Challenges and Resolutions

A few months later, Hermione was sitting with her beautiful French Veela sister-in-law Fleur and her even more gorgeous sister Gabrielle outside Shell Cottage on the Cornwall coast. As they relaxed in the summer sunshine, sipping some white wine from Fleur's family's vineyard, they watched Ron trying out his new broom saddle, and starting to learn to fly again. He was trying flying with his new prosthetic leg, and without it, trying to find his altered balance. He was still having trouble walking with the new leg, and was often very frustrated. Some days he became extremely depressed, and Hermione had Harry and some of Ron's teammates come to their apartment and talk quidditch strategy, trying to show him that his days as a first string professional Keeper might be over, but his abilities to plan team manoeuvres were still as sharp as ever.

Ron's brother Bill was flying with him, suggesting slight adjustments to his positions, and generally encouraging him. Sometimes, Ron would work at it for hours, and then land, throwing his broom away and flopping down on the sand crying. Hermione would go sit beside him, holding his head, or his hand, or lying beside him just cuddling him as he cried.

Ron was coming to terms with the facts that he had pains that were never going to go away, and that he would have to wear two discrete bags for the rest of his life. He worried that he might become addicted to the pain-killing potions, and even more worried that he wouldn't care. He was no longer the happy man he had been.

This day, the light seemed to have come back into Ron's eyes. He sat on his broom comfortably, and flew with authority. He dove and swirled. Hermione was sitting with her beautiful blonde sisters-in-law weeping with joy at this turn of events.

Fleur reached over to hold the bushy-haired witch's hand. She said "I am so glad to see Ron fly again. We were so worry about 'im. I know of men who cannot live wit' such injury, feeling zat they are not a full man, and zat their wife is cheated by this. Some men have kill zemselves because of it."

"'Ermione, ma chere pauvre bellesoeur, you must keep loving him as you do, not just for him but for you too. You must make him know zat he is the man you are marry to, even with ze injury so severe. Zat is only one part of him, zat you love all of him. You love ze man with ze big laugh, and ze huge appetite, no? He has a bad hurt, yes, but he is still our Ron. Our brother, your husband."

"What Bill calls 'ze one-eyed trouser snake', it is only one part of a man. We women love wis our whole body, and on Ron, zere are many parts with no injury, n'est pas? You need him to know zat."

"And, 'Ermione, I know you do not wish to sink of such sings, but Bill and I have discuss. We know ze laws about such sings; perhaps a stupid law, but it is ze law. If there is anysing we can do to help, and I mean 'anysing', you have but to ask. We are your family, and family helps each ozer."

Hermione realized that Fleur had just offered Bill as a father for her additional children, should she and Ron want them.

Through her new tears, she asked Fleur "How did you get so wise and so kind?"

Fleur looked at her sister who was sitting smiling, and then back to Hermione, and said "Ma chere 'Ermione, I and my little sister with, how you say, 'ze big boobies', we are Veela. Ze ways of love, and ze sharing of love in all its ways, zat is our life-blood. You are our sister and our family. What is mine is yours. Whezer it is my wine, my house, or my husband. It is yours, if and when you need it. All you have to do is say ze word."

"But we must be careful – if you or I bring it up before he does, it may be what you call 'the last straw' for Ron. He may bring it up, feeling zat you wish it and wanting to fulfill your wishes, but in his mind, he is telling himself zat he is a failure as a man. Ze male ego is a fragile sing."

Fleur hesitated, and then said "'Ermione, I need to speak with your about the laws you wish to have change. I sink you need to realize zat it is not just a matter of ze old families holding onto power. Ze laws come from a different time and a different system. You and 'arry were raised in ze middle class, no? Your parents, zey buy a 'ouse, zey move in, zey live zere a while, zey move to a new 'ouse, no?"

"Ze 'High' families, what you call ze 'Ancient and Noble 'ouses', zey sink on a different time scale and in a different way. Zey do not own ze 'ouse, ze 'ouse owns zem. For example, I was born in ze same house as my great-grandfazer. When ze old families are set up, life was short, most children did not survive to have five years of age. Most were dead before ze time zey had forty-five years. Ze individual was temporary, ze family was eternal. Property, 'eritage, even our materiel genetique, it belonged to ze family, not to us alone."

This reminded Hermione that, as soon as she agreed to marry Ron, by law she was bound to the family as much as any house elf. Even if Ron had died, she was a member of the Weasley family for now and forever, regardless of what her own wishes might be – even as a widow, she would have no choice in the matter.

