraying Hermione."

Emma clipped him behind the ear and said dangerously. "Don't push it."

Previously

Hermione sighed, getting frustrated. "Dad, I wouldn't want it, but Harry would die to protect me."

"You can't know that for certain" said Emmet, happy to score a point that couldn't be refuted.

"He already has once, is that good enough for you?"

"He died?" whispered her father.

Hermione smiled trying to lighten the mood as she waved her wand and cleared up the whiskey and repaired the glass. "Well, really he was only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead meant his soul hadn't left yet and he could choose to come back. Now, all dead, well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do."

"What's that?"

"Go through his clothes and look for loose change," smirked Hermione.

Emmet spluttered. "Hermione, how could you! We raised you better than that!"

"Dad, I was kidding, how could you think I would do that?" said Hermione as she quickly sobered.

"Harry walked, knowingly, to his death to save me, not the wizarding world, not even his friends, just me. He didn't know he would be able to come back. How can you possibly think he would hurt me?" Hermione started to tear up, remembering the conversation she had had with Harry.

"You are moving too fast! I think you should move home with us for a while."

Hermione had had enough, she had tried to joke to calm things down, but to no avail. She looked at her father, "I love you dad, but Harry is the best thing that has ever happened to me and if you try to stop us, you won't like the result."

"But-"

"Emmet, stop!" He turned to see Dani and Harry at the door. Harry had felt Hermione's emotions start to spike and they had come to keep things calm.

"Harry, please take Hermione into the next room." Once they had left she spun around to her husband. "Emmet, I love you dearly, but you are making a big mistake! Our daughter is nineteen not nine. That is her husband out there and while they might not have meant to get married quite this soon, there was really never going to be any other result."

She huffed, "you read her letters home, every single one of them has mentioned Harry since after the troll incident in first year. She has had eight years to get to know him. That bond means that magic itself says they are suited. You try and push this and she will walk out and she WON'T come back! Damn you, I will not lose my daughter over you being childish, stubborn and over protective. She is an adult, you don't get to tell her what to do any more! You have to trust her."

Emmet's shoulders slumped, "It's hard to let go. She has spent so much time away at that damn school, I haven't watched her grow up."

Dani hugged him. "I know sweetheart, but grown up she has." She sighed, "I called her nineteen, but she has fought a war, she is now much older than that."

"She's changed so much, I don't even understand her sense of humour anymore…" He stopped and remembered one evening in a pub sitting near a group of soldiers, combat veterans, just returned from a tour overseas. They had told the same kind of macabre jokes. "She's grown up without us. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Emmet, she won't," Dani said softly. "Harry worships the ground she walk on. They found out today they are married, let them enjoy the day." He sighed and nodded in reply.

With that they went into the other room where Harry was holding Hermione while she calmed down. Emmet looked at Hermione "Princ-. No… Hermione, you're not a child any more. I'm sorry. You're my daughter and I worry about you, but you have made your choice and I have to respect that." He now looked at Harry and with slightly forced smile said, "Son, welcome to the family."

Hermione launched herself at her father while Dani went and hugged her new son-in-law. Emmet sighed as he hugged his daughter. "I didn't get to give you away." Hermione pulled back and smiled. "You'll get your chance, we want to hold a mundane ceremony next summer."

Dani smiled, "I get to be mother of the bride!"

Hermione laughed. "How long have you dreamed about that?"

Her mother smiled. "Oh no long, that started about a week after you were born." Everybody chuckled at her reply.

Harry looked at Emmet. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to ask you for Hermione's hand before we were married."

Emmet smiled, "That's OK Harry. Thanks for the thought, but you could hardly predict a once a century event would happen to you."

"Thank you….dad," replied Harry.

After a discussion about wedding plans, Harry and Hermione returned to Hogwarts. With the map's help, they found Luna and Ginny walking down by the lake enjoying a rare clear day of Scottish autumn sunshine. Hand in hand they approached the pair, their movements unconsciously synchronised.

Ginny stared at them. "What's happened to you two? You look….different, closer somehow?"

Luna just giggled and said to them with a smile. "As I said this morning, congratulations."

Harry and Hermione both looked at here with identical dropped jaws. "You knew!" they said in unison and then looked at each other and blushed slightly. "How did you know?" asked Hemione.

