Quick A/N: It's been a year. Not sorry, but see below for an explanation. I'm trying not to abandon these stories.

While the girls were off on their shopping trip and makeover, Charles and Harry headed off to the barrister, lost in thought. Finally, after a short floo trip and a slightly longer walk, they ended up in front of a nondescript storefront on Diagon Alley.

Harry read the sign up front. "Umm.. Charles? This is a reputable barrister?"

"One of the best," Charles said.

"... Sue, Grabbit, and Runne?"

Charles chuckled. "Maybe they'll tell you that story. Come with, time's wasting." So, they went inside. A pretty receptionist was sitting at a very nice desk. The nametag on her desk read "Mary Sue".

"We're here to see Barrister Grabbit," Charles said confidently.

"Name?"

"Harry Potter, and his guardian."

Her eyes did the familiar flick to his scar, then she got back to business. "He'll be ready in a moment."

Sure enough, they'd barely sat down, when they were called into the Barrister's office. He was an older man, with a kindly face, the kind that wouldn't be out of place as the coach of a Little Quidditch league game.

"Lord Brown, lovely to see you… this must be Mr. Potter?"

"Call me Harry."

"Then I insist you call me Roger."

"Alright… Roger."

"Well, down to business. Lord Brown tells me you are about to become Lord Black? And that the Goblins have been hinting about some malfeasance with your accounts?"

Harry nodded, and Charles handed him a stack of papers. "Yes, he's about to become Lord Black. We'll require some assistance with all of the pomp and circumstance when that happens. But our primary concern is that the goblins have been hinting very strongly that there's something we need to be looking at in the way Harry's estate has been managed before now, and we're not quite sure why they're hinting. As near as we can figure, Albus Dumbledore has been playing fast and loose with his responsibilities as Harry's magical guardian, but on the surface it's all on the up and up."

Roger took the papers and looked through, making little "mm-hmm" noises as he did. "Well, so far, I share your opinion. Things do seem on the up-and-up, at least on the surface."

Charles nodded. "It does seem that way. But the goblins don't hint about things like this without good reason. Can we find out exactly what the estate maintenance fees that Dumbledore has been charging to his accounts have been used for?"

Roger frowned. "That'll take some digging… and it won't be cheap. I'd be surprised if Dumbledore would give up that information easily. Though… it should already be in these records, so maybe that's the first sign that there are things that should be investigated. How much do you want me to spend on this?"

"Make any reasonable efforts to find this information, but contact us if there's anything exceptional. Or, of course, if you figure anything out."

The barrister nodded. "Got it. Anything else?"

Harry spoke up. "There's a charge of 50 galleons a month paid to my former relatives for my upkeep. I have reason to believe they spent it all on themselves, because very little of it was ever used for my upkeep. Is there anything we can do to recover that?"

Roger frowned. "Probably not. That will be very hard to prove. Especially over the… last… what… sixteen years?"

Harry frowned. "I thought you'd say that. Will this help?"

He turned around and lifted his robes and shirt. The barrister sucked in a breath. "It might, at that." Harry lowered his clothes and sat back down. "But you're not going to get redress from the magical system." He leaned forward. "Some might see this as backwards, but corporal punishment is not frowned on in the magical legal system."

Harry frowned. "Property."

"Just so. If your parents were still alive, they'd be seen as completely justified in calling a blood feud against your relatives. And, being muggles, they wouldn't be able to do much to defend themselves. But they're not, and your previous magical guardian saw fit to allow it, so not much to do from that angle. Lord Brown, you could demand satisfaction for any future incidents, but… your options are pretty much nonexistent, Harry."

Harry's face fell.

Roger chuckled. "I said you're not going to get redress from the magical system. That doesn't mean there's nothing that can be done. I have some contacts on the muggle side of the legal system, and they look much less kindly on this sort of thing. I'll make some calls and see what I can set in motion."

Harry perked up. "Roger?"

Roger waited for Harry to finish.

"Make them pay."

Charles slapped Harry on the shoulder. "Good lad. Well, please do keep us up to date, Roger. There's nothing else, so we'll be taking our leave now. We'll be in touch soon about some peculiar legal issues regarding the Black estate. Oh. One more thing. Can you draw up a betrothal contract between my daughter and Harry here?"

Roger chuckled. "That's a 'one more thing'? I'd say that's the biggest news of the whole visit! Certainly, we can do that. Any particular provisions?"

"Just the usual. A reasonable dowry, no penalties for termination beyond the return of the dowry. But Lavender will be only Mrs. Potter. The black line will be separate."

