(A/N as I stated in the new chapter of time turned I will be focusing on fixing formating. grammar and spelling errors. so no new chapter will be posted for a few days at least while I attempt to fix it all. then I will start writing a new chapter. until then enjoy!)
The morning came quickly, the two had woken and blushed softly when they remembered why they were side by side in bed. "M-Morning Harry." Hermione spoke softly taking a careful glance at Harry. "Morning mione…" he sounded a bit strained, trying to turn his body away from her. "Are you alright Harry?" He hummed a positive to her while not looking directly at her. His face was more red than when they first woke. "Are you sure that everything is alright Harry? Cause you are not acting like yourself." Harry huffed out a bit, trying to not look in her eyes, instead looking over her head. "Yeah…I just have..err well… a thing that uh. Well it's embarrassing." Hermione blinked a few times before raising a brow at him.
"You have nothing you need to hide from me Harry. I'm your best friend I can help if you…" "No!" He cut her off, then coughed into his hand. Still holding himself away from her. "Ok? Why don't you just say what's wrong Harry." She was losing her patience at the boy. Harry furrowed his brow, lines forming on his forehead. He didn't even have on his glasses, but he knew Hermione was giving him that look. The one that spoke of severe consequences if he didn't. "I err…well when blokes sleep…it uh…decides to do its own thing in the morning." Harry tried. But Hermione was nowhere near awake to understand what he was starting to say without saying it.
"What does…Harry… just tell me please." Harry groaned. "I have morning wood. There happy?" Hermione did a slow blink before it registered. "Oh…OH… well I uh..I will just go shower and uh..leave it to you then. Not that you'd… uh.. nope, shower." She quickly rose from the bed, the small of her lower back revealed itself a bit to Harry. Which even glasses-less he could see the skin. His cheek twitched involuntarily and his mouth went dry. The moment the bathroom door closed he laid back and sighed. He had a choice to make at that moment. Take care of it or think of anything to make it die. Harry groaned again rubbing his face.
Shortly Hermione came back out of the bathroom, a billow of steam flowing behind her. "Oh Harry that shower. I am never showing in a tent again." She smiled at him, keeping the towel tightly wrapped around her body as she walked briskly to the walk in closet. "Now YOU go shower. Because frankly Harry, you reek." Harry scoffed touching his chest, acting wounded. "Oh your words they sting lady Potter." He then gave her a wink when she went bright pink and slipped into the closet to escape. Harry chuckled to himself and entered the steam filled room.
He came out and sighed in relief. He had to scrub himself twice to get all the grime off of himself. Hermione had not been in the room, and had laid out clothes for him. It was a simple black t-shirt, jeans and his mother's necklace. She had also laid out a pair of boxers and socks beside the jeans. Harry shrugged thinking nothing of it as he quickly dropped the towel to the floor and casually slipped on the boxer shorts. Soft, like new. He mused to himself before he heard the "eep" that came from behind him. He turned his head seeing Hermione standing, shaking softly, her eyes not leaving his almost naked form. "Err…Hermione?" She shook her head, turned on a dime and left quickly. She couldn't even remember why she had gone back in the room.
Hermione quickly re-entered the kitchen and saw the two girls at the table and remembered why she went to get Harry. "Err… he's just getting dressed." She sat and tried her best to force her blush away. "Let me guess…a little too soon?" Daphne spoke simply, but it made Hermione spitter a bit. "That's a yes then." Tracey chuckled. Daphne hummed and held the tea to her lips. Hermione cleared her throat and looked at the two. "I know we should wait for Harry…"
"Yes we should." Daphne agreed. "But I just have to ask." Hermione gave a soft glare. "Why do you want to help us?" Daphne gave a soft sigh. Looking at Tracey before looking back a bit embarrassed. "Frankly, we've wanted to
be your friends for years. Be how it was when we were little, and Harry would play with the both of us. He has much to learn about who he is in this world. And we may be able to put our heads together and figure out how to end this war. Once and for all."
Tracey cracked a brow at her friend. "Well ninety percent of that was true, the only thing Daphne failed to mention was the fact our families had betrothal contracts with Harry Potter when we were babies. It won't matter now however if that look was anything to go by." Hermione calmed some. "Betrothal? You mean one of you was going to marry harry?" Daphne nodded not looking at Hermione and she understood at once. "Daphne?" She hummed still refusing to look at her. "Let's wait for Harry so you can explain that. Because we have news too. And I have no idea how this all fits into it now."