"I see auras, I knew as soon as I saw you this morning."

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Hermione.

"I thought it would be more fun for you to find out yourselves." Said Luna with a smile.

Hermione just stood there with an exasperated look on her face.

Meanwhile Ginny, whose head had been swivelling between the pair and Luna like she was at a tennis match, had had enough. "Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Harry just smiled and held out his hand and willed his head of house ring to become visible.

Ginny's jaw dropped and she stared at the ring. "That's….That's a head of house ring." She looked at Harry and curtseyed.

Harry sighed knowing he was going to have to get used to this happening. "Ginny, I'm still just Harry your friend. Unless it's a formal occasion, please don't treat me any differently."

Ginny blushed slightly. "Okay Harry, I'll try not to." She then frowned slightly, feeling a little confused. She couldn't see how Harry taking his Lordship would change the relationship between Harry and Hermione. "Why does that change your relationship with-." As she was asking the question, Hermione simply put her hand up and allowed her ring to become visible.

Ginny's eyes simply bulged at this point. "How?" she gasped.

"We soul-bonded yesterday." Said Hermione smiling. "We only found out today while we were at Gringotts."

With a whoop of joy, Ginny grabbed both of them in a huge hug. "I am SO happy for you both," she cried. They held each other for about 30 seconds before finally letting go. Holding Hermione's hand, Harry looked at both Ginny and Luna with slightly wet eyes. "I don't know how I can ever repay either of you. If it wasn't for the help you both gave me, this might never have happened."

Ginny just laughed, "Number one, Mr. Potter I'm sure Firenze would tell you that you two were foretold in the stars. Number two, as you have said, there are no debts between friends. Three, Harry, you saved us all when you killed the snake-faced wanker, there could never be anything I do fo you that would ever make up for that. Now give me a hug and we are square." Ginny then followed word with action and moved in for a hug. As they released each other she smiled and said teasingly, "of course, you could always make me godmother to one of your kids."

This caused the couple to blush enough to match Ginny's hair. Ginny and Luna just laughed.

Turning to Luna, Harry smiled and was about to say something when Luna interrupted, "Harry, there can be no debt among family. Remember what Fawkes said? You are my brother, remember?" Harry hugged her gently, "Thank you, my sister."

Ginny looked confused again, "Fawkes? Sister?"

Harry grinned at her confused expression and told her about Luna's help and Fawkes unexpected visit. Ginny turned to Luna and winked, not realising that Luna had acted so quickly and successfully to help Harry. "Well done," she said. "You did it!" giving Luna a hug.

Harry raised an eyebrow. Ginny shrugged, "if I hd tried to help you would likely have treated me the same as you did Hermione."

Harry turned to Hermione, "I'm sorry love."

"It's okay Harry, I should have talked to you more about it first and at least asked permission."

"I shouldn't have gotten so angry."

Hermione kissed him, "we both made mistakes, but it's over now and we are together."

Harry hugged her back and started to kiss her deeply.

Ginny smiled at the display of affection and said teasingly. "Get a room you two."

Hermione broke the kiss and looked at her and, smiling brightly, said. "We already did that, we move in after dinner."

Ginny's jaw dropped and Luna simply laughed at the riposte.

Hermione took pity on her and explained. "The Gryffindor tower has Lord's quarters for any young head of house that attends, we are getting that. It hasn't been used in a long time."

Harry looked at the others, "I want to tell Neville as well." He looked at Luna an Ginny, do you know where he is?". Ginny snorted and Luna just smiled.

"Okay greenhouses then," smiled Harry in reply.

Together the group walked to the greenhouses. When the arrived, they called to Neville to come out when it was safe for him to do so. They didn't go inside as Neville was in a greenhouse containing several dangerous plants and they didn't have any protective equipment. After a couple of minutes, Neville exited and greeted them all. Luna immediately walked over and gave him a hug. The pair had grown closer since the Battle of Hogwarts. While they weren't formally going out, everybody knew that was only a matter of time.

Neville looked at Harry and Hermione. "I didn't get a chance yesterday, so congratulations on getting together."

Neville got confused when everybody else started laughing. "What?" he asked.

Harry and Hermione both smiled as Harry replied. "You don't know the half of it!"

