Chapter 3 – Lady Black
The threesome left the Great Hall and immediately went to draft letters to send to the Burrow, certain that the news would feature them shortly. They had been correct when the Prophet printed a feature on them two days later. By then Ginny had written to her parents and Ron to explain the situation and that she had been the primary instigator. Harry and Hermione had added their own notes as well. The replies back had been unexpected. Ron had been matter-of-fact and congratulated them. The elder Weasleys had not been so pleased. Arthur's note had stated simply that he hoped they were truly certain about their decisions. Molly on the other hand had written a quite angry letter to her daughter, accusing her of unseemly behavior. The letter had been disturbing enough that Harry had felt the need to respond, pointing out that his betrothed was not acting unseemly and he felt no disrespect on the Potter name, and thus they shouldn't feel any on the Weasley name. He then officially sealed the letter with his house ring. The Prophet story broke shortly after he sent the reply and they had not received any additional correspondence for a full week. When they finally did, Arthur drafted a formal reply to Harry, apologizing and restating his approval of their two houses bonding. He had sealed it with the Weasley ring, which Ginny insisted she hadn't seen used in at least five years. Harry hated to make the relationship with the Weasleys so formal, but he was not about to let either Ginny or Hermione be distressed.
While notifying the Weasleys was difficult enough, there was still the issue of Hermione's parents. Over the summer, she had gone to Australia and reinstated their memories. She had stayed for nearly a month and tried to rebuild their fractured relationship. They were doing better, but had decided to stay there, distancing themselves from Hermione and her world. While the idea of multiple partnerships had history in the magical world, it was highly frowned upon among muggles and Hermione felt that a letter to them would not be sufficient to break the news. She decided to wait and see how things developed in the months leading up to Christmas and then decide how to proceed.
The next couple months went well with the newly established threesome. What had started awkward actually was quite fulfilling on more than just a physical level. Ginny and Hermione were already good friends and now they were bonded even closer, often leaning on each other and talking through issues that would have caused misunderstandings in the past. Harry found that they were always willing to listen to him, between the two of them he had his own personal counselors and he often yielded to their combined wisdom. He and Hermione were both feeling much better since acknowledging their feelings and he found his love for her deepening each day. Physically, the two witches had their hands full keeping up with him as Harry's appetite remained unabated. While none of them had planned on originally being a threesome, it was impractical to separate and the early tentative steps that the witches had made with each other developed more within their shared bedroom as they grew to appreciate the pleasure that they could all provide to each other. Within a couple weeks of going public, the head girl, prefect and Quidditch captain were all moved into one bedroom within the prefects' wing. They enlarged the bed a bit and moved an extra wardrobe into the room to accommodate Hermione. The cohabitation brought a few snickers from the other prefects, but the threesome really didn't care.
As November ended and December began, Harry had been thinking a lot about what to do to formalize the partnership. He knew he loved both his witches, but he had only made a long term commitment to Ginny. Although he and Hermione had only officially been together a couple months, they had been friends for much longer and he didn't need more time to know that he wanted to hold onto her forever. When he had visited Gringotts during the summer and taken his inheritances, he had assumed the titles of both Lord Potter and Lord Black. The Potter title actually included several other bloodlines that he could claim, but couldn't hold title to. While he could legally be called Lord Potter-Black or Lord Black-Potter, he preferred the simpler Lord Potter. He had been reading a couple books that McGonagall had recommended and now understood that he could take a lady under each title and allow the extension of both lines. He had already offered Ginny the title of Lady Potter, so he was thinking that he would offer Hermione the title of Lady Black. He enjoyed the irony of that, given that she was muggleborn and the Blacks had always been pureblood. The three of them had been invited to the Burrow for Christmas and were then leaving on Boxing Day to go to Australia for the New Year with Hermione's parents. She hadn't told them details, only that she was bringing two friends with her. As Harry contemplated, he decided that he would formalize his commitment to her before they faced either of the families. With that in mind, he decided to visit Gringotts. He wanted to make it a surprise, so he enlisted McGonagall's help and was excused from two classes for a 'special project'. Both Hermione and Ginny had questioned him, but he refused to give in, leaving them both perturbed with him.
On a cold Thursday morning, Harry dressed carefully in dress robes, walked out to Hogsmeade and then apparated to Diagon Alley and made his way to Gringotts. Once there, he was directed to the office of his account manager, Silverstaff. He had been in regular communication with the goblin regarding his business holdings and had setup the appointment for the means of 'clarifying titles'. As he stepped into the office, the goblin stood and greeted him formally.