"Ze people who are against you, ze are not just sinking of zeir own power. Zey are sinking of the rights of zeir grandfazer, and zeir grandson. If zey die in battle, but ze family survives, or ze family honour is up'eld, zey consider it success. Ze mozer who died, and you and 'arry saved 'er daughters, she sought like zis."

""ermione, if you are to succeed, and I hope you do because zere are many injustices in ze laws, you must know zis. If you are to take away ze power or ze rights of ze person 'imself, zer will not be ze problem. But if you try to take from ze family, you will have ze fight on your 'ands."

"For example, for ze laws zat protect ze 'igh-born wizard only, you could expand to protect all. Zis is not taking ze protection away from one, just adding it for ozers. But ze law zat punished ze family of ze man who hurt Ron, zat has to do wis family vengeance as it affects the entire 'eritage of ze family – for zat, you can expect a fight."

"'owever, I have a suggestion as to how to word ze changes."

"Also, ma chere bellesoeur, we 'ave anozer problem. As you know, ma petite soeur Gabrielle 'as a life-debt to 'arry. We need to convince 'im to marry 'er. Or razer, convince our Ginny. I sink sat she is starting to feel zat zere are too many competition for 'arry's love, n'est pas? One sing about being Veela wis a life-debt, if she does not marry 'arry, she cannot marry at all. Being Catholique, zere is anozer option, but we Veela, we make the lousy nuns.

Harry sat down on the settee on the veranda overlooking the gardens. His eldest daughter stood before him with tears in her eyes. She looked angry, and hurt, and frightened.

Harry held out his arms to hug away her hurt. She refused to come to him. He asked "What's wrong, Punkin?"

Marigold said "Daddy, don't you love me anymore?"

Harry was stunned. "Where did you get that terrible idea from?"

The little witch said "Some of the girls at school are saying that you brought the other little girls into the family because you didn't like me anymore. They are saying you plan to do mummy-daddy things with them, because I won't, and some are saying you are going to do it to them, and then you are going to do it to me. They say you married more witches because I wasn't a baby anymore, and you wanted more babies to love because I got too old."

Harry was shocked. "That's not true, Mari. They are lying to you, my love. I don't know who is telling them these things, but someone is trying to hurt our family. I will never stop loving you. Even when I am old and you are a grown-up woman with grandchildren of your own, you will still be my little girl."

"I know that most families have one mummy and one daddy. Most of your friends are in families like that."

"You know that we have rules in the family. The outside world call their rules 'the laws'. There is a law saying, because my mummy and daddy were killed, and my godfather was killed but named me to inherit his family, I am the daddy of two families. I know this is not the way with most of your playmates. "

"You know there was a war, and a lot of people died. There is another law that says that, as the daddy of two families, I have to have as many babies as I can, and I need the help of a lot of mummies to do this. You know how long it took your mother to have Rosemary and Morris and how long it took Mummy Pansy to have Tammy and Maddy. It's a lot of work for a mummy to have a baby. It wouldn't be good to make one mummy have all the babies. That doesn't mean I love you any less!"

"You know that Uncle Ron was hurt very badly. The law said that the bad man who hurt him had to be killed to punish him for doing it. The law also said that his wife and children had to die too." Marigold's eyes widened in shock and horror at this news. She had not been told this part of it.

"Your Aunt Hermione and I wanted to save the children, because they were not the ones who did the bad thing to Uncle Ron. They were innocent. I couldn't save the son, although I wanted to do so, really badly. The only way we could save the lives of the girls was for me to marry them. Their mummy insisted that if I was going to marry them, I had to be a good husband and give them mummy-daddy hugs and have babies with them."

Marigold looked angry "But Daddy, that is wrong!" Harry nodded "You are absolutely right. It is wrong to do mummy-daddy things with little girls, or little boys. It is very wrong, and anyone who does that is a very bad person. I said no – I will not be a bad person like that. Their mummy said that in that case, they would die with her and her husband, and their son. Then I said that I would be a proper husband, but only once they were all grown-up women, and only if they agreed to it."

"And my dear daughter, anyone who does mummy-daddy things with their daughter or son is an extremely bad person."

"Mari, I know I am not a perfect person. I know I am not a perfect daddy. Some powerful wizards start believing they are perfect and start doing very bad things. They were hurting people and killing people. They made Uncle Neville's mummy and daddy go crazy. I had to fight a bunch of them and kill a lot of them. I hope I never become a bad person like them, but I cannot promise. I can only promise that I will try very hard not to be bad and to be the best daddy you could ever want."

"Marigold, I want you to promise me that, if I ever become a bad person like that, or try to do mummy-daddy things to you or your sisters or brothers, you will get them together with all your mummies, and you are to kill me! If I do these things, I would not deserve to be your daddy, and I would deserve to die. Do you understand? You have to do the right thing, even if it not easy."