Harry and Hermione both put their hands forward an allowed their rings to become visible.

Neville gaped briefly and then bowed. "Lord Potter." He looked at Hermione, "Lady Potter?"

Harry smiled and nodded at him and returned the bow as Hermione curtseyed. "Lord Longbottom," they said in unison. Harry the clapped him on the shoulder, "Nev, just like you, I'm not going to stand on ceremony around friends." Neville had taken up his Lordship on his 17th birthday at his grandmother's request.

Neville was still a little stunned. "Lady Hermione Potter?"

Hermione and Harry put an arm around each other and Hermione answered. "We Soul-Bonded yesterday."

A wide grin split Neville's face. "Congratulations you two," he said before giving each of them a hug.

Neville quickly tidied up and the five went for a walk down by the lake with the couple explaining everything that had happened that day. They said that Hermione's parents were accepting of the situation without going into any detail. They also explained why Harry had taken up his lordship.

Neville nodded. "That was a sensible move. Now that you are officially The Potter it should stop a lot of people from starting anything."

"Good." Said Harry firmly, "no-one will get away with hurting Hermione." He looked at her, "I know you can take care of yourself, but I love you and I will always protect you," he said softly.

Hermione kissed him briefly and hugged him. "Thank You Harry." She replied feeling his love through the bond.

Neville looked serious for a moment. "Harry, I think you made a wise choice. A lot of the remaining purebloods aren't going to be happy about another mundane born Lady Potter."

Harry sighed, "Damn it we just fought a war to stop this kind of attitude."

Hermione replied, "ideas are harder to kill than people, even monsters like Riddle."

….

The group returned to the great hall for dinner. As they walked past the Slytherin table, there were numerous muttered comments. Finally there was one loud enough to be heard, "Stupid lion, going out with that filthy mudblood bitch. I wonder how many others she's spread her legs for besides Weasley and Potter." They then heard laughter from others at the table.

Hermione felt a huge spike of anger through the bond. Hermione turned to Harry and grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear, "Harry, they are not worth it."

Harry looked at her. "Unless I do something, they will never stop. Most of their parents were Death Eaters, they died because they never learnt their actions have consequences until it was too late." He said quietly.

"Why does it have to be you?"

Harry said resignedly. "Because no-one else will."

Hermione sighed, knowing Harry was right. "Don't kill them, OK?"

Harry nodded. "Will you ask Neville to be my second if required?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "An honour duel?"

Harry smiled, "I read a lot over the last few months. Do you mind if I reveal our marriage now?"

Hermione shrugged, "it would have come out tomorrow anyway."

Harry nodded and turned to the Slytherin table, looking at Nott and Zabini. The pair had been evacuated from Hogwarts and so, although their parents were death-eaters, they had avoided charges and had both taken up their Head of House positions after their father's deaths. They were both pure-blood bigots who had supported Voldemort's ideas.

"Nott. Scar-head? Really? Can't you think up anything more original? I'm sure Draco has had time to come up with a new one while he's in Azkaban. I can see you think you're a wit. What a pity you're only half right."

Nott looked confused, while members of the other houses, particularly Ravenclaw, chuckled.

Blaise Zabini whispered in Nott's ear. Nott stood, "how dare you!" He shouted, his face going red.

Harry smirked. "Thanks Zabini, I thought I was going to have to explain it in words of one syllable or less so he could understand. I hate trying to have a battle of wits against an unarmed opponent."

Nott was now enraged, "you half-blood traitor! I'd duel you if you had any honour."

Harry smiled coldly, he had succeeded in goading Nott into a position where he couldn't back down. He allowed his ring to become visible. "I believe I can accommodate you."

He raised his voice so it would carry to the entire hall. "Lord Nott, you have slandered not only myself, but the Lady Potter as well. Apologise!" There was a gasp from the entire hall at that. Those closest looked shocked as Hermione's ring became visible as well.

"Never you mudblood loving bastard," yelled Nott.

Harry looked Nott in the eye. "In that case, House Nott, I demand satisfaction. I challenge you to an honour duel!"

"I accept!" snarled a red-faced Nott.

A/N Well another chapter done. Please review, I'd like to know whether people feel Nott should just be taught alesson and how much heshould be used as an object lesson to everyone else.