Husbands and Wives

It was a matter of days before Ella admitted she would like to marry Harry as soon a possible. Spending a few nights in bed with him and with Luna made up her mind. They now had to find her a proper title.

Luna was clearly Lady Potter and possibly Lady Black as well, being a pureblood, as requested by the Black code of conduct. There were other Lady positions open, though: Peverell and Gryffindor, of course; Slytherin, acquired by conquest but also, quite surprisingly, found in the inheritance test conducted at Gringots. Another surprise was Evans, which turned out to be a squib line, descendent from one of Ravencalw's children.

Ella felt closer to the Evans line, due to her own ancestry. She married Lord Evans in a small wedding at a muggle church, with some of her friends from school present. Luna and Susan were presented as distant family, just like Daphne, and none of her muggle friends and family suspected anything. Dudley and Petunia were also present, both looking very happy for the couple.

Despite Luna's invitation to share bed, Ella opted to have her own room, if only to be able to study peacefully. She still shared bed with Harry and Luna during weekends and at least once during the week, yet she spent most of her time studying, either at college or at home.

Ron was a bit confused about this Lady Evans thing. He didn't understand why Harry would want to marry a muggle (or a squib) and where the Evans title had come from. Hermione, though, was very glad for her best friend, once she learned the whole story. "She really deserves to be your wife," she told Harry, as she cuddled closer to him, during one of their private times. "Does she know about our relationship?"

"I think she has known about it even before I met her on that cold street. She knew everything of interest from the Greengrass."

Hermione smiled. "I think we may become very good friends. You still love me as well, don't you?" Her smile turned teasing.

Harry slid into her inviting entrance. "What do you think?" he smirked.

Once Ron and Hermione settled into parenthood, Hermione was eager to resume her regular meetings with Harry. Since leaving school, these were quite haphazard, making her miss Harry's intimate company. With Harry having to deal with four new babies and a new wife, it was not easy to find much time for the two of them. As a mother, she was also no longer as free as before. She had to reluctantly cut on her visits to only twice and just occasionally three times a week.

She then accepted a job offer at the Ministry, becoming a central figure in passing new legislation, benefiting the underprivileged of the magical world: the house elves, the centaurs, the Veela, the werewolves and many more magical creatures.

As a high-ranked Ministry employee, she couldn't afford as many such meetings as before. She would have liked at least two each week, but due to all her other obligations she could only afford to meet Harry for a serious shag about once every two weeks. She made sure these times didn't clash with her period.

Luna didn't mind. She even invited Hermione to stay for dinner after her shag. Hermione did so once in a while, enjoying the blonde's company and her sometimes weird comments, along with her unique insight. She also enjoyed the company of Ella, who accepted her the same as Luna, and she loved seeing Harry's twins grow. Lilly and James proved to be quite powerful magically – not really a surprise, considering their parents.

Susan and Daphne, although each had her own house to live in, were also spending most of their time at Potter Manor, raising their sons as siblings. Daphne only spent the weekends with her parents. Hermione enjoyed their company as well.

Yet she loved being in bed with Harry most of all. It was not merely shagging, of course. Just plain, rough sex she could get from Ron each and every day. She usually got it, really. Being with Harry was more like a special treat, one which is not taken for granted. She used to cuddle into Harry and talk with him, enjoying both their physical proximity as the sharing of thoughts and ideas. It would then turn more sensual, with Harry starting to caress her body and she would repay by caressing him, kissing his old, now invisible scars just as he was kissing hers. They would slowly build the sexual tension until they would finally unite in a loving and tender embrace, which would continue long after their climax was over.

It was during one of their bi-weekly meetings, after both were sweaty and sated and happy, when Hermione said, "I want to marry you."

Harry wasn't sure he heard correctly. "You want to marry me? But you're already married to Ron!"

"I've checked the law. Any magical person can marry as many partners as one would like. The law is not concerned with the genders of the spouses."

"Are you sure?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The purebloods who wrote that law couldn't even contemplate the idea of a woman wanting more than one husband. It was all about them getting more money and more power by marrying into rich families. Luckily, the text is gender-free."

"Why do you even want to marry me, then? Isn't Ron enough?" Had they not just finished a steamy session of love making she would have been offended.

"Had I been here with you if he was? Whenever I've needed to choose between you two I've chosen you. I only married him after he agreed that I keep shagging you as well. He only wanted to be sure that he was the father of my children."

"So, what has changed?" Harry was still confused.

"I want a boy. Ron wanted our first child to be a boy and he put all his magic into it. We've got Rose, you know."

"Have you helped him, wishing for a boy as well?"

"I was too distracted to pay attention, and he finished so fast I couldn't do much anyway. Concentrating on his magic while practicing sex wasn't a big success, as far as sex was concerned."

"Does Ron agree with your idea?"

"I told him it's either that, or I divorce him. He'd rather pull you in than push me out."

Harry turned extremely serious. "Have you talked with Luna? She's been through hell and back. I wouldn't like to hurt her in any way."

Hermione smiled lovingly at him. "You see what I love about you? Your total devotion to the ones you love." Her smile deepened. "Yes, I've spoken with Luna. It's really her idea. I was just as willing to bear you a child no matter what. She said we could get married."

"But how will that work? I'm married to Luna and I'm devoted to our children, just as you are to Rose. There's also Ella, with whom I'm married, although we don't have a common child yet." His face showed a momentary pain as he remembered that he may have had a child with Ella under different circumstances. "Then there are Daphne and Susan who bore me sons, although they will keep their mothers' names. How will it all fit together?"