"Do you have someone in mind…?"

"Yes, but we'll keep that close to the chest for right now."

Roger nodded. "If it's just standard, I can have Mary draft up a contract while you wait. We don't do too many pureblood betrothals, but we have some templates for just that purpose. Just be sure to register at the ministry when you're done, otherwise you can't prosecute for line theft should it be necessary."

"Nice to meet you, sir.", Harry said politely.

"You as well, Mr. Potter. Your reputation precedes you, but I do hope you continue to do great things."

They left Roger's office, and Mary was already in the process of drafting the document. After asking a few questions, such as the size of dowry, the betrothal document was done, and Charled signed the document, both as Harry's guardian, and Lavender's father.

"You can do that?," Harry asked, a little taken aback.

"Yes, I can. Dumbledore could have as well. Thankfully, if he did, he didn't register it at the ministry, so this one will take precedence."

Harry frowned. "And you could have promised Lavender too."

"I could have."

Harry sighed. "I don't like this society."

Charles sighed. "Well, if anyone can change it, it'll be you. But for now, it is what it is, and it works out, at least for you and the rest of my family."

As they walked out of the office, Harry smiled to himself. Once Hermione got wind of all this, they wouldn't know what hit them. He just hoped that she'd handle it better than she did the house elves.

—

Once they got back to the house after filing the betrothal contract at the ministry, they chatted a while and had a light lunch while waiting for the women to return. A little while later, the floo flashed, and out popped three women, two of whom were chattering and clearly having had a great time, and the third of which appeared utterly knackered, and went off for a nap. Harry and Charles went into the sitting room to meet them, and Harry's mouth dropped open.

Hermione was beautiful.

"Harry?", she said, concerned. "Harry? Are you okay?" Charles snickered.

"Uhh… umm. Hermione, you're absolutely gorgeous."

Hermione's cheeks flared red, and she lowered her eyes, and that just made her even more beautiful. Lavender just blow on her fingernails and rubbed them on her chest. "Do I know what I'm doing, or do I know what I'm doing?" she asked rhetorically. "Harry! You're staring!" But she winked.

He averted his gaze. "I… I've just never seen her this way. You've always been pretty, Hermione, but… this…"

"I've always been pretty?"

"Of course you have!"

She sighed. "Thank you, Harry," she said, but she seemed a little unhappy.

"Have you eaten?", Charles asked.

"Yes," Lavender said. "My fashion slave is fed."

Harry sputtered. "Your… your…"

Lavender giggled. "She told me I'm a harsh fashion mistress, so she's my fashion slave now. You can't argue with the results," she said pompously.

"No… no, I guess I can't," he said, softly.

"Come into to the study, then. We have much to discuss," Charles said, a smirk on his face. And they did so. Charles sat at his desk, while the three teens sat on the other side.

"First order of business. Lavender is now officially betrothed to Harry Potter."

Hermione's breath hitched, but she stayed stoic. Lavender just nodded. "Thank you, daddy, Harry. This should help protect me."

"Protect you? How?", Hermione asked.

"Now that I am Harry's property," Lavender said quietly, "the penalties for if someone… assaults… me are much greater than they would be otherwise. Daddy would be fully within his rights to declare a blood feud. If Harry didn't first."

"Property?", Hermione said, looking offended.

Charles sighed. "Hermione, I've already explained this to Harry. 'Property' doesn't mean quite what you think it does. Please refrain from working yourself into a righteous froth before you understand how our culture works."

Hermione nodded, but the look on her face screamed "You got some 'splainin' to do".

"You will, of course, become Mrs. Potter. That, of course, leaves the question of what you want to do with the Black line, Harry."

"The Black line?", Harry played dumb.

"Yes. It's a quirk of our laws that the Lord of multiple houses can take one wife for each house, and each one will be responsible for propagating that line. Lavender will propagate the Potter house. What will you do with the Black house?" His face remained impassive, but Harry recognized what Charles was trying to do.

"I don't know," Harry said, lying a little bit. It was kind of true, because he didn't know if Hermione would accept someday.

Hermione looked up at Charles, then Lavender, then Harry. There were tears in her eyes.

"Don't… don't do this to me, Harry."

"Don't do what?", he asked. He had a suspicion of what she would say, though.