The little witch was shocked that her father had just demanded that she kill him, but saw that, if he was that bad a man, it was the right thing to do. She nodded, and then jumped into his arms for a hug to seal the deal.

Marigold looked up at Harry's face. "What do I call Betty and Kitty and Lydia? You married them, so are they my mummies too? Kitty is just as old as I am, how can she be my mummy?"

Harry looked at his daughter. "You know that your mother calls Pansy and Tracey and Daphne and Luna her 'swives'. Some cultures have allowed men to have more than one wife, and call them sister-wives, and your mother invented a similar word. I think a 'mummy' is a grown-up woman who looks after you. I don't know what to call the new girls. I know they are not your sisters, and I don't think they can be your mummies. I don't know if there is a word. I guess we will have to invent one. Can you help me do that?"

Marigold scrunched up her face, thinking hard. "I don't know of a word like that, Daddy. I am confused."

Harry kissed her forehead, hugged her, and said very wearily, "So am I, Punkin. So am I."

After his daughter skipped off to play, Harry got in touch with Pansy. He told her she was right and that someone was spreading rumours just as she suspected would happen. They discussed the matter and some optional approaches. Pansy said that she would get their investigators on the trail of whoever was spreading the rumours. Harry made some suggestions on some possible tactics, and a plan was hatched.

As Harry went to his bedroom that night, he found Ginny's green slip lying in the hall near the door to the room. This was their private signal that she was expecting him, and wanted him to be prepared to satisfy her needs. He found her sitting fully dressed in the room. He had expected her to be in the bed, draped or undraped as struck her fancy.

At his puzzled expression, Ginny stood, and said "Harry, I want you to undress me the same way Hermione's mother and father told us about those years ago."

Later, as they were trying to catch their breath, Ginny looked at Harry and said "My love, I need to talk to you about our living arrangements."

Harry asked "In what way, my beloved?"

Ginny said "Your new wives. They are still little girls. I have enough to do riding herd on our four. Gwenog has hinted that it is getting time for me to retire from quidditch if I'm going to be mummy all the time. Harry, I love quidditch and I don't want to quit. I can't look after ours and the new girls, and still play in the big leagues. I don't even know what to call them, when I have a daughter older than one of my new swives."

"Harry, I told you that I can be selfish. Mum spoiled me when I was a little girl, and I want more of your time and attention. I was brought up expecting a family to be one mummy and one daddy, and a whole mess of kids."

"Harry, I know that there are laws which are unfair to everyone but the pure-bloods, and these need to be changed. I know you can't fight the bad laws unless you are the Head of a Great House or two, so you have to go along with some of the laws. It just seems to me that you find it awfully easy to go along with the laws that make it so you can have things and more wives, but want to change the ones that discriminate against your friends. I know that's unfair of me. I know it's part of who you are, this 'saving-people' thing, and that's why you felt you had to marry the girls, but it's too much.

"Harry, I think you're spreading yourself too thin. I knew I was going to have to share you, but this is getting ridiculous. And I don't know how to bring up little girls to be your wives! How can I cuddle a little girl when I am getting jealous about what she will be in fifteen years? Harry, I am confused, I'm tired, I'm lonely for you. I hope I just showed you how much I want to spend time with you, and you alone."

"Remember my mum telling you to love all your wives equally. I don't want 'equally'. I want you for myself. When I fell in love with you, years ago, that's what I wanted, and I still do (at least some of the time). I know it's not fair to you; that law isn't fair to you. And it's not fair to me! I knew I would have to share, but not how much."

"Pansy has her work running your spy agency, Luna has her job with the ICW, Daphne has her modelling career, and Tracey has her store. I know you only see Daph and Trace every now and again. My mum could help out, she loves her grandchildren, but it's unfair to have her look after all of them."

Harry said "Can we talk to some of our friends and see how they handle it? I know some families have nannies look after the children, particularly if both parents are busy with other things or careers. I don't know how I feel having a stranger look after our kids."

Ginny exclaimed "But Harry, the hardest part is that they are not all 'our kids'! The three new ones, they're not my kids, and they are certainly not your kids. They are your wives! Harry, I don't love them yet, I am sure I will, but right now they are still strangers to me. It's just very weird."

"Now, my dearest husband, I'm tired of yelling at you. Just hold me, and we'll talk more in the morning."

At the summer sitting of the Wizengamot, there were several items on the agenda. First was a list of proposed changes to certain old laws to bring them more up to date.