Hermione smiled at him, her hand caressing his thigh and going upwards. "It will not change anything. You will still sleep with Luna like you normally do; you will still be with Daphne and Susan as regularly as always; you and your wives will visit Ron and me just as usual and I'll spend a few hours with you whenever we can, just as we are doing now. The only difference would be that I will stop using the potion and bear you a Potter son. I may even join you and Luna in bed sometimes, if she agrees."

Harry was still doubtful. "How can you assure you'll bear my child and not Ron's?"

Her smile widened. "There are a few contraceptive charms for men as well, although men don't usually bother. Then there's a temporary sterilization charm, which can render a man sterile for a day, a week, a month or a year. I can also consider castration, if he doesn't behave..."

Harry shuddered. Opposing Hermione seemed quite frightening. He thought he was lucky to have her on his side.

"Well, if it's Luna's idea..."

"You won't regret it!" she promised, before kissing him passionately. Soon their kiss turned into much more, letting them forget the world for another hour.

Hermione, in her thorough way, went to the ministry to check every record that could be of value concerning their case. The next time they met, she had some interesting news.

"I've found that we don't need to bother. While checking at the ministry, wanting to make sure nothing will prevent our marriage, I found that we are already bound."

"What does it mean?" Harry asked her.

"That's what I asked as well. It means that during our year of wandering around, trying to stay alive, and maybe even before it, we saved each other so many times, that our mutual life debts were enough to bond us as soon as we copulated. They said it is not a soul bond, but very similar. It gives us all the rights of a married couple without forcing us to actually be a couple. Yet most bound couples tend to live together, just as we like to be together." She caressed his chest as emphasis.

"What shall we do then?"

Hermione smiled. "I think I'll join you and Luna for a while, until you get me pregnant."

Harry wasn't sure if she just meant to live in the same house or join them in bed as well. Hermione had come a long way since being the conservative, authority admiring girl. She was now a very opinionated lady who made and changed laws and was herself an authority figure. Yet knowing Luna, he was sure she would encourage Hermione to join them in bed as well. He was looking forward to this. He still remembered the morning of his eighteenth birthday as the best, having all the women he loved naked in bed with him.

Hermione kept her words. She changed her personal schedule, so that she could spend some time with her daughter each evening, and then went to spend the night with Harry and Luna, usually sharing bed. She reserved the weekends for Ron, though, enjoying their togetherness just as much. It was also helpful to keep Molly from suspecting. They would not hear the end of it if Molly knew the way her daughter-in-law was acting, Harry was sure.

Hermione's plan went just great. A month after starting her new schedule, she was already pregnant with a boy. Knowing that made her decide to confront Molly. She and Ron brought Rose to Potter Manor, where they left her with Luna, Susan and Daphne. They then went to the Burrow, with both Harry and Ron supporting their common wife.

It was a difficult conversation. Harry used a silencing charm more than once and quite a few calming spells as well, but Molly finally accepted the facts, although grudgingly. With all three younger people agreeing to this arrangement, there was really nothing she could do. She only glared at Arthur, when he said, "I promise to support your decision in case you want an additional husband."

Hermione's pregnancy went just as well as her first. She continued working until a week before the expected delivery, proving even more efficient than usual. She was spending her nights alternately with Harry and with Ron, feeling it was just the way she wanted it.

Luckily, her son was born with brown hair, like hers. Ron was as glad as if this boy was his. "Now I'll be able to go out with the two children without raising too many questions," he said.

Luna had another idea. "Why won't you move to live at the Manor with us? I think it would be best for both Harry and Hermione and certainly for the baby. Besides, we have a full-size Quidditch field. I'm sure you and Harry can find some use for it."

Ron couldn't really resist the offer.

Lavender, Padma and Parvati used to visit Potter Manor occasionally. They spent some time cooing at the babies and when they grew, playing with the young children. As Luna had promised, she didn't mind letting them shag Harry whenever they visited, feeling she shouldn't be greedy about Harry.

It was during one of these visits that Lavender met Ron and Hermione. It only took her a few minutes to correctly asses the relationship between Hermione and the two men, based on her experience as "gossip queen". She grabbed Hermione aside for a talk.

"Are you married to both Ron and Harry?" she asked bluntly.

"Almost. I have a magical bond with Harry, which is like marriage, but not quite."

"Yet you have sex with both, don't you?" Lavender insisted.

"Only with one at a time," Hermione answered, blushing slightly.

"Can Ron have a similar relation with me? Will you accept it?" There was some worry in her voice.

Hermione shrugged. "It's more common for a wizard to have two wives than for a witch to have two husbands. I assume you can keep him company when I'm otherwise occupied."

Lavender blushed now. "Can you help me become Ron's second wife? I promise not to do anything against your will and to always respect you as the main wife."

Hermione smiled at her. "I'll help you. I'm sure Ron will really like it."

As expected, Ron didn't need much persuasion. Even his mother accepted the idea, finding it quite normal, especially after Hermione's bond with Harry. Unknown to her, Ron also agreed to let Lavender have some quality time with Harry, similar to the arrangement he had had with Hermione before discovering the bond.

They didn't make a big fuss of it, though. Ron married Lavender with only his parents, her parents, Hermione, Harry and Luna present. Ron took Lavender to a Caribbean island for the honeymoon, while Hermione celebrated the new wedding in bed with the Potters.

The Patil twins were glad for their friend, but had no intention of following her example. "Each of us has recently found a candidate for serious relationship. We'd like to build our lives independently," Padma explained.

Nobody seemed surprised when both Hermione and Lavender found out they were pregnant a few weeks after the wedding. Hermione was expecting a boy and Lavender – a girl.

Not quite traditional, are we? While Ron isn't portrayed in a very flattering way, he does love Hermione and gives her what she wants from him. Now, with Lavender added, he would surely be even happier.

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