She choked back a sob. "You know I love you, Harry. I'm sorry, but I do. I have for a long time. And… and then Lavender came and all hope was ripped away. And now… is there hope again? But I'd have to share you. I… I don't know if I could. But… I don't know if I couldn't either. And maybe you wouldn't even want me. I… I don't…." She choked up. "I don't think I can take my heart breaking a second time, watching you take a second… second wife. Stop doing this to me, Harry. Stop hurting me like this." She got up from her chair and ran out of the room, sobbing.

Charles sighed. "That could have gone better."

Lavender said thoughtfully, "It could have gone worse, as well."

"Just so," Charles said. "Harry, go find her."

Harry stood up and walked out of the room. He found her sitting next to the floo, her head to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

He sat down next to her. She looked at him, tears staining her eyes, makeup running down her face. He just scooped her up and let her finish crying. She looked up at him. "Why, Harry? Why did you even tell me this? I hate this, Harry! First I find out that you're screwing Lavender, and then you want to marry her, and where does that leave me? The ugly best friend? And then you tell me you could take a second wife, but… but it won't be me, will it? It could never be me! Stupid, ugly me!" She burst into another round of sobs.

Harry sighed. "You know, I kind of expected a different objection," he said softly.

"What do you mean?" she sniffled.

"I mean I kind of expected 'two wives? Really? What a backwards society! How could you even think of it! It's not proper!'. But instead you went right to 'Two wives? And neither of them will be me!"

She cry-chuckled. "I… I don't know either. I guess I love you that much," she said. "Ideally, I wouldn't share. But having you, with the price of sharing you?" She sniffled. "Maybe it's a good deal."

"You love me that much?"

She sighed. "Oh God, Harry, how much do I love you? I'd have given you anything. Anything. All you had to do was ask. But you never asked. I was always trusty, faithful, ugly Hermione. The buck toothed bookworm that no boy would ever look at twice. Not even you. But I loved you Harry. I love you. I… I wanted you to love me too. But you never did."

"I… I didn't know," he said softly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't I tell you? Me, the ugly bookworm having a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived? No, more than a crush. Being in unrequited love with the Boy-Who-Lived? The boy who could have any girl he wanted and never even noticed? Then… then just inexplicably one day walks in with the prettiest girl in school on his arm? That's why I didn't tell you. You'd never even notice!"

"Hermione," he said softly. "Look at me."

She turned her head to look at him. He had to admit that her tear-stained face didn't leave her in the best light, but that didn't matter. "You're beautiful," he said. "You've always been beautiful. You're right that I've never noticed… anyone. No one ever taught me what love was. I wouldn't have met Lavender if… if we weren't forced into it." At her look, he said "Long story, I'll tell you someday. But…" he put a finger on her chin, and she felt her heart rate increase. Was he - but before she got a chance to finish that thought, he gave her a quick but meaningful kiss.

"Hermione, if there's to be a second, I could think of no one else."

"Harry, don't -"

"I mean it, Hermione. I love Lavender. She's beautiful, and smart, and lively, and sweet, and everything I could want in a woman. But I've only known her for a couple of weeks. I've known you for years. I know you in ways I don't know Lavender, and may not for years. You're not ugly, you're not undesirable, and I'd love for you to be Lady Black someday. That is… that is, if you'd have me."

"Do you mean it? I meant what I said about not breaking my heart. That could destroy our friendship."

He took her hand. "Have you ever known me to say something I don't mean?"

She shook her head. "No," she said in a small voice.

She thought for a bit. "Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not ready for… for… what you two are doing. And… and I don't know if I'd ever want to do it with her."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "When you're ready, Hermione. And never before. Come back to the study."

She allowed him to pull her to her feet, and after blowing her nose in a conjured tissue, they walked back to the study.

She sat down, and so did Harry. Lavender and Charles just looked on curiously.

"Meet the presumptive Lady Hermione Black," Harry said softly.

Lavender smiled. "Welcome to the family, Hermione."

Hermione sniffled. "I… this will take some getting used to. And, Lavender, I told Harry that you and I… we… may never… do the kinds of things that married people might do."

Lavender nodded. "We'll talk about that later. I feel the same way. You're not expected to. I won't be married to you."

Charles cleared his throat. "Well, Hermione, I'm glad we have that settled. I'll file a formal betrothal shortly. But, for right now, go get yourself cleaned up, and then we need to give you a crash course on how to be a Lady."

She nodded and walked out the door. Harry, Lavender, and Charles looked at each other.

"That… went better than expected," Lavender said.

Harry nodded. "She loves me more than she hates the idea of multiple wives."