The Minister of Magic rose to speak to the issues. He stated that it was found that some of the older statues of the Wizengamot had been unfair to many in the magical community, and that he and his staff recommended changes to these laws to remedy the matters. He asked the undersecretary of legal research, Madame Hermione Weasley, to speak to the specifics."

Hermione rose and addressed the Wizarding legislature. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, we wish to address several statutes which provide legal protection and benefits to some of our society, but not to all in a fair and equitable manner. There are several statutes which provide legal recourse for damages, but only when the damaged party is a pure-blood wizard. These statutes do not provide the same protections to a pure-blood witch, nor to those of other heritage. We propose to alter the wording of these statutes to make the protections applicable to all persons of magical ability."

An older wizard rose and cried out "This is just what I would expect from a mudblood! The ministry should not have been permitted to hire someone like you."

The entire chamber gasped at this outburst. The chairman rapped his gavel. "Madame Weasley, do you have any response to the member?"

"Yes, your honour, I most certainly do. The member has just impugned my honour as an officer of the ministry and of this chamber. I hold the Order of Merlin first class, granted by the ministry for actions in battle during the last war with the self-styled Lord Voldemort." Hermione was delighted to see the member cringe at the name. "He has insulted my name, my family, my parents, and this chamber by his remarks. I challenge him to a duel!"

The member in question shook his head in disgust. "You have no right to challenge me. I am Marcus Foofaller, a pure-blood wizard and Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Foofaller. You are a muggleborn member of a third rate house, and that only by marriage."

Harry watched as a number of members of the Wizengamot nodded their heads in agreement with this sentiment. He looked over to Pansy, sitting in the seat reserved for the representative of the House of Black. She looked up towards the visitors' gallery where several of their investigative staff were taking careful note of those who had nodded, looked back at Harry and smiled.

A hush fell on the crowd as the short bespectacled wizard rose from his seat. Harry spoke out. "If you are Marcus Foofaller, then I also challenge you to a duel, for crimes committed against me over the course of my lifetime." He produced a long scroll of parchment. "Specifically, I find that the records show that every time there was an action which attacked my credibility, including a charge brought before the Ministry court for underage use of magic for defending myself against an attack by dementors under corrupt ministry control, one Marcus Foofaller was the one who demanded a vote to have the charges brought to a full court inquisition. According to records provided by Gringott's Bank, this action, and several others of similar character, coincided exactly with payments from the House of Malfoy (under the control of the convicted Death Eater Lucius Malfoy), to the personal vault of one Marcus Foofaller, and at the same time similar payments were made from the Malfoy vaults to the personal vault of the former Minster of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." Turning to the chairman of the Wizengamot, Harry said "Your honour, I wish to introduce these documents of this member's malfeances to the attention of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sir, you have committed crimes against me, you have insulted an officer of this chamber and of the Ministry, and also insulted the entire Order of Merlin, within which also I hold the Order, First Class."

Foofaller sneered. "What can a muggle-raised orphan know of the old rights and privileges? He had been trying to overturn the rights of the high-borns his entire life."

Harry spoke loudly and clearly, in a quiet voice that threatened as much as it informed. "The old rights and privileges, such as the right to murder full-blood wizards and witches, to torture people of both high and low birth, magical and non-magical. To cause terror, to corrupt. All under the leadership of your Lord Voldemort. These are your ancient rights?"

"And what about this latest example of your rights and privileges. Last winter, a bomb was placed in the locker room of the Chudley Cannon quidditch team. This bomb killed three players and emasculated a pure-blood wizard. The documents, just introduced into evidence, show a large payment from one Marcus Foofaller into the vaults of one Michael Groffle, who was recently convicted and executed for the crime. The records also show that Mr Groffle received packages from a potions factory owned by Lord Foofaller, packages which contained explosive materials, and which were sent to Mr Groffle without the charging of any moneys. Lord Foofaller, why did you provide the funding and the materials for murder and grievous injury of a pure-blood?"

"You know, it is amazing what the Department of Magical Law Enforcement officers can find once the high officers of the Ministry do not order them not to find anything." A number of faces blanched as they realized that the skeletons were about to emerge from their closets, and they were going to be held to account.

Harry continued, "My Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, you are aware that the punishment for conspiracy to commit a crime are the same as those for doing the deed. These documents confirm that Lord Foofaller did conspire to murder three pure-blood wizards, and grievously injure another."

Foofaller was heard to mutter "Damn team was playing badly, and losing me money."

Harry spoke up again. "The pure-blood wizard your minions emasculated was my brother-in-law. For this crime, I again challenge you to a duel!"

Foofaller cried "I'm not going to duel with a puffed-up pedophile!"