"Good day Lord Black-Potter."
"Good day honorable Silverstaff. My thanks for your seeing me on short notice."
The goblin nodded and they sat down. Silverstaff waited for Harry to state the purpose of his visit.
"Silverstaff, I am here to inquire about the title for House Black. I have a lady who I wish to make Lady Black, if she agrees, but I want to ask if there are any requirements for my choice of lady."
"No my lord. Traditionally, the Blacks have been pureblood. The family motto is Toujours Pur for that reason. Is the lady you have in mind pureblood?"
"No, actually she is muggleborn. Will that present a problem?"
"Well it's not forbidden, but we will want to take precautions. For example, I still hold the ring for Lady Black, as you had not designated her yet. The ring has a dark charm on it that makes it painful for anyone not of the blood to wear it. I would assume similar charms would be on many of the Black heirloom items."
Harry frowned. He wasn't surprised by the news, but it was still distressing.
"I see you are alarmed my Lord. I believe I can help you. As the house ring and most of the heirloom items are goblin crafted, we can unweave any charms on the items for a fee. I can take care of the house ring today. The other items will take longer."
"Excellent, please remove any charms on the house ring. I'd also like to contract you to help me with cleaning out the Black vault. I decided not to open it when I claimed my inheritance, but I think I've neglected it for too long. I'd like all heirlooms in the vault evaluated for dark magic or charms. Any goblin crafted items that you can have the charms removed on, please do so. Anything else, please catalog what you find and I'll arrange disposal with the Ministry. I am aware this will take a fair bit of work, but please send me the evaluation estimate and costs."
"Of course my lord. I'll set a project manager on it later today. Now, regarding the ring and removing the charm. You wear the Black ring, entwined with the Potter ring. It is because of that that you, a halfblood, can wear the Black signet. Would you like me to remove any charms from your ring as well?"
"What? Yes, of course. Merlin! I didn't realize."
"There was no need to worry, as the rings were entwined. There is another issue. The charm is actually worked into the Toujours Pur motto on the ring. It would be easier to remove if we remove that from the rings. Or we can change it."
"Hmm, alright. I know Hermione told me Toujours Pur means 'always pure' in French. I wish she was here. I think I'd like something about equality, being equal. Do you happen to have anyone who speaks French nearby?"
"I speak seventeen languages my lord, French included. Might I suggest Toujours Egale, it means 'always equal'?"
"Brilliant! Thank you Silverstaff. Please change the motto on both rings to that and remove the charm. I'd also like to officially change the Black motto on all legal paperwork from now on."
Silverstaff nodded and left the office for about fifteen minutes. He returned with both rings and offered the lord ring back to Harry. He placed it back on his finger, next to the Potter ring and they entwined once again. The goblin then handed the lady's ring to Harry, who tucked it in an inside pocket of his robes.
"Alright my lord, the fee for changing each ring and removing the charms is twelve galleons. I've taken the liberty of drafting your vault. I also have papers to change the Black motto and crest registry. I have a copy for Gringotts and two that I will need to send to the Ministry. The total cost for these changes for Gringotts and the Ministry is 57 galleons. I'll need you to sign and seal all three copies."
Harry signed and sealed as requested. It felt good to make the change to the Black motto and crest. He felt Sirius would have approved.
"Well then, the paperwork is set. I'll be sending you an update on the cleaning of the Black vault. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
"I need to visit the Potter vault before I leave."
Silverstaff nodded and rang a bell. A young goblin appeared and nodded, gesturing for Harry to follow. He turned to say goodbye to his account manager and then left the office, following the vault goblin. They made the perilous cart ride down into the depths of the bank and Harry produced his key as he was let into his vault. He once again had to catch his breath at the sight of the wealth his ancestors had left him. Between the Potter and Black vaults, he would never need to work unless he decided he wanted to. For now, he grabbed a few handfuls of galleons and then crossed to a large chest in the back of the vault. When he had explored the vault earlier in the summer, he had found that this chest contained many small boxes holding different jewelry items from past generations. He had looked through quite a few then and given Ginny one of the necklaces for her birthday, but he had left most of them where he found them. When he proposed to Ginny, he had given her his mum's wedding ring. Since he had been thinking of making Hermione his second lady, there was one item that he remembered that kept popping into his mind. Now he just had to find it in the midst of hundreds of small boxes. Deciding to try something since his time was running short, Harry closed his eyes and envisioned the ring in his head. Then he drew his wand and silently cast 'accio'. A single box wiggled its way out of the stack and flew to Harry's hand. He removed the lid and smiled, it had worked. The ring was just like he remembered, a single light blue, round center diamond set in a pale gold and surrounded by a circle of smaller, round white, pink and yellow diamonds. The cuts on each were brilliant and the ring sparkled. Something about it made him happy and he knew this ring held no dark magic. A note in the lid indicated that it had been a fiftieth anniversary gift to Agnes Potter from her husband Henry, Harry's great-grandfather. Harry carefully closed the box and tucked it into his robes. He then followed the vault goblin back out and exited the bank.