"Do you think…"

"She'll be alright," he said quietly. "Lavender, I love you. I've committed to you, we are betrothed as much because I requested it as it being a good idea. But I love Hermione too. She's been my best friend for years, and we've been through a lot together. I told you before that I don't play favorites. It… I… if I have to have two wives, I think this is the best outcome possible. Two wives I love… is better than the alternative."

"What's the alternative?"

"One wife I love, and one wife I tolerate. Or two wives I tolerate."

Charles nodded, as Hermione walked back into the room, looking much more presentable.

"Right then," Charles said quietly. "Time for your first lesson. Let's start with the things that directly affect you." And he spent the next few minutes explaining about family as property. "So, while the purebloods do see wives and children as property," he concluded, "it's not intended in the same way you would see, say, your wand as property."

She frowned. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it," Charles said. "For what it's worth, Harry doesn't really like it either. I'm more telling you this so you understand how other purebloods will see you."

"I don't care what other purebloods think."

Charles chuckled. "And that's your right. But you'll be the lady of an Ancient and Noble house. Those words don't mean a whole lot, but they do describe the house pretty succinctly. And you'll be the first muggleborn witch to be a lady of that house in literally centuries. I checked. There has never been a non pureblood Black. So while you'll be in a very good position to upend society if you choose to, you must know, understand, and accept the rules as they currently are before you'll be able to effect any change." He leaned forward. "I heard about the house elves."

Hermione blushed.

"Your willingness to change the status quo when it suits you is admirable. It could also be your undoing. The house elves did not want to be freed. And purebloods are perfectly happy with their culture right now. If you are going to effect change, it has to be from inside. And, quite frankly, just your existence will be enough, to start. Do you understand?"

"My father always told me to pick my battles. Is it like that?"

"Just so. You're being handed a golden opportunity on a silver platter. And if you don't waste it, the amount of good you can do is incalculable. The Blacks are one of the wealthiest families in Wizarding Britain, and were at one time one of the most influential. You have a lot to work with."

"I guess. I still don't like it."

"Do as I do," Charles chuckled. "Smile to their faces, curse them in private, work behind the scenes, and don't let them know what hit them."

"I'm a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin!"

Charles sighed and facepalmed. "Hermione, I hate the house system at Hogwarts, and this is why. You walk into that school, get told that each house has a defining characteristic, get sorted into that house, and then spend the rest of your life being defined by that characteristic. You don't have to be a Slytherin to be cunning, any more than you have to be a Gryffindor in order to be cannon-fodder. Be yourself. And if that means you're a little bit Slytherin, then just roll with it. Now, we have years of education to fit into a couple of days, so let's move on."

Over the next few hours, Hermione learned so many things. She learned how to comport herself like a proper pureblood lady, what many of the different gestures and subtle signals meant, how to speak in "polite society", and a few spells that might come in handy if things go south. Finally, they broke for supper, and Hermione had a chance to put everything she'd learned into practice.

She did terribly, but she tried. Charles gave her an A (acceptable), but explained that considering she only had an afternoon to learn what it took many purebloods years to learn, it wasn't too bad.

That evening, Harry sat on the couch overlooking the channel, and both girls were cuddled up to him, Lavender on his left, and Hermione on his right, and he had one arm around each.

"I could get used to this," he thought to himself, and smiled. Maybe Hermione wasn't ready for the more… pleasurable things he and Lavender got up to. That was alright. He wasn't sure if he was either. After all, the whole thing was comparatively sudden. It would happen when it happened. Meantime, she was soft and warm, and currently drooling on his shoulder.

A/N: Not the longest chapter. But I wanted to post something, and it's been too long. I looked and it's been about a year. At this rate, I might get the story done before I kick the bucket, or the heat death of the Universe.

Hermione's surprisingly accepting here - honestly, even I expected her to put up more of a fight. But… she does love Harry, and she doesn't mind Lavender, so she just figured that if she wants Harry, Lavender's part of the deal. Will there be three-way fun later? Quite honestly… I don't know! But I'll be as tasteful as the rest of the story.

Yes, I know. But I'm trying to be at least a little tasteful. I've found out what happens when I don't, and believe me, it's better this way.

Anyway, I do need to say this: I haven't updated much. I've had many other more interesting and useful projects I've been working on. Writing fanfiction just hasn't been on the list of priorities, and it may never. It is, all told, not a useful thing to do, if I'm being honest. But I decided it was time to at least write something. The story's not dead, and here's proof. And if you don't like my Hermione, tough. She's here to stay.