Harry smiled with a cold hateful grin. "My Lords and Ladies. You have heard the member refuse lawful duels three times. As to his last charges against me, my marriage contracts are on file with the ministry of law enforcement, with directions to keep me under surveillance at my own cost, to confirm the falsehood of these claims. It had been proven by investigation by the DMLE's officers that the rumours have been started by this member and other pure-blood folk who are not fond of me, and are being spread to children in the area where I live."

"As a member of the Wizengamot, and the Head of the Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and of Black, I call for the conviction of the member under the old laws. He wants to hold to the old rights and privileges. So be it. Let an old law be enforced! Statute 127, passed in this chamber in November of 1232, states clearly that any pure-blood wizard who refuses a lawful challenge of an officer of the Wizengamot or the Head of an Ancient and Noble House, shall lose their magic. Their house shall be stricken from the role of Ancient and Noble Houses, as the head of the house is no longer of the magical folk. In your own hearing, this man has refused a lawful duel three times. I demand his conviction. I further demand the conviction of this person for the murder of three pureblood persons, and the emasculation of a pure-blood wizard."

The room gasped as the implications of this charge became obvious to them, as Lord Foofaller would not only lose his magic and his house, but he and all his offspring were to be executed.

"My Lords and Ladies, in the spirit of the changes in the laws for which this session was called, I ask that the provisions of the law stripping the fallen house of all its assets be waived, in part; however, I propose that nine-tenths of the assets be seized and the funds given as restitution to all those who have been hurt by this man's actions. Lord Foofaller's wife and children have not been found guilty of any actions of their husband father (at least as yet), and so should not be punished for his misdeeds. The other tenth part of his assets should go to his family, should the investigations find that they are innocent of complicity in these misdeeds. However, I do ask that the children be put under surveillance for a period of no less than twenty years, or until it is clearly shown that they are not following in the path of their unlamented father. If the family was complicit, then the entire estate should be seized as required by the law, and the guilty parties executed in accordance with the law!"

"I call for the vote on these convictions!"

Lord Foofaller fell to his knees screaming as his magical core evaporated. Aurors carried the hulk of a man out of the chamber.

Harry spoke again. "My Lords and Ladies! For my whole life, I have been attacked and abused by those holding to the creed that pure-blood allows them to commit any crime with impunity. They hold that unfair laws, which favour them and their privileges, are the natural order of things. These laws have been full of bigotry and malice to those not of pure-blood. I have followed these laws as well as I could, even though they are causing pain to the ones I love or have sworn to protect. No more!"

"I hate to tell you... No! That is not true! I will not lie to this body, the way so many members of this body have lied to me, and about me, for most of my life! Honestly, I am ecstatic to tell you that these practices end, now! Call it a coup d'etat, call it a revolution, I really don't give a rat's ass what you call it. This bullshit stops. Now!"

"Those who are supporting and promoting these unfair laws are now spreading lies and harassing my children and my wives – this I will not tolerate. I declare before you today that this will stop! Either by my voice, my vote in this chamber, or if necessary, by my wand. Be ye warned."

"Either this chamber is a place of the rule of law, or it is not. The laws need to be adjusted to reflect the honour of all members of our magical folk. They need to be adjusted to protect the innocent, and those who are not blessed with our powers."

"If this chamber is only a place where unfair privilege is protected at the expense and detriment of those not of high birth or the correct gender, then it is only a place worthy of contempt. I inherited my place in this chamber only because my parents and my godfather were murdered, in my presence, by the self-styled Lord Voldemort and his bigotted pure-blood followers. There are many who did not fully commit to following the so-called Dark Lord, through self-interest or cowardice, I don't care which, but were in full sympathy with his program of domination. The former Minister of Magic, Fudge, was one such. The convicted torturer of children, Delores Umbridge, was another. There are others. This will end, now!"

"As I fought and killed Lord Voldemort, so I declare war on those who are hiding in the shadows but are still following his lead. As I have spent my life doing so far, I will do what I must to see that this does not continue. You have heard the only warning I will give. You have heard my voice. From now on, it will be my vote, here, or my wand elsewhere!"

Harry sat down. At first there was complete silence. Several of the members who had agreed with Lord Foofaller's statements tried to quietly leave the room, but a number were intercepted by Aurors at the exits, who read from lengthy parchments to the ashen faced wizards and witches, who were then escorted out. The rest of the room broke into applause.

That evening at the Manor, a toast was raised to Harry. Harry sadly asked "Do you think that will be enough to finally get them to leave me alone?"

He looked around the room at his extensive family. He was in a house he liked, surrounded by the people he loved. He smiled widely and said "Well, maybe not quite alone. I'm home, in the best sense of the word. I'm HOME!"