A few moments later and a brief recap to Harry once he sat and they all sat awkwardly. New tea and some glazed biscuits were set on the table did Daphne begin again. "Well, when our parents were young, our fathers agreed that any child they had the first born would marry the other, and that my family name would be elevated to a light family. And as it so happened you were born a boy and me a girl. By your third month, we had a betrothal contract. That as long as we both agreed by our graduation from Hogwarts, we'd be married." Daphne looked at her cup then back up to the boy who seemed a little worried. "With your title of a lord of an ancient and noble house you would have been expected to have well… others as well. Being an heir and the only heir…you'd need to populate the Potter line." Harry grew red. "That's where Tracey came in." Daphne looked down to her hands. "She was going to be a concubine for house Potter…" Harry blanched at the thought. "Con.. concubine?" Tracey nodded. "It was going to save the two of us from dark families wanting us as breeding machines." Hermione sighed softly putting her face in her hands. "I wouldn't have a problem with any of that save for one problem." Harry gasped at her for a moment. "What is it?" Tracey asked both the Slytherin girls looked at Hermione. "Harry and I are already married."
$$$$
"What! When did that happen?" Tracey asked quickly. Daphne rubbing her forehead. "I never thought the Gryffindor princess wouldn't have a problem with that." Hermione gave a tired sigh. "a lot has happened over the past forty eight hours. at this point I'm just rolling with the punches. it seems easier anyway."
"Well it's a funny thing actually." Harry rubbed the back of his head. "So what Harry says is funny is actually a little confusing and serious. We shared a kiss about a day and a half ago. and we glowed." Daphne gasped. "You soul bonded!" Hermione nodded. "So I'm lady Potter now I guess. I don't know how that will affect this..situation now." Daphne hummed and rubbed her chin for a minute. "It would have to be addressed with our fathers. But that can wait. For now the most important thing is ending this war." Harry looked at Hermione and gave a nod to her. Hermione took a deep breath. "What we have to say cannot leave this house. We have to trust you won't say anything unless we say it's ok, because it's already killed Dumbledore for it."
Both girls lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing at the moment. "Tom riddle is at the moment immortal." Both girls gasped. "How?!" Tracey stood suddenly, her skin paled to an almost white. Daphne not looking any better. Harry took over at that point. "Before he died, Dumbledore had me help him retrieve something. I'll be right back." He quickly rushed from the room, returning a moment later, tossing the necklace onto the table. "This one is the real one, the one he died for was a fake, left behind by Regulas Black." Daphne with a shaky hand picked it up eyeing it carefully. "What is it?" She handed it to Tracey who in turn looked at it with a critical eye. "It's Slytherin's locket. He made it a horcrux." Both girls looked at each other then back to the necklace. "It feels cold like a normal necklace. How can you tell?" Both the Potters looked back and forth to themselves and the necklace. "It just feels evil." Both girls shook her head and looked back to the Potter's. "No. It doesn't."
$$$$
The four sat around the table and just stared at the necklace. "What do you mean it doesn't?" Hermione asked as calmly as she could. "I mean there's no power coming off it at all. It's just a cold locket." Daphne picked it up and handed it to Hermione. "Harry…did we wear this after we kissed at all?" Harry shook his head. "No, I was too happy too. I didn't want that feeling to fade, so I put it in your head bag." Hermione let a small smile form for a moment. "Harry I need you to open it." "Hermione I can't. What if Tom's soul is still in it. We don't have the sword, we won't be able to destroy it."
"We have a solution for that." Tracey spoke softly. Making the two look back to the Slytherins. "You're in an ancient and noble home. The wards here compare to none except maybe Hogwarts itself. You can use any curse needed and it won't register at the ministry. Like frendfyre." Harry looked to Hermione who at the moment seemed puzzled before resigned. "Harry we may not have a choice. If this one isnt one anymore. Maybe the others aren't either." "Others? How many did he make!" Tracey spoke in a higher pitch than normal. Hermione gave her a sheepish smile. "We're not a hundred percent sure. Dumbledore destroyed one. Harry another in the chamber of secrets. And now this one. And knowing Tom was fascinated by the power of numbers. Either two more making five or four more making seven." Daphne rubbed her face again. "Merlin help us."