When Harry returned to school he still had an hour until classes let out for lunch and began to setup the second part of his plan for the morning. The interior courtyard near the Transfiguration classroom was empty since everyone was in class and Harry stood in it, looking at the fresh piles of snow that had fallen two nights before. The courtyard was small and usually quiet, with a number of graceful statues and a peaceful air about it. In warm weather, it was one of Hermione's favorite places to retreat to with a book. Now, Harry stood in the center, drew his wand and began to transform it. The work took most of the hour, but in the end he had transformed the snow into a small ice pagoda that glittered with crystals and was festooned with vines of small winter roses. When he had proposed to Ginny, Harry had transformed the Quidditch pitch behind the Burrow into a field of wildflowers. Ginny had loved it and it had been perfect for her tastes. The ice crystal courtyard he created for Hermione was completely different and perfect for her. Soon he heard classes start to dismiss and waited patiently. The next part of his plan was up to Ginny. She was supposed to bring Hermione to the courtyard, even if she had to drag her. A couple minutes later, Harry was happy to see that the extreme measures hadn't been necessary as the two of them approached and entered the edge of the courtyard. Ginny was grinning and Hermione stood stunned, looking at Harry standing in his dress robes in the middle of the ice crystal fantasy he had created. He held out his hand to her and she walked over and took his hand. Ginny stepped closer, but remained standing on the side. Harry pulled Hermione close, holding both her hands as he looked into her eyes.
"Hermione Jean Granger, you have been my best friend for eight years. You have stood beside me through horrific times. Once I thought of you as a sister, but I soon came to realize that you are much more than that to me. You gave me your heart and I've given you mine. You've accepted the need to share our love and this is just the latest part of your generosity that I have to be grateful for. I know we haven't been together as a couple for long, but I have no doubt where my heart lies. I love you and would be honored if you would agree to marry me and become Lady Black."
Harry reached into his robe and pulled out the box with his great-grandmother's ring. Holding it out, he looked at Hermione for an answer.
"Yes Harry. I love you. And I would be honored to be Lady Black."
Harry placed the ring on her finger and enchanted the spell he had learned before proposing to Ginny that allowed him to size it to her finger. She stared at it as she started to cry.
"It's beautiful."
"I thought you would like it. It was my great-grandmother's. Now, there is another ring you need. This is the ring of Lady Black. I had it checked by the goblins and it has had all the dark magic cleaned from it. Also, please read the motto under the crest."
Harry handed her the ring so that she could look at it closely. Her eyes got wide as she looked up and grinned at Harry.
"Toujours Egale, instead of Toujours Pur. Always Equal. Wow, it's perfect Harry."
Harry took the ring and placed it on Hermione's right pinky as he formalized his choice.
"I, Harry James Black-Potter, lord of two houses, do hereby endow the title of the house of Black upon my betrothed, Hermione Jean Granger."
The ring glowed and sized itself down to fit Hermione's finger. Nothing else happened and Harry was glad for the goblin magic that had cleansed the ring. He looked into Hermione's eyes and whispered his love as he kissed her deeply. When they broke apart, they both held out their hands and gestured to Ginny. She came over and they each kissed her as the three embraced. As they pulled apart, a sudden raucous noise disturbed their tranquility as all of the students who had gathered around the outside of the courtyard burst into applause. Then Harry looked over and saw Headmistress McGonagall and several professors applauding as well. He was surprised to see McGonagall was crying as Professor Sprout handed her and Professor Flitwick tissues.
"Thank you everyone! I hadn't planned on making this so public, but I guess you don't plan on proposing in the middle of Hogwarts without an audience."
Everyone laughed and Harry took both his ladies by the arm as he led them to lunch. The next morning saw them all boarding the Hogwarts Express for the start of Christmas break. The three of them were expected at the Burrow and they hoped that the Prophet wouldn't break their news before they had a chance.